2 Samuel 1
King James Version
1 Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;
2 It 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.
3 And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped.
4 And 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.
5 And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
6 And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I.
8 And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.
9 He 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.
10 So 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.
11 Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:
12 And 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.
13 And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.
14 And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?
15 And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.
16 And 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.
17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, 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.
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 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.
24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
26 I 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.
27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
2 Samuel 1
1599 Geneva Bible
The Second Book of Samuel
1 4 It was told David of Saul’s death. 15 He causeth him to be slain that brought the tidings. 19 He lamenteth the death of Saul and Jonathan.
1 After the death of Saul, when David was returned from the (A)slaughter of the Amalekites, and had been two days in Ziklag,
2 Behold, a man came the third day out of the host from Saul with [a]his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and when he came to David, he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.
3 Then David said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the host of Israel I am escaped.
4 And David said unto him, What is done? I pray thee, tell me. Then he said, that the people is fled from the battle, and many of the people are overthrown, and dead, and also Saul and Jonathan his son are dead.
5 And David said unto the young man that told it him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
6 Then the young man that told him, answered, [b]As I came to mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear, and lo, the chariots and [c]horsemen followed hard after him.
7 And when he looked back, he saw me, and called me. And I answered, Here am I.
8 And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an [d]Amalekite.
9 Then said he unto me, I pray thee,[e]come upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my [f]life is yet whole in me.
10 So [g]I came upon him, and slew him, and because I was sure that he could not live, after that he had fallen, I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and brought them hither unto my lord.
11 Then David took hold on his clothes, (B)and rent them, and likewise all the men that were with him.
12 And 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 slain with the sword.
13 ¶ [h]Afterward David said unto the young man that told it him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger an Amalekite.
14 And David said unto him, (C)How wast thou not afraid, to put forth thine hand to destroy the Anointed of the Lord?
15 Then David called one of his young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.
16 Then said David unto him, [i]Thy blood be upon thine own head: for thine own mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s Anointed.
17 ¶ Then David mourned with this lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son,
18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah to [j]shoot, as it is written in the book of (D)[k]Jasher.)
19 O noble Israel, [l]he is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty overthrown!
20 (E)Tell it not in Gath, nor publish it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, upon you be neither dew nor rain, nor [m]be there fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is cast down, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
22 The bow of Jonathan never turned back, neither did the sword of Saul return empty from the blood of the slain, and from the fat of the mighty.
23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their deaths they were not [n]divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, which clothed you in scarlet, [o]with pleasures, and hanged ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25 How were the mighty slain in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
26 Woe is me for thee, my brother Jonathan: very kind hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of [p]women: how are the mighty overthrown, and the weapons of war destroyed!
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 1:2 Seeming to lament the overthrow of the people of Israel.
- 2 Samuel 1:6 As I fled in the chase.
- 2 Samuel 1:6 Or, captains.
- 2 Samuel 1:8 He was an Amalekite born, but renounced his country, and joined with the Israelites.
- 2 Samuel 1:9 Hebrew, stand upon.
- 2 Samuel 1:9 I am sorry, because I am yet alive.
- 2 Samuel 1:10 Hebrew, I stood upon him.
- 2 Samuel 1:13 After the lamentation, he examined him again.
- 2 Samuel 1:16 Thou art justly punished for thy fault.
- 2 Samuel 1:18 That they might be able to match their enemies the Philistines in that art.
- 2 Samuel 1:18 Or, righteous.
- 2 Samuel 1:19 Meaning, Saul.
- 2 Samuel 1:21 Let their fertile fields be barren, and bring forth no fruit to offer to the Lord.
- 2 Samuel 1:23 They died both together in Gilboa.
- 2 Samuel 1:24 As rich garments and costly jewels.
- 2 Samuel 1:26 Either toward their husbands, or their children.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
