1 Samuel 31 · Grade 3
Saul's Last Battle
Read the Story
The Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled and fell on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons. They killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers badly wounded him. His armor bearer was too afraid to kill him. So Saul took his own life by falling on his sword. Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men that same day.
The men of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul. Saul had saved their city back in chapter 11. All the valiant men went all night and took the bodies of Saul and his sons. They buried their bones under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
Memory Verse
“So Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men that same day together.”
1 Samuel 31:6 (WEB)
Answer the Questions
Where did the men of Israel fall?
Which sons of Saul were killed?
Who wounded Saul?
Who took the bodies of Saul and his sons?
Where were their bones buried?
The Death of Saul
Write what happened in each box.
Word Search
Find each word. Words go across, down, and diagonally.
- TAMARISK
- JONATHAN
- VALIANT
- GILBOA
- JABESH
- FASTED
- SEVEN
- NIGHT
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for comforting me when I am sad. Help me . Amen.
Take It Home
For families: talk about these together.
- How long did the men fast?
- What had Samuel said would happen in this battle?
Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.