Study Desk

So David got up early, he and his men, to leave in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

Then it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had carried out an attack on the Negev and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire;

When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.

Also, David was in great distress because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David felt strengthened in the LORD his God.

They also gave him a slice of fig cake and two cakes of raisins, and he ate; then his spirit revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.

So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives.

Then all the wicked and worthless men among those who went with David said, "Since they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoils that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, so that they may lead them away and leave."

Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoils to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, "Behold, a gift for you from the spoils of the enemies of the LORD:

to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men walked."

And the Philistines also overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

Then Saul said to his armor bearer, "Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised Philistines will come and pierce me through, and abuse me." But his armor bearer was unwilling, because he was very fearful. So Saul took his sword and fell on it.

When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.

So Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together.

Now when the people of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, with those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; then the Philistines came and settled in them.

It came about on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip those killed, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to bring the good news to the house of their idols and to the people.

They put his weapons in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they nailed his body to the wall of Beth-shan.

all the valiant men got up and walked all night, and they 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.

And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. And it happened when he came to David, he fell to the ground and prostrated himself.

David said to him, "How did things go? Please tell me." And he said, "The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead; and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead."