Saul and Jonathan Are Dead

1 Now it happened after ^(A)the death of Saul, that David returned from ^(B)striking down the Amalekites. Then David remained two days in Ziklag. ² Now it happened that on the third day, behold, ^(C)a man came out of the camp from Saul. And ^(D)his clothes were torn and ^[a]dust was on his head. And it happened when he came to David, that ^(E)he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. ³ Then David said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” ⁴ And David said to him, “^(F)How did things go? Tell me now.” And he said, “The people have fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.” ⁵ So 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, “By chance I happened to be on ^(G)Mount Gilboa, and behold, ^(H)Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely. ⁷ Then he turned to look behind him, and he saw me and called to me. And I said, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I ^[b]answered him, ‘^(I)I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ Then he said to me, ‘Please stand beside me and put me to death, for agony has seized me because my ^[c]life still lingers in me.’ ¹⁰ So I stood beside him ^(J)and put him to death, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And ^(K)I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Then ^(L)David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him. ¹² And they lamented and wept and ^(M)fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of ^[d]Yahweh and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³ And David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?” And he ^[e]answered, “^(N)I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” ¹⁴ Then David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid ^(O)to send forth your hand to destroy the anointed of Yahweh?” ¹⁵ And David called one of the young men and said, “Approach and fall upon him.” ^(P)So he struck him and he died. ¹⁶ And David said to him, “^(Q)Your blood is on your head, for ^(R)your mouth has answered against you, saying, ‘I have put the anointed of Yahweh to death.’”

David’s Lament for Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷ Then David ^(S)chanted with this funeral lament over Saul and Jonathan his son, ¹⁸ and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in ^(T)the book of Jashar.