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.

¶ Dauid is restored to his kyngdom, and brought agayne to Ierusalem.

CAPI. XIX.

AND it was tolde Ioab: beholde, the [unspec A] kyng wepeth & mourneth for Absalom. And the victory of that day was turned in to mournyng vnto all the people. For the people herde say that day, howe the kyng so∣rowed for his son. And the people stale away that day from goynge in to the citye, as peo∣ple cōfounded steale away, when they flee in battayle. But the kynge hyd his face, & cryed with a loude voyce. O my son Absalom, O Absalom my son, my son. And Ioab came in to the house to the kynge, and sayd: thou hast shamed this day the faces of al thy seruaunt{is} which this day haue saued thy lyfe, & the ly∣ues of thy son{is} & of thy doughters, & the liues of thy wyues, and of thy concubines, in that thou louest thyne enemyes, & hatest thy fren∣des. For thou hast declared this daye, that y^u regardest neyther thy ••ordes nor seruauntes.

And this daye I do perceyue, that yf Ab∣salom [unspec B] had lyued, & all we had dyed this daye, that had pleased the well. Nowe therfore vp, and come out, and speake kyndely vnto thy seruauntes. For I swere by the lorde, excepte thou come out, there wyll not tary one man with the this nyght. And that wyll be worse vnto the, then all the euyl that fell on the frō thy youth vnto this houre. Then the kynge arose, & sat downe in the gate. And they tolde vnto al the people, saynge. Beholde, the king doth syt in the gate. And all the people came before the kyng▪ But Israel fled, euery man to his tent. And it fortuned that al the people were at stryfe thorowout all the tribes of Is∣rael, sayenge: The kynge saued vs out of the hande of our enemyes, he delyuered vs out of the hande of the Philistines, and nowe he is fled out of the lande for Absalom. But Ab∣salom whom we anoynted ouer vs: is deade in battayle. Therfore, why are ye so styl, that ye brynge not the kynge agayne.

And kynge Dauid sent to Sadocke and [unspec C] Abiathar the preestes, sayeng: Speake vnto the elders of Iuda & say: why are ye behynde to bryng the kyng agayne to his house, seing that suche tydynges is come from all Israel vnto the kynge euen to his house? ❀ (For the kyng had sayd. Thus shal ye say vnto the people of ••uda.) Ye are my brethren, my bones & my fleshe: wherfore thē are ye the last that bryng the kyng home agayn? And say ye to Amasa: art thou not of my bone & of my flesshe? God do so and so to me, yf thou be not captayne of the hoost to me for euer in the roume of Ioab

And he bowed the hertes of all the men of Iuda, euen as the herte of one man: so that they sent this worde to the kynge: Returne y^u with all thy seruauntes. So the kyng retur∣ned, and came to Iordan. And Iuda came to Gilgal, for to go downe to mete the kynge & to conuay hym ouer Iordā. And S••mei * 1.1 the sonne of Gera, the sonne of Gemini, whiche was of Bahurim, hasted, and came with the men of Iuda to mete kyng Dauid, and there were a thousande mē of Beniamin with hym & * 1.2 Ziba the seruaunt of the house of Saul & his. xv. sonnes and twentye seruauntes with hym. And they wente quyckely ouer Iordan before the kyng. And there went ouer a boote that caryed ouer the kynges housholde, and they dyd hym pleasure.

And S••mei the sonne of Gera fell before [unspec D] the kyng (as he was come ouer Iordan) and sayd vnto hym: let not my lorde impute wyc∣kednesse vnto me, nor remembre the thynges (that thy seruaunt dyd wyckedlye when my Lorde the kyng departed out of Ierusalem) that the kynge shulde take it to herte. For thy seruaunt doth knowe, how that I haue done amysse. And therfore beholde, I am the fyrst this day ☞ of all the house of Ioseph, that am come to go downe, to mete my Lorde the kyng. But Abisat the sonne of Zeruia answe¦red, and sayd: shall not Semei dye for this, bycause he cursed the Lordes anoynted? And Dauid sayd: What matter is bytwene you & me ye sonnes of Zeruia? For this daye ye be aduersaries vnto me. Shall there any man dye this day in Israel? Do not I know that I am this day kyng ouer Israel? And ther∣fore the kynge sayd vnto Semei: thou shalte not dye, and the kyng sware vnto hym.

And Miphiboseth the son of Saul came [unspec E] also to mete the kyng, & had neyther wasshed his fete, nor shauen his beerde, nor wasshed his cloth{is} frō the tyme the kyng departed, vn¦tyl he came agayne in peace. And it fortuned that when he was come to Ierusalem, & met

the kyng, the kyng sayd vnto hym: wherfore wentest thou not with me Miphiboseth? He answered: My lorde, O kynge, my seruaunt deceyued me. For thy seruaunt sayd, I wolde haue myne Asse sadled to ryde theron, for to go to the kyng, bycause thy seruaunt is lame. And Ziba hath falsly reported of thy seruaūt vnto my lorde the kynge. And my Lorde the kyng is as an angel of god: do therfore what semeth good in thyne eyes. For al my fathers house were but dead men before my lorde the kyng: and yet dydest thou put thy seruaunt amonge them that dyd eate at thyne owne table. What ryght therfore haue I yet, to cry any more vnto the kyng? And the kyng sayd vnto hym: Why speakest thou yet in thyne owne cause? ❀ (It is determyned, that) I haue sayd, thou & Ziba deuyde the landes bytwene you. And Miphiboseth sayd vnto the kyng: yea let hym take all: for so moche as my lorde the kynge is come agayne in peace vnto his owne house.

And Berselai the Gileadite came downe [unspec F] from Roglim, and wente ouer Iordan with the kyng, to conuay hym ouer Iordan. Berse¦lai was a very aged man, euen. iiii score yere olde, and prouyded the kyng of sustenaunce. whyle he lay at Mahanaim: for he was a mā of very great substaunce. And the kyng sayd vnto Berselai: come thou with me, and I wyl fede the with me in Ierusalem. And & Ber∣selai* 1.3 sayd vnto the kynge: I am thus olde, & howe am I able to go vp with the kyng vn∣to Ierusalem? I am this day foure score yere olde: and ☞ can I descerne bytwene good & euyll? Hath thy seruaunt any taste in that he eateth or drynketh? Can he heare anye more the voyce of syngynge men & women? Wher∣fore then shuld thy seruaunt be yet a burthen vnto my Lorde the kyng? Thy seruaunt wyl go a lytell way ouer Iordan with the kynge: and why wyl the king recompence it me with suche a rewarde? Oh, let thy seruaunt turne backe agayne that I may dye in myne owne citye, & (be buryed) in the graue of my father & of my mother. Beholde, here is thy seruaūt ☞ Chimean: let hym go with my Lorde the kynge, and do to hym, what shall please the.

And the kyng answered: Chimean shal go [unspec G] with me. And I wyll do to hym that y^u shalte be content with. And what soeuer thou shalte requyre of me, that same wyll I do for the. And all the people wente ouer Iordan. And when the kyng was come ouer Iordā, he kys∣sed Berselai, and ☞ blessed hym, & he wente backe agayne vnto his owne place. And then the kyng went to Gilgal, and Chimean went with hym, and so dyd all the people of Iuda, and brought ouer the kynge, and there were but halfe the men of Israel.

And beholde, all the men of Israell came to the kynge, and sayd vnto hym: why haue our brethren the mē of Iuda stolne the away and haue brought the kyng & his housholde and al Dauids men with hym ouer Iordan•• And all the men of Iuda answered the men of Israel: the kynge is nere of kyn to vs. wherfore be ye angry for that mattter? thinke ye that we eate of the kynges cost, or that we take vs any gyftes? And the men of Israell answered the men of Iuda, & sayd: We haue ten partes in the kynge, & haue therto more ryght to Dauid then ye. Why then dyd ye de∣spyse vs, that our aduyse shulde not be fyrst had in restorynge our kyng agayne? And the word{is} of the men of Iuda were fearcer, then the wordes of the men of Israel.

Notes

• * 1.1

  ••••. Re•• x••••. ••
• * 1.2

  ••••. R••••. ••6 .••
• * 1.3

  ••••. ••e. 57. g.