New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 Now the Philistines attacked Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them. Many were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa.
1
The Philistines went to war against Israel; the Israelites ran for their lives from the Philistines but fell, slaughtered on Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed three of his sons—Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua.
2
The Philistines zeroed in on Saul and his sons and killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua.
3 The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with him and wounded him.
3
The battle went hard against Saul - the archers found him and wounded him.
4 Saul groaned to his armor bearer, “Take your sword and kill me before these pagan Philistines come to taunt and torture me.” But his armor bearer was afraid and would not do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
4
Saul said to his armor bearer, "Draw your sword and finish me off before these pagan pigs get to me and make a sport of my body." But his armor bearer, restrained by both reverence and fear, wouldn't do it.
5 When his armor bearer realized that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died.
5
The armor bearer, panicked because Saul was dead, then killed himself.
6 So Saul and his three sons died there together, bringing his dynasty to an end.
6
So Saul and his three sons - all four the same day - died.
7 When all the Israelites in the Jezreel Valley saw that their army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled. So the Philistines moved in and occupied their towns.
7
When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and ran off; the Philistines came and moved in.
8 The next day, when the Philistines went out to strip the dead, they found the bodies of Saul and his sons on Mount Gilboa.
8
The next day the Philistines came to plunder the dead bodies and found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa.
9 So they stripped off Saul’s armor and cut off his head. Then they proclaimed the good news of Saul’s death before their idols and to the people throughout the land of Philistia.
9
They stripped Saul, removed his head and his armor, and put them on exhibit throughout Philistia, reporting the victory news to their idols and the people.
10 They placed his armor in the temple of their gods, and they fastened his head to the temple of Dagon.
10
Then they put Saul's armor on display in the temple of their gods and placed his skull as a trophy in the temple of their god Dagon.
11 But when everyone in Jabesh-gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to Saul,
11
The people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul.
12 all their mighty warriors brought the bodies of Saul and his sons back to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones beneath the great tree at Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days.
12
All of their fighting men went into action - retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh, gave them a dignified burial under the oak at Jabesh, and mourned their deaths for seven days.
13 So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD . He failed to obey the LORD ’s command, and he even consulted a medium
13
Saul died in disobedience, disobedient to God. He didn't obey God's words. Instead of praying, he went to a witch to seek guidance.
14 instead of asking the LORD for guidance. So the LORD killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
14
Because he didn't go to God for help, God took his life and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.