Saul and his sons die
1 Samuel 29 – 31
When the Philistine king sends David and his men back to Ziklag, they find it has been raided by the Amalekites. The city has been burned and all of its residents (mainly women and children since the fighting men were gone) have been taken captive.
Two hundred of David’s men are too exhausted to take part in a rescue attempt, so he takes the other 400 and chases down the raiding party. After a day-long battle, David’s men are victorious.
Miraculously none of the kidnapped people have died, so the men are reunited with their families. Not only is the stolen property recovered, but also plunder from the Amalekites.
Some of the 400 who fought believe the plunder should not be shared with the 200 who stayed behind.
David, however, insists they get an equal share for staying behind. He said, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us….The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to battle. All will share alike.”
Meanwhile, the Philistines have defeated Saul and his army, killing Saul’s three sons: Abinadab, Malki-Shua and the beloved Jonathan. In a final indignity, Saul is wounded but not killed and takes his own life to avoid capture and torture.