Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.
And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, sons of Saul.
The battle was heavy around Saul and the shooters—the men of the bow—found him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.
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 torture me!” But his armor-bearer would not do it, for he was terrified. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.
When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died with him.
So Saul died, and three of his sons and his armor-bearer and all his men that same day together.
And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those who were beyond the 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 settled in them.
It came to pass on the next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
Then they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent word all around to the land of the Philistines, to declare the good news in the house of their idols and to the people.
And they put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth and they nailed his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
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.
Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.