2 Samuel 1

David Hears of Saul's Death

1 After the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.

2 On the third day a man arrived from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor.

3 “Where have you come from?” David asked him.
He answered, “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.”

4 “What happened?” David asked. “Tell me.”
He said, “The men fled from the battle. Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”

5 Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
6 “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,” the young man said, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and riders almost upon him.

7 When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, ‘What can I do?’

8 “He asked me, ‘Who are you?’
“ ‘An Amalekite,’ I answered.

9 “Then he said to me, ‘Stand over me and kill me! I am in the throes of death, but I'm still alive.’

10 “So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord.”
11 Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them.

12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

13 David said to the young man who brought him the report, “Where are you from?”
“I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite,” he answered.

14 David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?”
15 Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!” So he struck him down, and he died.

16 For David had said to him, “Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the Lord's anointed.’ ”

David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan

17 David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,

18 and ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):

19 “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights.
How the mighty have fallen!

20 “Tell it not in Gath,
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.

21 “O mountains of Gilboa,
may you have neither dew nor rain,
nor fields that yield offerings of grain .
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.

22 From the blood of the slain,
from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.

23 “Saul and Jonathan—
in life they were loved and gracious,
and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.

24 “O daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.

25 “How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.

26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
more wonderful than that of women.

27 “How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!”

2 SAMUEL 1

David Finds Out //about Saul's Death

1 Saul was dead.
Meanwhile, David had defeated the Amalekites and returned to Ziklag.

2 Three days later, a soldier came from Saul's army. His clothes were torn, and dirt was on his head.t He went to David and knelt down in front of him.

3 David asked, “Where did you come from?”
The man answered, “From Israel's army. I barely escaped with my life.”

4 “Who won the battle?” David asked.
The man said, “Our army turned and ran, but many were wounded and died. Even King Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”

5 David asked, “How do you know Saul and Jonathan are dead?”

6  t The young man replied:
I was on Mount Gilboa and saw King Saul leaning on his spear. The enemy's war chariots and cavalry were closing in on him.

7 When he turned around and saw me, he called me over. I went and asked what he wanted.

8 Saul asked me, “Who are you?”
“An Amalekite,” I answered.

9 Then he said, “Kill me! I'm dying, and I'm in terrible pain.”t

10 So I killed him. I knew he was too badly wounded to live much longer. Then I took his crown and his arm-band, and I brought them to you, Your Majesty. Here they are.
11 At once, David and his soldiers tore their clothes in sorrow.

12 They cried all day long and would not eat anything. Everyone was sad because Saul, his son Jonathan, and many of the [Lord]'s people had been killed in the battle.

13 David asked the young man, “Where is your home?”
The man replied, “My father is an Amalekite, but we live in Israel.”

14-16 David said to him, “Why weren't you afraid to kill the [Lord]'s chosen king? And you even told what you did. It's your own fault that you're going to die!”
Then David told one of his soldiers, “Come here and kill this man!”

David Sings //in Memory of Saul

18 t and he ordered his men to teach the song to everyone in Judah. He called it “The Song of the Bow,” and it can be found in The Book of Jashar.t This is the song:

19 Israel, your famous hero
lies dead on the hills,
and your mighty warriors
have fallen!

20 Don't tell it in Gath
or spread the news
on the streets of Ashkelon.
The godless Philistine women
will be happy
and jump for joy.

21 Don't let dew or rain fall
on the hills of Gilboa.
Don't let its fields
grow offerings for God.t
There the warriors' shields
were smeared with mud,
and Saul's own shield
was left unpolished.t

22 The arrows of Jonathan struck,
and warriors died.
The sword of Saul cut
the enemy apart.

23 It was easy to love Saul
and Jonathan.
Together in life,
together in death,
they were faster than eagles
and stronger than lions.

24 Women of Israel, cry for Saul.
He brought you fine red cloth
and jewelry made of gold.

25 Our warriors have fallen
in the heat of battle,
and Jonathan lies dead
on the hills of Gilboa.

26 Jonathan, I miss you most!
I loved you
like a brother.
You were truly loyal to me,
more faithful than a wife
to her husband.t

27 Our warriors have fallen,
and their weaponst
are destroyed.