2 Samuel 1
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 1
Report of Saul’s Death. 1 After the death of Saul, David returned from his victory over the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.(A) 2 On the third day a man came from the field of battle, one of Saul’s people, with his garments torn and his head covered with dirt. Going to David, he fell to the ground in homage. 3 David asked him, “Where have you come from?” He replied, “From the Israelite camp: I have escaped.” 4 “What happened?” David said. “Tell me.” He answered that the soldiers had fled the battle and many of them had fallen and were dead; and that Saul and his son Jonathan were dead. 5 Then David said to the youth who was reporting to him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 (B)The youth reporting to him replied: “I happened to find myself on Mount Gilboa and saw Saul leaning on his spear, with chariots and horsemen closing in on him. 7 He turned around and saw me, and called me to him. When I said, ‘Here I am,’ 8 he asked me, ‘Who are you?’ and I replied, ‘An Amalekite.’ 9 Then he said to me, ‘Stand over me, please, and put me to death, for I am in great suffering, but still alive.’ 10 So I stood over him and put him to death, for I knew that he could not survive his wound. I removed the crown from his head and the armlet from his arm and brought them here to my lord.”
11 David seized his garments and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.(C) 12 They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.(D) 13 David said to the youth who had reported to him, “Where are you from?” He replied, “I am the son of a resident alien, an Amalekite.” 14 David said to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to put forth your hand to desecrate the Lord’s anointed?”(E) 15 David then called one of the attendants and said to him, “Come, strike him down”; so he struck him and he died. 16 David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for you testified against yourself when you said, ‘I put the Lord’s anointed to death.’”
Lament for Saul and Jonathan. 17 Then David chanted this lament for Saul and his son Jonathan 18 (he commanded that it be taught to the Judahites; it is recorded in the Book of Jashar):(F)
19 Alas! the glory of Israel,
slain upon your heights!
How can the warriors have fallen!
20 Do not report it in Gath,
as good news in Ashkelon’s streets,
Lest Philistine women rejoice,
lest the women of the uncircumcised exult!(G)
21 O mountains of Gilboa,
upon you be neither dew nor rain,
nor surging from the deeps![a]
Defiled there the warriors’ shields,
the shield of Saul—no longer anointed with oil!(H)
22 From the blood of the slain,
from the bodies of the warriors,
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
nor the sword of Saul return unstained.[b](I)
23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and dear,
separated neither in life nor death,
swifter than eagles, stronger than lions!
24 Women of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and in finery,
covered your clothing with ornaments of gold.
25 How can the warriors have fallen
in the thick of battle!
Jonathan—slain upon your heights!
26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother!
Most dear have you been to me;
More wondrous your love to me
than the love of women.(J)
27 How can the warriors have fallen,
the weapons of war have perished!
Footnotes
- 1:21 Surging from the deeps: this conjectural reading of the Hebrew yields a parallelism with dew and rain: the mountains where the warriors have fallen in battle are to be desiccated, deprived of water from above (rain, dew) and below (the primordial deeps).
- 1:22 Unstained: lit., “empty.” The sword was conceived as a devouring mouth; see, e.g., 2:26.
2 Samuel 1
English Standard Version
David Hears of Saul's Death
1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned (A)from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. 2 And on the third day, behold, (B)a man came from Saul's camp, (C)with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, (D)he fell to the ground and paid homage. 3 David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4 And David said to him, (E)“How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” 5 Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 And the young man who told him said, (F)“By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 And he said to me, (G)‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ 10 So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. (H)And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
11 Then David took hold of his clothes and (I)tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept (J)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. 13 And 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.” 14 David said to him, “How is it you were not (K)afraid to put out your hand to destroy (L)the Lord's anointed?” 15 Then (M)David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. 16 And David said to him, (N)“Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed (O)the Lord's anointed.’”
David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan
17 And David (P)lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he said it[a] should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in (Q)the Book of Jashar.[b] He said:
19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
(R)How the mighty have fallen!
20 (S)Tell it not in Gath,
(T)publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
(U)lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of (V)the uncircumcised exult.
21 (W)“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 (X)anointed with oil.
22 “From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
(Y)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 (Z)swifter than eagles;
they were (AA)stronger than lions.
24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
(AB)who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25 (AC)“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;
(AD)your love to me was extraordinary,
surpassing the love of women.
27 (AE)“How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!”
