New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and many fell 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 Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
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 battle pressed hard upon Saul; the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by them.
3
And the fight was going badly for Saul, and the archers came across him, and he was wounded by the archers.
4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised may not come and thrust me through, and make sport of me." But his armor-bearer was unwilling; for he was terrified. So Saul took his own sword and fell upon 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 Saul was dead, he also fell upon his 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 So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together on the same day.
6
So death overtook Saul and his three sons and his servant on the same day.
7 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 forsook their towns and fled; and the Philistines came and occupied 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 next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen 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 messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to the houses 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 They put his armor in the temple of Astarte; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
10
His war-dress they put in the house of Astarte; and his body was fixed on the wall of Beth-shan.
11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
11
And when the people of Jabesh-gilead had news of what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 all the valiant men set out, traveled all night long, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. They came to Jabesh 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 and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, 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.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.