This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in 1 Samuel 31:1-13, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
Once upon a time, a group of people called the Philistines were fighting against the Israelites. The Israelites were losing, and many of them were killed on a big hill called Mount Gilboa. Among the dead were the king of Israel named Saul and his three sons.
Saul was very badly hurt by some archers, so he asked his helper to kill him with a sword. But his helper didn’t want to hurt him, so Saul took his own sword and killed himself. Then his helper did the same thing. All of Saul’s army was killed too, and the Philistines took over some of the Israelite cities.
The next day, the Philistines went to the battlefield to take things from the dead bodies. They found Saul and his sons and cut off Saul’s head. They took his armor and put it in a temple for their gods. They also put Saul’s body on a wall in a city called Beth-shan.
But some people who lived in a city called Jabesh-gilead heard about what happened to Saul. They were very sad and wanted to do something to honor him. So they went to Beth-shan, took Saul’s body and the bodies of his sons down from the wall, and brought them to Jabesh. They burned the bodies and buried the bones under a tree. Then they didn’t eat for a whole week to show how sad they were.
Biblical Lessons
- The consequences of sin can affect not only the person who sinned, but also those around them.
- Disobedience to God’s commands can lead to tragic and destructive events.
- It’s important to have faith and trust in God, rather than relying solely on our own strength and abilities.
- We need to seek forgiveness and reconciliation with God and others before it’s too late.