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

CAP. II.

[verse 1] Therfor aftir these thingis Dauid coun|seilide [counseilide with I.] the Lord, and seide, Whether Y schal stie [stie up I.] in to oon of the citees of Juda? And the Lord seide to hym, Stie thou [thou up I.] . And Dauid seide to the Lord, Whidur schal Y stie [stie up I.] ? And the Lord answeride to hym, In to Ebron. [verse 2] Therfor Dauid stiede, and hise twei wyues, Achynoem of Jezrael, and Abigail, the wijf of Nabal of Carmele. [verse 3] But also Dauid ledde the men

that weren with hym, ech man with his hows; and thei dwelliden in the townes of Ebron. [verse 4] And the men of Juda camen, and anoyntiden [and anoynt|iden there Da|uyth; Dauyth was anoyntid thries; first in the hows, in the firste book of Kingis xvi. c^o.; the ii. tyme here of the hows of Juda; the thridde tyme on al Israel, in v. c^o.; in signe that a man owith to haue anoynt|ing of the Hooly Goost, in herte bi veri feith, in mouth bi knouleching therof, and in the hond bi good worching. Lire here. C.] there Dauid, that he schulde regne on [in A. upon I.] the hows of Juda. And it was teld to Dauid, that men of Jabes of Ga|laad hadden biried Saul. [verse 5] Therfor Dauid sente messangeris to the men of Jabes of Galaad, and seide to hem, Blessid be ȝe of the Lord, that diden this mercy with ȝour [ȝou A.] lord Saul, and birieden hym. [verse 6] And now sotheli the Lord schal ȝelde to ȝou merci and treuthe, but also Y schal ȝelde thank|yng, for ȝe diden this word. [verse 7] Ȝoure hondis be coumfortid, and be ȝe sones [the sones I.] of strengthe; for thouȝ ȝoure lord Saul is [be I.] deed, netheles the hows of Juda anoyntide [hath anoyntid I.] me kyng to `hym silf [hym I.] . [verse 8] Forsothe [Certis I.] Abner, the sone of Ner, prince of the oost of Saul, took Isbosech, the sone of Saul, and ledde [he ledde I.] hym [verse 9] aboute bi the [Om. I.] castels, and made [he made I.] him [Om. plures.] kyng on Galaad, and on Gethsury, and on Jezrael, and on Effraym, and on Ben|iamyn, and on al Israel. Isbosech, the [Om. KX.] sone of Saul, was of fourti ȝeer, whanne he began to regne on [upon I.] Israel; and he regnede twei ȝeer. Sotheli [And I.] the hous aloone of Juda suede Dauid. [verse 11] And the noumbre of daies, bi whiche Dauid dwellide regnynge in Ebron on the hows of Juda, was of seuene ȝeer and sixe monethis. [verse 12] And Ab|ner, the sone of Ner, ȝede out, and the children of Isbosech, sone [the sone I.] of Saul, fro the castels in [of A. Om. D.] Gabaon. [verse 13] Forsothe [And I.] Joab, the sone of Saruye, and the children of Dauid ȝeden out, and camen [thei camen I.] to hem bisidis the cisterne in [of I.] Gabaon. And whanne thei hadden come togidere in to o place euene aȝens [aȝens either other I.] , these saten on o part of the cis|terne, and thei on the [that I.] tother. [verse 14] And Abner seide to Joab, `The children rise [Rise these children up I.] , and plei [plei thei I.] befor us [pleye bifor vs; that is, schewe her strengthe and nobley; and here pleie is set for sle ethir fiȝte. Lire here. C.] . And Joab answeride, Rise thei [thei up I.] . [verse 15] Therfor [Thanne I.] thei risiden [resen up I.] , and passiden [passiden forth I.] twelue in noumbre of Beniamyn, of the

