TORAH
NEVI'IM
KETUVIM
II - Chapter 1
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1After the death of Shaul—David had already returned from defeating the Amalekites—David stayed two days in Tziklag.
אוַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי מוֹת שָׁאוּל וְדָוִד שָׁב מֵהַכּוֹת אֶת־הָעֲמָלֵק וַיֵּשֶׁב דָּוִד בְּצִקְלָג יָמִים שְׁנָיִם׃
2On the third day, a man came from Shaul's camp, with his clothes rent and earth on his head; and as he approached David, he flung himself to the ground and bowed low.
בוַיְהִי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ בָּא מִן־הַמַּחֲנֶה מֵעִם שָׁאוּל וּבְגָדָיו קְרֻעִים וַאֲדָמָה עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ וַיְהִי בְּבֹאוֹ אֶל־דָּוִד וַיִּפֹּל אַרְצָה וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ׃
3David said to him, “Where are you coming from?” He answered, “I have just escaped from the camp of Yisrael.”
גוַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ דָּוִד אֵי מִזֶּה תָּבוֹא וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו מִמַּחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל נִמְלָטְתִּי׃
4“What happened?” asked David. “Tell me!” And he told him how the troops had fled the battlefield, and that, moreover, many of the troops had fallen and died; also that Shaul and his son Yehonatan were dead.
דוַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו דָּוִד מֶה־הָיָה הַדָּבָר הַגֶּד־נָא לִי וַיֹּאמֶר אֲשֶׁר־נָס הָעָם מִן־הַמִּלְחָמָה וְגַם־הַרְבֵּה נָפַל מִן־הָעָם וַיָּמֻתוּ וְגַם שָׁאוּל וִיהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ מֵתוּ׃
5“How do you know,” David asked the young man who brought him the news, “that Shaul and his son Yehonatan are dead?”
הוַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל־הַנַּעַר הַמַּגִּיד לוֹ אֵיךְ יָדַעְתָּ כִּי־מֵת שָׁאוּל וִיהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ׃
6The young man who brought him the news answered, “I happened to be at Mount Gilboa, and I saw Shaul leaning on his spear, and the chariots and horsemen closing in on him.
ווַיֹּאמֶר הַנַּעַר הַמַּגִּיד לוֹ נִקְרֹא נִקְרֵיתִי בְּהַר הַגִּלְבֹּעַ וְהִנֵּה שָׁאוּל נִשְׁעָן עַל־חֲנִיתוֹ וְהִנֵּה הָרֶכֶב וּבַעֲלֵי הַפָּרָשִׁים הִדְבִּקֻהוּ׃
7He looked around and saw me, and he called to me. When I responded, ‘At your service,'
זוַיִּפֶן אַחֲרָיו וַיִּרְאֵנִי וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָי וָאֹמַר הִנֵּנִי׃
8he asked me, ‘Who are you?' And I told him that I was an Amalekite.
חוַיֹּאמֶר לִי מִי־אָתָּה ויאמר [וָאֹמַר] אֵלָיו עֲמָלֵקִי אָנֹכִי׃
9Then he said to me, ‘Stand over me, and finish me off, for I am in agony and am barely alive.'
טוַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי עֲמָד־נָא עָלַי וּמֹתְתֵנִי כִּי אֲחָזַנִי הַשָּׁבָץ כִּי־כָל־עוֹד נַפְשִׁי בִּי׃
10So I stood over him and finished him off, for I knew that he would never rise from where he was lying. Then I took the crown from his head and the armlet from his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
יוָאֶעֱמֹד עָלָיו וַאֲמֹתְתֵהוּ כִּי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי לֹא יִחְיֶה אַחֲרֵי נִפְלוֹ וָאֶקַּח הַנֵּזֶר אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ וְאֶצְעָדָה אֲשֶׁר עַל־זְרֹעוֹ וָאֲבִיאֵם אֶל־אֲדֹנִי הֵנָּה׃
11David took hold of his clothes and rent them, and so did all the men with him.
יאוַיַּחֲזֵק דָּוִד בבגדו [בִּבְגָדָיו] וַיִּקְרָעֵם וְגַם כָּל־הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ׃
12They lamented and wept, and they fasted until evening for Shaul and his son Yehonatan, and for the soldiers of Hashem and the House of Yisrael who had fallen by the sword.
יבוַיִּסְפְּדוּ וַיִּבְכּוּ וַיָּצֻמוּ עַד־הָעָרֶב עַל־שָׁאוּל וְעַל־יְהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ וְעַל־עַם יְהֹוָה וְעַל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי נָפְלוּ בֶּחָרֶב׃
13David said to the young man who had brought him the news, “Where are you from?” He replied, “I am the son of a resident alien, an Amalekite.”
יגוַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל־הַנַּעַר הַמַּגִּיד לוֹ אֵי מִזֶּה אָתָּה וַיֹּאמֶר בֶּן־אִישׁ גֵּר עֲמָלֵקִי אָנֹכִי׃
14“How did you dare,” David said to him, “to lift your hand and kill Hashem's anointed?”
ידוַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו דָּוִד אֵיךְ לֹא יָרֵאתָ לִשְׁלֹחַ יָדְךָ לְשַׁחֵת אֶת־מְשִׁיחַ יְהֹוָה׃
15Thereupon David called one of the attendants and said to him, “Come over and strike him!” He struck him down and he died.
