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

CAP. II.

[verse 1] Forsothe the days of Dauid neiȝiden that he shulde die; and he comaundide to Salomon, his sone, seiynge, Loo! [verse 2] I weende into the weye of al erthe; tak coumfort, and be a strong man [Om. F.] . [verse 3] And [Om. ABH.] keep wel the waardis and the heestis of the Lord thi God, that thou goo in the weyes of hym, and kepe the cerymonyes of hym, and the heestis of hym, and domys, and witnessyngis, as it is writyn in the lawe of Moyses; that thou vndur|stonde al that thou dost, and whidir euer thou turne thee. [verse 4] That the Lord conferme his wordis, `the whiche [that C pr. m.] the Lord spak of me, seiynge, If thi sonys kepen my weyes [hestes E pr. m.] , and goon before me in treuth, and in al her hert, and in al her soule, there shal not be doon awey to thee a man fro the kyngis seete [citee A.] of Israel. [verse 5] For|sothe thou hast knowun what thingis [thing A.] Joab, the sone of Saruye, dide to me; what he dide to the [Om. A.] two princis of the oost of Irael, to Abner, the sone of Ner, and to Amasi, the sone of Gether, whom he slewȝ, and shadde the blood of the batayl in pees; and putte the blood of the batail in his girdyl, that was about his leendis, and in his shoo, that was in his feet. [verse 6] Thanne thou shalt do after thi wisdam, and thou shalt not brynge doun the hoornes of hym pesibli to hellis. [verse 7] But and to the sones of Berzellay Galadite

thou shalt ȝeelde grace, and thei shulen be etynge in thi bord; forsothe thei camen aȝen to me, whanne I fleiȝ fro the face of Absolon, thi brother. [verse 8] And thou hast anentis thee Semei, the sone of Gera, the sone of Gemyny, of Bahurym, that curside to me bi the werst cursynge, whanne I wente to the defensable placys; but for he cam doun to me into aȝen comynge, whanne I shulde passe Jordan, and I swore to hym bi the Lord, seiynge, [verse 9] I shal not sle thee bi swerd, thou wole not suffre hym to be harmles; forsothe a wise man thou art, and thou shalt knowe what thou shalt doo to hym, and thou shalt lede doun his hoor heeris with blood to helle. [verse 10] Forsothe Dauyd slepte with his faders, and is biried in the citee of Dauid. [verse 11] Forsothe the days, in the whiche Dauid regnede vpon Yrael, ben fourti ȝeer; in Ebron he regnede seuen ȝeer, and in Jerusalem three and thretti. [verse 12] Salomon forsothe sat vpon the troone of Dauid, his fader, and the rewme of hym is fastned ful mych. [verse 13] And Adonyas, the sone of Agith, ȝeede into Bersabe, the moder of Salomon; the which seide to hym, Whether pesible thin yncomynge? The which answerde, Pesible. [verse 14] And he addide, A word to me is to thee. To whom she seith, Spek. [verse 15] And he, Thou, he seith, knewe [knowe A.] for the rewme was with me, and al Irael purposide to make me into a kyng to hym; but the rewme is translatid, and is maad of my brother; of the Lord forsothe it is ordeynd to hym. [verse 16] Now thanne oon askyng Y preye of thee; ne confounde thou my face. The which seide to hym, Spek. [verse 17] And he seith, Y preye that thou seye to Salomon the kyng; forsothe ne to thee he may eny thing denye; that he ȝyue to me Abi|saag Sunamyte wijf. [verse 18] And Bersabe seith, Wel, Y shal speke for thee to the kyng.

[verse 19] Thanne Bersabe cam to kyng Salomon, that she speke to hym for Adonye; and the kyng roos into the [Om. E.] aȝencomynge of hire, and he [Om. CE.] honourde hire, and he satte vpon his troone; and there is sett a troone to the moder of the kyng, the which sat at the riȝt side of hym. [verse 20] And sche seide to hym, Oon litil askynge I preye of thee; ne confounde thou my face. And the kyng seide to hire, Ask, moder myn; forsothe ne leeueful it is that I turne awey thi face. [verse 21] The which seith, Abisaag Sunamyte be ȝouen to Adonye, thi brother, a wijf. [verse 22] And kyng Salomon answerde, and seide to his mo|der, Whi askist thou Abisaag Sunamyte to Adonye? Ask `to hym [forsothe E pr.m.] and the kyng|dam; forsothe he is my brother more than I, and hath Abiathar, the preest, and Joab, the sone of Saruye. [verse 23] And so kyng Salomon swore bi the Lord, sei|ynge, These thingis do to me God, and thes thingis adde, for aȝens his lijf Ado|nye hath spoken this word. [verse 24] And now lyueth the Lord, that confermyde me, and sette me vpon the see of Dauid, my fader, and that made to me an hows, as he spak, for to day Adonye shal be slayn. [verse 25] And kyng Salomon sente bi the hoond of Banaye, the sone of Joiade; the which slewȝ hym, and is deed. [verse 26] For|sothe the kyng seide to Abiathar, the preest, Go into Anathot, to thi feelde; and forsothe a man of deeth thou art; but to day I shal not sle thee, for thou bere the arke of the Lord God before Dauid, my fader, and thou susteynedist traueyle in alle thingis, in the whiche traueilde my fader. [verse 27] Thanne Salomon made Abiathar, that he was not the [Om. A.] preest of the Lord, that the word of the Lord were fulfillid, the which he spak vpon the hows of Hely, in Silo. [verse 28] Forsothe there cam a messager to Salomon, that

