¶ Dauid fleeth into Engadi, and there hydeth hym in •• ••au••. Saull ••ōmeth in thy thee to do his ••a••••mente.
CAPI. XXIIII.
WHen Saull was come agayne from fo¦lowynge [unspec A] after the Philistines, it for∣tuned, that there were, which tolde hym, say∣enge: beholde, Dauid is in the wyldernesse of Engadi. Then Saul toke▪ iii. M. chosen men out of Israell, & went to seke Dauid, and his men in the heygth of the Rock{is}, where wylde gootes remayne. And he came to the flockes of shepe in the waye. And Saull went in to a caue ☞ to couer his feete. And Dauid & his men remayned in the inwarde partes of the caue. And the men of Dauid sayde vnto hym: se, the day is come, of whiche the Lorde sayde vnto the: Beholde, I wyll delyuer thy ene∣myes in to thyne hande, & thou shalte do to hym as it shal seme good in thy syght. Then Dauid arose and cut of a lap of Sauls gar∣ment pryuelye. And immediatly ☞ Dauids herte smote hym bycause he had cut of a lap of Sauls garment.
And he sayd vnto his men, the lorde kepe [unspec B] me from doyng that thyng vnto my mayster the lord{is} anoynted, to lay myne hande vpon hym, seynge he is the anoynted of the Lorde. ❀ (For as truely as the lorde lyueth, excepte the lorde smyte hym, or excepte his day come, or yf he go not doune to vvar and perysshe: the lorde be mercyfull vnto me, that I lay not my hande vpon the Lordes anoynted.) And so Dauid kepte of his seruauntes with these wordes, & suffered them not to ryse agaynst Saull.
But Saull rose vp out of the caue and went awaye, Dauid also arose & went out of the caue, & cryed after Saull, saynge: My lorde kynge. And when Saull loked behynde hym. Dauid ••••owped to the earth, and bowed hym selfe, & sayde to Saull: wherfore gyuest thou an care to mennes wordes, that saye, Dauid seketh euyll agaynst the? Beholde, this daye [unspec C] thyne eyes haue sene, howe that the lorde de∣lyuered the this daye into myne hande in the caue. And some bad me kyll the, but I had cōpassyon on the, & sayde: I wyll not laye my handes on my mayster, for he is the Lordes anoynted. And moreouer, my father, beholde & se yet the lap of thy garment in my hande: in as moche as I kylled the not, when I cut of the lap of thy garment. Understande ther∣fore & se, that there is neyther euyll nor wyc∣kednesse in me, & that I haue not synned a∣gaynst the. And yet y• huntest after my soule to take it. The Lorde be iudge bytwene the & me, & the lorde aduenge me of the. But myne hande be not vpō the. Accordyng as the olde prouerbe sayeth: wyckednes procedeth from the wycked: But myne hande be not vpō the
After whome is the kynge of Israell come out? After whome doest yu moue persecucion? After ☞ a dead dog, & after a flee. The lorde be iudge, & iudge bytwene the & me, and se, & pleate my cause, & aduenge me of thyne hand
When Dauid had made an ende of spea∣kynge [unspec D] these wordes to Saull, Saull sayde: is this thy voyce my son Dauid? and Saul lyfte vp his voyce, & wept, & sayde to Dauid: thou arte more ryghtous then I, for yu hast re¦warded me, wt good, where as I haue rewar¦ded the with euyl. And thou hast shewed this daye, howe that yu hast delte louynglye with me, for as moche as when the Lorde had loc∣ked me in thyne hand{is}, thou kylledst me not. For who shal fynde his enemye, & let him de∣parte into a good way? Wherfore the lorde re¦warde the with good, for that yu hast done vn¦to me this day. And now behold, I wote well that thou shalt be kyng, & that the kyngdom of Israell shal be stablysshed in thyne hand. Sweare now therfore vnto me by the lorde, that thou shalte not destroye my seede after me / & that thou shalte not put my name out of my fathers house. And Dauid ☞ sware vnto Saull, and Saull went home. But Da∣uid and his men gat them vp vnto an holde.