2 Samuel 1:12-27

English Standard Version

¹²And they mourned and wept ^(A)and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” ¹⁴David said to him, “How is it you were not ^(B)afraid to put out your hand to destroy ^(C)the Lord's anointed?” ¹⁵Then ^(D)David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. ¹⁶And David said to him, ^(E)“Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed ^(F)the Lord's anointed.’”

David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷And David ^(G)lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, ¹⁸and he said it^[a] should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in ^(H)the Book of Jashar.^[b] He said:

¹⁹“Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
    ^(I)How the mighty have fallen!
²⁰^(J)Tell it not in Gath,
    ^(K)publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
^(L)lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
    lest the daughters of ^(M)the uncircumcised exult.

²¹^(N)“You mountains of Gilboa,
    let there be no dew or rain upon you,
    nor fields of offerings!^[c]
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
    the shield of Saul, not ^(O)anointed with oil.

²²“From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
^(P)the bow of Jonathan turned not back,
and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

²³“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were ^(Q)swifter than eagles;
they were ^(R)stronger than lions.

²⁴“You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
^(S)who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

²⁵^(T)“How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!

“Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
²⁶    I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
    ^(U)your love to me was extraordinary,
    surpassing the love of women.

²⁷^(V)“How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!”

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Footnotes

2 Samuel 1:18 Septuagint; Hebrew the Bow, which may be the name of the lament's tune
2 Samuel 1:18 Or of the upright
2 Samuel 1:21 Septuagint firstfruits