The Report of Saul’s Death by the Amalekite

1 After^[a] the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and he stayed at Ziklag two days. ² On the third day, a man came from the camp from being with Saul, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. When he came^[b] to David, he fell to the ground and bowed down. ³ David said to him, “Where did you come from?” He said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” ⁴ Then David said to him, “How did things go?^[c] Please tell me.” He answered, “When^[d] the army fled from the battle, and many of the people fell; also, Saul and Jonathan his son died.” ⁵ Then David asked the young man who was reporting to him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan died?” ⁶ The young man who was reporting to him said, “I merely happened to be on Mount Gilboa. Here Saul was leaning on his spear, and look, the chariots and the horsemen were getting close to him. ⁷ When he turned around and saw me, he called to me, and I said, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ Then he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I said to him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ He said to me, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for convulsions have seized me, even though my life is still in me.’ ¹⁰ So I stood over him and killed him, for I knew that he could not live after his falling; I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm; and here, I have brought them to my lord. ¹¹ David grabbed at his clothes and tore them, as did all of the men who were with him. ¹² Then they mourned and wept and fasted over Saul and Jonathan his son until the evening, as well as over the people of Yahweh and over the house of Israel because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³ Then David said to the young man who was reporting to him, “Where are you from?” And he said, “I am the son of an alien man. I am an Amalekite.” ¹⁴ David said to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy Yahweh’s anointed one?” ¹⁵ Then David called to one of the young men and said to him, “Come near; strike him.” So he struck him down and he died. ¹⁶ David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has testified against you by saying, ‘I killed Yahweh’s anointed one!’”

David Laments Jonathan with the “Song of the Bow”

¹⁷ Then David sang this funeral song over Saul and over Jonathan his son. ¹⁸ And he ordered “The Bow” to be taught to the children of Judah. Look, it is written on the scroll of Jashar.^[e]