And 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,

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

And David said to him, How did the matter go? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are also dead.

And David said to the young man who told him, How do thou know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?

And the young man who told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning upon his spear, and, lo, the chariots and the horsemen followed close after him.

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

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

Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of offerings, for there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

From 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.

Saul and Jonathan, men who were loved and pleasant, undivided; comely in their lives, and undivided in their death; swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you delicately in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, The men of Jabesh-gilead were those who buried Saul.

And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, Blessed be ye of LORD, that ye have shown this kindness to your lord, even to Saul, and have buried him.

Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be ye valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.

Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's army, had taken Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim.

Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin, and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong in the house of Saul.

Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And [Ish-bosheth] said to Abner, Why have thou gone in to my father's concubine?

Then Abner was very angry for the words of Ish-bosheth, and said, Am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? This day I show kindness to the house of Saul thy father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee i

to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba.

And he said, Well! I will make a league with thee, but one thing I require of thee. That is, thou shall not see my face unless thou first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when thou come to see my face.

And David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, Deliver to me my wife Michal whom I betrothed to me for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.

And Abner said to David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king that they may make a covenant with thee, and that thou may reign over all that thy soul desires. And David sent Abner away, and he went in

And when [Ish-bosheth], Saul's son, heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.

And [Ish-bosheth], Saul's son, [had] two men who were captains of bands. The name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin, for Beeroth also is reckoned to

Now Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled. And it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that h

And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, thine enemy, who sought thy life. And LORD has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of h

And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, As LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

when he who told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good news, I took hold of him, and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.

In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was thou who led out and brought in Israel. And LORD said to thee, Thou shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and thou shall be prince over Israel.

And David said on that day, Whoever smites the Jebusites, let him get up to the watercourse, and [smite] the lame and the blind, the hated by David's soul, because the blind and the lame say, He cannot come into the house.

And it was so, as the ark of LORD came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before LORD, and she despised him in her heart.

Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants as on

And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

but my loving kindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul whom I put away before thee.

And David said, Is there yet any who is left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?

And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, Are thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.

And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God to him? And Ziba said to the king, Jonathan has yet a son who is lame in his feet.

And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, and fell on his face, and did obeisance. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold, thy servant!

And David said to him, Fear not, for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore to thee all the land of Saul thy father, and thou shall eat bread at my table continually.

Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, All that pertained to Saul and to all his house I have given to thy master's son.

And Nathan said to David, Thou are the man. Thus says LORD, the God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul.

And [the soul of] king David longed to go forth to Absalom, for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.

And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul lives, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken, for

Now in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty; from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out, cursing as he came.

LORD has returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul in whose stead thou have reigned. And LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son, and, behold, thou are [taken] in thine own mischief because thou

And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him. And they went through the Jordan in the presence of the king.

And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. And he had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace.

I am of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. Thou seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why will thou swallow up the inheritance of LORD?

And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me that I should swallow up or destroy.

And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of LORD. And LORD said, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put to death the Gibeonites.

And the king called the Gibeonites, and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel had sworn to them, and [yet] Saul sought to kill them in his zeal

And the Gibeonites said to him, It is no matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house, neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that I will do for you.

let seven men of his sons be delivered to us, and we will hang them up to LORD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of LORD. And the king said, I will give them.

But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of LORD's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan where the Philistines had hanged them in the day that the Philistines kille

and he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged.

And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the sepulcher of Kish his father. And they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was appealed for the land.

And David spoke to LORD the words of this song in the day that LORD delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: