The Second Book of Samuel
1 After Saul don die, and after David don win* Amʹa·lek people come back, e come stay for Zik′lag for two days. 2 For the third day, one man come from the camp of Saul, im cloths don tear and dust dey im head.* When e waka near David, e kneel down and lie down for ground.
3 David ask-am say: “Where you de come from?” E answer-am say: “I escape from Israel people camp.” 4 David ask-am say: “How the war go? Abeg tell me.” So the man talk say: “The people don run comot from the war and plenty of them don die. Even Saul and im pikin Jon′a·than don die.” 5 Then David ask the young man wey bring the news say: “How you take know say Saul and im pikin Jon′a·than don die?” 6 The young man answer-am say: “E happen say as I dey Mount Gil·bo′a, I come see Saul as e de use im spear support imself, and the soldiers wey de ride chariots and the ones wey de ride horse don de near-am. 7 When e turn see me, e call me, and I talk say, ‘Na me be this!’ 8 E ask me say, ‘Who you be?’ I answer-am say, ‘I be Amʹa·lek person.’ 9 Then e talk say, ‘Abeg, come near me make you kill me, because I dey for serious pain, but I still dey alive.’ 10 So I stand near-am and kill-am, because I know say e no go fit survive as e dey ground with serious wound. Then I collect the crown wey dey im head and the bangle wey dey im hand to bring them come give you my lord.”
11 So David hold im own cloths and tear them, and na so all the men wey dey with-am tear their own too. 12 Them come de shout, de cry and fast till evening, because of Saul, Jon′a·than im pikin, Jehovah people, and Israel people, because them don use sword kill them.
13 David come ask the young man wey bring the news say: “Where you come from?” E talk say: “I be the pikin of one Amʹa·lek person wey de stay for Israel.” 14 Then David ask-am say: “Why you no fear to raise your hand kill the person wey Jehovah don anoint?” 15 So David call one of the young men and tell-am say: “Come here make you kill-am.” So e chuk-am, and e die. 16 David tell-am say: “Your blood dey your own head, because you use your own mouth talk-am say you kill the person wey Jehovah don anoint.”
17 Then David sing this song to cry for Saul and im pikin Jon′a·than 18 and e talk say make them teach Judah people this song wey e call “The Bow,” and them write-am for the book of Ja′shar:
19 “O Israel, the people wey get honor wey them kill, dey for ground ontop your mountains.
See how the strong warriors don die!
20 Make una no talk about-am for Gath;
Make una no announce-am for the streets of Ash′ke·lon,
If not, the daughters of Phi·lisʹti·a people go happy,
Or belle go sweet the daughters of those men wey them no circumcise.
21 Make rain or dew no fall ontop the mountains for Gil·bo′a,
And make them no get land wey holy contributions de come from,
Because na for there them spoil the shield of warriors,
Nobody de rub oil for the shield of Saul again.*
22 The bow of Jon′a·than no de turn back and the sword of Saul no de turn back
If them never troway blood and chuk the flesh of strong warriors,
And them no de come back if them never win.
23 People love Saul and Jon′a·than when them dey alive and them no take them play,
And even when them die, the two of them no separate.
Them fast pass eagles,
And them strong pass lions.
24 Una wey be daughters of Israel, make una cry as Saul don die,
Because e give una red cloth wey get fine things to wear for body,
And e put gold design for una cloth.
25 See how the strong warriors don die for war!
Them kill Jon′a·than for ground ontop your mountains!
26 Jon′a·than my brother, e de pain me well-well say you don die.
I be really love you.
The love wey you show me pass the love from women.
27 See how the strong warriors don die
And the weapons wey them take de fight war don spoil!”