17Then David chanted with this lament over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in the book of Jashar.

19“Your beauty, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
         How have the mighty fallen!

20“Tell it not in Gath,
         Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
         Or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
         The daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.

21“O mountains of Gilboa,
         Let not dew or rain be on you, nor fields of offerings;
         For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
         The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

22“From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,
         The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
         And the sword of Saul did not return empty.

23“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life,
         And in their death they were not parted;
         They were swifter than eagles,
         They were stronger than lions.

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

25“How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!
         Jonathan is slain on your high places.

26“I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
         You have been very pleasant to me.
         Your love to me was more wonderful
         Than the love of women.

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

NASB ©1995