LAWTON CHURCH OF GOD, LAWTON, OKLAHOMA

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2^ND SAMUEL

CHAPTER 1

1 After the death of Saul, when Dauid was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and had ben two daies in Ziklag:
2 Beholde, there came a man the thirde day out of the hoast from Saul, with his clothes rent, & earth vpon his head: And when he came to Dauid, he fell to the earth, and did obeysaunce.
3 Dauid sayde vnto him: whence comest thou? He sayde vnto him: Out of the hoast of Israel I am escaped.
4 And Dauid sayde vnto him: And what is done I pray thee? tell me. He sayde: The people is fled from the battell, and many of the people are ouerthrowen and dead, and Saul and Ionathan his sonne are dead also.
5 And Dauid sayd vnto the young man that tolde it him: Howe knowest thou that Saul and Ionathan his sonne be dead?
6 The young man that tolde him, aunswered: As I came vnaduisedly to mount Gilboa , beholde Saul leaned vpon his speare: and lo, the charettes and horsemen folowed hard after him.
7 And when he loked backe, he sawe me, and called me. And I aunswered: here am I.
8 And he sayde vnto me: Who art thou? I aunswered him: I am an Amalekite.
9 He sayde vnto me agayne: I pray thee come vpon me, and slea me: For anguyshe is come vpon me, because my life is yet whole in me.
10 And so I stoode vpon him, and slue him, and because I was sure that he coulde not liue after that he had fallen, I toke the crowne that was vpon his head, and the braselet that was on his arme, and haue brought them hyther vnto my lorde.
11 Then Dauid toke holde on his clothes, and rent them, and so did all the men that were with him.
12 And they mourned, and wept, and fasted vntil euen for Saul and Ionathan his sonne, & for the people of the Lorde, and for the house of Israel , because they were ouerthrowen with the sworde.
13 And Dauid sayd vnto the young man that brought him these tidings: Whence art thou? He aunswered: I am the sonne of an aliaunt, an Amakelite.
14 And Dauid sayde vnto him: Howe is it that thou wast not afrayde to lay thyne hande on the lordes annoynted, to destroy him?
15 And Dauid called one of his young me, and sayd: Go to, and fall vpon him. And he smote him, that he died.
16 Then said Dauid vnto him, Thy blood be vpon thyne owne head: For thyne owne mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I haue slayne the lordes annoynted.
17 And Dauid mourned with this lamentation ouer Saul and ouer Ionathan his sonne,
18 (Also he bad them teache the children of Iuda the vse of the bowe: And beholde, it is written in the booke of the righteous:)
19 O noble Israel, he is slaine vpon thy hie places: howe are the mightie ouerthrowen?
20 Tell it not in Gath, nor publishe it in the streates of Askalon: lest the daughters of the Philistines reioyce, and lest the daughters of the vncircumcised triumph.
21 Ye mountaynes of Gilboa, vpon you be neither deawe nor raine, nor fieldes of offeringes: For there the shield of the mightie is cast downe, the shielde of Saul, as though he had not ben annoynted with oyle.
22 The bowe of Ionathan neuer turned backe, neither did the sword of Saul returne emptie fro the blood of the slayne, and from the fat of the mightie.
23 Saul and Ionathan were louely and pleasaunt in their lyues, and in their deathes they were not deuided: They were swyfter then Egles, and stronger then Lions.
24 Ye daughters of Israel weepe ouer Saul, which clothed you in scarlet with pleasures, and hanged ornamentes of golde vpon your apparell.
25 Howe were the mightie slayne in the middest of the battel? O Ionathan thou wast slayne in thyne hye places.
26 Wo is me for thee my brother Ionathan, very kinde hast thou ben vnto me: Thy loue to me was wonderful, passing the loue of women.
27 O how are the mightie ouerthrowen, and the weapons of warre destroyed?

