Summary
After Saul’s death, David returns from fighting the Amalekites and is visited by an Amalekite messenger who reports Saul and Jonathan’s deaths. The messenger, who kills a fallen soldier to prove Saul’s death, brings Saul’s crown and bracelet to David. David mourns and fasts with the people, lamenting the loss of Israel’s leaders. He then orders the Amalekite’s death, condemning him for killing the anointed. David’s lament includes poetic imagery of Israel’s brokenness and a call to teach the use of the bow, underscoring the nation's mourning and a warning of future warfare.