Author's Note: I loved Jack Benjamin, but David and Jonathan are one of my favourite relationships in the Bible (no matter if read platonically or romantically). So, Kings, I fixed it for you. 🙂
(By which I mean, I significantly tweaked the Kings canon and mildly tweaked the Bible text.)
Note 2: Accidentally uploaded the wrong version of this at first, one using several more songs as soundtrack, but I decided I liked it better using mostly one piece.
Also, I'm rather pleased to say that apparently my vid will be used in a class at Brandeis university, "as the focus for applying the idea of slash as palimpsest". Yay for fandom geekery! 😉
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Music: Trevor Morris - Kings Intro, Franz Liszt - Un Sospiro (played by David in the pilot), Lisa Gerrard - Goliath (playing when David confronts Gath after Eli's death)
Read by: Alexander Scourby (King James Bible, as found on Youtube)
Sources: Kings (2009), Political Animals (2012), Captain America (2011), Dominion (2014), Latter Days (2003), StockFootage.com
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Download (.mp4 in .zip, 436mb) or stream (on YT, with captions)
Voiceover:
So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, and delivered Israel out of the hands of them that spoiled them.
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse.
And Samuel did that which the Lord spake and came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass that he looked on David and said: Surely, the Lord's annointed is before him.
And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath, of Gath.
And he stood and cried onto the armies of Israel.
And Saul and all Israel were dismayed and greatly afraid.
And the son's of Jesse went and followed Saul into the battle, and David was the youngest.
Then said Saul onto the people that were with him: Number now and see who was gone from them. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan, the son of Saul, and his armour bearer were not there.
And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he essayed to go.
And David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
And David put his hand in his bag and took thence a stone and slang it and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine and slew him.
But there was no sword in the hand of David, and when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, the fled.
And David brought Jonathan to Jerusalem.
And Saul took him that day and would let him go no more home to his father's house.
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to David.
And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
Samuel said onto Saul: I will not return with thee. The Lord has rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and has given it to a neighbour of thine that is better than thou.
And the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.
And Saul was very wroth, and he said: What can he have more but the kingdom?
Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David.
And Saul was yet the more afraid of David.
But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. And Jonathan spake good of David onto Saul, his father, and said onto him: Let not the king sin against his servant. And Saul hearkened onto the voice of Jonathan, and Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.
And the evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand. And David played with his hand.
And David came and said before Jonathan: Thy father certainly knowest that I have found grace in thine eye. But truly, as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.
Then said Jonathan unto David: Whatsoever thy soul desire, I will even do it for thee.
And Jonathan caused David to swear again, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said onto him: Do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion? For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him onto me, for he shall surely die.
And Jonathan answered: Wherefore shall he be slain, what hath he done?
And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him, whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. So Jonathan arouse from the table in fierce anger.
And David arose out of a place towards the south, and they kissed one another, and wept, one with another.
And David was in the wilderness of Ziph. And Jonathan, Saul's son arose and went to David, and strengthened his hand in God.
And he said onto him: Fear not, for the hand of Saul, my father, shall not find thee, and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next onto thee.
And they two made a covenant before the Lord.
And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his son.
And many of the people also are fallen and dead, and Saul, and Jonathan, his son, are dead also.
And David lamented with this lamentation:
Oh Jonathan, very pleasant hast thou been onto me. Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
And David lamented because of the Lord's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan, the son of Saul.
