The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Now the P'lishtim pressed their attack on Isra'el. The men of Isra'el fled before the P'lishtim, leaving their dead on Mount Gilboa.
1
Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel: and the men of Israel went in flight before the Philistines, falling down wounded in Mount Gilboa.
2 The P'lishtim pursued and overtook Sha'ul and his sons; and the P'lishtim killed Y'honatan, Avinadav and Malkishua, the sons of Sha'ul.
2
And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and they put to death Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
3 The fighting went hard against Sha'ul; then the archers overtook and wounded him, so that he was in agony.
3
And the fight was going badly for Saul, and the archers came across him, and he was wounded by the archers.
4 Sha'ul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it. Otherwise these uncircumcised men will come, run me through and make sport of me." But his armor-bearer refused, he was too frightened. So Sha'ul took his sword and fell on it.
4
Then Saul said to the servant who had the care of his arms, Take out your sword and put it through me, before these men without circumcision come and make sport of me. But his servant, full of fear, would not do so. Then Saul took out his sword, and falling on it, put an end to himself.
5 When his armor-bearer saw that Sha'ul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died with him.
5
And when his servant saw that Saul was dead, he did the same, and was united with him in death.
6 Thus Sha'ul, his three sons, his armor-bearer and all his men died that same day together.
6
So death overtook Saul and his three sons and his servant on the same day.
7 When the men of Isra'el who were on the other side of the valley and those who were on the far side of the Yarden saw that the men of Isra'el had fled and that Sha'ul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; then the P'lishtim came and lived in them.
7
And when the men of Israel across the valley and on the other side of Jordan saw that the army of Israel was in flight and that Saul and his sons were dead, they came out of their towns and went in flight; and the Philistines came and took them for themselves.
8 The following day, when the P'lishtim came to strip the dead, they found Sha'ul and his three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa.
8
Now on the day after, when the Philistines came to take their goods from the dead, they saw Saul and his three sons dead on the earth in Mount Gilboa.
9 They cut off his head, stripped off his armor and sent these all over the territory of the P'lishtim to carry the news to the temples of their idols and to the people.
9
And cutting off his head and taking away his war-dress, they sent word into the land of the Philistines round about, to take the news to their gods and to the people.
10 Then they put his armor in the temple for the 'ashtarot and fastened his body to the wall of Beit-Sh'an.
10
His war-dress they put in the house of Astarte; and his body was fixed on the wall of Beth-shan.
11 When the people living in Yavesh-Gil'ad heard what the P'lishtim had done to Sha'ul,
11
And when the people of Jabesh-gilead had news of what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 all their warriors set out, traveling all night. They took the body of Sha'ul and the bodies of his sons off the wall of Beit-Sh'an, returned to Yavesh and burned them there.
12
All the fighting men got up and, travelling all night, took Saul's body and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh and had them burned there.
13 Then they took their bones, buried them under the tamarisk tree in Yavesh and fasted seven days.
13
And their bones they put in the earth under a tree in Jabesh; and for seven days they took no food.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.