Chapter 31

1And the Philistines fought with Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and the slain fell on Mt. Gilboa.   אוּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים נִלְחָמִ֣ים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיָּנֻ֜סוּ אַנְשֵׁ֚י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וַיִּפְּל֥וּ חֲלָלִ֥ים בְּהַ֥ר הַגִּלְבֹּֽעַ:
And the Philistines fought with Israel: This is like a person saying, “Let us return to the earlier topic.”   ופלשתים נלחמים בישראל: כאדם האומר נחזור לענין ראשון:
2And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.   בוַיַּדְבְּק֣וּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים אֶת־שָׁא֖וּל וְאֶת־בָּנָ֑יו וַיַּכּ֣וּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים אֶת־יְהוֹנָתָ֧ן וְאֶת־אֲבִינָדָ֛ב וְאֶת־מַלְכִּישׁ֖וּעַ בְּנֵ֥י שָׁאֽוּל:
3And the battle fell heavy upon Saul, and the archers found him, and he was very much frightened of the archers.   גוַתִּכְבַּ֚ד הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ אֶל־שָׁא֔וּל וַיִּמְצָאֻ֥הוּ הַמּוֹרִ֖ים אֲנָשִׁ֣ים בַּקָּ֑שֶׁת וַיָּ֥חֶל מְאֹ֖ד מֵהַמּוֹרִֽים:
4And Saul said to his weapon-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and run me through and mock me." But his weapon-bearer was unwilling, for he was very much afraid. And Saul took the sword and fell upon it.   דוַיֹּ֣אמֶר שָׁאוּל֩ לְנֹשֵֹ֨א כֵלָ֜יו שְׁלֹ֥ף חַרְבְּךָ֣ | וְדָקְרֵ֣נִי בָ֗הּ פֶּן־יָ֠בוֹאוּ הָעֲרֵלִ֨ים הָאֵ֚לֶּה וּדְקָרֻ֙נִי֙ וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ־בִ֔י וְלֹ֚א אָבָה֙ נֹשֵֹ֣א כֵלָ֔יו כִּ֥י יָרֵ֖א מְאֹ֑ד וַיִּקַּ֚ח שָׁאוּל֙ אֶת־הַחֶ֔רֶב וַיִּפֹּ֖ל עָלֶֽיהָ:
5And his weapon-bearer saw that Saul had died, and he also fell upon his sword and died with him.   הוַיַּ֥רְא נֹשֵֹֽא־כֵלָ֖יו כִּ֣י מֵ֣ת שָׁא֑וּל וַיִּפֹּ֥ל גַּם־ה֛וּא עַל־חַרְבּ֥וֹ וַיָּ֥מָת עִמּֽוֹ:
6And Saul and his three sons and his weapon-bearer died. Also, all his men died together on that day.   ווַיָּ֣מָת שָׁא֡וּל וּשְׁל֣שֶׁת בָּנָיו֩ וְנֹשֵֹ֨א כֵלָ֜יו גַּ֧ם כָּל־אֲנָשָׁ֛יו בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא יַחְדָּֽו:
7And the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his three sons had died; and they left the cities and fled, and the Philistines came and occupied them.   זוַיִּרְא֣וּ אַנְשֵֽׁי־יִ֠שְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר־בְּעֵ֨בֶר הָעֵ֜מֶק וַאֲשֶׁ֣ר | בְּעֵ֣בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֗ן כִּֽי־נָ֙סוּ֙ אַנְשֵׁ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְכִי־מֵ֖תוּ שָׁא֣וּל וּבָנָ֑יו וַיַּעַזְב֚וּ אֶת־הֶֽעָרִים֙ וַיָּנֻ֔סוּ וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וַיֵּֽשְׁב֖וּ בָּהֶֽן:
8And it was on the morrow, that the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his sons lying on Mt. Gilboa.   חוַֽיְהִי֙ מִֽמָּחֳרָ֔ת וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים לְפַשֵּׁ֖ט אֶת־הַחֲלָלִ֑ים וַֽיִּמְצְא֚וּ אֶת־שָׁאוּל֙ וְאֶת־שְׁל֣שֶׁת בָּנָ֔יו נֹפְלִ֖ים בְּהַ֥ר הַגִּלְבֹּֽעַ:
9And they severed his head and stripped his armor; and they sent them around in the land of the Philistines, to spread the tidings to the house of their idols and to the people.   טוַֽיִּכְרְתוּ֙ אֶת־רֹאשׁ֔וֹ וַיַּפְשִׁ֖טוּ אֶת־כֵּלָ֑יו וַיְשַׁלְּח֨וּ בְאֶֽרֶץ־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֜ים סָבִ֗יב לְבַשֵּׂ֛ר בֵּ֥ית עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֖ם וְאֶת־הָעָֽם:
10And they put his armor in the house of Ashtaroth, and they impaled his body on the wall of Beth-shan.   יוַיָּשִֹ֙ימוּ֙ אֶת־כֵּלָ֔יו בֵּ֖ית עַשְׁתָּר֑וֹת וְאֶת־גְּוִיָּתוֹ֙ תָּקְע֔וּ בְּחוֹמַ֖ת בֵּ֥ית שָֽׁן:
11And the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead heard about him, that which the Philistines had done to Saul.   יאוַיִּשְׁמְע֣וּ אֵלָ֔יו ישְׁבֵ֖י יָבֵ֣ישׁ גִּלְעָ֑ד אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־עָשֹ֥וּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים לְשָׁאֽוּל:
about him: (אליו, lit., to him) like עליו, about him, i.e., about Saul.   וישמעו אליו: כמו עליו, על שאול:
12And all the brave men rose and went all night and took Saul's body and his sons' bodies from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned (for) them there.   יבוַיָּק֜וּמוּ כָּל־אִ֣ישׁ חַיִל֘ וַיֵּלְכ֣וּ כָל־הַלַּיְלָה֒ וַיִּקְח֞וּ אֶת־גְּוִיַּ֣ת שָׁא֗וּל וְאֵת֙ גְּוִיֹּ֣ת בָּנָ֔יו מֵחוֹמַ֖ת בֵּ֣ית שָׁ֑ן וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ יָבֵ֔שָׁה וַיִּשְׂרְפ֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם שָֽׁם:
and they buried them there: (Jonathan renders:) And they burned for them as they burn for the kings there. As we learned: (A.Z. 11a, Tos. Sab. ch. 8:9, Tos. San. ch. 4:2) We perform burning at the burial of kings, and it is not considered a custom of the Amorites.   וישרפו אותם שם: תרגום: וקלו עליהן כמא דקלן על מלכיא תמן, כדתנן (עבודה זרה יא א) שורפין על המלכים ולא מדרכי האמורי:
13And they took their bones and buried them under the tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.   יגוַיִּקְחוּ֙ אֶת־עַצְמֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם וַיִּקְבְּר֥וּ תַֽחַת־הָאֶ֖שֶׁל בְּיָבֵ֑שָׁה וַיָּצֻ֖מוּ שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים: