2 Samuel 1:2-16

New King James Version

² on the third day, behold, it happened that ^(A)a man came from Saul’s camp ^(B)with his clothes ^[a]torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he ^(C)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, ^(D)“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 ^(E)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 ^(F)Mount Gilboa, there was ^(G)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 ^(H)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 ^(I)tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. ¹² And they ^(J)mourned and wept and ^(K)fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the ^(L)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 ^(M)was it you were not ^(N)afraid to ^(O)put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” ¹⁵ Then ^(P)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, ^(Q)“Your blood is on your own head, for ^(R)your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”