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17 David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan.(A) 18 (He ordered that The Song of the Bow[a] be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said,(B)

19 “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!
    How the mighty have fallen!(C)
20 Tell it not in Gath;
    proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice;
    the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.(D)

21 You mountains of Gilboa,
    let there be no dew or rain upon you
    nor bounteous fields![b]
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
    the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.(E)

22 From the blood of the slain,
    from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
    nor the sword of Saul return empty.(F)

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

24 O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
    who clothed you with crimson, in luxury,
    who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

25 How the mighty have fallen
    in the midst of the battle!

Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.(H)
26     I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
greatly beloved were you to me;
    your love to me was wonderful,
    passing the love of women.(I)

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

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Footnotes

  1. 1.18 Heb that The Bow
  2. 1.21 Meaning of Heb uncertain

David’s Lament for Saul and Jonathan

17 David took up this lament(A) concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,(B) 18 and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):(C)

19 “A gazelle[a] lies slain on your heights, Israel.
    How the mighty(D) have fallen!(E)

20 “Tell it not in Gath,(F)
    proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,(G)
lest the daughters of the Philistines(H) be glad,
    lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.(I)

21 “Mountains of Gilboa,(J)
    may you have neither dew(K) nor rain,(L)
    may no showers fall on your terraced fields.[b](M)
For there the shield of the mighty was despised,
    the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.(N)

22 “From the blood(O) of the slain,
    from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow(P) of Jonathan did not turn back,
    the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
23 Saul and Jonathan—
    in life they were loved and admired,
    and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,(Q)
    they were stronger than lions.(R)

24 “Daughters of Israel,
    weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
    who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.(S)

25 “How the mighty have fallen in battle!
    Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
26 I grieve(T) for you, Jonathan(U) my brother;(V)
    you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,(W)
    more wonderful than that of women.

27 “How the mighty have fallen!
    The weapons of war have perished!”(X)

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 1:19 Gazelle here symbolizes a human dignitary.
  2. 2 Samuel 1:21 Or / nor fields that yield grain for offerings

Israel Degraded

19 As for you, raise up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,(A) and say:

What a lioness was your mother
    among lions!
She lay down among young lions,
    rearing her cubs.(B)
She raised up one of her cubs;
    he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
    he devoured humans.(C)

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A Lament Over Israel’s Princes

19 “Take up a lament(A) concerning the princes(B) of Israel and say:

“‘What a lioness(C) was your mother
    among the lions!
She lay down among them
    and reared her cubs.(D)
She brought up one of her cubs,
    and he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
    and he became a man-eater.

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10 Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard[a]
    transplanted by the water,
fruitful and full of branches
    from abundant water.(A)
11 Its strongest stem became
    a ruler’s scepter;[b]
it towered aloft
    among the clouds;
it stood out in its height
    with its mass of branches.(B)
12 But it was plucked up in fury,
    cast down to the ground;
the east wind dried it up;
    its fruit was stripped off;
its strong stem was withered;
    the fire consumed it.(C)
13 Now it is transplanted into the wilderness,
    into a dry and thirsty land.(D)
14 And fire has gone out from its stem,
    has consumed its branches and fruit,
so that there remains in it no strong stem,
    no scepter for ruling.

This is a lamentation, and it is used as a lamentation.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 19.10 Cn: Heb in your blood
  2. 19.11 Heb Its strongest stems became rulers’ scepters

10 “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard[a](A)
    planted by the water;(B)
it was fruitful and full of branches
    because of abundant water.(C)
11 Its branches were strong,
    fit for a ruler’s scepter.
It towered high
    above the thick foliage,
conspicuous for its height
    and for its many branches.(D)
12 But it was uprooted(E) in fury
    and thrown to the ground.
The east wind(F) made it shrivel,
    it was stripped of its fruit;
its strong branches withered
    and fire consumed them.(G)
13 Now it is planted in the desert,(H)
    in a dry and thirsty land.(I)
14 Fire spread from one of its main[b] branches
    and consumed(J) its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
    fit for a ruler’s scepter.’(K)

“This is a lament(L) and is to be used as a lament.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 19:10 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts your blood
  2. Ezekiel 19:14 Or from under its