2 Samuel 1–2

¹And it cometh to pass, after the death of Saul, that David hath returned from smiting the Amalekite, and David dwelleth in Ziklag two days, ²and it cometh to pass, on the third day, that lo, a man hath come in out of the camp from Saul, and his garments are rent, and earth on his head; and it cometh to pass, in his coming in unto David, that he falleth to the earth, and doth obeisance. ³And David saith to him, ‘Whence comest thou?’ and he saith unto him, ‘Out of the camp of Israel I have escaped.’ ⁴And David saith unto him, ‘What hath been the matter? declare, I pray thee, to me.’ And he saith, that ‘The people hath fled from the battle, and also a multitude hath fallen of the people, and they die; and also Saul and Jonathan his son have died.’ ⁵And David saith unto the youth who is declaring it to him, ‘How hast thou known that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?’ ⁶And the youth who is declaring it to him saith, I happened to meet in mount Gilboa, and lo, Saul is leaning on his spear; and lo, the chariots and those possessing horses have followed him; ⁷and he turneth behind him, and seeth me, and calleth unto me, and I say, Here am I. ⁸And he saith to me, Who art thou? and I say unto him, An Amalekite I am.’ ⁹‘And he saith unto me, Stand, I pray thee, over me, and put me to death, for seized me hath the arrow, for all my soul is still in me. ¹⁰And I stand over him, and put him to death, for I knew that he doth not live after his falling, and I take the crown which is on his head, and the bracelet which is on his arm, and bring them in unto my lord hither.’

¹¹And David taketh hold on his garments, and rendeth them, and also all the men who are with him, ¹²and they mourn, and weep, and fast till the evening, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Jehovah, and for the house of Israel, because they have fallen by the sword. ¹³And David saith unto the youth who is declaring it to him, ‘Whence art thou?’ and he saith, ‘Son of a sojourner, an Amalekite, I am.’ ¹⁴And David saith unto him, ‘How wast thou not afraid to put forth thy hand to destroy the anointed of Jehovah?’ ¹⁵And David calleth to one of the youths, and saith, ‘Draw nigh—fall upon him;’ and he smiteth him, and he dieth; ¹⁶and David saith unto him, ‘Thy blood is on thine own head, for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I—I put to death the anointed of Jehovah.’

¹⁷And David lamenteth with this lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son; ¹⁸and he saith to teach the sons of Judah ‘The Bow;’ lo, it is written on the book of the Upright:— ¹⁹‘The Roebuck, O Israel, On thy high places is wounded; How have the mighty fallen! ²⁰Declare it not in Gath, Proclaim not the tidings in the streets of Ashkelon, Lest they rejoice—The daughters of the Philistines, Lest they exult—The daughters of the Uncircumcised! ²¹Mountains of Gilboa! No dew nor rain be on you, And fields of heave-offerings! For there hath become loathsome The shield of the mighty, The shield of Saul—without the anointed with oil. ²²From the blood of the wounded, From the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan Hath not turned backward; And the sword of Saul doth not return empty. ²³Saul and Jonathan! They are loved and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they have not been parted. Than eagles they have been lighter, Than lions they have been mightier! ²⁴Daughters of Israel! for Saul weep ye, Who is clothing you in scarlet with delights. Who is lifting up ornaments of gold on your clothing. ²⁵How have the mighty fallen In the midst of the battle! Jonathan! on thy high places wounded! ²⁶I am in distress for thee, my brother Jonathan, Very pleasant wast thou to me; Wonderful was thy love to me, Above the love of women! ²⁷How have the mighty fallen, Yea, the weapons of war perish!’

Chapter 2

¹And it cometh to pass afterwards, that David asketh at Jehovah, saying, ‘Do I go up into one of the cities of Judah?’ and Jehovah saith unto him, ‘Go up.’ And David saith, ‘Whither do I go up?’ and He saith, ‘To Hebron.’ ²And David goeth up thither, and also his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite; ³and his men who are with him hath David brought up—a man and his household—and they dwell in the cities of Hebron. ⁴And the men of Judah come, and anoint there David for king over the house of Judah; and they declare to David, saying, ‘The men of Jabesh-Gilead are they who buried Saul.’ ⁵And David sendeth messengers unto the men of Jabesh-Gilead, and saith unto them, ‘Blessed are ye of Jehovah, in that ye have done this kindness with your lord, with Saul, that ye bury him.

