1 Chronicles Chapter 10
Showing all 14 verses for 1 Chronicles Chapter 10.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. "
"The Philistines attacked Israel; Israel's soldiers ran from them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa."
I don't shy away from telling you honestly when things go badly - defeat, fear, and loss are part of real life, and pretending otherwise helps no one. What matters is what happens next, not that the setback occurred at all.
"And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. "
"The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons closely and killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons."
Doing the right thing, as Jonathan consistently did, doesn't guarantee an easy or long life. I don't promise you a life free of hardship for being faithful; I promise you my presence and love through whatever comes.
"And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers. "
"The battle turned hard against Saul; archers found and hit him, wounding him."
I don't ask you to sanitise or hide from the hard, painful parts of life - facing reality honestly, even when it hurts, is the starting point for any real healing or change.
"Then said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. "
"Saul told his armour-bearer, "Draw your sword and kill me with it, so these godless enemies don't get to torture and humiliate me." But his armour-bearer refused, too frightened to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it, killing himself."
If you are ever in a place of despair this deep, please know you are not beyond reach - I am with you in the darkest moments, and there is always another way through pain besides ending your life. Reach for someone, anyone, before you reach for anything final; your story is not over, however it feels right now.
"And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died. "
"When his armour-bearer saw Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died."
Loyalty and love matter more than the title or fame of the person receiving them - I see and value devotion given quietly and without recognition, exactly as much as devotion given to someone celebrated.
"So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together. "
"So Saul died, along with his three sons - his whole household died together."
Endings, even devastating ones, are sometimes simply endings - I don't ask you to force a silver lining onto every tragedy, only to trust that your story continues even when someone else's chapter closes.
"And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their cities, and fled: and the Philistines came and in them. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"When the Israelites in the valley saw their army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled too - and the Philistines moved in and occupied them."
Fear can spread faster than the actual danger and cause people to abandon far more than they need to. I ask you to steady yourself before panic makes decisions for you that calm reflection would not.
"And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa. "
"The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead of weapons and valuables, they found Saul and his sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa."
Status and position in life don't exempt anyone from mortality or from being treated, in the end, like anyone else. I ask you to build your worth on something deeper than rank or title, because none of that travels with you.
"And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people. "
"After stripping him, they took his head and his armour and sent messengers throughout Philistine territory to announce the news to their gods and their people."
I don't ask you to seek revenge when you're wronged or humiliated - even here, the story moves towards restoration through David's later kingship, not through Israel's own retaliation. Trust that indignity inflicted on you doesn't have the final word.
"And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. "
"They placed his armour in their gods' temple and nailed his head up in the temple of Dagon, the chief Philistine god."
When you face humiliation or defeat, remember that appearances in the moment don't settle who ultimately wins in the long run. I ask you to hold on through the low points, because the story isn't finished at your lowest moment.
"And when all Jabeshgilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, "
"When the people of Jabesh-Gilead heard everything the Philistines had done to Saul..."
Kindness shown early in a relationship can be remembered and returned in ways you never expect, sometimes years later. I encourage you to keep showing up for people, trusting that good faith tends to circle back, even if not immediately.
"They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days. "
"All their brave men set out, retrieved Saul's body and his sons' bodies, brought them back to Jabesh, buried their remains under the oak tree there, and fasted for seven days."
Honour and loyalty aren't about whether someone succeeded in the end - they're about remembering the good someone did for you and choosing to repay it, even at personal risk, even when it's no longer convenient or safe. I value that kind of costly faithfulness highly.
"So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; "
"So Saul died because of his unfaithfulness towards God - he didn't keep God's word, and on top of that he had sought guidance from a medium, someone who claims to contact the dead or spirits."
When you're anxious or desperate, it's tempting to look for a shortcut - someone who promises certainty or an easy answer - instead of doing the harder, honest work of facing your situation directly. I ask you to build the habit of turning towards truth and wise counsel, especially when it's hardest, rather than away from it.
"And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse. "
"He didn't seek guidance from God - so God ended his life and transferred the kingdom to David, son of Jesse."
When one door closes, even through failure or loss, I am already working on what comes next. Don't let an ending, yours or someone else's, convince you that nothing good can follow it; new beginnings are always possible.