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

CAP. X.

[verse 1] Forsothe it was doon aftir these thingis, that Naas, kyng of the sones of Amon, diede; and Anoon, his sone, regnede for hym. And [verse 2] Dauid seide, Y schal do mercy with Anon, the sone of Naas, as his fadir dide mercy with me. Therfor Dauid sente coumfort|ynge hym by hise seruauntis on [upon I.] the deeth of the fadir. Sotheli [And I.] whanne the ser|uauntis of Dauid hadden come in to the [verse 3] lond of the sones of Amon, princes [the princis I.] of the sones of Amon seiden to Anon, her lord, Gessist thou that for the onour of thi fadir Dauid sente [hath sent I.] coumfortouris to thee; and not [not rather I.] herfor David sente hise seruauntis to thee, that he schulde aspie, and enserche the citee, and distrie it? [verse 4] Therfor Anoon took the seruauntis of Dauid, and scha|uyde [he schauyde I.] half the part of `the beerd of hem [her beerd I.] , and he kittide [kitte I.] awey the myddil clothis of hem `til to [vnto I.] the buttokis [hipes I.] ; and [and so I.] lefte hem. [verse 5] And whanne this was teld to Dauid, he sente in to the comyng of hem, for the men weren schent ful vilensly. And Dauid co|maundide to hem, Dwelle ȝe in Jerico, til ȝoure beerd wexe, and thanne turne ȝe aȝen. [verse 6] Sotheli [And I.] the sones of Amon sien [the sones of Amon sien; for thei knewen that not bi fraude, but of veri frenschip, Dauyth sente messangeris; and netheles thei knoulech|iden not gilt, nether axiden forȝyuenesse, but thei maden hem redi to defende her foli, in clepinge othere men into her help aȝenus Dauyth, and this doyng agreggide notably ether gretly her gilt. Lire here. C.] , that thei hadden do wrong to Dauid, and thei senten, and hiriden bi [with I.] meede Roob [of Roob I.] of Sirye, and Soba [of Soba I.] of Sirie, twenti thou|synde of foot men, and of kyng Maacha, a

thousynde men, and of Istob twelue thou|synde of men. [verse 7] And whanne Dauid hadde herd this, he sent [sente forth I.] Joab and al the oost of fiȝteris. [verse 8] Therfor the sones of Amon ȝeden out, and dressiden scheltrun bifor hem in the entryng of the ȝate. For|sothe [and I.] Soba, and Roob of Sirie, and Istob, and Maacha weren asidis half in the feeld. [verse 9] Therfor Joab siȝ, that batel [the batel I.] was maad redi aȝens hym, bothe euene aȝens [aȝens hym I.] and bihynde the [his I.] bak; and he chees to hym silf of alle the chosun men of Israel, and ordeynede [he ordeynede I.] scheltrun aȝens Sirus [Sirie I.] . [verse 10] For|sothe [And I.] he [Joab I.] bitook to Abisai, his brothir, the tother part of the puple, which [the which I.] dres|side scheltrun aȝens the sones of Amon. [verse 11] And Joab seide, If men of Sirie han the maistrie aȝens me, thou [thou, Abisay I.] schalt be to me in to help; sotheli [and I.] if the sones of Amon han the maistrie aȝens thee, Y schal helpe [verse 12] thee; be thou a strong man, and fiȝte we for oure puple, and for the citee of oure God; forsothe [for I.] the Lord schal do that, that is good in his siȝt. [verse 13] Therfor Joab and his [the I.] puple that was with hym, bigan batel aȝens men of Sirie, whiche [the whiche I.] fledden anoon fro his face. [verse 14] Forsothe [And I.] the sones of Amon sien, that men of Sirie hadden fled; and thei fledden also fro the face of Abisai, and entriden [thei entriden I.] in to the citee; and Joab turnede aȝen fro the sones of Amon, and cam in to Jerusalem. [verse 15] Forsothe [And I.] men [the men GQ.] of Sirye sien that thei hadden feld [fled FKOS sup. ras. W. falle EILMP.] bifor Israel, and thei weren gaderid to gidere. [verse 16] And Adadezer sente, and ledde out men of Sirie that weren biȝende the flood, and he brouȝte [brouȝte forth I.] the oost of hem; sotheli [and I.] Sobach, mayster of the chyualrie of Adadezer, was the prince of hem. [verse 17] And whanne this was teld to Dauid, he drow togidere al Israel, and passide [he passide ouer I.] Jordan, and cam in to Helama. And men of Sirie dressiden scheltrun aȝens Dauid, and fouȝten aȝens hym. [verse 18] And Sireis fledden fro the face of

Israel; and Dauid killide of Sireis [the Sireis I.] seuene hundrid charis, and fourti thousynde of knyȝtis [horsmen I.] ; and he smoot Sobach, the prince of chyualrie [the chyualrie I.] , which [the which I.] was deed anoon. [verse 19] Forsothe [And I.] alle kyngis [the kyngis I.] , that weren in the [Om. I.] help of Adadezer, siȝen that thei weren ouercomun of Israel, and thei maden pees with Israel, and serueden hem; and Sireis [the Sireis I.] dredden to ȝyue help to the sones of Amon.