The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ Saull slepeth in his tent, and Dauid taketh away his speare / and a cruse of water that stode at his heade.

CAPI. XXVI.

THe Ziphites came vnto Saull to Gi∣bea, sayenge: Doth not Dauid hyde him [unspec A] selfe in the hyll of Hachila which is be∣fore Iesimon? Saull arose, and went downe to the wyldernesse of Ziph, hauynge. iii. M. chosen men of Israell with hym, for to seke Dauid in the wyldernesse of Ziph. And Saull pytched in the hyll of Hachila whiche lyeth before Iesimon, by the waye syde. But Da∣uid dwelte in the wyldernesse. And he sawe that Saull came after hym in to the wylder∣nesse. Dauid therfore sent out spyes, and vn∣derstode that Saull was come in very dede. And Dauid arose & came to the place, where Saull had pytched, and Dauid behelde the place, where Saull laye, and Abner the son of Ner whiche was his cheyfe capteyne▪ Saul laye within, and the people, and the hooste rounde aboute hym. Then answered Dauid and spake to Ahimelech the Hethite, and to Abisai the son of Zaruia, & brother to Ioab, sayenge: Who wyll go downe w^t me to Saull to the hooste? And Abisai sayde: I wyll go downe with the. And so Dauid and Abisai came downe to the people by nyght.

And beholde, Saull laye slepyng within [unspec B] the hoost, & his speare stacke in the grounde at his heade. But Abner and the people laye rounde aboute hym. Then sayde Abisai to Dauid: God hath delyuered thyne enemye in to thyne hand this day. Now therfore, let me smyte hym once with my speare to the earth, and I wyll not smyte hym the seconde tyme. And Dauid sayd to Abisai: destroye hym not. For who can laye his hande on the Lordes a∣noynted, & be gyltlesse? And Dauid sayd fur∣thermore: as sure as the lorde lyueth, the lord shall smyte hym or his day shal come to dye, or he shall descende in to battayle, and there perish. The lorde kepe me from laynge myne hande vpon the Lordes anoynted. But take thou nowe the Speare that is at his heade, and the cruse of water, and let vs go. And so Dauid toke the speare, and the cruse of wa∣ter from Sauls heade, and they gat them a∣waye, and no man sawe it, or awaked.

For they were all a slepe, bycause the lorde [unspec C] had sent a slomber vpon them. Then Dauid went ouer to the other syde, and stode on the top of an hyll a far of (a greate space beynge bytwene them) And Dauid cryed to the peple, and to Abner the son of Ner, sayenge: Hea∣rest thou not Abner? Abner answerd, & sayd: What arte thou that ☞ cryest to the kynge? and Dauid sayde to Abner: arte not thou a man: and who is lyke the in Israell? Wher∣fore then hast thou not kepte thy Lorde the kynge? For there came one of the folke in, to destroye the kynge thy Lorde. It is not good that thou hast done. As truly as the lorde ly∣ueth, ye are worthy to dye, bycause ye haue not kepte your mayster, the lordes anoynted. And nowe se where the kyng{is} speare is, and the cruse of water, that was at his heade.

And Saull knewe Dauids voyce, & sayd: is this thy voyce my sonne Dauid? and Da∣uid sayde: it is my voyce, my lorde, O kynge. And he sayde: wherfore doth my Lorde thus persecute his seruaūt? for what haue I done? or what euyll is in myne hande? Nowe ther∣fore let my Lorde the kynge heare the word{is} of his seruaunt. Yf the lorde haue styrred the [unspec D] vp agaynst me, let hym smell the sauoure of a sacrifyce. But & yf they be the Chyldren of men, cursed are they before the lorde. For they haue cast me out this daye from abydyng in the enheritaunce of the lorde, sayenge: hence, & go serue other godd{is}. Now therfore let not my bloode fall to the earth before the face of the lorde. For the kyng of Israell is come out to hunt a flee, as when one dothe hunt a par∣trege in the mountaynes. Then sayd Saul: I haue synned, come agayne my son Dauid / for I wyll do the no more harme, bycause my soule was precyous in thyne eyes this daye. Beholde, I haue playde the foole, and haue erred excedyngly. And Dauid answered and sayde: Beholde, the kynges speare, let one of the yonge men come ouer, & set it. The lorde rewarde euery man accordynge to his rygh∣tuousnesse ❀ and fayth: for the lorde delyue∣red the into my hande this day, but I wolde not lay myne hande vpon the lordes anoyn∣ted. And beholde, lyke as thy lyfe was moche set by this daye in myne eyes: so be my lyfe set by in the eyes of the lorde, that he delyuer me out of all tribulacyon. Then Saull sayd to Dauid: Blessed arte thou my sonne Dauid for ❀ thou shalt be a doer and preuayle. And so Dauid went his waye, and Saull turned to his place agayne.

Notes

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