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2 Samuel 1-2
New American Standard Bible

David Learns of Saul’s Death

1 Now it came about after (A)the death of Saul, when David had returned from (B)the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David stayed two days in Ziklag. 2 And on the third day, behold, (C)a man came from [a]Saul’s camp (D)with his clothes torn and [b]dust on his head. And it happened when he came to David, (E)he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. 3 Then David said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4 David said to him, “(F)How did things go? Please tell me.” And he said, “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 also dead.” 5 Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 The young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on (G)Mount Gilboa, and behold, (H)Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen had overtaken him. 7 When he looked behind himself, he saw me, and called to me. And I said, ‘Here I am.’ 8 Then he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I [c]answered him, ‘(I)I am an Amalekite.’ 9 And he said to me, ‘Please stand next to me and finish me off, for [d]agony has seized me because my [e]life still lingers in me.’ 10 So I stood next to him (J)and finished him off, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And (K)I took the crown which was on his head and the band which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

11 Then (L)David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept and (M)fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 13 Then David said to the young man who informed him, “Where are you from?” And he [f]answered, “(N)I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.” 14 And David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid (O)to reach out with your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Come forward, [g]put him to death.” (P)So he struck him and he died. 16 And David said to him, “[h](Q)Your blood is on your head, because (R)your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have finished off the Lord’s anointed.’”

David’s Song of Mourning for Saul and Jonathan

17 Then David (S)sang this song of mourning over Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the mourning song of the bow; behold, it is written in (T)the Book of Jashar.

19 “[i]Your beauty, Israel, is [j]slaughtered on your high places!
(U)How the mighty have fallen!
20 (V)Tell it not in Gath,
Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
Or (W)the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
The daughters of (X)the uncircumcised will celebrate.
21 (Y)Mountains of Gilboa,
(Z)May there be no dew nor rain on you, or fields of offerings!
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
The shield of Saul, not (AA)anointed with oil.
22 (AB)From the blood of those [k]slaughtered, from the fat of the mighty,
(AC)The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
And the sword of Saul did not return [l]unstained.
23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in [m]life,
And in their deaths they were not separated;
(AD)They were swifter than eagles,
(AE)They were mightier than lions.
24 Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you in scarlet, with jewelry,
Who put gold jewelry on your apparel.
25 (AF)How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan is [n]slaughtered on your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
You have been [o]a close friend to me.
(AG)Your love for me was more wonderful
Than the love of women.
27 (AH)How the mighty have fallen,
And (AI)the weapons of war have perished!”

David Made King over Judah

2 Then it came about afterward that (AJ)David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” So David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “(AK)To Hebron.” 2 So David went up there, and (AL)his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the [p]widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 And (AM)David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they settled in the cities of Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they (AN)anointed David king over the house of Judah.

And they told David, saying, “It was (AO)the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.” 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “(AP)May you be blessed of the Lord because you have [q]shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. 6 And now (AQ)may the Lord [r]show kindness and truth to you; and I also will [s]show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing. 7 Now then, let your hands be strong and be [t]valiant, since Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Ish-bosheth Made King over Israel

8 But (AR)Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken [u]Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to (AS)Mahanaim. 9 And he made him king over (AT)Gilead, over the (AU)Ashurites, over (AV)Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. 11 And (AW)the [v]time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Civil War

12 Now Abner the son of Ner, went from Mahanaim to (AX)Gibeon with the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul. 13 And (AY)Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met [w]them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, [x]Abner’s men on the one side of the pool and [y]Joab’s men on the other side of the pool. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Now have the young men arise and (AZ)hold a martial skills match in our presence.” And Joab said, “Have them arise!” 15 So they got up and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. 16 And each one of them seized his [z]opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his [aa]opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called [ab]Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. 17 That day the battle was very severe, and (BA)Abner and the men of Israel were defeated [ac]by the servants of David.

