1 Entretanto os filisteus tinham iniciado o combate contra os israelitas; estes fugiram deles e foram mortos e aniquilados no monte Gilboa.
2 Aí cercaram Saul e mataram-lhe os filhos Jónatas, Abinadabe, e Malquisua.
3 Os frecheiros cairam sobre Saul e feriram-no gravemente.
4 Saul disse para o seu pajem: Mata-me com a tua espada antes que estes pagãos filisteus me prendam e me torturem.O pajem contudo teve muito medo disso. Saul pegou ele próprio na espada e atirou-se sobre ela, a qual lhe ficou atravessada no corpo.
5 Ao ver que estava morto, o pajem fez o mesmo - atirou-se sobre a sua espada e morreu com ele.
6 Assim Saul, o seu pajem, os três filhos e as suas tropas morreram todos no mesmo dia.
7 Quando os israelitas do outro lado do vale e para lá do Jordão ouviram que os seus compatriotas tinham fugido e que Saul mais os filhos tinham morrido, abandonaram as cidades, e os filisteus foram viver nelas.
8 No dia seguinte, os filisteus, ao virem para despojar os mortos, encontraram os corpos de Saul e dos filhos no monte Gilboa. Cortaram a cabeça a Saul, tiraram-lhe as armas e anunciaram isso nos templos dos seus deuses e ao seu povo por toda a terra.
10 As suas armas foram postas no templo de Astarote e o corpo pendurado no muro de Betesã.
11 Mas quando o povo de Jabes-Gileade ouviu aquilo que os filisteus tinham feito, uns soldados valentes daquela localidade foram de noite até Betesã, tiraram de lá os corpos de Saul e dos filhos, e trouxeram-nos para Jabes onde os queimaram; os ossos que restaram enterraram-nos sob o carvalho de Jabes, jejuando depois por sete dias.
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines stuck [closely] on Saul and on his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
3 And the battle went intensely against Saul, and the archers, men with the bow, overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
4 Then Saul said to his armorbearer, Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, or else these uncircumcised will come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armorbearer would not; for he was very afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell on it.
5 And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword, and died with him.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armorbearer, and all his men too, that same day together.
7 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 dwelt in them.
8 And 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 in mount Gilboa.
9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the good news to the house of their idols, and to the people.
10 And they put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
11 And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard concerning him that which the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 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 burnt them there.
13 And they took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk-tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.