Good News Translation GNT
New International Version NIV
1 The Philistines fought a battle against the Israelites on Mount Gilboa. Many Israelites were killed there, and the rest of them, including King Saul and his sons, fled.
1
Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.
2 But the Philistines caught up with them and killed three of Saul's sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.
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 was heavy around Saul, and he himself was hit by enemy arrows and badly wounded.
3
The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.
4 He said to the young man carrying his weapons, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that these godless Philistines won't gloat over me and kill me." But the young man was too terrified to do it. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.
4
Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.” But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5 The young man saw that Saul was dead, so he too threw himself on his own sword and died with Saul.
5
When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.
6 And that is how Saul, his three sons, and the young man died; all of Saul's men died that day.
6
So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day.
7 When the Israelites on the other side of Jezreel Valley and east of the Jordan River heard that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had been killed, they abandoned their towns and fled. Then the Philistines came and occupied the towns.
7
When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.
8 The day after the battle the Philistines went to plunder the corpses, and they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons lying on Mount Gilboa.
8
The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9 They cut off Saul's head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers with them throughout Philistia to tell the good news to their idols and to their people.
9
They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people.
10 Then they put his weapons in the temple of the goddess Astarte, and they nailed his body to the wall of the city of Beth Shan.
10
They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
11 When the people of Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
11
When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 the bravest men started out and marched all night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall, brought them back to Jabesh, and burned them there.
12
all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them.
13 Then they took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in town, and fasted for seven days.
13
Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.