Joab was bowid doun after Adonye, and after Salomon hadde not bowid. Thanne Joab fleiȝ into the tabernacle of the Lord, and cauȝte the horn of the auter. [verse 29] And it is toold to kyng Salomon, that Joab hadde flowen into the tabernacle of the Lord, and was biside the auter; and Sa|lomon sente Banaye, the sone of Joiade, seiynge, Go, and sle hym. [verse 30] And Banaye cam to the tabernacle of the Lord, and seide to hym, Thes thingis seith the kyng, Go out. The which seith, I shal not goo out, but here I shal die. Ba|nayas toolde aȝen to the kyng the word, seiynge, Thes thingis spak Joab, and thes thingis answerde he to me. [verse 31] And the kyng seide to hym, Do as he spak, and sle hym, and birye; and thou shalt doo awey the innocent blood, that is shad of Joab, fro me, and fro the hows of my fader. [verse 32] And the Lord ȝeelde vpon his heed the blood of hym, for he slewȝ two riȝtwise men betere than hym self, and he killide hem bi swerd, Dauid, my fa|der, vnknowynge, Abner, the sone of Ner, the prince of the chyualrie of Irael, and Amasam, the sone of Gether, prince of the oost of Juda. [verse 33] And the blood of hem shal turne aȝen into the heed of Joab, and into the heed of the seed of him in to euermore; forsothe to Dauid, and to his seed, and to the [Om. CE.] hows `of hym [Om. E pr. m.] , and to the troone of hym be pees of the Lord into withouten eende. [verse 34] And so Banaye, the sone of Joiade, steied vp, and [Om. ABFH.] wente to, and slewȝ hym; and he is biryed in his hows in desert. [verse 35] And the kyng or|deynede for hym Banaye, the sone of Joiade, vpon the oost; and Sadoch he sette preest for Abiathar. [verse 36] Forsothe the kyng sente, and clepide Semei, and seide to hym, Bild vp to thee howsis in Jeru|salem, and dwel there, and thou shalt [verse 37] not goo out thens hidir and thider; for|sothe

whateuere day thou were goon out, and passist ouer the streem of Ce|dron, wite thou thee to be slayn; thi blood shal be vpon thin heed. [verse 38] And Se|mei seide to the king, Good is the word of the kyng; as my lord kyng hath spokyn, so thi seruaunt shal doo. And so Semei dwellide in Jerusalem manye dais. [verse 39] It is doon forsothe after three ȝeer, that the seruauntis of Semei flowen to Achis, the sone of Macha, the kyng of Geth; and it is toold to Semei, that his ser|uauntis weren goon in to Geth. [verse 40] And Semei roos, and greithide his asse [assis A.] , and wente to Achis, into Geth, to his ser|uauntis to be souȝt; and he brouȝte hem aȝen fro Geth. [verse 41] It is toold forsothe to kyng Salomon, that Semei was goon to Geth fro Jerusalem, and was turned aȝen. [verse 42] And sendynge he clepide hym, and seide to hym, Whether Y witnesside not to thee bi the Lord, and before seide to thee, What euer dai thou were goon out hidir and thidir, wite thou thee to be to [verse 43] die; and thou answerdist to me, Good is the word that I herde? Whi thanne kepist [keptist CE.] thou not the ooth of the Lord, and the heest that I comaundide to thee? [verse 44] And the kyng seide to Semei, Thou hast knowun al the yuel, of the which thin herte is gilti to thee, the which thou did|dist to Dauid, my fader; the Lord hath ȝolden thi malice into thin heed. [verse 45] And kyng Salomon blisside; and the troone of Dauid shal be stable before the Lord vnto euermore. [verse 46] And so the kyng co|maundide to Banaye, the sone of Joiade; the which stert to, smoot hym, and he is deed.