Ii Samuelis 1
1 Factum est autem, postquam mortuus est Saul, ut David reverteretur a cæde Amalec, et maneret in Siceleg duos dies.
Now after the death of Saul, when David, having come back from the destruction of the Amalekites, had been in Ziklag for two days;
2 In die autem tertia apparuit homo veniens de castris Saul veste conscissa, et pulvere conspersus caput. et ut venit ad David, cecidit super faciem suam, et adoravit.
On the third day a man came from Saul's tents, with his clothing out of order and earth on his head: and when he came to David, he went down on the earth and gave him honour.
3 Dixitque ad eum David: Unde venis? Qui ait ad eum: De castris Israel fugi.
And David said to him, Where have you come from? And he said, I have come in flight from the tents of Israel.
4 Et dixit ad eum David: Quod est verbum quod factum est? indica mihi. Qui ait: Fugit populus ex prælio, et multi corruentes e populo mortui sunt: sed et Saul et Ionathas filius eius interierunt.
And David said to him, How did things go? Give me the news. And in answer he said, The people have gone in flight from the fight, and a great number of them are dead; and Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.
5 Dixitque David ad adolescentem, qui nunciabat ei: Unde scis quia mortuus est Saul, et Ionathas filius eius?
And David said to the young man who gave him the news, Why are you certain that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?
6 Et ait adolescens, qui nunciabat ei: Casu veni in montem Gelboe, et Saul incumbebat super hastam suam: porro currus et equites appropinquabant ei,
And the young man said, I came by chance to Mount Gilboa, and I saw Saul supporting himself on his spear; and the war-carriages and horsemen overtook him.
7 et conversus post tergum suum, vidensque me vocavit. Cui cum respondissem: Adsum:
And looking back, he saw me and gave a cry to me. And answering him I said, Here am I.
8 dixit mihi: Quisnam es tu? Et aio ad eum: Amalecites ego sum.
And he said to me, Who are you? And I said, I am an Amalekite.
9 Et locutus est mihi: Sta super me, et interfice me: quoniam tenent me angustiæ, et adhuc tota anima mea in me est.
Then he said to me, Come here to my side, and put me to death, for the pain of death has me in its grip but my life is still strong in me.
10 Stansque super eum, occidi illum: sciebam enim quod vivere non poterat post ruinam: et tuli diadema quod erat in capite eius, et armillam de brachio illius, et attuli ad te dominum meum huc.
So I put my foot on him and gave him his death-blow, because I was certain that he would not go on living after his fall: and I took the crown from his head and the band from his arm, and I have them here for my lord.
11 Apprehendens autem David vestimenta sua scidit, omnesque viri, qui erant cum eo,
Then David gave way to bitter grief, and so did all the men who were with him:
12 et planxerunt, et fleverunt, et ieiunaverunt usque ad vesperam super Saul, et super Ionathan filium eius, et super populum Domini, et super domum Israel, eo quod corruissent gladio.
And till evening they gave themselves to sorrow and weeping, and took no food, weeping for Saul and for Jonathan, his son, and for the people of the Lord and for the men of Israel; because they had come to their end by the sword.
13 Dixitque David ad iuvenem qui nunciaverat ei: Unde es tu? Qui respondit: Filius hominis advenæ Amalecitæ ego sum.
And David said to the young man who had given him the news, Where do you come from? And he said, I am the son of a man from a strange land; I am an Amalekite.
14 Et ait ad eum David: Quare non timuisti mittere manum tuam ut occideres christum Domini?
And David said to him, Had you no fear of stretching out your hand to put to death the one marked with the holy oil?
15 Vocansque David unum de pueris suis, ait: Accedens irrue in eum. Qui percussit illum, et mortuus est.
And David sent for one of his young men and said, Go near and put an end to him. And he put him to death.
16 Et ait ad eum David: Sanguis tuus super caput tuum: os enim tuum locutum est adversum te, dicens: Ego interfeci christum Domini.
And David said to him, May your blood be on your head; for your mouth has given witness against you, saying, I have put to death the man marked with the holy oil.
17 Planxit autem David planctum huiuscemodi super Saul, et super Ionathan filium eius,
Then David made this song of grief for Saul and Jonathan, his son:
18 (et præcepit ut docerent filios Iuda arcum, sicut scriptum est in Libro iustorum.) Et ait: Considera Israel pro his, qui mortui sunt super excelsa tua vulnerati.
(It is recorded in the book of Jashar for teaching to the sons of Judah) and he said:
19 Inclyti, Israel, super montes tuos interfecti sunt: quo modo ceciderunt fortes?
The glory, O Israel, is dead on your high places! How have the great ones been made low!
20 Nolite annunciare in Geth, neque annuncietis in compitis Ascalonis: ne forte lætentur filiæ Philisthiim, ne exultent filiæ incircumcisorum.
Give no news of it in Gath, let it not be said in the streets of Ashkelon; or the daughters of the Philistines will be glad, the daughters of men without circumcision will be uplifted in joy.
21 Montes Gelboe, nec ros, nec pluvia veniant super vos, neque sint agri primitiarum: quia ibi abiectus est clypeus fortium, clypeus Saul, quasi non esset unctus oleo.
O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain on you, you fields of death: for there the arms of the strong have been shamed, the arms of Saul, as if he had not been marked with the holy oil.
22 A sanguine interfectorum, ab adipe fortium, sagitta Ionathæ numquam rediit retrorsum, et gladius Saul non est reversus inanis.
From the blood of the dead, from the fat of the strong, the bow of Jonathan was not turned back, the sword of Saul did not come back unused.
23 Saul et Ionathas amabiles, et decori in vita sua, in morte quoque non sunt divisi: aquilis velociores, leonibus fortiores.
Saul and Jonathan were loved and pleasing; in their lives and in their death they were not parted; they went more quickly than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
24 Filiæ Israel super Saul flete, qui vestiebat vos coccino in deliciis, qui præbebat ornamenta aurea cultui vestro.
O daughters of Israel, have sorrow for Saul, by whom you were delicately clothed in robes of red, with ornaments of gold on your dresses.
25 Quo modo ceciderunt fortes in prælio? Ionathas in excelsis tuis occisus est?
How have the great ones been made low in the fight! Jonathan is dead on your high places.
26 Doleo super te frater mi Ionatha decore nimis, et amabilis super amorem mulierum. Sicut mater unicum amat filium suum, ita ego te diligebam.
I am full of grief for you, my brother Jonathan: very dear have you been to me: your love for me was a wonder, greater than the love of women.
27 Quo modo ceciderunt robusti, et perierunt arma bellica?
How have the great ones been made low, and the arms of war broken!
