ould well give him
this information, because he was present at the victory gained over the
Hebrews, and was with the king when he fled. Nor did he deny that he had
himself slain the king, when he was ready to be taken by the enemy, and
he himself exhorted him to do it, because, when he was fallen on his
sword, his great wounds had made him so weak that he was not able to
kill himself. He also produced demonstrations that the king was slain,
which were the golden bracelets that had been on the king's arms,
and his crown, which he had taken away from Saul's dead body, and had
brought them to him. So David having no longer any room to call in
question the truth of what he said, but seeing most evident marks that
Saul was dead, he rent his garments, and continued all that day with his
companions in weeping and lamentation. This grief was augmented by
the consideration of Jonathan; the son of Saul, who had been his most
faithful friend, and the occasion of his own deliverance. He also
demonstrated himself to have such great virtue, and such great kindness
for Saul, as not only to take his death to heart, though he had been
frequently in danger of losing his life by his means, but to punish him
that slew him; for when David had said to him that he was become his
own accuser, as the very man who had slain the king, and when he had
understood that he was the son of an Amalekite, he commanded him to
be slain. He also committed to writing some lamentations and funeral
commendations of Saul and Jonathan, which have continued to my own age.

2. Now when David had paid these honors to the king, he left off his
mourning, and inquired of God by the prophet which of the cities of the
tribe of Judah he would bestow upon him to dwell in; who answered that
he bestowed upon him Hebron. So he left Ziklag, and came to Hebron,
and took with him his wives, who were in number two, and his armed men;
whereupon all the people of the forementioned tribe came to him, and
ordained him their king. But when he heard that the inhabitants of
Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul and his sons [honorably], he sent to them
and commended them, and took what they had done kindly, and promised to
make them amends for their care of those that were dead; and at the same
time he informed them that the tribe of Judah had chosen him for their
king.

3. But as soon as Abner, the son of Ner, who was general of Saul's
army, and a very active man, and good-natured, knew that