1Als die Philister gegen Israel kämpften, flohen die Israeliten vor ihnen; viele waren gefallen und lagen erschlagen auf dem Gebirge von Gilboa. (1Sam 28,4; 1Sam 29,1)2Die Philister verfolgten Saul und seine Söhne und erschlugen Sauls Söhne Jonatan, Abinadab und Malkischua. (1Sam 14,49; 1Sam 28,19)3Um Saul selbst entstand ein schwerer Kampf. Die Bogenschützen hatten ihn entdeckt und es befiel ihn heftiges Beben vor den Schützen. (2Sam 1,6)4Da sagte Saul zu seinem Waffenträger: Zieh dein Schwert und durchbohre mich damit! Sonst kommen diese Unbeschnittenen, durchbohren mich und treiben ihren Mutwillen mit mir. Der Waffenträger wollte es nicht tun; denn er hatte große Angst. Da nahm Saul selbst das Schwert und stürzte sich hinein. (2Sam 1,9)5Als der Waffenträger sah, dass Saul tot war, stürzte auch er sich in sein Schwert und starb zusammen mit Saul.6So kamen Saul, seine drei Söhne, sein Waffenträger und alle seine Männer an jenem Tag gemeinsam ums Leben.7Als die Israeliten auf der anderen Seite der Ebene und jenseits des Jordan sahen, dass die Israeliten geflohen und dass Saul und seine Söhne tot waren, verließen sie ihre Städte und flohen. Dann kamen die Philister und besetzten die Städte.8Als am nächsten Tag die Philister kamen, um die Erschlagenen auszuplündern, fanden sie Saul und seine drei Söhne, die auf dem Gebirge von Gilboa gefallen waren.9Sie schlugen ihm den Kopf ab, zogen ihm die Rüstung aus und schickten beides im Land der Philister umher, um ihrem Götzentempel und dem Volk die Siegesnachricht zu übermitteln. (1Sam 17,51; 2Sam 1,20)10Die Rüstung Sauls legten sie im Astartetempel nieder; seinen Leichnam aber hefteten sie an die Mauer von Bet-Schean. (Ri 1,27; 1Sam 21,10)11Als die Einwohner von Jabesch-Gilead hörten, was die Philister mit Saul gemacht hatten, (1Sam 11,1)12brachen alle kriegstüchtigen Männer auf, marschierten die ganze Nacht hindurch und nahmen die Leiche Sauls und die Leichen seiner Söhne von der Mauer von Bet-Schean ab; sie brachten sie nach Jabesch und verbrannten sie dort.[1]13Dann nahmen sie die Gebeine, begruben sie unter der Tamariske von Jabesch und fasteten sieben Tage lang. (2Sam 2,5; 2Sam 21,12)
1The Philistines fought against the Israelites. The Israelites ran away from them. But many Israelites were killed on Mount Gilboa.2The Philistines kept chasing Saul and his sons. They killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua.3The fighting was heavy around Saul. Men who were armed with bows and arrows caught up with him. They shot their arrows at him and wounded him badly.4Saul spoke to the man carrying his armour. He said, ‘Pull out your sword. Stick it through me. If you don’t, these fellows who aren’t circumcised will come. They’ll stick their swords through me and hurt me badly.’ But the man was terrified. He wouldn’t do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.5The man saw that Saul was dead. So he fell on his own sword and died with him.6Saul and his three sons died together that same day. The man who carried his armour also died with them that day. So did all of Saul’s men.7The Israelites who lived along the valley saw that their army had run away. So did those who lived across the River Jordan. They saw that Saul and his sons were dead. So they left their towns and ran away. Then the Philistines came and made their homes in them.8The day after the Philistines had won the battle, they came to take what they wanted from the dead bodies. They found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa.9So they cut off Saul’s head. They took his armour from his body. Then they sent messengers through the whole land of the Philistines. They announced the news in the temple where they had set up statues of their gods. They also announced it among their people.10They put Saul’s armour in the temple where they had set up statues of female gods that were named Ashtoreth. They hung his body up on the wall of Beth Shan.11The people of Jabesh Gilead heard about what the Philistines had done to Saul.12So all their brave men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan. They brought them to Jabesh. There they burned them.13Then they got the bones of Saul and his sons and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh. They didn’t eat anything for seven days.