David Learns of Saul’s Death

1 Now it happened after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, that he stayed two days in Ziklag. ² On the third day a man came [unexpectedly] from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head [as in mourning]. When he came to David, he bowed to the ground and lay himself face down [in an act of great respect and submission]. ³ Then David asked him, “Where do you come from?” He said, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” ⁴ David said to him, “How did it go? Please tell me.” He answered, “The people have fled from the battle. Also, many of the people have fallen and are dead; Saul and Jonathan his son are also dead.” ⁵ So David said to the young man who informed him, “How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” ⁶ And the young man who told him explained, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and the chariots and horsemen [of the Philistines] were close behind him. ⁷ When he turned to look behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ He asked me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ He said to me, ‘Stand up facing me and kill me, for [terrible] agony has come over me, yet I still live [and I will be taken alive].’ ¹⁰ So I stood facing him ^[a]and killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. Then I took the crown which was on his head and the ^[b]band which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”^(A)

¹¹ Then David grasped his own clothes and tore them [in mourning]; so did all the men who were with him. ¹² They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and Jonathan his son, and for the Lord’s people and the house of ^[c]Israel, because they had fallen by the sword [in battle]. ¹³ David said to the young man who informed him, “Where are you from?” He answered, “I am the son of a foreigner (resident alien, sojourner), an Amalekite.” ¹⁴ David said to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” ¹⁵ David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” So he struck the Amalekite and he died. ¹⁶ David said to the [fallen] man, “^[d]Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”