2 Samuel 1
1
1After the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag; 2and on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes rent and earth upon his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and did obeisance. 3David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead; and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” 5Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6#1 Sam 31.1-13; 1 Chron 10.1-12. And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa; and there was Saul leaning upon his spear; and lo, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and slay me; for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ 10So I stood beside him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen; and I took the crown which was on his head and the armlet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
11Then David took hold of his clothes, and rent them; and so did all the men who were with him; 12and they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 13And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” 14David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?” 15Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, fall upon him.” And he smote him so that he died. 16And David said to him, “Your blood be upon your head; for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have slain the Lord's anointed.’ ”
17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18and he said it#1.18 Gk: Heb the Bow should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.#1.18 Or The upright He said:
19“Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places!
How are the mighty fallen!
20Tell it not in Gath,
publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon;
lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
21“Ye mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you,
nor upsurging of the deep!#1.21 Cn: Heb fields of offerings
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
22“From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan turned not back,
and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
23“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
24“Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you daintily in scarlet,
who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25“How are the mighty fallen
in the midst of the battle!
“Jonathan lies slain upon thy high places.
26I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
your love to me was wonderful,
passing the love of women.
27“How are the mighty fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!”
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2 Samuel 1: RSV
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
2 Samuel 1
1
1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag, 2on the third day, behold,#1:2 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection. a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes torn and earth on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the earth and showed respect.
3 David said to him, “Where do you come from?”
He said to him, “I have escaped out of the camp of Israel.”
4 David said to him, “How did it go? Please tell me.”
He answered, “The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead. Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.”
5 David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?”
6 The young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance on Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning on his spear; and behold, the chariots and the horsemen followed close behind him. 7When he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8He said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9He said to me, ‘Please stand beside me, and kill me, for anguish has taken hold of me because my life lingers in me.’ 10So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.”
11 Then David took hold on his clothes and tore them; and all the men who were with him did likewise. 12They mourned, wept, and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD,#1:12 When rendered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, “Lord” or “GOD” is the translation of God’s Proper Name (Hebrew “יהוה”, usually pronounced Yahweh). and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
13 David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?”
He answered, “I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite.”
14 David said to him, “Why were you not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” 15David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and cut him down!” He struck him so that he died. 16David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have slain the LORD’s anointed.’”
17 David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son 18(and he commanded them to teach the children of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):
19“Your glory, Israel, was slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
20Don’t tell it in Gath.
Don’t publish it in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 You mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain on you, and no fields of offerings;
for there the shield of the mighty was defiled and cast away,
the shield of Saul was not anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
Jonathan’s bow didn’t turn back.
Saul’s sword didn’t return empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives.
In their death, they were not divided.
They were swifter than eagles.
They were stronger than lions.
24 You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you delicately in scarlet,
who put ornaments of gold on your clothing.
25How the mighty have fallen in the middle of the battle!
Jonathan was slain on your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan.
You have been very pleasant to me.
Your love to me was wonderful,
surpassing the love of women.
27How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war have perished!”
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