II Samuel 1

¹Forsothe it was doon, after that Saul was deed, that Dauid turnede ayen fro the sleyng of Amalech, and dwellide twei daies in Sichelech.

²Forsothe in the thridde dai a man apperide, comynge fro the castels of Saul with the cloth to-rent, and his heed spreynt with dust; and as he cam to Dauid, he felde on his face, and worschipide.

³And Dauid seide to hym, Fro whennus comest thou? Which seide to Dauid, Y fledde fro the castels of Israel.

⁴And Dauid seide to hym, What is the word which is doon; schewe thou to me. And he seide, The puple fledde fro the batel, and many of the puple felden, and ben deed; but also Saul, and Jonathas, his sonne, perischyden.

⁵And Dauid seide to the yong man, that telde to hym, Wherof woost thou, that Saul is deed, and Jonathas, his sonne?

⁶And the yong man seide, that telde to hym, Bi hap Y cam in to the hil of Gelboe, and Saul lenyde on his spere; forsothe charis and knyytis neiyiden to hym;

⁷and he turnede bihynde his bak, `and siy me, and clepide. To whom whanne Y hadde answeride, Y am present; he seide to me, Who art thou?

⁸And Y seide to hym, Y am a man of Amalech.

⁹And he spak to me, Stonde thou on me, and sle me; for angwischis holden me, and yit al my lijf is in me.

¹⁰And Y stood on hym, and Y killide hym; for Y wiste that he myyte not lyue aftir the fallyng; and Y took the diademe, that was in his heed, and the bye fro his arm, and Y brouyte hidur to thee, my lord.

¹¹Forsothe Dauid took and to-rente hise clothis, and the men that weren with hym;

¹²and thei weiliden, and wepten, and fastiden `til to euentid, on Saul, and Jonathas, his sone, and on the puple of the Lord, and on the hows of Israel, for thei hadden feld bi swerd.

¹³And Dauid seide to the yong man, that telde to him, Of whennus art thou? And he answeride, Y am the sone of a man comelyng, of a man of Amalech.

¹⁴And Dauid seide to him, Whi dreddist thou not to sende thine hond, that thou schuldist sle the crist of the Lord?

¹⁵And Dauid clepide oon of hise children, and seide, Go thou, and falle on hym. Which smoot that yong man, and he was deed.

¹⁶And Dauid seide to hym, Thi blood be on thin heed; for thi mouth spak ayens thee, and seide, Y killide the crist of the Lord.

¹⁷Forsooth Dauid biweilide sych a weilyng on Saul, and on Jonathas, his sone;

¹⁸and comaundide, that thei schulden teche the sones of Juda weilyng, as it is writun in the Book of Just Men. And Dauid seyde, Israel, biholde thou, for these men that ben deed, woundid on thin hiye placis;

¹⁹the noble men of Israel ben slayn on thin hillis.

²⁰Hou felden stronge men? nyle ye telle in Geth, nether telle ye in the weilottis of Ascolon; lest perauenture the douytris of Filisteis be glad, lest the douytris of vncircumcidid men `be glad.

²¹Hillis of Gelboe, neither dew nethir reyn come on you, nether the feeldis of firste fruytis be; for the scheeld of stronge men was cast awey there, the scheeld of Saul, as `if he were not anoyntid with oile.

²²Of the blood of slayn men, of the fatnesse of strong men, the arewe of Jonathas yede neuer abak, and the swerd of Saul turnede not ayen void.

²³Saul and Jonathas amyable, and fair in her lijf, weren not departid also in deeth; thei weren swiftere than eglis, strongere than liouns.

²⁴Douytris of Israel, wepe ye on Saul, that clothide you with fyn reed colourid in delicis, that yaf goldun ournementis to youre atyre.

²⁵Hou `felden doun stronge men in batel?

²⁶Jonathas was slayn in the hiye places. Y make sorewe on thee, my brother Jonathas, ful fair, `and amyable more than the loue of wymmen; as a modir loueth oon aloone sone, so Y louyde thee.

²⁷Hou therfor `felden doun stronge men, and armeris of batel perischide?

II Samuel 1

¹Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;

²It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.

³And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped.

⁴And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.

⁵And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?

⁶And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

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

⁸And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.

⁹He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.

¹⁰So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.

¹¹Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:

¹²And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.

¹³And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.

¹⁴And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?

¹⁵And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.

¹⁶And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed.

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

¹⁸(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)

¹⁹The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!

²⁰Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

²¹Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

²²From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

²³Saul 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.

²⁴Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

²⁵How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.

²⁶I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

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