1Sa 28:1, 29:1-2, 1Sa 31 | ESV | STEP | In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war , to fight against Israel . And Achish said to David , Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army .

1 Samuel 28:1

Saul and the Medium of En-dor

1 In those days ^athe Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.”

1 Samuel 29:1-2

The Philistines Reject David

1 ^bNow the Philistines had gathered all their forces at ^cAphek. And the Israelites were encamped by ^dthe spring that is in ^eJezreel. 2 As ^fthe lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear ^gwith Achish,

1 Samuel 31

The Death of Saul

1 ^hNow the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain ⁱon Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down ^jJonathan and ^kAbinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 ^lThe battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 ^mThen Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these ⁿuncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, ^ofor he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword ^pand fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.

8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, ^qto carry the good news ^rto the house of their idols and to the people. 10 ^sThey put his armor in the temple of ^tAshtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of ^uBeth-shan. 11 ^vBut when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 ^wall the valiant men arose and 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 ^xand burned them there. 13 And they took their bones ^yand buried them under ^zthe tamarisk tree in Jabesh and ^aafasted seven days.