1
Now the Philistines attacked Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them. Many were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa.
2
The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed three of his sons—Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua.
3
The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with 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.
5
When his armor bearer realized that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died.
6
So Saul and his three sons died there together, bringing his dynasty to an end.
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.
This part, 1Ch 10:1-12 which gives an account of the last battle of Saul with the Philistines, and of his death and burial, is the same with 1Sa 31:1-13 see the notes there; the cause of his death follows in 1Ch 10:13.