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

CAP. XXX.

[verse 1] And whanne Dauid and hise men hadden come `in to [in A.] Sichelech in the thridde dai, men of Amalech hadden maad asauȝt on [fro I.] the south part in [of BC. aȝens I.] Sichelech; and thei [Om. EL.] smytiden [smoten I. smeten L. smetyn EP.] Sichelech, and brenten [thei brenten I.] it bi [with I.] fier. [verse 2] And thei ledden the wymmen pri|soneris fro thennus, fro the leeste `til to [til A. vnto I. to o sec. m.] the grete [moost I.] ; and thei hadden not slayn ony, but thei ledden [ledden hem forth I.] with hem, and ȝeden [thei ȝeden I.] in her weie. [verse 3] Therfor whanne Dauid and hise men hadde come to the citee, and hadden founde it brent bi [with I.] fier, and that her [menns I.] wyues, and her sones, and douȝtris [verse 4] weren led [led awey I.] prisoneris, Dauid [thanne Dauid I.] and the puple that was with hym reisiden her voices, and weiliden, til teeris [the teeris I.] failiden in hem. [verse 5] Forsothe [And I.] also twei [the two I.] wyues of Dauid weren led [led awey I.] prisoneris, Achynoem of Jez|rael, and Abigail, the wijf of Nabal of Carmele. [verse 6] And Dauid was ful sori; for|sothe [certis I.] al the puple wold stone [haue stoned I.] hym [Dauid I.] , for the soule of ech man was bittir on her sones and douȝtris. Forsothe Dauid was

coumfortid in his Lord God. [verse 7] And he seide to Abiathar, preest [the preest I.] , the sone of Achymelech, Bringe thou [thou the prestis coope or I.] ephoth [ephoth, that is, the cloth of the hiȝest prest K.] to me. And Abiathar brouȝte ephoth [the ephoth S.] to Dauid; [verse 8] and Dauid councelide [councelide with I.] the Lord, and seide, Schal Y pursue [pursue these theues I.] , ether nay [no I.] , `these theues [Om. I.] ? and schal Y take hem? And the Lord seide to hym [Dauid I.] , Pursue thou; for with out doute thou schalt take hem, and thou schalt take awey the [fro hem her I.] prey. [verse 9] Therfor Dauid ȝede [ȝede forth I.] , he and sixe hundrid men that weren with hym, and thei camen `til to [vnto I.] the stronde of Besor; and sotheli [there I.] the wery men [men of the oost of Dauid I.] abididen [abiden CELPU. abiden bihynde I.] . [verse 10] Forsothe [And I.] Dauid pur|suede [pursuede forth I.] , he and foure hundrid men; for twei hundrid abididen [abiden EI.] , that weren weeri, and myȝten not passe the stronde of Besor. [verse 11] And thei founden a man of Egipte in the feeld, and thei brouȝten hym to Dauid; and thei ȝauen `breed to hym [hym bred I.] , that he schulde ete, and `schulde drynke watir [watir to drinke I.] ; [verse 12] but also thei ȝauen to hym a gobet of a [Om. plures.] bundel of drye [dried I.] figis, and twei byndyngis [clustris I.] of dried grapis. And whanne he [the man I.] hadde ete tho, his spirit turnede aȝen [aȝen to him I.] , and he was coumfortid; for he hadde not ete breed, nether hadde [he hadde I.] drunk watir in thre daies and thre nyȝtis. [verse 13] Therfor [Thanne I.] Dauid seide to hym, Whos man art thou, ethir fro whennus and whidur goist thou? And he seide, Y am a child of Egipt, the seruaunt of a man of Amalech; forsothe [but I.] my lord forsook me, for Y bigan to be sijk the thridde dai ago. [verse 14] Sotheli [For I.] we braken out to [at I.] the south coost of Cerethi, and aȝens Juda, and to [at I.] the south of Caleb, and we brenten Sichelech bi [with I.] fier. [verse 15] And Dauid seide to hym, Maist thou lede me to this cumpeny? Which [The which I.] seide, Swere thou to me bi God, that thou schalt not sle me, and schalt [that thou schalt I.] not bitake me in to the hondis of my lord; and Y schal lede thee to this cumpeny. And Dauid swoor to

