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Reading 1
2 Samuel 1:1-4, 11-12, 19,23-27
How can the warriors have fallen in battle!
A reading from the second Book of Samuel
David returned from his defeat of the Amalekites
and spent two days in Ziklag.
On the third day a man came from Saul's camp,
with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
Going to David, he fell to the ground in homage.
David asked him, "Where do you come from?"
He replied, "I have escaped from the camp of the children of Israel "Tell me what happened," David bade him.
He answered that many of the soldiers had fled the battle and that many of them had fallen and were dead, among them Saul and his son Jonathan.
David seized his garments and rent them,
and all the men who were with him did likewise. They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan,
and for the soldiers of the Lord of the clans of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
"Alas! the glory of Israel, Saul, slain upon your heights;
how can the warriors have fallen!
"Saul and Jonathan, beloved and cherished, separated neither in life nor in death,
swifter than eagles, stronger than lions!
Women of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and in finery,
who decked your attire with ornaments of gold.
"How can the warriors have fallen—in the thick of the battle,
slain upon your heights!
"I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother!
most dear have you been to me;
more precious have I held love for you than love for women.
"How can the warriors have fallen,
the weapons of war have perished!"
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 80:2-3, 5-7
R. (41) Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
O guide of the flock of Joseph!
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth
before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Rouse your power,
and come to save us.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved
O Lord of hosts, how long will you burn with anger
while your people pray?
You have fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in ample measure.
You have left us to be fought over by our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved
Gospel
Mk 3:20-21
Jesus came with his disciples into the house.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First Reading: 2 Samuel 1:1-4,11-12,17,19,23-27
David returned from his rout of the Amalekites and spent two days in Ziklag. On the third day a man came from the camp where Saul had been, his garments torn and earth on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground and did homage. ‘Where do you come from?’ David asked him. ‘I have escaped from the Israelite camp’ he said. David said to him, ‘What happened? Tell me.’ He replied, ‘The people have fled from the battlefield and many of them have fallen. Saul and his son Jonathan are dead too.’
Then David took hold of his garments and tore them, and all the men with him did the same. They mourned and wept and fasted until the evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, for the people of The Lord and for the House of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
Then David made this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan.
Alas, the glory of Israel has been slain on your heights!
How did the heroes fall?
Saul and Jonathan, loved and lovely,
neither in life, nor in death, were divided.
Swifter than eagles were they,
stronger were they than lions.
O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul
who clothed you in scarlet and fine linen,
who set brooches of gold
on your garments.
How did the heroes fall
in the thick of the battle?
O Jonathan, in your death I am stricken,
I am desolate for you, Jonathan my brother.
Very dear to me you were,
your love to me more wonderful
than the love of a woman.
How did the heroes fall
and the battle armor fail?
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 79(80):2-3,5-7
Let your face shine on us, O Lord, and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
you who lead Joseph’s flock,
shine forth from your cherubim throne
upon Ephraim, Benjamin, Manasseh.
O Lord, rouse up your might,
O Lord, come to our help.
Let your face shine on us, O Lord, and we shall be saved.
Lord God of hosts, how long
will you frown on your people’s plea?
You have fed them with tears for their bread,
and abundance of tears for their drink.
You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
our enemies laugh us to scorn.
Let your face shine on us, O Lord, and we shall be saved.
Gospel: Mark 3:20-21
Jesus went home, and once more such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal. When his relatives heard of this, they set out to take charge of him, convinced he was out of his mind.
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Saturday of the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
From: 2 Samuel 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27
David Learns of Saul's Death
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[1] After the death of Saul when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag, [2] and on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes rent and earth upon his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and did obeisance. [3] David said to him, "Where do you come from?" And he said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel." [4] And David said to him, "How did it go? Tell me." And he answered, "The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead."
[11] Then David took hold of his clothes, and rent them; and so did all the men who were with him; [12] and they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
David's Elegy over Saul and Jonathan (Continuation)
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(David said:)
[19] "Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places!