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
2 Samuel 1
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
David oye de la muerte de Saúl
1 Después de la muerte de Saúl(A), habiendo regresado David de derrotar[a] a los amalecitas, David permaneció dos días en Siclag(B). 2 Al tercer día, un hombre llegó del campamento de Saúl(C) con sus ropas rasgadas y polvo[b] sobre su cabeza(D). Al llegar ante David, se inclinó a tierra y se postró(E). 3 David le preguntó: «¿De dónde vienes?». «Me he escapado del campamento de Israel», le respondió. 4 David le preguntó[c]: «¿Qué aconteció(F)? Te ruego que me lo digas». Y él respondió[d]: «El pueblo ha huido de la batalla, y también muchos del pueblo han caído y han muerto; también Saúl y su hijo Jonatán han muerto». 5 Así que David le preguntó al joven que se lo había contado: «¿Cómo sabes que Saúl y su hijo Jonatán han muerto?».
6 El joven que se lo había contado, dijo: «Yo estaba por casualidad en el monte Gilboa, y vi que Saúl estaba apoyado sobre su lanza(G). Y que los carros y los jinetes lo perseguían de cerca. 7 Al mirar él hacia atrás, me vio y me llamó. Y dije: “Aquí estoy”. 8 Y él me dijo: “¿Quién eres?”. Y le respondí: “Soy un amalecita(H)”. 9 Entonces él me dijo: “Te ruego que te pongas junto a mí y me mates, pues la agonía se ha apoderado de mí, porque todavía estoy con vida[e]”. 10 Me puse, pues, junto a él y lo maté(I), porque yo sabía que él no podía vivir después de haber caído. Tomé la corona(J) que estaba en su cabeza y la pulsera que estaba en su brazo, y los he traído aquí a mi señor».
11 Entonces David agarró sus ropas y las rasgó(K), y así hicieron también todos los hombres que estaban con él. 12 Se lamentaron y lloraron y ayunaron hasta el atardecer(L) por Saúl y por su hijo Jonatán, por el pueblo del Señor y por la casa de Israel, porque habían caído a espada. 13 David le preguntó al joven que se lo había contado: «¿De dónde eres?». «Soy hijo de un extranjero, un amalecita(M)», le respondió. 14 Y David le dijo: «¿Cómo es que no tuviste temor de extender tu mano para destruir al ungido del Señor(N)?». 15 Llamando David a uno de los jóvenes, le dijo: «Ve, mátalo[f]». Y él lo hirió, y murió(O). 16 Y David le dijo: «Tu sangre sea sobre tu cabeza(P), porque tu boca ha testificado contra ti, al decir: “Yo he matado al ungido del Señor(Q)”».
Elegía de David por Saúl y Jonatán
17 Entonces David entonó esta elegía por Saúl y por su hijo Jonatán(R), 18 y ordenó[g] que enseñaran a los hijos de Judá el cántico del arco; el cual está escrito en el libro de Jaser(S):
19 «Tu[h] hermosura, oh Israel, ha perecido sobre tus montes[i].
¡Cómo han caído los valientes(T)!
20 -»No lo anuncien en Gat,
No lo proclamen en las calles de Ascalón;
Para que no se regocijen las hijas de los filisteos(U),
Para que no se alegren las hijas de los incircuncisos(V).
21 -»Oh montes de Gilboa(W),
No haya sobre ustedes rocío ni lluvia, ni campos de ofrendas(X);
Porque allí fue deshonrado el escudo de los valientes,
El escudo de Saúl, no ungido con aceite(Y).
22 -»De la sangre de los muertos, de la grasa de los poderosos,
El arco de Jonatán no volvía atrás,
Y la espada(Z) de Saúl no volvía vacía.
23 -»Saúl y Jonatán, amados y amables en su vida,
Y en su muerte no fueron separados;
Más ligeros eran que águilas(AA),
Más fuertes que leones(AB).
24 -»Hijas de Israel, lloren por Saúl,
Que las vestía lujosamente de escarlata,
Que ponía adornos de oro en sus vestidos.
25 -»¡Cómo han caído los valientes en medio de la batalla(AC)!
Jonatán, muerto en tus alturas.
26 -»Estoy afligido por ti, Jonatán, hermano mío;
Tú me has sido muy estimado.
Tu amor fue para mí más maravilloso
Que el amor de las mujeres(AD).
27 -»¡Cómo han caído los valientes(AE),
Y perecido las armas de guerra(AF)!».
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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