hym. [verse 16] And whanne the child hadde ledde hym [hym thidere I.] , lo! thei saten at the mete, on [upon I.] the face of al the erthe, etynge and drynkynge, and as halewynge a feeste [feeste day plures.] , for al the prey and spuylis whiche thei hadden take of the lond of Filisteis, and of the lond of Juda. [verse 17] And Dauid smoot hem fro euentid [the euentid I.] `til to [vnto the I.] euentid of the tothir dai, and not ony [ony thing L.] of hem escapide, no [Om. I.] but foure hun|drid ȝonge [of ȝonge I.] men, that stieden on [upon I.] camels, and fledden. [verse 18] Forsothe Dauid delyuerede alle thingis whiche the men of Amalech token, and he delyuerede hise twei wyues; [verse 19] nether ony [ony man I.] of hem failide fro litil [the litil I.] `til to [vnto I.] greet [the greet I.] , as wel of sones as of douȝtris, and of spuylis; and what euer thingis thei hadden rauyschid, Dauid ledde aȝen alle [Om. G.] [verse 20] thingis; and he took alle flockis [the flockis I.] and grete beestis, and droof [droof hem I.] bifor his face. And thei [men I.] seiden, This is the prey of Dauid. [verse 21] For|sothe Dauid cam to twei [his two I.] hundrid men, that weren weeri, and abididen [abidin EP. abididen bihynde I.] , and myȝten not sue Dauid; and he hadde [Om. I.] comaundid hem to sitte in [at I.] the stronde of Besor; whiche [the whiche I.] ȝeden out aȝens Dauid, and the [aȝens the I.] puple that was with hym. For|sothe [Certis I.] Dauid neiȝede to the puple, and grette [he grett I.] it pesibli. [verse 22] And o man, the werste [werste man I.] and vniust [wickid I.] of the men that weren with Dauid, answeride, and seide, For thei camen not with vs, we schulen not ȝyue to hem ony thing of the prey, which [that I.] we rauyschiden [han rauischid I.] , but [but suffice it to eche man I.] his wijf and children [his children I.] `suffice to ech man [Om. I.] ; and whanne thei han take hem, go thei awei. [verse 23] Forsothe [And I.] Dauid seide, My britheren, ȝe schulen not do so [so as ȝe speken I.] of these thingis, whiche the Lord ȝaf [hath ȝouen I.] to vs, and kepte [he hath kept I.] vs, and ȝaf [hath ȝouen I.] the theues, that braken out aȝens vs, in to oure [verse 24] hondis; nether ony man [Om. I.] schal here vs on [stryue on I.] this word. For euene part schal be of him that goith doun to batel, and of hym that dwellith at the fardelis; and in lijk maner

thei schulen departe [departe the preie I.] . [verse 25] And this was maad a constitucioun and doom [a doom I.] fro that dai and afterward [fro that day and aftirward; in Ebreu it is, in that day and fro bifore, that is, fro the tyme of Abraham; but this was ordeyned stide|fastliere bi Dauyth, and a doom of lawe bi the kyngis power, that it schulde be kept aftirward outirly. Lire here. C.] , and as a lawe in Israel til in to this dai. [verse 26] Therfor [Thanne I.] Dauid cam in to Sichelech, and sente [he sente I.] ȝiftis of the prey to the eldere men of Juda, hise neiȝboris, and seide, Take ȝe blessyng of the prey of [verse 27] enemyes of the Lord; to [he sente to I.] hem that weren in Bethel, and that weren in Ramoth, at [verse 28] the south, and that weren in Jether, and that weren in Aroer, and that weren in Sephamoth, and that weren in Escama, [verse 29] and that weren in Rethala, and that weren in the citees of Jeramel, and that weren in [verse 30] the citees of Ceny, and that weren [weren to hem I.] in Arama, and that weren in Lautuasam, and [verse 31] that weren in Athec, and that weren in Ebron, and to othere men, that weren in these places, in whiche Dauid dwellide and hise men.