Panoramic Photo of the Jezreel Valley from Mount Gilboa, site of the battle between Saul and the Philistines. The Bible states that David felt insecure, and so made an alliance with the Philistines. Emboldened by this, the Philistines prepared to attack Israel, and Saul led out his army to face them at Mount Gilboa, but before the battle decided to secretly consult the witch of Endor for advice. The witch reminds Saul that the king (i.e. Saul himself) had made witchery a capital offense, but after being assured that Saul wouldn't harm her, the witch conjures up the ghost of Samuel. Samuel's ghost tells Saul that he would lose the battle and his life. Saul returns to face the enemy, and the Israelites are duly defeated. To escape the ignominy of capture, Saul asks his armor bearer to kill him, but is forced to commit suicide by falling on his sword when the armor bearer refuses. This photo was taken by our GM, Lilliam Larsen, during her recent trip to Israel. Lilliam is a Certified Israel Destination Specialist (PDF).
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