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This file was generated by Descript 

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Ethan: Welcome to Immerse: the
daily bible reading experience.

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Day 100 and 97

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now the Philistines attacked Israel,
and the men of Israel fled before them.

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Many were slaughtered on
the slopes of Mount Gilboa.

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The Philistines closed in on Saul and
his sons, and they killed three of his

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sons, Jonathan, Abinadab and Malkahshua.

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The fighting grew very fierce around
Saul, and the Philistine archers caught

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up with him and wounded him severely.

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Saul groaned to his armor bearer,
Take your sword and kill me before

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these pagan Philistines come to run
me through, and taunt and torture me.

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But his armor bearer was
afraid and would not do it.

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So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

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When his armor bearer realized that
Saul was dead, He fell on his own

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sword and died beside the king.

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So Saul, his three sons, his
armor bearer, and his troops

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all died together that same day.

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When the Israelites on the other side of
the Jezreel valley and beyond the Jordan

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saw that the Israelite army had fled
and that Saul and his sons were dead,

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they abandoned their towns and fled.

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So, the Philistines moved
in and occupied their towns.

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The next day, when the Philistines
went out to strip the dead, they

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found the bodies of Saul and
his three sons on Mount Gilboa.

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So they cut off Saul's head
and stripped off his armor.

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Then they proclaimed the good
news of Saul's death in their

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pagan temple, and the people
throughout the land of Philistia.

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They placed his armor in
the temple of the Ashtoreth.

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And they fastened his body to
the wall of the city of Bethshan.

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But when the people of Jabesh Gilead heard
what the Philistines had done to Saul,

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all their mighty warriors traveled through
the night to Bethshan and took the bodies

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of Saul and his sons down from the wall.

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They brought them to Jabesh,
where they burned the bodies.

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Then they took their bones and buried
them beneath the Tamarisk tree at

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Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days.

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After the death of Saul, David
returned from his victory over the

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Amalekites and spent two days in Ziklag.

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On the third day, a man
arrived from Saul's army camp.

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He had torn his clothes and put dirt on
his head to show that he was in mourning.

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He fell to the ground before
David in deep respect.

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Where have you come from?

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David asked.

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I escaped from the Israelite
camp, the man replied.

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What happened?

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David demanded.

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Tell me how the battle went.

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The man replied, Our entire
army fled from the battle.

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Many of the men are dead, and Saul
and his son Jonathan are also dead.

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How do you know Saul
and Jonathan are dead?

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David demanded of the young man.

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The man answered, I happen
to be on Mount Gilboa.

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And there was Saul leaning on his
spear, with the enemy chariots

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and charioteers closing in on him.

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When he turned and saw me, he
cried out for me to come to him.

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How can I help?

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I asked him.

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He responded, Who are you?

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I am an Amalekite, I told him.

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Then he begged me, Come over here
and put me out of my misery, for I

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am in terrible pain and want to die.

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So I killed him, the Amalekite told
David, for I knew he couldn't live.

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Then I took his crown and his armband, and
I have brought them here to you, my lord.

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David and his men tore their clothes
in sorrow when they heard the news.

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They mourned and wept and fasted all
day for Saul and his son Jonathan,

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and for the Lord's army and the
nation of Israel, because they

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had died by the sword that day.

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Then David said to the young man who had
brought the news, Where are you from?

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And he replied, I am a foreigner,
an Amalekite who lives in your land.

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Why were you not afraid to
kill the Lord's anointed one?

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David asked.

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Then David said to one
of his men, Kill him.

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So the man thrust his sword into
the Amalekite and killed him.

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You have condemned yourself, David said.

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For you yourself confessed that
you killed the Lord's anointed one.

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Then David composed a funeral song for
Saul and Jonathan, and he commanded that

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it be taught to the people of Judah.

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It is known as the Song of the Bow, and
it is recorded in the book of Jasher.

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Your pride and joy, O Israel,
lies dead on the hills.

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Oh, how the mighty heroes have fallen.

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Don't announce the news in Gath.

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Don't proclaim it in the streets
of Ashkelon, or the daughters of

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the Philistines will rejoice, and
the pagans will laugh in triumph.

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Oh, mountains of Gilboa, let
there be no dew or rain upon you.

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Nor fruitful fields
producing offerings of grain.

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For there, the shield of the
mighty heroes was defiled.

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The shield of Saul will no
longer be anointed with oil.

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The bow of Jonathan was powerful and
the sword of Saul did its mighty work.

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They shed the blood of their enemies
and pierced the bodies of mighty heroes.

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How beloved and gracious were
Saul and Jonathan, they were

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together in life and in death.

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They were swifter than
eagles, stronger than lions.

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Oh, women of Israel, weep for Saul,
for he dressed you in luxurious scarlet

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clothing, in garments decorated with gold.

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Oh, how the mighty heroes
have fallen in battle.

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Jonathan lies dead on the hills.

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How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan.

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How much I loved you, and your love for me
was deep, deeper than the love of women.

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Oh, how the mighty heroes have
fallen, stripped of their weapons.

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They lie dead.

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After this, David asked the Lord, Should
I move back to one of the towns of Judah?

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Yes, the Lord replied.

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Then David asked, Which
town should I go to?

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To Hebron, the Lord answered.

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David's two wives were Ahinoam
from Jezreel and Abigail, the

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widow of Nabal, from Carmel.

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So David and his wives and his men and
their families all moved to Judah, and

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they settled in the villages near Hebron.

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Then the men of Judah came to
David, and anointed him king

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over the people of Judah.

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When David heard that the men of Jabesh
Gilead had buried Saul, he sent them

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this message, May the Lord bless you
for being so loyal to your master

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Saul, and giving him a decent burial.

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May the Lord be loyal to you in
return, and reward you with his

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unfailing love, and I too will
reward you for what you have done.

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Now that Saul is dead, I ask you
to be my strong and loyal subjects

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like the people of Judah, who have
anointed me as their new king.

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But Abner, son of Ner, the commander
of Saul's army, had already gone to

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Mahanaim with Saul's son Ish bosheth.

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There he proclaimed Ish bosheth
king over Gilead, Jezreel, Ephraim,

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Benjamin, the land of the Asherites,
and all the rest of Israel.

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This concludes today's
Immerse Reading experience.

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Thank you for joining us.