1 Samuel 31 - Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before [them] and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

2 And the Philistines pursued Saul and his sons, and slew Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, Saul’s sons.

3 The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers severely wounded him.

4 Saul said to his armor-bearer, Draw your sword and thrust me through, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse and mock me. But his armor-bearer would not, for he was terrified. So [a]Saul took a sword and fell upon it.

5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword and died with him.

6 So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died that day together.

7 And when the men of Israel on the other side of the valley and beyond the Jordan saw that the Israelites had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

9 They cut off Saul’s head and stripped off his armor and sent them round about the land of the Philistines to publish it in the house of their idols and among the people.

10 And they put Saul’s armor in the house of the Ashtaroth [the idols representing the female deities Ashtoreth and Asherah], and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.

11 When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

12 All the valiant men arose and went all night, and they took the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan and came to Jabesh and cremated them there.

13 And they took their bones and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 31:4 This account of Saul’s death obviously contradicts that given by the Amalekite who came to David with Saul’s spear and crown, claiming to have killed him (II Sam. 1:9ff). His story was probably a fabrication. He found the king’s body on the battlefield, stripped it, and brought the spoil to David hoping for a reward, as The Cambridge Bible comments. However, it is possible that Saul was not entirely dead when the Amalekite found him, though his armor-bearer had thought him dead and had killed himself, in which case the Amalekite’s story may have been true.

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1 Samuel 31 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

31 And the Philistines are fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel flee from the face of the Philistines, and fall wounded in mount Gilboa, 2 and the Philistines follow Saul and his sons, and the Philistines smite Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, sons of Saul. 3 And the battle is hard ...
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1 Samuel 31 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

31 Forsooth the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the face of Philistines, and they fell down slain in the hill of Gilboa. (Then the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the Philistines, and they fell down dead on Mount Gilboa.) 2 And ...
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1 Samuel 31 - World English Bible (WEB)

31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle went hard against S...
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1 Samuel 31 - The Voice (VOICE)

31 Meanwhile the Philistine and Israelite armies had clashed. The men of Israel ran away, but many of them were killed on the heights of Gilboa. 2 The Philistines even followed Saul and his sons and closed in on them; there they killed his sons, Jonathan (the beloved friend of David), Abinadab, and...
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1 Samuel 31 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Saul Killed on Mt. Gilboa31 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel. Israel’s men fled before the Philistines and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. 3...
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1 Samuel 31 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

The Death of Saul and His Sons31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilbo′a. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abin′adab and Mal′chishu′a, the sons of Saul. 3 Th...
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1 Samuel 31 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

The Death of Saul and His Sons31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilbo′a. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abin′adab and Mal′chishu′a, the sons of Saul. 3 Th...
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1 Samuel 31 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

The Death of Saul and His Sons31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and many fell[a] on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. 3 The ba...
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1 Samuel 31 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Death of Saul and His Sons31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and many fell[a] on Mount Gilboa.(A)2 The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. 3 The ba...
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1 Samuel 31 - New Living Translation (NLT)

The Death of Saul31 Now the Philistines attacked Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them. Many were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed three of his sons—Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua. 3 The fighting grew very fierce...
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1 Samuel 31 - New Life Version (NLV)

Saul Kills Himself31 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel. And the men of Israel ran from the Philistines and were killed and fell on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines came after Saul and his sons. They killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchishua. 3 The battle went against Saul....
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1 Samuel 31 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Tragic End of Saul and His Sons(A)31 Now (B)the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount (C)Gilboa. 2 Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed (D)Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malch...
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1 Samuel 31 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Saul takes his life31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3 The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and ...
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1 Samuel 31 - New International Version (NIV)

Saul Takes His Life(A)31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.(B) 2 The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons,(C) and they killed his sons Jonathan,(D) Abinadab and Malki-Shua.(E) 3 The fighting grew fierce arou...
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1 Samuel 31 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Saul Takes His Own Life31 The Philistines fought against the Israelites. The Israelites ran away from them. But many Israelites were killed on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines kept chasing Saul and his sons. They killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3 The fighting was heavy around Sau...
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1 Samuel 31 - New English Translation (NET)

The Death of Saul31 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel. The men of Israel fled from the Philistines and many of them fell dead on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines stayed right on the heels[a] of Saul and his sons. They[b] struck down Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. 3 S...
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