18 Now (BB)the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was (BC)as [ad]swift-footed as one of the gazelles that is in the field. 19 Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn [ae]to the right or to the left from following Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind himself and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” And he said, “It is I!” 21 So Abner said to him, “Turn aside for your own good to your right or to your left, and take hold of one of the young men for yourself, and take for yourself his equipment.” But Asahel was unwilling to turn aside from following him. 22 Then Abner repeated again to Asahel, “Turn aside for your own good from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? (BD)How then could I [af]show my face to your brother Joab?” 23 However, he refused to turn aside; so Abner struck him in the belly with the butt end of the spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died on the spot. And it happened that all who came thereafter to the place where (BE)Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and when the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is opposite Giah by way of the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 And the sons of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became one troop, and they stood on the top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Should the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that it will be bitter in the end? So how long will you [ag]refrain from telling the people to turn back from pursuing their kinsmen?” 27 Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, then the people of Judah certainly would have withdrawn in the morning, each from pursuing his brother.” 28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people halted and no longer pursued Israel, (BF)nor did they continue to fight anymore. 29 Abner and his men then went through the Arabah all that night; so they crossed the Jordan, walked all morning, and came to (BG)Mahanaim.

30 Then Joab returned from pursuing Abner; but he gathered all the people together, and [ah]nineteen of David’s servants were missing, besides Asahel. 31 However, the servants of David had struck and killed many of Benjamin and Abner’s men; 360 men were dead. 32 And they carried Asahel away and buried him (BH)in his father’s tomb, which was in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men traveled all night until the day [ai]dawned at Hebron.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 1:2 Lit the camp connected with Saul
  2. 2 Samuel 1:2 Lit earth
  3. 2 Samuel 1:8 Lit said to
  4. 2 Samuel 1:9 Or dizziness
  5. 2 Samuel 1:9 Lit whole life is still in me
  6. 2 Samuel 1:13 Lit said
  7. 2 Samuel 1:15 Lit fall on him
  8. 2 Samuel 1:16 I.e., his death was his own responsibility
  9. 2 Samuel 1:19 Lit The
  10. 2 Samuel 1:19 Lit pierced
  11. 2 Samuel 1:22 Lit pierced
  12. 2 Samuel 1:22 Or without success
  13. 2 Samuel 1:23 Lit their lives
  14. 2 Samuel 1:25 Lit pierced
  15. 2 Samuel 1:26 Lit very friendly to
  16. 2 Samuel 2:2 Lit wife
  17. 2 Samuel 2:5 Lit done
  18. 2 Samuel 2:6 Lit do
  19. 2 Samuel 2:6 Lit do
  20. 2 Samuel 2:7 Lit sons of valor
  21. 2 Samuel 2:8 I.e., man of shame; cf. 1 Chr 8:33, Eshbaal
  22. 2 Samuel 2:11 Lit number of days
  23. 2 Samuel 2:13 Lit them together
  24. 2 Samuel 2:13 Lit these on
  25. 2 Samuel 2:13 Lit these on
  26. 2 Samuel 2:16 Lit fellow
  27. 2 Samuel 2:16 Lit fellow’s
  28. 2 Samuel 2:16 I.e., the field of sword-edges
  29. 2 Samuel 2:17 Lit in front of
  30. 2 Samuel 2:18 Lit light in his feet
  31. 2 Samuel 2:19 Lit to go to
  32. 2 Samuel 2:22 Lit lift up
  33. 2 Samuel 2:26 Lit not tell the people
  34. 2 Samuel 2:30 Lit nineteen men
  35. 2 Samuel 2:32 Lit dawned for them
Listen to 2 Samuel 1-2
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2 Samuel 1-2
New King James Version

The Report of Saul’s Death

1 Now it came to pass after the (A)death of Saul, when David had returned from (B)the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag, 2 on the third day, behold, it happened that (C)a man came from Saul’s camp (D)with his clothes [a]torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he (E)fell to the ground and prostrated himself.

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

So he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”

4 Then David said to him, (F)“How did the matter go? Please tell me.”

And he answered, “The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and (G)Jonathan his son are dead also.”

