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

CAP. XVI.

[verse 1] And whanne Dauid hadde passid a litil the cop of the [an I.] hil, Siba, the child of Mysphobosech, apperide in to his comyng, with tweyne assis, that weren chargid with twei hundrid looues, and with [Om. A.] an hundrid bundels of dried grapis, and with an hundrid gobetis [peisis I.] of pressid figus, and with twei vessels of wyn. [verse 2] And the kyng seide to Siba, What wolen these thingis to hem silf? And Siba answeride, My lord the kyng, the assis ben to the mey|neals of the kyng, that thei sitte [sitte on hem I.] ; the [and the I.] looues and `figis pressid [the pressid figis I.] ben to thi chil|dren to ete; forsothe [certis I.] the wyn is, that if ony man faile in deseert, he drynke. [verse 3] And the kyng seide, Where is the sone of thi lord? And Siba answeride to the kyng, He dwellide [dwellide stille I.] in Jerusalem, `and seide [seyynge I.] , To dai the Lord of the hows of Israel schal restore to me the rewme of my fadir. [verse 4] And the kyng seide to Siba, Alle thingis [alle thingis, etc.; this was seid yuele, vn|auysely and vniustly, for this Siba seide fals. Lire here. C.] that weren of Mysphibosech ben thine. And Siba seide, Y preye, fynde Y grace bifor thee, my lord the [Om. I.] kyng. [verse 5] Therfor [Thanne I.] kyng Dauid cam `til to [vnto I. to EL.] Bahurym, and lo! a man of the meynee of the hows of Saul, Semey bi name, sone of Gera, ȝede out fro thennus; he ȝede forth goynge out, and curside. [verse 6] And he sente stoonys aȝens Da|uid, and aȝens alle seruauntis [the seruauntis I.] of kyng Dauid; forsothe [and I.] al the puple, and alle fiȝteris [the fiȝtinge men I.] ȝeden at the riȝtside and at the left side of the king. [verse 7] Sotheli [And I.] Semey spak so [thus I.] , whanne he curside the kyng, Go out, go out, thou man of bloodis [man of bloodis; that is, schedere out of myche gilteles blood. Lire here. C.] , and man of Belial! [verse 8] The Lord hath ȝolde to thee al the blood of the hows of Saul, for thou rauyschedist [hast rauischid I.] the rewme fro [for DEMPX sec. m. bc.] hym; and the Lord ȝaf [hath ȝouen I.] the rewme in to the hond of Absolon, thi sone; and lo! thin yuels oppressen thee, for thou art a man of

blodis. [verse 9] Forsothe [And I.] Abisay, the sone of Saruye, seide to the kyng, Whi cursith this dogge, that schal die, my lord the kyng? Y schal go, and Y schal girde of his heed. [verse 10] And the kyng seide, Ȝe sones of Saruye, what is to me and to ȝou? Suffre ye hym, that he curse; for [forsothe I.] the Lord comaundide [hath comaundid I.] to hym [for the Lord comaundide to him; Semey synnede in this cursing, for he curside [bi wickid] wille. Dauyth siȝ that Semey, aloone and vnarmed, dide wrong to Dauyth stide|fastly and with out drede, and opinly bifor many wer|riours, most stronge and most hardy, and most redi to venge the wrong doon to the king; and Dauyth per|seyuede that this was not of thilke Semey onely, but of God doinge there specialy; and Dauyth clepide this the comaundement of God; nethe|less God is not autour nether cause of synne, in as myche as it is synne. God is autour of the power, bi which me synneth; this power is fre wille. Also God is autour of the stiring of fre wille in to consent to stire poweris of execucioun, but God is not au|tour of defor|myte ether de|faute, which is in vnriȝ[t]ful dede; and this defaute of riȝt|fulnesse mak|ith synne. So here the stide|fastnesse and hardynesse of Semey in asail|inge Dauyth, and the sub|staunce of the doyng, was of God, that Da|uyth were punyschid herby, and his pacience were preued, but the defaute, that is, that he dide this bi wickid wille, was not of God, but in the defaute ether errour of fre wille. Lire here. C.] , that he schulde curse Dauid; and who is he that dare seie, Whi dide he so? [verse 11] And the kyng seide to Abysay, and to alle hise ser|uauntis, Lo! my sone, that ȝede out of my wombe, sekith my lijf; hou myche more now this sone of Gemyny? Suffre ȝe hym, that he curse bi comaundement [verse 12] of the Lord; if in hap the Lord biholde my turmentyng, and ȝelde good to me for this `cursyng of this dai [daies cursyng I.] . [verse 13] Therfor Dauid ȝede [ȝede forth I.] , and hise felowis, bi the weie with hym; forsothe [but I.] Semey ȝede [ȝede aside I.] bi the slade of the hil `bi the side [Om. I.] aȝens hym [Dauid I.] ; and curside [curside Dauid I.] , and sente [threwe I.] stoonus aȝens him, and spreynte erthe. [verse 14] And so `Dauid the king [kyng Dauid I.] cam, and al the puple weery with hym, and thei weren refreischid there. [verse 15] Forsothe [And I.] Absolon, and al the puple of Israel entriden in to Jerusalem, but also Achitofel with hym [Absolon I.] . [verse 16] Sotheli [And I.] whanne Chusi of Arath, the frend of Dauid, hadde come to Absolon, he spak [seyde I.] to Absolon [him I.] , [verse 17] Heil, kyng! heil, kyng! To whom Ab|solon seide, This is thi grace to thi freend [freend Dauid I.] ; whi ȝedist thou not [not forth I.] with thi freend? [verse 18] And Chusi answeride to Abso|lon, Nay [nay; that is, Y ouȝte not go with Da|uyth. Lire here. C.] , for Y shal be seruaunt [the seruaunt I.] of hym, whom the Lord hath chose, and al this puple, and al Israel; and Y schal dwelle with him. [verse 19] But that Y seie also this, to whom schal Y serue? whethir not to the sone of the kyng? as Y obeiede to thi fadir, so [so and I.] Y schal obeie to thee. [verse 20] Forsothe [And I.] Absolon seide to Achitofel, Take ȝe counsel, what we owen to do. [verse 21] And Achytofel seide to Absolon, Entre thou

to the concubyns [secundarie wyues I.] of thi fadir, whiche he lefte [hath left I.] to kepe the [his I.] hows; that whanne al Israel herith, that thou hast defoulid thi fadir [fadir bed I.] , the hondis of hem be strengthid with thee. [verse 22] Therfor thei tildeden [streiȝten out I.] Abso|lon a tabernacle in the soler, and he en|tride to the concubyns of his fadir bifor al Israel. [verse 23] Sotheli [And I.] the counsel of Achito|fel, which [that I.] he ȝaf in tho daies, was as if a man counselide [had counseilid with I.] God; so [and so I.] was al the counsel of Achitofel, bothe whanne he was with Dauid, and whanne he was with Absolon.