"Sauland Jonathan,belovedand pleasantin their life,And in their deaththey were not parted;They were swifterthaneagles,They were strongerthanlions.
"O daughtersof Israel,weepoverSaul,Who clothedyou luxuriouslyin scarlet,Who putornamentsof goldon your apparel.
Now the threesonsof Zeruiahwere there,Joaband Abishaiand Asahel;and Asahel[was] [as] swift-footedas oneof the gazelleswhichis in the field.
Then Benaiahthe sonof Jehoiada,the sonof a valiantmanof Kabzeel,who had done mightydeeds,killedthe two[sons of] Arielof Moab.He also wentdownand killeda lionin the middleof a piton a snowyday.
From the Gaditesthere cameoverto Davidin the strongholdin the wilderness,mightymenof valor,mentrainedfor war,who could handleshieldand spear,and whose faceswere like the facesof lions,and [they were] as swiftas the gazelleson the mountains.
"They slipby likereedboats,Like an eaglethat swoopson its prey.
The lion[which] is mightyamong beastsAnd does not retreatbeforeany,
"His mouthis [full of] sweetness.And he is whollydesirable.Thisis my belovedand thisis my friend,O daughtersof Jerusalem."
"Behold,he goesup like clouds,And his chariotslike the whirlwind;His horsesare swifterthaneagles.Woeto us, for we are ruined!"
Our pursuerswere swifterThanthe eaglesof the sky;They chasedus on the mountains,They waitedin ambushfor us in the wilderness.
"The LORDwill bringa nationagainstyou from afar,from the endof the earth,as the eagleswoopsdown,a nationwhoselanguageyou shall not understand,
So the menof the citysaidto him on the seventhdaybeforethe sunwentdown, "Whatis sweeterthanhoney?And whatis strongerthana lion?"And he saidto them, "Ifyou had not plowedwith my heifer,You would not have foundout my riddle."
Now it cameabout when he had finishedspeakingto Saul,that the soulof Jonathanwas knitto the soulof David,and Jonathanlovedhim as himself.
He saidto him, "Farfrom it, you shall not die.Behold,my fatherdoesnothingeither greatorsmallwithoutdisclosingit to me. So whyshould my fatherhidethisthingfrom me? It is not so!"