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

6 Then the young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance to be on (H)Mount Gilboa, there was (I)Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7 Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for [b]anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’ 10 So I stood over him and (J)killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And 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.”

11 Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and (K)tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they (L)mourned and wept and (M)fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the (N)people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

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

And he answered, “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.”

14 So David said to him, “How (O)was it you were not (P)afraid to (Q)put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 15 Then (R)David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and execute him!” And he struck him so that he died. 16 So David said to him, (S)“Your blood is on your own head, for (T)your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”

The Song of the Bow

17 Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, 18 (U)and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written (V)in the Book [c]of Jasher:

19 “The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places!
(W)How the mighty have fallen!
20 (X)Tell it not in Gath,
Proclaim it not in the streets of (Y)Ashkelon—
Lest (Z)the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
Lest the daughters of (AA)the uncircumcised triumph.

21 “O (AB)mountains of Gilboa,
(AC)Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,
Nor fields of offerings.
For the shield of the mighty is [d]cast away there!
The shield of Saul, not (AD)anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain,
From the fat of the mighty,
(AE)The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
And the sword of Saul did not return empty.

23 “Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives,
And in their (AF)death they were not divided;
They were swifter than eagles,
They were (AG)stronger than lions.

24 “O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury;
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

25 “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan was slain in your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
You have been very pleasant to me;
(AH)Your love to me was wonderful,
Surpassing the love of women.

27 “How(AI) the mighty have fallen,
And the weapons of war perished!”

David Anointed King of Judah

2 It happened after this that David (AJ)inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?”

And the Lord said to him, “Go up.”

David said, “Where shall I go up?”

And He said, “To (AK)Hebron.”

2 So David went up there, and his (AL)two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 And David brought up (AM)the men who were with him, every man with his household. So they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

4 (AN)Then the men of Judah came, and there they (AO)anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, (AP)“The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.” 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, (AQ)“You are blessed of the Lord, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him. 6 And now may (AR)the Lord show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore, let your hands be strengthened, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Ishbosheth Made King of Israel

8 But (AS)Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took [e]Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to (AT)Mahanaim; 9 and he made him king over (AU)Gilead, over the (AV)Ashurites, over (AW)Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10 Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David. 11 And (AX)the [f]time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Israel and Judah at War

12 Now Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to (AY)Gibeon. 13 And (AZ)Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them by (BA)the pool of Gibeon. So they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men now arise and compete before us.”

And Joab said, “Let them arise.”

15 So they arose and went over by number, twelve from Benjamin, followers of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. 16 And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called [g]the Field of Sharp Swords, which is in Gibeon. 17 So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

18 Now the (BB)three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was (BC)as fleet of foot (BD)as a wild gazelle. 19 So Asahel pursued Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.

20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Are you Asahel?”

He answered, “I am.”

21 And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22 So Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Joab?” 23 However, he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him (BE)in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear, so that the spear came out of his back; and he fell down there and died on the spot. So it was that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood (BF)still.

24 Joab and Abishai also pursued Abner. And the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah by the road to the Wilderness of Gibeon. 25 Now the children of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became [h]a unit, and took their stand on top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren?”

27 And Joab said, “As God lives, [i]unless (BG)you had spoken, surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren.” 28 So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore. 29 Then Abner and his men went on all that night through the plain, crossed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron; and they came to Mahanaim.

30 So Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel. 31 But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty men who died. 32 Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb, which was in (BH)Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at daybreak.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 1:2 To show grief
  2. 2 Samuel 1:9 agony
  3. 2 Samuel 1:18 Lit. of the Upright
  4. 2 Samuel 1:21 Lit. defiled
  5. 2 Samuel 2:8 Esh-Baal, 1 Chr. 8:33; 9:39
  6. 2 Samuel 2:11 Lit. number of days
  7. 2 Samuel 2:16 Heb. Helkath Hazzurim
  8. 2 Samuel 2:25 one band
  9. 2 Samuel 2:27 if you had not spoken
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New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

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New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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