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1 Chronicles 10

1 Chronicles 10:1 The Philistines fought against Israel, and Israel’s men fled before them. Many were killed on Mount Gilboa.

1 Chronicles 10:2 The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons and struck down his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

1 Chronicles 10:3 When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers spotted him and severely wounded him.

1 Chronicles 10:4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or else[1] these uncircumcised men will come and torture me.” But his armor-bearer would not do it because he was terrified. Then, Saul took his sword and fell on it.

1 Chronicles 10:5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died.

1 Chronicles 10:6 So Saul and his three sons died — his whole house died together.

1 Chronicles 10:7 When all the men of Israel in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. So, the Philistines came and settled in them.

1 Chronicles 10:8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa.

1 Chronicles 10:9 They stripped Saul, cut off his head, took his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to spread the good news to their idols and the people.

1 Chronicles 10:10 Then they placed[2] his armor in the house of their gods and hung his skull in the house of Dagon.

1 Chronicles 10:11 When all Jabesh-gilead heard of everything the Philistines had done to Saul,

1 Chronicles 10:12 all their efficient men set out and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted for seven days.

1 Chronicles 10:13 Saul died for his unfaithfulness to Yahveh because he was not careful about Yahveh’s word. He even consulted a medium for guidance,

1 Chronicles 10:14 but he did not inquire of the Lord. So, Yahveh put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

[1] פֶּן = or else. 1 Chronicles 10:4.

[2] שׂוּם = place. 1 Chronicles 10:10; 11:25; 17:9, 21; 18:6, 13; 26:10.