CHAPTER 2

1 After this, Dauid asked counsel at the lord, saying: Shall I go vp into any of the cities of Iuda? And the Lorde sayd vnto him: Go vp. And Dauid said: Whyther shall I go? He aunswered: Unto Hebron.
2 And so Dauid went thyther with his two wyues, Ahinoam the Iezraelite, & Abigail Nabals wyfe the Carmelite.
3 And the men that were with him did Dauid cary vp also, euery man with his housholde: And they dwelt in the townes of Hebron .
4 And the men of Iuda came, and there they annoynted Dauid kyng ouer the house of Iuda: And they tolde Dauid, saying, It is the men of Iabes Gilead that buried Saul.
5 And Dauid sent messengers vnto the men of Iabes Gilead, and sayde vnto them: Blessed are ye vnto the lord, that ye haue shewed suche kindnesse vnto your lord Saul, and haue buried him.
6 And nowe the Lorde shewe mercy and trueth vnto you: And I will do you also suche kindnes, as ye haue done in this thing:
7 Therfore nowe let your handes be strong, and play ye the men: For your maister Saul is dead, and they that are of the house of Iuda haue annoynted me king ouer them.
8 But Abner the sonne of Ner that was captayne of Sauls hoaste, toke Isboseth the sonne of Saul, and brought him to Mahanaim,
9 And made him king ouer Gilead, and ouer the Assurites, and ouer Iezrael, Ephraim, Beniamin, & ouer all Israel.
10 And Isboseth Sauls sonne was fourtie yeres olde when he began to raigne ouer Israel , and raigned two yeres: But the house of Iuda folowed Dauid.
11 (And the time whiche Dauid raigned in Hebron ouer the house of Iuda, was seuen yeres and sixe monethes.)
12 And Abner the sonne of Ner, and the seruauntes of Isboseth the sonne of Saul wet out of Mahanaim to Gibeon
13 And Ioab the sonne of Zaruia, and the seruauntes of Dauid, went out and met one another by the poole of Gibeon: And they sate downe, the one on the one side of the poole, and the other on the other side.
14 And Abner sayde to Ioab: Let the young men nowe aryse, and play before vs. And Ioab sayde: Let them aryse.
15 Then there arose & went ouer twelue of Beniamin by numbre, which pertayned to Isboseth the sonne of Saul, and twelue of the seruauntes of Dauid.
16 And euery one caught his felowe by ye head, & thrust his sword in his felowes side, and so they fell downe together: Wherefore the place was called Helkath hazzurim, which is in Gibeon .
17 And there was an exceeding cruell battel that same day: For Abner and the men of Israel fell before the seruauntes of Dauid.
18 And there were three sonnes of Zaruia there: Ioab, Abisai, and Asahel: And Asahel was as light of foote as a wilde Roe.
19 And Asahel folowed after Abner, and in goyng he turned neither to the right hande nor to the left, from Abner.
20 Then Abner loked behynd him, and sayde: Art thou Asahel? He aunswered: Yea.
21 Abner sayd: Turne thee either to the right hande or the left, and catche one of the young men, and take thee his weapons. But Asahel woulde not depart from him.
22 And Abner sayd agayne to Asahel, Depart fro me: Wherfore should I smite thee to the grounde, and not be able to holde vp my face to Ioab thy brother?
23 Howebeit, when he woulde in no wyse depart, Abner with the hynder ende of the speare smote him vnder the fyft ribbe, that the speare came out behinde him, that he fell downe in the same place, and died there: And as many as came to the place where Asahel fell downe and died, stoode still.
24 Ioab also and Abisai pursued after Abner: And the sunne went downe when they were come to the hil Amma, that lyeth before Giah, by the way of the wildernesse of Gibeon .
25 And the children of Beniamin gathered them selues together after Abner, & were on a heape, and stoode on the top of an hill.
26 Then Abner called to Ioab, and said: Shall the sword deuour for euer? Knowest thou not, that it wil be bitternesse in the latter ende? Howe long then shall it be yer thou bid the people returne from folowing their brethren?
27 And Ioab sayde: As God lyueth, if thou haddest not spoken, suerly euen in the morning the people had departed, euery one from persecuting his brother.
28 And so Ioab blewe a trumpet, and all the people stoode still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.
29 And Abner and his men walked all that night through the playne, & went ouer Iordane, & past through all Bethhoron, till they came to Mahanaim.
30 And Ioab returned from persecuting Abner, and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of Dauids seruautes nineteene men, & Asahel.
31 But the seruauntes of Dauid had smitten of Beniamin and of Abners men, [so that] three hundred and threescore men died.
32 And they toke vp Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bethlehem : And Ioab and his men went all night, and the day arose to them at Hebron .

