¹Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. ²And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul’s sons. ³And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. ⁴Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. ⁵And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. ⁶So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together. ⁷And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. ⁸And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. ⁹And they cut off his head, and when they had stripped off his armour, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings and to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people. ¹⁰And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon, and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan. ¹¹And when all the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of all that which the Philistines had done to Saul; ¹²All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came and brought them to Jabesh, and burnt them there. ¹³And they took their bones, and buried them under an oak tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

¹³So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against YHVH, even against the word of YHVH, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; ¹⁴And enquired not of YHVH: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.