1 Samuel Chapter 31

Other Translations

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 And the Philistines fought with Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and they fall down wounded in the mountain of Gelbue.

2 And the Philistines press closely on Saul and his sons, and the Philistines smite Jonathan, and Aminadab, and Melchisa son of Saul.

3 And the battle prevails against Saul, and the shooters with arrows, even the archers find him, and he was wounded under the ribs.

4 And Saul said to his armour-bearer, Draw thy sword and pierce me through with it; lest these uncircumcised come and pierce me through, and mock me. But his armour-bearer would not, for he feared greatly: so Saul took his sword and fell upon it.

5 And his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, and he fell also himself upon his sword, and died with him.

6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armour-bearer, in that day together.

7 And the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those beyond Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead; and they leave their cities and flee: and the Philistines come and dwell in them.

8 And it came to pass on the morrow that the Philistines come to strip the dead, and they find Saul and his three sons fallen on the mountains of Gelbue.

9 And they turned him, and stripped off his armour, and sent it into the land of the Philistines, sending round glad tidings to their idols and to the people.

10 And they set up his armour at the temple of Astarte, and they fastened his body on the wall of Bæthsam.

11 And the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad hear what the Philistines did to Saul.

12 And they rose up, [even] every man of might, and marched all night, and took the body of Saul and the body of Jonathan his son from the wall of Bæthsam; and they bring them to Jabis, and burn them there.

13 And they take their bones, and bury them in the field that is in Jabis, and fast seven days.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.

2 The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.

3 The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.

4 Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me!” But his armor bearer would not, for he was terrified. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it.

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

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

7 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 abandoned the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.

8 On the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

9 They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to carry the news to the house of their idols and to the people.

10 They put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

11 When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

12 all the valiant men arose, 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 burned them there.

13 They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).