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2 Samuel 1:17-27
New International Version
2 Samuel 1:17-27
New International Version
David’s Lament for Saul and Jonathan
17 David took up this lament(A) concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,(B) 18 and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):(C)
20 “Tell it not in Gath,(F)
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,(G)
lest the daughters of the Philistines(H) be glad,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.(I)
21 “Mountains of Gilboa,(J)
may you have neither dew(K) nor rain,(L)
may no showers fall on your terraced fields.[b](M)
For there the shield of the mighty was despised,
the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.(N)
22 “From the blood(O) of the slain,
from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow(P) of Jonathan did not turn back,
the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
23 Saul and Jonathan—
in life they were loved and admired,
and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,(Q)
they were stronger than lions.(R)
24 “Daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.(S)
25 “How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
26 I grieve(T) for you, Jonathan(U) my brother;(V)
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,(W)
more wonderful than that of women.
27 “How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!”(X)
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 1:19 Gazelle here symbolizes a human dignitary.
- 2 Samuel 1:21 Or / nor fields that yield grain for offerings
2 Samuel 1:17-27
Common English Bible
2 Samuel 1:17-27
Common English Bible
David mourns Saul and Jonathan
17 Then David sang this funeral song[a] for Saul and his son Jonathan. 18 David ordered everyone in Judah to learn the Song of the Bow.[b] (In fact, it is written in the scroll from Jashar.)
19 Oh, no, Israel! Your prince[c] lies dead on your heights.[d]
Look how the mighty warriors have fallen!
20 Don’t talk about it in Gath;
don’t bring news of it to Ashkelon’s streets,
or else the Philistines’ daughters will rejoice;
the daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate.
21 You hills of Gilboa!
Let there be no dew or rain on you,
and no fields yielding grain offerings.[e]
Because it was there that the mighty warrior’s[f] shield was defiled—
the shield of Saul!—never again anointed with oil.
22 Jonathan’s bow never wavered from the blood of the slain,
from the gore of the warriors.
Never did Saul’s sword return empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan! So well loved, so dearly cherished!
In their lives and in their deaths they were never separated.
They were faster than eagles,
stronger than lions!
24 Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul!
He dressed you in crimson with jewels;
he decorated your clothes with gold jewelry.
25 Look how the mighty warriors have fallen in the midst of battle!
Jonathan lies dead on your heights.
26 I grieve for you, my brother Jonathan!
You were so dear to me!
Your love was more amazing to me[g] than the love of women.
27 Look how the mighty warriors have fallen!
Look how the weapons of war have been destroyed!
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 1:17 Or lament
- 2 Samuel 1:18 Heb lacks Song.
- 2 Samuel 1:19 Or gazelle or splendor or splendid one
- 2 Samuel 1:19 Correction
- 2 Samuel 1:21 Heb uncertain, perhaps bountiful fields; alternatively, with LXXL, fields of death, or with correction and no springs from the deep
- 2 Samuel 1:21 Or warriors’ (plural)
- 2 Samuel 1:26 Or your love (or care; cf 1 Sam 18:1, 3; 20:17) for me was more amazing
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible