The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ Dauid flyeth in to the caue Odollam, and then in to Mazphah to the kynge of Moab, And thence in to Hareth. Doeg betrayeth Dauid. Achimelech is accused of treason and slayne, and foure score and foure preastes mo with hym: because they re∣ceyued Dauid. Nob is destroyed of Saul. Abia∣thar flyeth to Dauid.

CAP. XXII.

SO Dauid departed thence and escaped, & [ A] came vnto the caue Odollam, which whē his brethren & all his fathers house heede of, they went thyther to him. And there resor¦ted vnto him all suche as were in distresse and in der and troubled in their hertes, & he was made their capitayne, and there were with him aboute foure hundred men. And Dauid went thence to Mazphah in the land of Mo∣ab, and sayde vnto the kynge of Moab: Let my father and mother (I pray the) haue their abydynge with you, tyll I know what God will do with me. And he brought theym afore the kynge of Moab, and they dwelte with him all the whyse that Dauid kept him selfe in holdes. And the prophete Gad, sayde vnto Dauid: Abyde not in holdes, but departe and go to the lande of Iuda. Then Dauid depar¦ted and came into y^e forest Hareth. And Saul herde of it: for Dauid was knowen and also the men that were with him. And as Saul sat in Gaba••h vnder a groue vpon an hyght bancke with his speare in his hande, and all his men rounde about him, he sayde vnto his seruauntes that were about him. Heare me, [ B] ye sonnes of Iemini: Wyll the sonne of Isai also gyue euerye one of you feldes and vyne∣yardes, and make you all graunde capitaines and petye capitaines, that ye haue all conspi∣red against me, so that there is none that wil shewe me any thinge, in so moche that my son hath made a confederacie with the sonne of Isai? There is none of you that bewayleth my chaūce or sheweth it in myne eate: because my sonne hath set vp my seruaunt to lye in a∣wayte agaynste me, as appeareth this daye.

Then aunswered Doeg the Edomite, whi∣che was chiefe of the seruauntes of Saul and sayde: I sawe the sonne of Isai, when he

came to Nob, to Achimelech the sonne of A∣chitob, whiche fought counsell of the Lord for him, and gaue him vitayles, & the swerde of Goliath y^e Philistine also. Then the kinge sent to call Achimelech the Preaste the sonne of Achitob, and all his fathers house: that is to saye, the preastes that were in Nob. And [ C] they came all to the kynge. Then Saul sayd: heare thou sonne of Achitob. And he sayde: here I am my Lord. Then sayd Saul to him: why haue ye conspired againste me, thou and the sonne of Isai, in so moche that thou hast gyuē him vytayle and a swerde, & hast sought counsel of God for him, that he shoulde aryse agaynst me, and lye awayt as appeareth this daye? And Achimelech answered the kynge & sayd: who is amonge all thy seruauntes as the faythfull Dauid and the kynges sonne in lawe, and goeth at thy byddynge, and is had in honoure in thyne house? haue I this daye begōne fyrst to aske counsell of God for him? be this farre frome me: lette not the Kynge suspect agaynst his seruaunt any suche thinge in all the house of my father. For thy seruaūt knoweth nothinge of all this, eyther lytle or moche.

[ D] But the kynge sayde: thou shalt surely dye Achimelech, bothe thou and all thy fathers house. Then sayde the kynge vnto his fotemē that stode about him: turne and sley the pree∣stes of the Lorde, bothe because their hande is with Dauid, and because they knewe when Dauid fled and shewed it not to me. But the seruauntes of the kyng wolde not moue their handes, to run vpon the preastes of the Lord. Then sayde the kynge to Doeg: tourne thou and smyte the preastes. And Doeg the Edo∣mite turned and ranne vpon the preastes and slewe that same daye foure skore and fyue per¦sonnes that dyd weare eche man a lynnen E∣phod. And Nob the cytie of the preastes he smote with the edge of the swerde, both man and woman, chylde and sucklynge, with oxe asse and shepe. Yet one of the sonnes of Achi∣melech the sonne of Achitob, named Abiathar escaped and fled to Dauid, and shewed hym that Saul had slayn the Lordes preastes. Thē Dauid sayde vnto Abiathar: I wist it y^e same daye, that whē Doeg the Edomite was there, he wolde surely tell it Saul. I am cause of y^e death of all the Soules of thy fathers house. Abyde with me and feare not: be that seketh thy soule, shall seke myne, and with me thou shalt be in sauegarde.

Notes

• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 preestes ••••ne. ••••••r .ii. g
• 〈…〉〈…〉