1I mellemtiden var filistrene nået frem til Jizre’eldalen og gået til angreb på israelitternes lejr på Gilboahøjen. Israels hær flygtede og efterlod mange faldne rundt om på højens skråninger.2Filistrene satte efter Saul og hans sønner Jonatan, Abinadab og Malkishua, og det lykkedes dem at dræbe sønnerne.3Kampen rasede omkring Saul, og det lykkedes filistrenes bueskytter at få ram på ham. Han blev hårdt såret4og råbte til sin våbendrager: „Træk dit sværd og gennembor mig, før de ugudelige og uomskårne filistre gennemborer og vanærer mig.” Men våbendrageren kunne ikke få sig selv til at dræbe Saul. Derfor tog Saul sit sværd og kastede sig mod det, så sværdet gennemborede ham.5Da våbendrageren så, at Saul var død, fulgte han sin herres eksempel og kastede sig mod sit eget sværd.6Den dag døde både Saul, hans tre sønner, hans våbendrager og hele hans livvagt.7Da de israelitter, der boede på den anden side af dalen og øst for Jordanfloden, blev klar over, at hæren var flygtet, og at Saul og hans sønner var døde, flygtede de fra deres byer, og filistrene overtog byerne.8Næste dag drog filistrene ud for at plyndre de faldne, og de fandt Sauls og hans tre sønners lig på Gilboahøjen.9Så huggede de hovedet af Saul og tog hans våben, hvorefter de sendte sejrsbudskabet hjem til alle deres afgudstempler og deres landsmænd.10Sauls våben blev udstillet i Astartetemplet, og hans lig blev hængt op på Bet-Shans mur.11Men da indbyggerne i Jabesh i Gilead hørte, hvad filistrene havde gjort ved Saul,12gik deres tapre krigere samme nat til Bet-Shan og tog Sauls og hans sønners lig ned fra muren. Så bragte de dem til Jabesh, hvor de brændte dem.13Knoglerne begravede de under egetræet i Jabesh, hvorefter de sørgede og fastede i syv dage.
1Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. (1.Sam 28,4; 2.Sam 1,6; 2.Sam 1,21; 2.Sam 21,12; 1.Krøn 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. (1.Sam 14,49; 1.Krøn 8,33)3The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. (2.Sam 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. (Dom 9,54; Dom 14,3; 2.Sam 1,10; 2.Sam 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. (Dom 16,23; 2.Sam 1,20)10They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. (Josva 17,11; Dom 2,13; 1.Sam 21,9)11But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, (1.Sam 11,1; 2.Sam 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. (2.Sam 2,4; 2.Krøn 16,14; 2.Krøn 21,19; Jer 34,5)13And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days. (1.Mos 50,10; 1.Sam 22,6; 2.Sam 21,12; 2.Sam 21,14)