1 Now it came to pass after the mot Sha’ul, when Dovid was returned from the slaughter of Amalek, and Dovid had abode two yamim in Tziklag;

² It came even to pass on Yom HaShlishi, that, hinei, an ish came out of the machaneh from Sha’ul with his clothes torn, and adamah upon his rosh; and so it was, when he came to Dovid, that he fell to the ground, and prostrated himself.

³ And Dovid said unto him, From where comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the machaneh Yisroel am I escaped.

⁴ And Dovid said unto him, How went the matter? Tell me now. And he answered, That the people are fled from the milchamah, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Sha’ul and Yonatan bno are dead also.

⁵ And Dovid said unto the na’ar that told him, How knowest thou that Sha’ul and Yonatan bno are dead?

⁶ And the na’ar that told him said, As I happened to be upon Mt Gilboa, hinei, Sha’ul leaned upon his khanit; and, hinei, the chariots and ba’alei haparashim followed hard after him.

⁷ And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Hineini.

⁸ And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amaleki.

⁹ He said unto me again, Stand, now, over me, and slay me; for shavatz (death through agony) is come upon me, because my nefesh is yet still in me.

¹⁰ So I stood over him, and slaughtered him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen; and I took the nezer (crown, diadem) that was upon his rosh, and the etzadah (bracelet, band) that was on his zero’a, and have brought them here unto adoni.

¹¹ Then Dovid took hold on his clothes, and made the kri’ah on them; and likewise all the anashim that were with him;

¹² And they mourned, and wept, and did a tzom until the erev, for Sha’ul, and for Yonatan bno, and for the Am Hashem, and for Bais Yisroel; because they were fallen by the cherev.

¹³ And Dovid said unto the na’ar that told him, From where art thou? And he answered, I am ben ish ger, an Amaleki.

¹⁴ And Dovid said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine yad to destroy Hashem’s moshiach?

¹⁵ And Dovid called one of the ne’arim, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he struck him so that he died.

¹⁶ And Dovid said unto him, Thy dahm be upon thy rosh; for thine own peh hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain Hashem’s moshiach.

¹⁷ And Dovid lamented with this kinah (lamentation) over Sha’ul and over Yonatan bno;

¹⁸ Also he bade them teach the Bnei Yehudah: The Keshet. Hinei, it is written in the Sefer HaYasher:

¹⁹ The glory of Yisroel is slain upon thy high places; how are the Gibborim fallen!

²⁰ Tell it not in Gat, proclaim it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the banot Pelishtim rejoice, lest the banot ha’arelim triumph.

²¹ Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no tal, neither let there be matar, upon you, nor fields of terumot; for there the mogen Gibborim is defiled, the mogen of Sha’ul, as though he had not been mashiach (anointed) with shemen.

²² From the dahm of the slain, from the chelev of the Gibborim, the keshet Yonatan turned not back, and the cherev Sha’ul returned not empty.

²³ Sha’ul and Yonatan were beloved and gracious in their lives, and in their mot they were not parted; they were swifter than nesharim, they were stronger than arayot.

²⁴ Ye banot Yisroel, weep over Sha’ul, who clothed you in scarlet, with fineries, who put on ornaments of zahav upon your apparel.

²⁵ How are the Gibborim fallen in the midst of the milchamah! O Yonatan, thou wast slain on thine heights.

²⁶ I am distressed for thee, my brother Yonatan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me; thy ahavah was wonderful to me, passing ahavat nashim.

²⁷ How are the Gibborim fallen, and the k’lei milchamah (weapons of war) perished!