טווַיִּקְרָא דָוִד לְאַחַד מֵהַנְּעָרִים וַיֹּאמֶר גַּשׁ פְּגַע־בּוֹ וַיַּכֵּהוּ וַיָּמֹת׃
16And David said to him, “Your blood be on your own head! Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I put Hashem's anointed to death.'”
טזוַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו דָּוִד דמיך [דָּמְךָ] עַל־רֹאשֶׁךָ כִּי פִיךָ עָנָה בְךָ לֵאמֹר אָנֹכִי מֹתַתִּי אֶת־מְשִׁיחַ יְהֹוָה׃
17And David intoned this dirge over Shaul and his son Yehonatan—
יזוַיְקֹנֵן דָּוִד אֶת־הַקִּינָה הַזֹּאת עַל־שָׁאוּל וְעַל־יְהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ׃
18He ordered the Judites to be taught [The Song of the] Bow. It is recorded in the Book of Jashar.
יחוַיֹּאמֶר לְלַמֵּד בְּנֵי־יְהוּדָה קָשֶׁת הִנֵּה כְתוּבָה עַל־סֵפֶר הַיָּשָׁר׃
19Your glory, O Yisrael, Lies slain on your heights; How have the mighty fallen!
יטהַצְּבִי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל־בָּמוֹתֶיךָ חָלָל אֵיךְ נָפְלוּ גִבּוֹרִים׃
20Tell it not in Gath, Do not proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon, Lest the daughters of the Philistine rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
כאַל־תַּגִּידוּ בְגַת אַל־תְּבַשְּׂרוּ בְּחוּצֹת אַשְׁקְלוֹן פֶּן־תִּשְׂמַחְנָה בְּנוֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּים פֶּן־תַּעֲלֹזְנָה בְּנוֹת הָעֲרֵלִים׃
21O hills of Gilboa—Let there be no dew or rain on you, Or bountiful fields, For there the shield of warriors lay rejected, The shield of Shaul, Polished with oil no more.
כאהָרֵי בַגִּלְבֹּעַ אַל־טַל וְאַל־מָטָר עֲלֵיכֶם וּשְׂדֵי תְרוּמֹת כִּי שָׁם נִגְעַל מָגֵן גִּבּוֹרִים מָגֵן שָׁאוּל בְּלִי מָשִׁיחַ בַּשָּׁמֶן׃
22From the blood of slain, From the fat of warriors—The bow of Yehonatan Never turned back; The sword of Shaul Never withdrew empty.
כבמִדַּם חֲלָלִים מֵחֵלֶב גִּבּוֹרִים קֶשֶׁת יְהוֹנָתָן לֹא נָשׂוֹג אָחוֹר וְחֶרֶב שָׁאוּל לֹא תָשׁוּב רֵיקָם׃
23Shaul and Yehonatan, Beloved and cherished, Never parted In life or in death! They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions!
sha-UL vee-ho-na-TAN ha-ne-e-ha-VEEM v'-ha-n'-ee-MIM b'-kha-yay-HEM uv-mo-TAM LO nif-RA-du mi-n'-sha-REEM KA-lu may-a-ra-YOT ga-VAY-ru
כגשָׁאוּל וִיהוֹנָתָן הַנֶּאֱהָבִים וְהַנְּעִימִם בְּחַיֵּיהֶם וּבְמוֹתָם לֹא נִפְרָדוּ מִנְּשָׁרִים קַלּוּ מֵאֲרָיוֹת גָּבֵרוּ׃
1:23 Shaul and Yehonatan, beloved and cherished, never parted in life or in death
President Reuven Rivlin visiting IDF soldiers
Though King Shaul had tried to kill David, David deeply mourns his death and that of his close friend Yehonatan, Shaul’s son. In his powerful eulogy, David says that Shaul and Yehonatan are not separated in death. Radak explains that this means that although they knew they would die in battle, King Shaul and Yehonatan would not separate from the People of Israel. They do not flee, but rather lead the nation into battle, and they heroically fall together. They serve as powerful role models for the soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces, who willingly risk their lives every day for the People and State of Israel.
24Daughters of Yisrael, Weep over Shaul, Who clothed you in crimson and finery, Who decked your robes with jewels of gold.
כדבְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־שָׁאוּל בְּכֶינָה הַמַּלְבִּשְׁכֶם שָׁנִי עִם־עֲדָנִים הַמַּעֲלֶה עֲדִי זָהָב עַל לְבוּשְׁכֶן׃
25How have the mighty fallen In the thick of battle—Yehonatan, slain on your heights!
כהאֵיךְ נָפְלוּ גִבֹּרִים בְּתוֹךְ הַמִּלְחָמָה יְהוֹנָתָן עַל־בָּמוֹתֶיךָ חָלָל׃
26I grieve for you, My brother Yehonatan, You were most dear to me. Your love was wonderful to me More than the love of women.
כוצַר־לִי עָלֶיךָ אָחִי יְהוֹנָתָן נָעַמְתָּ לִּי מְאֹד נִפְלְאַתָה אַהֲבָתְךָ לִי מֵאַהֲבַת נָשִׁים׃
27How have the mighty fallen, The weapons of war perished!
כזאֵיךְ נָפְלוּ גִבּוֹרִים וַיֹּאבְדוּ כְּלֵי מִלְחָמָה׃