⁶‘And, now, Jehovah doth with you kindness and truth, and also, I do with you this good because ye have done this thing; ⁷and now, are your hands strong, and be ye for sons of valour, for your lord Saul. is dead, and also—me have the house of Judah anointed for king over them.’

⁸And Abner, son of Ner, head of the host which Saul hath, hath taken Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, and causeth him to pass over to Mahanaim, ⁹and causeth him to reign over Gilead, and over the Ashurite, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over Israel—all of it. ¹⁰A son of forty years, is Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, in his reigning over Israel, and two years he hath reigned, only the house of Judah have been after David. ¹¹And the number of the days that David hath been king in Hebron, over the house of Judah, is seven years and six months. ¹²And Abner son of Ner goeth out, and servants of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³And Joab son of Zeruiah, and servants of David, have gone out, and they meet by the pool of Gibeon together, and sit down, these by the pool on this side, and these by the pool on that. ¹⁴And Abner saith unto Joab, ‘Let the youths rise, I pray thee, and they play before us;’ and Joab saith, ‘Let them rise.’ ¹⁵And they rise and pass over, in number twelve of Benjamin, even of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. ¹⁶And they lay hold, each on the head of his companion, and his sword is in the side of his companion, and they fall together, and one calleth that place Helkath-Hazzurim, which is in Gibeon, ¹⁷and the battle is very hard on that day, and Abner is smitten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.

¹⁸And there are there three sons of Zeruiah, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel, and Asahel is light on his feet, as one of the roes which are in the field, ¹⁹And Asahel pursueth after Abner, and hath not turned aside to go to the right or to the left, from after Abner. ²⁰And Abner looketh behind him, and saith, ‘Art thou he—Asahel?’ and he saith, ‘I am.’ ²¹And Abner saith to him, ‘Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and seize for thee one of the youths, and take to thee his armour;’ and Asahel hath not been willing to turn aside from after him. ²²And Abner addeth again, saying unto Asahel, ‘Turn thee aside from after me, why do I smite thee to the earth? and how do I lift up my face unto Joab thy brother?’ ²³And he refuseth to turn aside, and Abner smiteth him with the hinder part of the spear unto the fifth rib, and the spear cometh out from behind him, and he falleth there, and dieth under it; and it cometh to pass, every one who hath come unto the place where Asahel hath fallen and dieth—they stand still. ²⁴And Joab and Abishai pursue after Abner, and the sun hath gone in, and they have come in unto the height of Ammah, which is on the front of Giah, the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

²⁵And the sons of Benjamin gather themselves together after Abner, and become one troop, and stand on the top of a certain height, ²⁶and Abner calleth unto Joab, and saith, ‘For ever doth the sword consume? hast thou not known that it is bitterness in the latter end? and till when dost thou not say to the people to turn back from after their brethren?’ ²⁷And Joab saith, ‘God liveth! for unless thou hadst spoken, surely then from the morning had the people gone up each from after his brother.’ ²⁸And Joab bloweth with a trumpet, and all the people stand still, and pursue no more after Israel, nor have they added any more to fight. ²⁹And Abner and his men have gone through the plain all that night, and pass over the Jordan, and go on through all Bithron, and come in to Mahanaim. ³⁰And Joab hath turned back from after Abner, and gathereth all the people, and there are lacking of the servants of David nineteen men, and Asahel; ³¹and the servants of David have smitten of Benjamin, even among the men of Abner, three hundred and sixty men—they died. ³²And they lift up Asahel, and bury him in the burying-place of his father, which is in Beth-Lehem, and they go all the night—Joab and his men—and it is light to them in Hebron.

Chapter 3