Study Desk

All the men in the army were sad and angry because their sons and daughters were taken as prisoners. The men were talking about killing David with stones. This upset David very much, but he found strength in the Lord his God.

David took the 600 men with him and went to Besor Ravine. About 200 of his men stayed there because they were too weak and tired to continue. But David and the other 400 men continued to chase the Amalekites.

David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

He took all the sheep and cattle. His men led these animals to the front of the group and said, "This is David's prize."

David came to the 200 men who had stayed at Besor Ravine. These were the men who were too weak and tired to follow David. They came out to meet him and the soldiers who went with him. They greeted David and his army as they approached.

When David got to Ziklag, he sent some of the things he took from the Amalekites to his friends, the leaders of Judah. David said, "Here is a present for you that we took from the Lord 's enemies."

and Hebron, and to all the other places where David and his men had stayed.

The Philistines fought hard against Saul and his sons. They killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki Shua.

Saul told the boy who carried his armor, "Take your sword and kill me or else these foreigners will do it and torment me as well!" But Saul's helper was afraid and refused to kill him. So Saul took out his own sword and fell on it.

When the helper saw that Saul was dead, he took out his own sword, fell on it, and died there with Saul.

So Saul, his three sons, and the boy who carried his armor all died together that day.

The Israelites who lived on the other side of the valley saw the Israelite army running away. They saw that Saul and his sons were dead, so they left their cities and ran away. Then the Philistines came and lived in their cities.

The next day, the Philistines went back to take things from the dead bodies. They found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa.

The Philistines cut off Saul's head and took all his armor. They carried the news to the Philistines and to all the temples of their idols.

So all the soldiers of Jabesh went to Beth Shan. They marched all night, went to the wall of Beth Shan, and took down the bodies of Saul and his sons. Then they carried them to Jabesh. There the people of Jabesh burned the bodies of Saul and his three sons.

Later, they buried the bones of Saul and his three sons under the big tree in Jabesh. Then the people of Jabesh showed their sadness—they did not eat for seven days.

Then, on the third day, a young soldier from Saul's camp came to Ziklag. His clothes were torn, and he had dirt on his head. He came to David and bowed with his face to the ground.

David asked him, "Please tell me, who won the battle?" The man answered, "Our people ran away from the battle. Many of them were killed in the battle. Even Saul and his son Jonathan are dead."

David said to the young soldier, "How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"

The young soldier said, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. I saw Saul leaning on his spear. The Philistine chariots and horse soldiers were coming closer and closer to Saul.