2 Samuel 1
Living Bible
1 1-2 Saul was dead and David had returned to Ziklag after slaughtering the Amalekites. Three days later a man arrived from the Israeli army with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head as a sign of mourning. He fell to the ground before David in deep respect.
3 “Where do you come from?” David asked.
“From the Israeli army,” he replied.
4 “What happened?” David demanded. “Tell me how the battle went.”
And the man replied, “Our entire army fled. Thousands of men are dead and wounded on the field, and Saul and his son Jonathan have been killed.”
5 “How do you know they are dead?”
6 “Because I was on Mount Gilboa and saw Saul leaning against his spear with the enemy chariots closing in upon him. 7 When he saw me he cried out for me to come to him.
8 “‘Who are you?’ he asked.
“‘An Amalekite,’ I replied.
9 “‘Come and put me out of my misery,’ he begged, ‘for I am in terrible pain but life lingers on.’
10 “So I killed him,[a] for I knew he couldn’t live. Then I took his crown and one of his bracelets to bring to you, my lord.”
11 David and his men tore their clothes in sorrow when they heard the news. 12 They mourned and wept and fasted all day for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the Lord’s people, and for the men of Israel who had died that day.
13 Then David said to the young man who had brought the news, “Where are you from?”
And he replied, “I am an Amalekite.”
14 “Why did you kill God’s chosen king?” David demanded.
15 Then he said to one of his young men, “Kill him!” So he ran him through with his sword and he died.
16 “You die self-condemned,” David said, “for you yourself confessed that you killed God’s appointed king.”
17-18 Then David composed a dirge for Saul and Jonathan and afterward commanded that it be sung throughout Israel. It is quoted here from the book Heroic Ballads.
19 O Israel, your pride and joy lies dead upon the hills;
Mighty heroes have fallen.
20 Don’t tell the Philistines, lest they rejoice.
Hide it from the cities of Gath and Ashkelon,
Lest the heathen nations laugh in triumph.
21 O Mount Gilboa,
Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,
Let no crops of grain grow on your slopes.[b]
For there the mighty Saul has died;
He is God’s appointed king no more.
22 Both Saul and Jonathan slew their strongest foes,
And did not return from battle empty-handed.
23 How much they were loved, how wonderful they were—
Both Saul and Jonathan!
They were together in life and in death.
They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.
24 But now, O women of Israel, weep for Saul;
He enriched you
With fine clothing and gold ornaments.
25 These mighty heroes have fallen in the midst of the battle.
Jonathan is slain upon the hills.
26 How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan;
How much I loved you!
And your love for me was deeper
Than the love of women!
27 The mighty ones have fallen,
Stripped of their weapons, and dead.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 1:10 So I killed him. He was evidently lying. See 1 Samuel 31:3 for the true account. Probably he had found Saul dead upon the field and thought David would reward him for killing his rival.
- 2 Samuel 1:21 Let no crops of grain grow on your slopes. The text is uncertain in the original manuscripts.
2 Samuel 1
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 1
The Report of Saul’s Death. 1 Shortly after the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites, and he stayed for two days in Ziklag. 2 On the third day a man appeared from Saul’s camp, with his clothes in tatters and dirt on his head. Upon coming into David’s presence, he fell to the ground and paid him homage.
3 David asked him: “Where have you come from?” And he replied: “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.” 4 David then inquired: “What has happened there? Tell me!” The man answered: “The soldiers fled from the battle, but many of them fell and died. Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.”
5 David then asked the young man who had brought the news: “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 The young man replied: “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and I beheld Saul leaning on his spear as the chariots and the horsemen were closing in on him. 7 When he happened to turn around and saw me, he summoned me to him. I said: ‘Here I am.’ 8 Saul then said to me: ‘Who are you?’ And I told him: ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 Then he gave me this order: ‘Come here, stand over me, and kill me. The throes of death have overcome me, yet I am still alive.’
10 “Therefore, I stood over him and slew him, for I knew that he could not possibly survive because of the wounds he had suffered. Then I removed the crown that was on his head and the armlet from his arm, and I have brought them here to you, my lord.”
11 [a]Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and the men who were with him did the same. 12 They mourned and wept, and they fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, as well as for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
13 David then said to the young man who had brought him the report: “Where do you come from?” He answered: “I am the son of a resident alien, an Amalekite.” 14 David thereupon asked him: “How was it that you were not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”
15 Then David summoned one of his young soldiers and gave him this order: “Come here and strike him down!” The young man struck him down, and he died. 16 As he fell, David said to him: “Your blood be on your own head. You convicted yourself by your own testimony when you said: ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”
17 Elegy for Saul and Jonathan. David chanted the following lament over Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and he ordered that this dirge over them be taught to the people of Judah. It is recorded in the Book of Jashar.
