The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XXIV.

[verse 1] Therfor Dauid stiede [stiede up I.] fro thennus, and dwellide in the sykireste [most sikir I.] places of En|gaddi. [verse 2] And whanne [whanne that I.] Saul turnede aȝen, aftir that he pursuede Filisteis [the Filisteis I.] , thei [men I.] telden to hym, and seiden, Lo! Dauid is in the [Om. EL.] deseert of Engaddi. [verse 3] Therfor Saul took three thousinde of [Om. I.] chosun men of al Israel, and ȝede [he ȝede I.] to seke Dauid and hise men, ȝhe on [upon the I.] moost brokun rochis, that [the whiche I.] ben `able to weie [weies DK sec. m. X sec. m. thorouȝ weies I. able weie MX pr. m. able to weies O.] to wield geet aloone. [verse 4] And he [Saul I.] cam to the fooldis of scheep, that [the whiche I.] offriden [profreden I.] hem silf to the wei goere. And there was a denne [caaue I.] , in to which [the whiche I.] denne [Om. DIKMXb.] Saul entride, that he schulde [wolde I.] purge the [his I.] wombe; forsothe [certis I.] Dauid and hise men weren hid in the ynnere part of the [that I.] denne. [verse 5] And the seruauntis of Dauid

seiden to hym, Lo! the dai of which the Lord spak to the, Y schal bitake to thee thin enemy, that thou do to hym as it plesith in thin iȝen. Therfor Dauid roos [roos up I.] , and kittide the hemme of the mentil of Saul priuely. [verse 6] Aftir these thingis Dauid smoot his herte [herte, or repentide him I.] [smoot his herte; that is, his consience repreuyde him. Lire here. C.] , for he hadde kit awei the hemme of the mentil of Saul. [verse 7] And Dauid seide to hise men, The Lord be merciful to me, lest Y do this thing to my lord, the crist [anoyntid I. crist, that is, anoyntid K.] of the Lord, that [and that A pr. m. CEGKLMNOPQRSUWXb. or that I.] Y sende [putte MW.] myn hond `in to [on I.] hym, for he is the crist of the Lord. The Lord lyueth, for no [Om. I.] but the Lord smyte hym [Saul I.] , ether his dai come, that he die, ether he go doun in to batel and perische [perische so I.] , the Lord be merciful to me, that Y sende [putte M.] not [Om. I.] myn hond in to the crist [anoyntid I.] of the Lord [crist of the Lord; in summe bokis it sueth, and Dauyth brak his men bi siche wordis, and suffride not hem, that they risiden aȝenus Saul, but this lettre is not in Ebreu, nether in bokis amendid. Lire here. C.] . [verse 8] For|sothe [And I.] Saul roos out of the denne, and ȝede in the weie bigunnun. [verse 9] Sotheli [And I.] Dauid roos [roos up I.] aftir hym, and he ȝede out of the denne, and criede aftir the bak of Saul, and seide, My lord, the [Om. I.] kyng! And Saul bihelde bihinde him silf [Om. I.] ; and Dauid bowide hym silf lowe to the erthe, and worschipide [worschipide him I.] . [verse 10] And he [Dauid I.] seide to Saul, Whi herist thou the wordis of men spekynge, Dauid sekith yuel aȝens thee? [verse 11] Lo! to dai thin iȝen siȝen, that the Lord bitook thee in myn hond in the denne, and Y thouȝte that Y wolde sle [haue slawe I.] thee, but myn iȝe [iȝen BC.] sparide thee; for Y seide, Y schal not holde forth myn hond in to my lord, which [for he I.] is [which is the crist; that is, anoyntid. C.] the crist [anoyntid I.] , `that is, anoyntid [Om. INX.] , of the Lord. [verse 12] But rathere, my fadir, se thou, and knowe the hemme of thi mentil in myn hond, for whanne Y kittide aweie the hemme of thi mentil, Y nolde [wolde not I.] holde forth myn hond in [aȝens I.] thee; perseyue thou, and see, for nether yuel nether wickidnesse is in myn hond, nether Y synnede [haue synned I.] aȝens thee; but thou aspiest my lijf, that thou do it awei. [verse 13] The Lord deme bitwixe me and thee, and the Lord

venge me of thee; but myn hond be not [verse 14] in [aȝens I.] thee, as it is seid also [Om. I.] in eld prouerbe, Wickidnesse schal go out of wickid men; therfor myn hond be not in [aȝens I.] thee. [verse 15] `Whom pursuest [Om. I.] thou, kyng of Israel, whom pur|suest thou? Thou pursuest a deed hound, and a quyk fle. [verse 16] The Lord be iuge, and the Lord deme bitwixe me and thee, and se, and deme my cause, and delyuere [delyuere he I.] me fro thin hond. [verse 17] Sotheli [And I.] whanne Dauid hadde fillid [fillid or endid I.] spekynge siche [siche maner I.] wordis to Saul, Saul seide, Whether this is thi vois, my sone Dauid? And Saul reiside [reiside up I.] his vois, and wepte. [verse 18] And he seide to Dauid, Thou art more iust than Y; for thou ȝauest goodis [gode thingis I.] to me; forsothe [but I.] Y ȝeldide [haue ȝolden I.] yuelis to thee. [verse 19] And thou schewidist [hast schewid I.] to me to dai, what goodis thou hast do to me, how the Lord bitook me in thin hond, and thou killidist not me. [verse 20] For who, `whanne he fyndith his enemy [Om. I.] , schal delyuere hym [his enmy I.] in [in to K.] good weie [weie, whanne he fyndith him I.] ? But the Lord ȝelde to thee this while, for that, that [Om. I.] thou wrouȝtist [hast wrouȝt I.] to dai in me. [verse 21] And now, for Y woot, that thou schalt regne moost [ful I.] certeynli, and schalt haue in thin hond the rewme of Israel, [verse 22] swere thou to me in the Lord, that thou do not a wei my seed aftir me, nether take a wey my name fro the hows of my fadir. And Dauid swoor to Saul. [verse 23] Therfor Saul ȝede in to his hows, and Dauid and hise men stieden [stieden up I.] to sikire [sikerer BCKO.] placis.