"Saul and Jonathan, so wonderful and dear; together in life, together in death; swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

"No other nation, no matter how great, has a god who is so near when they need him as the LORD our God is to us. He answers us whenever we call for help.

No other nation, no matter how great, has laws so just as those that I have taught you today.

The day after the battle the Philistines went to plunder the corpses, and they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons lying on Mount Gilboa.

The time is coming when the LORD will make every plant and tree in the land grow large and beautiful. All the people of Israel who survive will take delight and pride in the crops that the land produces.

It was the will of the LORD that his servant grow like a plant taking root in dry ground. He had no dignity or beauty to make us take notice of him. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing that would draw us to him.

The Lord in his anger has covered Zion with darkness. Its heavenly splendor he has turned into ruins. On the day of his anger he abandoned even his Temple.

Those who bought and sold the sheep hired me, and I became the shepherd of the sheep that were going to be butchered. I took two sticks: one I called "Favor" and the other "Unity." And I took care of the flock.

Then I took the stick called "Favor" and broke it, to cancel the covenant which the LORD had made with all the nations.

"The brave soldiers have fallen, they were killed in battle. Jonathan lies dead in the hills.

"The brave soldiers have fallen, their weapons abandoned and useless."

Nothing is left of all we were proud of. We sinned, and now we are doomed.