English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
1
The Philistines made war on Israel. The men of Israel were in full retreat from the Philistines, falling left and right, wounded on Mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
2
The Philistines caught up with Saul and his sons. They killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua, Saul's sons.
3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.
3
The battle was hot and heavy around Saul. The archers got his range and wounded him badly.
4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me." But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.
4
Saul said to his weapon bearer, "Draw your sword and put me out of my misery, lest these pagan pigs come and make a game out of killing me."
5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.
5
When the weapon bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.
6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.
6
So Saul, his three sons, and his weapon bearer - the men closest to him - died together that day.
7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.
7
When the Israelites in the valley opposite and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that their army was in full retreat and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their cities and ran for their lives. The Philistines moved in and occupied the sites.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
8
The next day, when the Philistines came to rob the dead, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa.
9 So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people.
9
They cut off Saul's head and stripped off his armor. Then they spread the good news all through Philistine country in the shrines of their idols and among the people.
10 They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
10
They displayed his armor in the shrine of the Ashtoreth. They nailed his corpse to the wall at Beth Shan.
11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
11
The people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul.
12 all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.
12
Their valiant men sprang into action. They traveled all night, took the corpses of Saul and his three sons from the wall at Beth Shan, and carried them back to Jabesh and burned off the flesh.
13 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
13
They then buried the bones under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted in mourning for seven days.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
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.