2 Samuel 1

²on the third day, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes torn and earth on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the earth and showed respect.

³David said to him, “Where do you come from?”

⁴David said to him, “How did it go? Please tell me.”

⁵David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?”

⁶The young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance on Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning on his spear; and behold, the chariots and the horsemen followed close behind him.

⁷When he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. I answered, ‘Here I am.’

⁸He said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’

⁹He said to me, ‘Please stand beside me, and kill me, for anguish has taken hold of me because my life lingers in me.’

¹⁰So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹Then David took hold on his clothes and tore them; and all the men who were with him did likewise.

¹²They mourned, wept, 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.

¹³David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?”

¹⁴David said to him, “Why were you not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?”

¹⁵David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and cut him down!” He struck him so that he died.

¹⁶David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have slain the LORD’s anointed.’”

¹⁷David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son

¹⁸(and he commanded them to teach the children of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):

¹⁹“Your glory, Israel, was slain on your high places!

²⁰Don’t tell it in Gath.

²¹You mountains of Gilboa,

²²From the blood of the slain,

²³Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives.

²⁴You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

²⁵How the mighty have fallen in the middle of the battle!

²⁶I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan.

²⁷How the mighty have fallen,