Study Desk

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

Hebron, and to the people in all the other places where he and his men had been.

The Philistines fought hard against Saul and his sons, killing his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua.

He said to the officer who carried his armor, "Pull out your sword and kill me. Then those uncircumcised men won't make fun of me and kill me." But Saul's officer refused, because he was afraid. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.

When the officer saw that Saul was dead, he threw himself on his own sword, and he died with Saul.

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

When the Israelites who lived across the Jezreel Valley and those who lived across the Jordan River saw how the Israelite army had run away, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their cities and ran away. Then the Philistines came and lived there.

The next day when the Philistines came to take all the valuable things from the dead soldiers, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa.

They cut off Saul's head and took off his armor. Then they sent messengers through all the land of the Philistines to tell the news in the temple of their idols and to their people.

They put Saul's armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth Shan.

the brave men of Jabesh marched all night and came to Beth Shan. They removed the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and brought them to Jabesh. There they burned the bodies.

On the third day a young man from Saul's camp came to Ziklag. To show his sadness, his clothes were torn and he had dirt on his head. He came and bowed facedown on the ground before David.

David asked him, "What happened? Please tell me!" The man answered, "The people have run away from the battle, and many of them have fallen and are dead. Saul and his son Jonathan are dead also."

David asked him, "How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"

The young man answered, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. There I saw Saul leaning on his spear. The Philistine chariots and the men riding in them were coming closer to Saul.

"So I went over and killed him. He had been hurt so badly I knew he couldn't live. Then I took the crown from his head and the bracelet from his arm, and I have brought them here to you, my master."

Then David tore his clothes to show his sorrow, and all the men with him did also.

They were very sad and cried and fasted until evening. They cried for Saul and his son Jonathan and for all the people of the Lord and for all the Israelites who had died in the battle.

Then David called one of his men and told him, "Go! Kill the Amalekite!" So the Israelite killed him.

David sang a funeral song about Saul and his son Jonathan,