2Sa 1 | NASB1995 | STEP | Now it came about after the death of Saul , when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites , that David remained two days in Ziklag .

2 Samuel 1

David Learns of Saul’s Death

1 Now it came about after ^athe death of Saul, when David had returned from ^bthe slaughter of the Amalekites, that David remained two days in Ziklag. 2 On the third day, behold, ^ca man came out of the camp from Saul, ^dwith his clothes torn and ^{▼▼ Lit ground}dust on his head. And it came about when he came to David that ^fhe fell to the ground and prostrated himself. 3 Then David said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4 David said to him, ^g“How did things go? Please tell me.” And he said, “The people have fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.” 5 So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 The young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on ^hMount Gilboa, and behold, ⁱSaul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely. 7 “When he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I said, ‘Here I am.’ 8 “He said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I ^{▼▼ Lit said to}answered him, ‘ ^kI am an Amalekite.’ 9 “Then he said to me, ‘Please stand beside me and kill me, for agony has seized me because my ^{▼▼ Lit whole life is still in me}life still lingers in me.’ 10 “So I stood beside him ^mand killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And ⁿI took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

11 Then ^oDavid took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him. 12 They mourned and wept and ^pfasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of the Lord and 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?” And he ^{▼▼ Lit said}answered, ^r“I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.” 14 Then David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid ^sto stretch out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 15 And David called one of the young men and said, “Go, ^{▼▼ Lit fall upon him}cut him down.” ^uSo he struck him and he died. 16 David said to him, ^v“Your blood is on your head, for ^wyour mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

David’s Dirge for Saul and Jonathan

17 Then David ^xchanted with this lament over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in ^ythe book of Jashar. 19 ^{▼▼ Lit The}“Your beauty, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
^aaHow have the mighty fallen!
20 ^ab“Tell it not in Gath,
Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
Or ^acthe daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
The daughters of ^adthe uncircumcised will exult.
21 ^ae“O mountains of Gilboa,
^afLet not dew or rain be on you, nor fields of offerings;
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
The shield of Saul, not ^aganointed with oil.
22 ^ah“From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,
^aiThe bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
And the sword of Saul did not return empty.
23 “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life,
And in their death they were not parted;
^ajThey were swifter than eagles,
^akThey were stronger than lions.
24 “O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25 ^al“How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan is slain on your high places.
26 “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
You have been very pleasant to me.
^amYour love to me was more wonderful
Than the love of women.
27 ^an“How have the mighty fallen,
And ^aothe weapons of war perished!”