part of Isbosech, sone [the sone I.] of Saul; and twelue of the children [seuauntis I.] of Dauid. [verse 16] And ech man, whanne `the heed of his felowe was takun [he hadde take his felowe bi the heede I.] , fastnede [ficchide I.] the [his I.] swerde in to the side of `the contrarye [his aduersarie I.] ; and thei felden doun togidere. And the name of that place was clepid The Feeld of stronge men [the feeld of stronge men; in Ebreu it is, the feeld of men slayn togidere. Lire here. C.] in Gabaon. [verse 17] And `batel hard ynow [ful harde batel I.] roos in that dai; and Abner [Abner was dryuen awei I.] and the sones of Israel `weren dryuun [Om. I.] of the children [seuauntis I.] of Dauid. [verse 18] For|sothe thre sones of Saruye weren there, Joab, and Abisai, and Asahel; forsothe [and I.] Asahel was a `rennere moost swift [ful swifte rennere I.] , as oon of the capretis that dwellen in woodis. [verse 19] Forsothe [Sotheli plures. And I.] Asahel pursuede Abner, and bowide [he bowide I.] not [Om. I.] , nether to the riȝt side nether [ne EL.] to the left side, ceessynge to pursue Abner. [verse 20] Therfor Abner bihelde bihynde his bac, and seide, Whether thou art Asahel? Which [The which I.] answeride, Y am. [verse 21] And Abner seide to hym, Go [Go thou I.] to the riȝtside, ether to the lefte side; and take oon of the ȝonge men, and take to thee hise spuylis. Sotheli [But I.] Asahel nolde [wolde not I.] ceesse, that ne he [Om. A.] pursuede hym [Abner I.] . [verse 22] And eft Abner spak to Asahel, Go thou awei; nyle thou pursue me, lest Y be compellid to peerse [stike I.] thee in to erthe [the erthe K.] , and Y schal not mowe reise [reise thanne I.] my face to Joab, thi brother. [verse 23] And Asahel dispiside to here, and nolde [he wolde not I.] bowe awey. Therfor [therfor the spere of Azahel yturned awey I.] Abner smoot him `with the spere turned awei [Om. I.] [turned awey; that is, turned aȝenus him. in the schar; in Ebreu it is, smoot him bi|hinde the mawe in the fyuethe rib, vndur which ben the mem|bris of liyf. Lire here. C.] in the schar, and roof [stikide him I. roof him X sec. m.] thorouȝ, and he was deed in the same place; and alle men that passiden bi the [that I.] place, in which place [Om. I.] Asahel felde doun, and was deed, stoden [abiden I.] stille. [verse 24] Forsothe [And I.] while Joab and Abisai pursueden Abner fleynge, the sunne ȝede doun; and thei camen til [Om. EILX. in M.] to the litil hil of the [a I.] water cundiyt, which [that I.] is euene aȝens the valey, and the weie of deseert in Ga|baon. [verse 25] And the sones of Beniamyn weren gaderid [gaderid togidre I.] to Abner, and thei weren gaderid

togidere in to o cumpeny, and stoden [thei stoden I.] in the hiȝnesse [hiȝte I.] of oon [an I.] heep of erthe. [verse 26] And Abner criede to Joab, and seide, Whether thi swerd schal be feers `til to [vnto I.] sleyng? Whether thou knowist not, that dispeir [that dispeir, etc., of fliȝt without batel for bi sich maner ech part settith al for al. Lire here. C.] is perelouse? Hou longe seist thou not to the puple, that it ceesse to pursue hise britheren? [verse 27] And Joab seyde, The Lord lyueth, for if thou haddist spoke [spoke thus I.] eerli, the puple pursuynge his brother hadde go awey. [verse 28] And Joab sownede with a cla|rioun, and al the oost stood [stood stille I.] ; and thei pursueden no ferthere Israel, nether bi|gunnen batel. [verse 29] Forsothe [And I.] Abner and hise men ȝeden [ȝeden thenns I.] by the feeldi places of Moab in al that nyȝt, and passiden [thei passiden I.] Jordan; and whanne al Bethoron was compassid, thei camen to the castels. [verse 30] Sotheli [And I.] whanne Abner was left, Joab turnede aȝen, and gaderide togidere al the [his I.] puple; and ten men and nyne, outakun [withoute I.] Asahel, failiden of the children [seruauntis I.] of Dauid. [verse 31] Forsothe the seruauntis of Dauid smytiden [smeten EIL.] of Benia|myn, and of the men that weren with Abner, thre hundrid men and sixti, whiche [the which I.] also weren deed. [verse 32] And thei token Asahel, and birieden hym in the sepulcre of his fadir in Bethleem. And Joab, and the men that weren with hym, ȝeden in al that nyȝt, and in thilke morewtid thei camen in to Ebron.