¹ And it happened after the death of Saul, David returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David stayed two days in Ziklag,

² on the third day, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes torn and earth upon his head. And it happened when he came to David, he fell to the earth and bowed to him.

³ And David said to him, Where do you come from? And he said to him, I have escaped out of the camp of Israel.

⁴ And David said to him, How did the matter go? Please tell me. And he answered, The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead also.

⁵ And 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, As I happened to be upon Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear. And, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

⁷ And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, Here am I.

⁸ And he said to me, Who are you? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.

⁹ He said to me again, Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, because all my life is still in me.

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

¹¹ And David took hold on his garments, and tore them. And likewise all the men with him did so.

¹² And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening, for Saul, and for his son Jonathan, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

¹³ And David said to the young man who told him, From where are you? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.

¹⁴ And David said, Why were you not afraid to stretch forth your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?

¹⁵ And David called one of the young men and said, Go near; fall on him. And he struck him so that he died.

¹⁶ And David said to him, Your blood be upon your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, I have slain the LORD's anointed.

¹⁷ And David chanted this death dirge over Saul and over his son Jonathan.

¹⁸ And he said to teach the sons of Judah The Song of the Bow. Behold, it is written in the Book of Jasher:

¹⁹ The beauty of Israel is slain upon your high places! How are the mighty fallen!

²⁰ Tell it not in Gath, do not let it be known in the streets of Askelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

²¹ Mountains of Gilboa, let not dew or rain be on you, nor fields of offerings. For there the shield of the mighty has been evilly cast away, the shield of Saul not being anointed with oil.

²² From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, and the sword of Saul did not return empty.

²³ Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.

²⁴ Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and with delights; who put ornaments of gold on your clothes.

²⁵ How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slain on your high places.

²⁶ I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. Very pleasant you have been to me. Your love to me was wonderful, more than the love of women.

²⁷ How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!