Saula un viņa dēlu nāve
(1L 10:1–14)1 Filistieši cīnījās ar Israēlu – Israēla vīri bēga no filistiešiem un krita nokauti Gilboas kalnā. 2 Filistieši sekoja Saulam un viņa dēliem cieši pa pēdām. Filistieši nogalināja Saula dēlus Jonatānu, Abīnādāvu un Malkī-Šūu. 3 Ap Saulu sākās sīva cīņa. Loka šāvēji tika viņam klāt un viņu stipri ievainoja. 4 Sauls teica savam ieroču nesējam: “Izvelc savu zobenu un nodur mani, ka nenāk šie neapgraizītie, nesašauj mani un neņirgājas par mani!” Bet viņa ieroču nesējs baidījās un negribēja to darīt. Tad Sauls ņēma zobenu un metās uz tā. 5 Kad viņa ieroču nesējs redzēja, ka Sauls miris, arī viņš metās uz sava zobena un mira kopā ar Saulu. 6 Tā Sauls un viņa trīs dēli, viņa ieroču nesējs un visi viņa vīri kopā mira vienā dienā. 7 Kad israēlieši, kuri bija viņpus ielejai un Jardānas otrā pusē redzēja, ka Israēla vīri metušies bēgt, ka Sauls un viņa dēli ir miruši, tie atstāja pilsētas un bēga. Tad nāca filistieši un apmetās tajās.
8 Nākamajā dienā, kad filistieši nāca aplaupīt nokautos, tie atrada Saulu un viņa trīs dēlus, kas bija krituši Gilboas kalnā. 9 Tie nocirta viņam galvu, noņēma viņa ieročus un sūtīja apkārt pa visu filistiešu zemi, lai pavēstītu to savu elku namā un tautā. 10 Viņa ieročus tie nolika Aštartes templī, bet ķermeni pienagloja pie mūra Bēt-Šānā. 11 Kad Jābēš-Gileādas iedzīvotāji dzirdēja, ko filistieši izdarījuši ar Saulu, 12 visi stipri vīri cēlās, gāja visu nakti un noņēma Saula miesas un viņa dēlu miesas no mūra Bēt-Šānā, atgriezās Jābēšā un tur sadedzināja. 13 Tie ņēma viņu kaulus un apbedīja Jābēšā zem tamariska un gavēja septiņas dienas.
Saul and His Sons Die
1 Meanwhile, the Philistines were fighting Israel at Mount Gilboa. Israel's soldiers ran from the Philistines, and many of them were killed. 2 The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. 3 The fighting was fierce around Saul, and he was badly wounded by enemy arrows.
4 Saul told the soldier who carried his weapons, “Kill me with your sword! I don't want these worthless Philistines to torture and make fun of me.” But the soldier was afraid to kill him.
Saul then took out his own sword; he stuck the blade into his stomach, and fell on it. 5 When the soldier knew that Saul was dead, he killed himself in the same way.
6 Saul was dead, his three sons were dead, and the soldier who carried his weapons was dead. They and all his soldiers died on that same day. 7 The Israelites on the other side of Jezreel Valley and the other side of the Jordan learned that Saul and his sons were dead. They saw that the Israelite army had run away. So they ran away too, and the Philistines moved into the towns the Israelites had left behind.
8 The day after the battle, when the Philistines returned to the battlefield to take the weapons of the dead Israelite soldiers, they found Saul and his three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa. 9-10 The Philistines cut off Saul's head and pulled off his armor. Then they put his armor in the temple of the goddess Astarte, and they nailed his body to the city wall of Beth-Shan. They also sent messengers everywhere in Philistia to spread the good news in the temples of their idols and among their people.
11 The people who lived in Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul's body. 12 So one night, some brave men from Jabesh went to Beth-Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons, then brought them back to Jabesh and burned them. 13 They buried the bones under a small tree in Jabesh, and for seven days, they went without eating to show their sorrow.
