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2 Samuel 1:17-27
New King James Version
2 Samuel 1:17-27
New King James Version
The Song of the Bow
17 Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, 18 (A)and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written (B)in the Book [a]of Jasher:
19 “The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places!
(C)How the mighty have fallen!
20 (D)Tell it not in Gath,
Proclaim it not in the streets of (E)Ashkelon—
Lest (F)the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
Lest the daughters of (G)the uncircumcised triumph.
21 “O (H)mountains of Gilboa,
(I)Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,
Nor fields of offerings.
For the shield of the mighty is [b]cast away there!
The shield of Saul, not (J)anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain,
From the fat of the mighty,
(K)The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
And the sword of Saul did not return empty.
23 “Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives,
And in their (L)death they were not divided;
They were swifter than eagles,
They were (M)stronger than lions.
24 “O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury;
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25 “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan was slain in your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
You have been very pleasant to me;
(N)Your love to me was wonderful,
Surpassing the love of women.
27 “How(O) the mighty have fallen,
And the weapons of war perished!”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 1:18 Lit. of the Upright
- 2 Samuel 1:21 Lit. defiled
2 Samuel 1:17-27
New International Version
2 Samuel 1:17-27
New International Version
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)
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)
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 1:19 Gazelle here symbolizes a human dignitary.
- 2 Samuel 1:21 Or / nor fields that yield grain for offerings
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.