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20 Don’t tell the news in Gath.[a]
    Don’t announce it in the streets of Ashkelon.[b]
Those Philistine cities would be happy!
    Those foreigners[c] would be glad.

21 “May no rain or dew fall
    on you, mountains of Gilboa.
May there be no offerings
    coming from your fields.
The shields of the heroes rusted there.
    Saul’s shield was not rubbed with oil.
22 Jonathan’s bow killed its share of enemies,
    and Saul’s sword killed its share!
They have spilled the blood of men now dead.
    They cut into the fat of strong men.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 1:20 Gath The Philistine capital city.
  2. 2 Samuel 1:20 Ashkelon One of the five major Philistine cities.
  3. 2 Samuel 1:20 foreigners Literally, “uncircumcised.” This shows that the Philistines had not shared in Israel’s agreement with God.

20 “Tell it not in Gath,(A)
    proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,(B)
lest the daughters of the Philistines(C) be glad,
    lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.(D)

21 “Mountains of Gilboa,(E)
    may you have neither dew(F) nor rain,(G)
    may no showers fall on your terraced fields.[a](H)
For there the shield of the mighty was despised,
    the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.(I)

22 “From the blood(J) of the slain,
    from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow(K) of Jonathan did not turn back,
    the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 1:21 Or / nor fields that yield grain for offerings