CHAPTER 3

1 There was then long warre betweene the house of Saul, and the house of Dauid: But Dauid waxed stroger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.
2 And vnto Dauid were children borne in Hebron: his eldest sonne also was Amnon of Ahinoam the Iesraelite:
3 The seconde, Cheleab of Abigail the wyfe of Nabal the Carmelite: the third, Absalom the sonne of Maacha the daughter of Thalmai, the king of Gessur:
4 The fourth, Adonia the sonne of Haggith: the fyft, Sephatia the sonne of Abital:
5 And the sixt Iethream, by Egla Dauids wyfe: These were borne to Dauid in Hebron.
6 And whyle there was warre betweene the house of Saul and the house of Dauid, Abner held vp the house of Saul.
7 And Saul had a concubine named Rispha, the daughter of Ahia: And Isboseth sayd to Abner, Wherfore hast thou gone in vnto my fathers concubine?
8 Then was Abner very wroth for the wordes of Isboseth, and sayde: Am I a dogges head, whiche against Iuda do shew mercie this day vnto the house of Saul thy father, and to his brethren and frendes, & haue not deliuered thee into the hande of Dauid: and thou fyndest a fault in me this day for this woman?
9 So do God to Abner, and more also, except as the Lorde hath sworne to Dauid, euen so will I do to him,
10 To bring the kingdome fro the house of Saul, that the throne of Dauid may be stablisshed ouer Israel and ouer Iuda, euen from Dan to Beerseba.
11 And he coulde geue Abner neuer a worde to aunswere, because he feared him.
12 And Abner sent messengers to Dauid secretly, saying: Whose is the land? Who should [also] say, Make a bond with me, and beholde my hande is with thee, to bring all Israel vnto thee.
13 He sayde: Well, I will make a bonde with the: But one thing I require of thee, that is, that thou see not my face, except thou first bring Michol Sauls daughter, when thou comest to see me.
14 And Dauid sent messengers to Isboseth Sauls sonne, saying: Deliuer me my wife Michol, whiche I maried for an hundred foreskinnes of ye Philistines.
15 And Isboseth sent, and toke her from her husband Phalti the sonne of Lais.
16 And her husband went with her, and came weeping behinde her, til they came to Bahurim. Then sayde Abner vnto him, Go and returne. And he returned.
17 And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying: Ye sought for Dauid in times past, that he might be your king:
18 Nowe then do it: for the Lorde hath spoken of Dauid, saying: By the hande of my seruaunt Dauid, I will saue my people Israel out of the handes of the Philistines, and out of the hande of all their enemies.
19 And Abner spake in the eares of Beniamin: and afterward Abner went to speake in the eares of Dauid in Hebron all that Israel was content with and the whole house of Beniamin.
20 And so Abner came to Dauid to Hebron , hauing twentie men with him: & Dauid made him & the men that were with him a feast.
21 And Abner sayde vnto Dauid: I will vp, & go gather all Israel vnto my lorde the king, that they may make an appoyntment with thee, and that thou mayest raigne ouer all that thyne heart desireth. And when Dauid had let Abner depart, he went in peace.
22 And behold, the seruauntes of Dauid and Ioab came from the campe, and brought a great pray with them: (But Abner was not with Dauid in Hebron , for he had sent him away to depart in peace.)
23 When Ioab and al the hoast that was with him were come, men tolde Ioab, saying: Abner the sonne of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, that he is gone in peace.
24 Then Ioab came to the king, and said: What hast thou done? Behold, Abner came vnto thee, and why hast thou sent him away, and he is quyte gone?
25 Thou knowest Abner the sonne of Ner, for he came to deceaue thee, and to knowe thy outgoyng and ingoyng, and to knowe all that thou doest.
26 And when Ioab was come out from Dauid, he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him againe from the well of Sira, vnknowing to Dauid.
27 And when Abner was come againe to Hebron, Ioab toke him asyde in the gate to speake with him peaceably, and smote him vnder the fyft ribbe, that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother,
28 And when afterwarde it came to Dauids eare, he sayde: I and my kingdome are giltlesse before the Lord for euer concerning the blood of Abner the sonne of Ner.
29 Let the blood fall on the head of Ioab and on all his fathers house, that the house of Ioab be neuer without one or other that hath running issues or leper, or that leaneth on a staffe, or that doth fall on the sword, or that lacketh bread.
30 (So Ioab & Abisai his brother slue Abner, because he had slayne their brother Asahel at Gibeon in battell.)
31 And Dauid sayde to Ioab and to all the people that were with him: Rent your clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourne before Abner. And king Dauid him selfe folowed the beere.
32 And when they buried Abner in Hebron , the king lift vp his voyce, & wept besyde the sepulchre of Abner, and al the people wept.
33 And the king lamented ouer Abner, and sayde: Died Abner as a foole dieth?
34 Thy handes were not bounde, nor thy feete brought into fetters of brasse: but as a man falleth before wicked children, so fellest thou. And all they that were of the people, wept yet more ouer him.
35 And when all the people came to cause Dauid eate meate whyle it was yet day, Dauid sware, saying: So do God to me and more also, if I taste bread or ought els tyll the sunne be downe.
36 And all the people wist it, and it pleased them: as whatsoeuer the king did, pleased all the people.
37 For all the people and all Israel vnderstoode that day, how that it was not the kinges deede that Abner the sonne of Ner was slayne.
38 And the king said vnto his seruauntes: Knowe ye not howe that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel ?
39 And I am this day tender and newly annoynted king, and these men the sonnes of Zaruia be to hard for me: The Lorde rewarde the doer of euyll, according to his wickednesse.

