2 Samuel 1
1
David Learns of Saul's Death
1Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amal´ekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; 2it came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. 3And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. 4And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. 5And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? 6#1 Sam 31.1-6; 1 Chr 10.1-6. And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilbo´a, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. 8And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amal´ekite. 9He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. 10So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.
11Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him: 12and they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. 13And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amal´ekite. 14And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? 15And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. 16And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed.
David's Lament over Saul and Jonathan
17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: 18#Josh 10.13. (also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher:)
19The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places:
how are the mighty fallen!
20Tell it not in Gath,
publish it not in the streets of Ash´kelon;
lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21Ye mountains of Gilbo´a,
let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you,
nor fields of offerings:
for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away,
the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
22From 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.
23Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives,
and in their death they were not divided:
they were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
24Ye daughters of Israel,
weep over Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights;
who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!
O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
26I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan:
very pleasant hast thou been unto me:
thy love to me was wonderful,
passing the love of women.
27How are the mighty fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!
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2 Samuel 1: KJVAAE
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.
2 Samuel 1
1
David Learns About Saul’s Death
1Now Saul was dead. And after David had defeated the Amalekites, he returned to Ziklag. He stayed there two days. 2On the third day a young man came to Ziklag. He came from Saul’s camp. To show his sadness his clothes were torn, and he had dirt on his head. He came and bowed facedown on the ground before David.
3David asked him, “Where did you come from?”
The man answered him, “I escaped from the Israelite camp.”
4David asked him, “What happened? Please tell me!”
The man answered, “The people have run away from the battle. Many of them have fallen dead. Saul and his son Jonathan are dead also.”
5David said to him, “How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
6The young man answered, “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. There I saw Saul leaning on his spear. The Philistine chariots and the men riding in them were coming closer to Saul. 7When he looked back and saw me, he called to me. I answered him, ‘Here I am!’
8“Then Saul asked me, ‘Who are you?’
“I told him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’
9“Then Saul said to me, ‘Please come here and kill me. I am badly hurt and am almost dead already.’
10“So I went over and killed him. He had been hurt so badly I knew he couldn’t live. Then I took the crown from his head and the bracelet from his arm. I have brought them here to you, my master.”
11Then David tore his clothes to show his sorrow. And all the men with him did also. 12They were very sad and cried. They did not eat until evening. They cried for Saul and his son Jonathan. And they cried for the Israelites who had been killed with swords.
David Orders the Amalekite Killed
13David asked the young man who brought the report, “Where are you from?”
The young man answered, “I am the son of a foreigner. I am an Amalekite.”
14David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to kill the Lord’s appointed king?”
15Then David called one of his men. David told him, “Go! Kill the Amalekite!” So the Israelite killed the Amalekite. 16David had said to the Amalekite, “You are responsible for your own death. You have spoken against yourself! You said, ‘I have killed the Lord’s appointed king.’”
David’s Song About Saul and Jonathan
17David sang a funeral song about Saul and his son Jonathan. 18David ordered that the people of Judah be taught this song. It is called “The Bow.” This song is written in the Book of Jashar:
19“Israel, your leaders have been killed on the hills.
How the mighty men have fallen in battle!
20Don’t tell it in Gath.
Don’t announce it in the streets of Ashkelon.
If you do, the daughters of the Philistines will be happy.
The daughters of the Philistines will rejoice.
21“May there be no dew or rain on the mountains of Gilboa.
May their fields produce no grain.
This is because there the mighty warrior’s shield was dishonored.
Saul’s shield was no longer rubbed with oil.
22Jonathan’s bow killed its share of enemies.
And Saul’s sword killed its share, too.
Their weapons are stained with the blood of dead men.
Their weapons have stabbed the flesh of strong men.
23“We loved Saul and Jonathan.
We enjoyed them while they lived.
Saul and Jonathan are together even in death.
They were faster than eagles.
They were stronger than lions.
24“You daughters of Israel, cry for Saul.
Saul clothed you with red dresses.
He put gold decorations on your dresses.
25“How the mighty men have fallen in battle!
Jonathan is dead on Gilboa’s hills.
26I cry for you, my brother Jonathan.
I enjoyed your friendship so much.
Your love to me was wonderful,
more wonderful than the love of women.
27“How the mighty men have fallen in battle!
The weapons of war are gone.”
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