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1 Samuel 31 · Preschool

Brave Friends

Name Date

Color the tamarisk tree in Jabesh where the brave men buried Saul and his sons!

Can you find these in the picture? Circle each one!

Bible Verse

“They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”

1 Samuel 31:13 (WEB)

Prayer

Thank You, God, for making me!

Take It Home

Read the verse aloud. Say: Saul and his sons died in a battle. Brave men came and buried them. They were very sad. When people are sad, we can be kind and help them.

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.

1 Samuel 31 · Kindergarten

Brave Men

Name Date

Trace the Words

Trace each word with your pencil.

TREE
SEVEN
DAYS
BRAVE
They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

1 Samuel 31:13 (WEB)

Match the Pictures

Draw a line from each word to its picture.

HILL
MEN
NIGHT
SAD

Mini Maze

Help find the way through the maze.

Draw It

Draw a way you can comfort someone who is sad.

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for comforting me when I am sad. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Who did the brave men bury?
  • How can you be kind to someone who is sad?

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.

1 Samuel 31 · Grade 1

A Sad Day

Name Date

Trace the Words

Trace the words and the verse.

BATTLE
SONS
TREE
SEVEN
They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

1 Samuel 31:13 (WEB)

Match the Pictures

Draw a line from each sentence to its picture.

A battle was on a mountain.
Saul and his sons died.
Brave men came at night.
They were very sad.
They did not eat for seven days.

The Death of Saul

Write the number 1 to 4 in each circle to show the right order.

Saul and his sons die

The valiant men go all night

They bury the bones under the tamarisk tree

Israel flees on Mount Gilboa

Draw a way you can comfort someone who is sad.

Memory Verse

“They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”

1 Samuel 31:13 (WEB)

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for comforting me when I am sad. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Where was Saul's last battle?
  • Why did the men of Jabesh walk all night?
  • What would you like to say to God about this chapter?

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.

1 Samuel 31 · Grade 2

A Very Sad Day

Name Date

Read the Story

The Philistines fought against Israel on Mount Gilboa. The men of Israel ran away. It was a very sad day.

Saul and his sons died in the battle. Jonathan, David's good friend, died too. Saul's reign as king was over.

Some brave men lived in the town of Jabesh. Long ago Saul had saved their town. They walked all night to get the bodies of Saul and his sons. They buried them under a tree. Then they fasted for seven days.

Memory Verse

“They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”

1 Samuel 31:13 (WEB)

Show What You Know

Circle the right answer, or write it on the lines.

  1. Where was the battle?

    Seven daysJabeshOn Mount Gilboa

  2. What did the men of Israel do?

    JonathanJabeshThey ran away

  3. Who was David's good friend who died?

    On Mount GilboaJonathanThey ran away

  4. Which town did the brave men live in?

    On Mount GilboaJabeshJonathan

  5. How long did they fast?

    Seven daysJonathanThey ran away

Word Search

Find and circle each word. Words go across and down.

RNHTUCGRTJJIYORIFAVAOGWKLAMKABNHRBSASTLEATOTRVEPISTAEIVRVEAHHDSFDTERNHAKUPLINRTGN
  • 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.

  • Which of Saul's sons died?
  • Why did the men of Jabesh remember Saul?

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.

1 Samuel 31 · Grade 3

Saul's Last Battle

Name Date

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

  1. Where did the men of Israel fall?

  2. Which sons of Saul were killed?

  3. Who wounded Saul?

  4. Who took the bodies of Saul and his sons?

  5. Where were their bones buried?

The Death of Saul

Write what happened in each box.

1
2
3
4

Word Search

Find each word. Words go across, down, and diagonally.

PTJABESHYJJANIGHTGSOVMIUCLISWNAAIRBLAEWALRASBCLVSTIIHOHELEYHASAOWNKNWANKSFASTEDNT
  • 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.

1 Samuel 31 · Grade 4

The End of a King

Name Date

Read and Think

First Samuel ends with Saul's final battle. As Samuel had said, Israel was delivered into the hand of the Philistines. The men of Israel fled, and Jonathan and two of his brothers were killed. The archers badly wounded Saul.

Saul asked his armor bearer to kill him, but the armor bearer was terrified and would not. 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. Israelites in nearby towns fled, and Philistines moved in. The Philistines dishonored Saul's body.

One act of loyalty shines at the end. The men of Jabesh Gilead remembered how Saul had rescued them at the start of his reign. Their valiant men traveled all night to recover the bodies of Saul and his sons. They buried their bones under the tamarisk tree and fasted seven days. The book ends in grief, but the way is now open for David, God's chosen king.

Show What You Know

  1. What had Samuel said would happen?

  2. Why would the armor bearer not kill Saul?

  3. What did the men of Jabesh Gilead remember?

  4. For whom is the way now open?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

tamariskJabeshvaliantJonathan
  1. The men of Israel fled, and and two of his brothers were killed.
  2. The men of Gilead remembered how Saul had rescued them at the start of his reign.
  3. Their men traveled all night to recover the bodies of Saul and his sons.
  4. They buried their bones under the tree and fasted seven days.

Think About It

  1. How does Saul's life show the importance of obeying God over a whole lifetime?

  2. How did the men of Jabesh show loyalty, and how can we show it too?

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)

Copy It

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 did Saul's life end differently from how it began?
  • What helps someone stay faithful to God for a lifetime?

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.

1 Samuel 31 · Grade 5

A Tragic Ending

Name Date

Read and Think

The final chapter of 1 Samuel records the fulfillment of the word spoken at Endor. On Mount Gilboa the men of Israel fled, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. The archers overtook Saul, and he was greatly distressed. Jonathan, faithful to the end, died with the father who had tried to kill his friend.

Saul's death was as tragic as his life. Fearing that the Philistines would abuse him, he asked his armor bearer to thrust him through. When the armor bearer refused, Saul took his own life by falling on his sword. The narrator sums it up: So Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men that same day together. Israelites abandoned their cities, and the Philistines dishonored Saul's body.

Yet the book closes with an act of courage. The men of Jabesh Gilead had been rescued by Saul in chapter 11, in the first triumph of his reign. Now all the valiant men went all night, recovered the bodies of Saul and his sons, buried their bones under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days. Saul began with great promise but ended in disobedience and defeat. The story of 1 Samuel turns the reader toward David, the man after God's own heart.

Show What You Know

  1. What does the final chapter fulfill?

  2. How did Jonathan end his life?

  3. When had Saul rescued Jabesh Gilead?

  4. Toward whom does the story turn the reader?

Crossword

51423

Across

  1. They ____ seven days (31:13).
  2. The mountain where Israel fled (31:1)

Down

  1. They buried the bones under this tree (31:13)
  2. The town whose men buried Saul (31:13)
  3. All the ____ men arose (31:12).

Think About It

  1. Saul began well but ended badly. What helps a person stay faithful to God for a lifetime?

  2. How does the loyalty of Jabesh Gilead show the value of remembering kindness?

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)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for comforting me when I am sad. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Why is remembering kindness important?
  • How does the end of 1 Samuel prepare for David's reign?
  • What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

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.