How are the mighty fallen!
[23] "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
[24] "Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you daintily in scarlet,
who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
[25] "How are the mighty fallen
in the midst of the battle!
"Jonathan lies slain upon thy high places.
[26] I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
your love to me was wonderful,
passing the love of women.
[27] "How are the mighty fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!"
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Commentary:
1:1-8:18. The second book of Samuel covers the career of David from just before he becomes king. In the first part we are told about vicissitudes in the period before he consolidates his position as king in the Holy City of Jerusalem (chaps. 1-8); the second deals with his sons' intrigues about the succession (chaps. 9-24). Chapter 1 serves as a link between the Saul period (Saul's death is related again) and that of David. From the second chapter onwards the focus of attention is David and all the difficulties he has before gaining general acceptance: to begin with he is elected king of Judah only, at Hebron (2:1-4); then he has to use all his wisdom and astuteness to thwart the attempts of Saul's descendants to succeed their father (2:5-4:12), and eventually he will be recognized as king of all Israel again at Hebron (5:1-5). Once he has won general acceptance, he will have to work to set his throne on a secure foundation at Jerusalem (5:6-8:18).
As in 1 Samuel, the main thing about this book is its religious interpretation of events: David the king is an instrument used by God who is there in the background, governing his people and delivering them from all their enemies. In this sense David occupies a very important place in salvation history and he is a figure of Jesus Christ, for with him the tradition of royal messianism begins (cf. 7:1-17).
1:1-16. "After the death of Saul" (v. 1): these words, similar to those in Joshua 1: 1 and Judges 1:1, may be why the two books of Samuel are divided at this point (that is, if they ever did form a unit). In any event, it is a form of words which indicates that a new stage is beginning.
David learned of the death of Saul from a fugitive (vv. 1-10), an Amalekite, who gave quite a different version of Saul's capture from the one in 1 Samuel 31:4-5: there the king fell on his own sword; here the Amalekite says he killed him. He may have thought he would be rewarded for bringing the news and the royal insignia (v. 10), but he is quite mistaken. David always respected "the Lord's anointed" (v. 16). He mourned him as he deserved (vv. 11-12), and he never sought his own advantage by overthrowing the king chosen by God.
1:17-27. David's elegy over Saul and Jonathan is one of the most beautiful poems in the Bible; it is attributed to David and it is known to have been part of the Book of Jashar (or, the Book of the Upright: v. 18), a collection of national and military writings rather than a religious book such as the Psalms. There is in fact no mention of God in the elegy, nor any religious themes; whereas it is full of patriotic (vv. 19-20, 24-25, etc.) and martial language (vv. 19, 21). Its elevated lyrical tone (vv. 23-25) indicates that the time and circumstances in which it was composed were marked by very great sorrow and anxiety about the future.
Also, the strategic position it has in the book brings the Saul period to an end, and marks the start of the Davidic period. From now on, the way is open for David, whom Samuel privately anointed king (cf. 1 Sam 16:13), to become accepted as such by the people.
1:19. "Thy glory, O Israel, is slain,": the Hebrew original is given various translations in early versions of the Bible. The Greek takes it to start with a verb: "Consider, O Israel, those who have died slain on the mountains"; the Syriac uses a noun: "The gazelle of Israel lies slain"; the Latin, an adjective: "The glorious (ones), O Israel, have been wounded?"
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From: Mark 3:20-21
His Relatives Are Concerned About Jesus
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Then He (Jesus) went home; [20] and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. [21] And when His friends heard it, they went out to seize Him, for they said, "He is beside Himself."
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Commentary:
20-21. Some of His relatives, whose outlook was too human, regarded Jesus' total commitment to apostolate as excessive: the only explanation, they thought, was that He was out of His mind. On reading these words of the Gospel, we cannot help being moved, realizing what Jesus did for love of us: people even thought Him mad. Many saints, following Christ's example, have been taken for madmen --but they were mad with love, mad with love for Jesus Christ.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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