A contradiction on Saul's death, and an unknown book

The death of Saul, by Gustave Dore.  GNU License

2 Samuel, Chapter 1 - Second Samuel begins with David coming out of hiding after learning about the death of King Saul, who had been hounding him since he learned that Yahweh (aka God) favored David more than he.  

Whereas in First Samuel Saul died by falling on his sword (pictured above), in this chapter David happened upon an Amalekite who had a different story.  The Amalekite confessed that he killed Saul after the king fell on his spear.  King Saul, in pain, saw the Amalekite and basically asked him to finish him off.  I know, that's not a big issue, it sounds more like a plot twist if anything.  But there are other accounts of Saul's death, where he is killed by a Philistine or even by God Himself.

Another interesting subject in this first chapter is an introduction to a book that must have existed then, but no longer exists - the Book of Jasher.  Translated, Jasher means "just man", so it is actually titled "Book of the Just Man".  That actually sounds like it would be an interesting read!  

There are books called "Book of Jasher" which have copies that date much later than the dates Second Samuel is thought to have been written (between 640 to 530 BCE), but here is one possible digital copy of the book.  The scrolls which this one may have been translated from dates to about 1613, just a few centuries ago.

I am still issues with the photos, but I think I may have found a workaround.  

Photo by Robert Bejil Photography, Creative Commons

The ancient story of Thelma and Louise (Ruth, Chapter 1) - Who are the two hotties shown above, and why did I choose their photo?  Because I can't put photos from the movie Thelma and Louise, for copyright reasons.  But the two women pictured tell the story, a story about an intense friendship between two women.  That is the story that is being told in the Book of Ruth.

Ruth is a Moabite; a tribe of people disdained by the Israelites.  Deuteronomy 23:3 even says, "That no Moabite shall enter the congregation of the Lord."  Her husband was the son of another widow named Naomi, who is an Israelite hailing originally from Bethlehemjudah.

After Ruth's husband died, she chose to stay with her mother-in-law Naomi, while the other sister-in-law decided to separate from them.

Ruth's vow to Naomi was this (Ruth 1:16 -17):  "Do not ask me to leave you, or to return.  For where you go, I will go; and you lodge, I will lodge.  Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.  Where you die, I will die and there will I be buried.  The LORD do so to me, and more also, only death will part you and I."

With this oath, Naomi saw that Ruth was now her lifelong companion.  I know there's a few people out there who think these two are lesbians, but I don't see any reason to go down that route.  They're B.F.F.'s.  Obviously, Ruth loved her mother-in-law a lot, and enjoyed her companionship.

Together, they set out for Bethlehem.