1Na Izrael zaútočili Filištíni. Izraelští muži se před nimi dali na útěk a padali mrtví na svazích Gilboa.2Když se Filištínům podařilo zabít Saulovy syny Jonatana, Abinadaba a Malki-šuu,3rozhořel se prudký boj proti Saulovi. Našli ho lukostřelci a těžce ho zranili svými střelami.4Saul proto řekl svému zbrojnošovi: „Vytáhni svůj meč a probodni mě. Jinak přijdou ti neobřezanci a vrhnou se na mě!“ Zbrojnoš se ale zdráhal, protože měl veliký strach. Saul tedy vzal meč a nalehl na něj.5Když zbrojnoš viděl, že Saul je mrtev, nalehl i on na svůj meč a zemřel s ním.6Tak zahynul Saul, jeho tři synové i jeho zbrojnoš; společně s ním toho dne padli i všichni jeho muži.7Jakmile Izraelci v tom údolí a za Jordánem spatřili, že izraelské vojsko uteklo a že Saul se svými syny zahynul, opustili svá města a uprchli. Pak přišli Filištíni a obsadili je.8Druhého dne, když Filištíni přišli do pohoří Gilboa obírat pobité, našli tam ležet Saula a jeho syny.9Usekli mu hlavu, svlékli mu zbroj a poslali to po celé filištínské zemi, aby tu zprávu ohlásili v chrámu jejich model i mezi lidem.10Jeho výzbroj uložili v chrámu Aštarot a tělo přibili na hradbu Bet-šanu.11Když se obyvatelé Jábeš-gileádu doslechli, co Filištíni provedli se Saulem,12všichni jejich bojovníci vyrazili a šli celou noc. Sňali Saulovo tělo i těla jeho synů z betšanské hradby, vrátili se do Jábeše a tam je spálili.13Potom vzali jejich ostatky a pohřbili je pod jábešským tamaryškem. Sedm dní se pak postili.
1Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. (1S 28,4; 2S 1,6; 2S 1,21; 2S 21,12; 1Pa 10,1)2And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. (1S 14,49; 1Pa 8,33)3The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. (2S 1,6)4Then 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. (Sd 9,54; Sd 14,3; 2S 1,10; 2S 1,14)5And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.6Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.7And 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.8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.9So 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. (Sd 16,23; 2S 1,20)10They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. (Jz 17,11; Sd 2,13; 1S 21,9)11But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, (1S 11,1; 2S 21,10)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 Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. (2S 2,4; 2Pa 16,14; 2Pa 21,19; Jr 34,5)13And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days. (Gn 50,10; 1S 22,6; 2S 21,12; 2S 21,14)