The IIII. Chapter.
[ A] WHan Sauls sonne herde yt Abner was deed at Hebron, his hādes we¦re feble, & all Israell was sory. But there were two men captaynes ouer the sou∣dyers vnder the sonne of Saul, the one was called Baena, the other Rehob, sonnes of Rimon ye Berothite, of the childrē of Ben Iamin: for Beroth was coūted also in Ben Iamin. And the Berothites were fled vnto Gethaim, & were straūgers there vnto this daye. Ionathas also the sonne of Saul had a sonne which was lame on his fete, & was fyue yeare olde whan the rumoure of Saul and Ionathas came from Iesrael. And his norse toke him, and fled. And whyle she ma∣de haist and fled, he fell, and was lame: And his name was Mephiboseth.
[ B] Then wente the sonnes of Rimon ye Be¦rothite, Rehob & Baena, & came to the hou¦se of Iszboseth, in the heate of the daye, & he laye vpō his bed at the noone daie. And they came in to the house to fetch wheate, & thrust him in the bely, & gat them awaye. For whā they came in to ye house, he laye vpō his bed in his chamber, & they stickte him to death, & smote of his heade, and toke his heade, and departed by the waye of the playne felde all that nighte, and broughte the heade of Is∣boseth to Dauid vnto Hebron, and sayde vn∣to the kynge: Beholde, there is the heade of Iszboseth the sonne of Saul thine enemye, which layed wayte for thy soule. This daye hath the LORDE auenged my lorde the kyn¦ge of Saul and his sede.
[ C] Then answered Dauid vnto Rehob and Baena his brother, ye sonnes of Rimon ye Berothite, & sayde: As truly as the LORDE lyueth, which hath deliuered my soule out of all trouble,* 1.1 I toke him yt brought me wor∣de and sayde: Saul is deed, and he thoughte he had bene a good messaunger, and at Si∣clag I put him to death, vnto whom I shul¦de haue geuen a rewarde for his message. And these vngodly personnes haue slayne a righteous man in his owne house vpon his bed. Yee shulde not I requyre his bloude of youre handes, and take you awaye from ye earth? And Dauid commaunded his yonge men, which slewe them, and smote of their handes and fete, and hanged them vp by ye pole at Hebron. But the heade of Iszboseth toke they, and buried it * 1.2 in Abners graue at Hebron.