Someone tells David that Saul is dead
1After Saul died, David killed the Amalekites and he came back. He was in the town of Ziklag for 2 days 2and on the 3rd day, someone came from the camp of the men of Saul. The man's clothes were torn and there was sand on his head. When he came to David, he bowed low and fell onto the ground. 3David asked him: ‘Where do you come from?’ The man answered: ‘I ran away from the camp of the Israelites.’ 4Then David asked him: ‘What happened? Please tell me.’ The man said: ‘The men fled from the war and many men died. Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.’
5Then David asked the young man who came to tell him: ‘How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?’ 6The young man said: ‘I went to Mount Gilboa and there I saw Saul. He had fallen onto his spear. The war-chariots of the Philistines and men on horses were around him. 7Saul looked back and he called me. When I answered, 8he asked me who I was. I told him I am an Amalekite. 9Then he said to me: “Please come to me and kill me, because I am still_alive but I am dying and I am afraid.” 10I went to him and I killed him because I knew he would not live for a long time because he had fallen onto his spear. I took the crown on his head and the bracelet on his arm and I brought them here to you, sir.’
11David and all the men with him took their clothes and they tore them. 12They cried and mourned until that evening and they fasted for Saul and Jonathan his son and the men of the Lord and the Israelites, because they had died in the war.
13David asked the young man who had told him this: ‘Where do you come from?’ He said: ‘I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.’ 14David said: ‘Why were you not afraid to kill the anointed one of God?’
15David called one of the young men and he told him: ‘Come, and kill him.’ The young man did and the Amalekite died. 16David said to him: ‘It is your own fault that you must die because you said yourself that you have killed the anointed one of the Lord.’
David sings a song for Saul and Jonathan
17David sang this lament for Saul and his son Jonathan. 18He said the people of Judah must learn this song. He said the name of the song was ‘The Bow Song’ and he said they must write the words of the song in the book_of_Jashar.
19‘Land_of_Israel,
your fast and beautiful leader
is lying dead on your mountains.
The men who made war have died.
20Do not tell it in the town of Gath,
don't talk about it in the streets of Ashkelon,
because then the women
of the Philistines will be happy.
The Gentile women will rejoice.
21Rain and dew must never fall
on Mount Gilboa again.
There must be no fields on you
where wheat grows for offerings.
Because on you the shields
of men who had to go to war
became dirty on the ground.
That is where the shield of Saul lay,
and no one put olive oil on it.
22The bow_and_arrow of Jonathan
never stopped shooting.
The sword of Saul killed Philistines
again and again.
23We loved Saul and Jonathan.
They were wonderful.
They were together when they were alive,
and they have died together.
They were faster than eagles
and stronger than lions.
24Women of Israel, you must cry for Saul.
It was he who brought you beautiful red clothes to wear,
and he brought you golden jewellery for your clothes.
25The men who made war have died.
Jonathan lies dead on Mount Gilboa.
26My brother Jonathan,
I cry and mourn for you.
I liked you very much.
It was wonderful that you loved me,
and your love for me was better than the love of women.
27The men who had to go to war have died,
and the weapons that they
used in war are destroyed.’