19 [b]“Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your heights.
How the mighty have fallen!
20 “Do not mention it in Gath
or proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon.
Let not the daughters of the Philistines rejoice
and the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
21 “You mountains of Gilboa,
may no dew or rain fall upon you,
and may your fields not bring forth grain.
For there the shields of the warriors were tarnished,
and the shield of Saul is no longer anointed with oil.
22 “From the blood of the slain,
from the flesh of the valiant,
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
nor did the sword of Saul return unbloodied.
23 “Saul and Jonathan:
in life they were beloved and kind;
in death they were not separated.
They were swifter than eagles
and stronger than lions.
24 “O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul
who clothed you in scarlet and fine embroidery,
and who beautified your apparel with ornaments of gold.
25 “How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain upon your heights.
26 “I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother.
To me you were greatly beloved.
Your love for me was more wonderful
than the love of a woman.
27 “The warriors have fallen,
and their weapons have been abandoned!”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 1:11 Despite King Saul’s vindictive behavior toward David, upon hearing about the death of Saul and his friend Jonathan, David and his men showed their respect and sadness by fasting and mourning. David will be rewarded for his patient submission to God’s will.
- 2 Samuel 1:19 Here again we see the immense generosity of spirit that David displayed in spite of his struggles with Saul. A gifted musician, he composed a stirring song, known as “The Song of the Bow,” for the king and his son.
撒母耳记下 1
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
大卫得知扫罗的死讯
1 大卫战胜了亚玛力人之后便回到洗革拉，在那里住了两天。那时扫罗已经死了。 2 第三天，有一个衣服撕裂、头蒙灰尘的人从扫罗军营中跑到大卫面前，俯伏下拜。 3 大卫问他：“你从哪里来？”那人答道：“我是从以色列军营逃出来的。” 4 大卫说：“请告诉我那边的情况。”他说：“以色列军溃逃，伤亡惨重，扫罗和他儿子约拿单都死了！” 5 大卫又问报信的青年：“你怎么知道扫罗和他儿子约拿单死了？” 6 青年说：“我偶然到基利波山，看见扫罗在那里扶枪而立，敌人的战车骑兵紧紧追来。 7 他回头看到我，便呼唤我。我说，‘我在这里。’ 8 他问我是什么人。我告诉他我是亚玛力人。 9 扫罗说他痛苦难当，却又死不掉，要我杀了他。 10 我知道他身受重伤，必死无疑，就把他杀了，并取下他头上的王冠和臂上的镯子带来献给我主。”
11 大卫就撕裂衣服，他的随从也撕裂衣服。 12 他们因扫罗、他的儿子约拿单和耶和华的子民——以色列同胞阵亡而悲哀痛哭，禁食直到黄昏。 13 大卫又问报信的青年：“你是哪里的人？”他答道：“我是寄居在以色列的亚玛力人。” 14 大卫说：“你怎么敢下手杀耶和华所膏立的王？ 15-16 你是咎由自取！因为你亲口承认自己杀了耶和华所膏立的王。”大卫随即命令一个年轻的随从杀死他，随从便杀死了他。
大卫的哀歌
17 大卫作了一首挽歌哀悼扫罗和他儿子约拿单， 18 并吩咐人教导犹大人唱这首弓歌。这首歌记在《雅煞珥书》上，歌词说：
19 “以色列啊，
你荣耀的王伏尸山上，
伟大的勇士竟然倒下！
20 不要在迦特宣告，
不要在亚实基伦的街上传扬，
免得非利士的妇女幸灾乐祸，
免得未受割礼之人的女子欢喜雀跃。
21 “基利波山啊，愿你没有雨露，
你的田地不长献祭用的五谷，
因为在那里勇士的盾牌污迹斑斑，
扫罗的盾牌没有抹油。
22 “约拿单的弓射敌无数，
扫罗的剑不杀强敌不收回。
23 “扫罗和约拿单深受爱戴，
生死不分离。
他们比鹰更敏捷，
比狮子还强壮。
24 “以色列的女子啊，
为扫罗哀哭吧！
他曾使你们衣服华美，
穿金戴银。
25 “勇士竟战死沙场！
约拿单竟伏尸山上！
26 我的兄弟约拿单啊，
我为你悲伤，
你对我情深义重，
你对我的爱胜过女人的恋情。
27 “伟大的勇士竟然倒下！
兵器竟然长埋！”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.