CHAPTER 4

1 And when Sauls sonne hearde that Abner was dead in Hebron , his handes were feeble, & al the Israelites were afrayde.
2 And Sauls sone had two me that were captaines of bandes, the one called Baanah, & the other Rechab, the sonnes of Rimmon a Berothite, of the children of Beniamin: (for Beroth was reckened to Beniamin,
3 And these Berothites fled to Githaim, and soiourned there vntill this day)
4 And Ionathan Sauls sonne had a sonne that was lame on his feete, and was fiue yeres olde when the tydinges came of Saul & Ionathan out of Iesrael: And his nurse toke hym vp, and fled away, and as she made haste to flee, the chylde fell, and began to halt, and his name was Miphiboseth.
5 And the sonnes of Rimmon the Berothite, Rechab and Baanah, went and came in the heate of the day to the house of Isboseth (whiche slept on a bed at noone.)
6 And behold, they came into the middes of the house, as though they woulde haue fetched wheate, and Rechab and Baanah his brother smote him vnder the fyft ribbe, and fled.
7 For when they came into the house, he slept on his bed in his bed chamber, and they smote him and slue him, & beheaded him, and toke his head, & gat them away through the plaine all the night.
8 And they brought the head of Isboseth vnto Dauid to Hebron , and sayde to the king: Behold, there is the head of Isboseth Sauls sonne thyne enemie whiche sought after thy lyfe, and the Lorde hath auenged my lorde the kyng this day of Saul and of his seede.
9 And Dauid aunswered Rechab and Baanah his brother ye sonnes of Rimmon the Berothite, and said vnto them: As the Lorde lyueth, whiche hath deliuered my soule out of all aduersites:
10 When one tolde me & sayde that Saul was dead (thynking to haue brought good tydinges) I caught him, and slue him in Ziklag: whiche thought that I woulde haue geuen him a rewarde for his tydinges bringing:
11 Howe much more when wicked men haue slayne a righteous person in his owne house and vpon his bed? Shal I not nowe therfore require his blood of your hande, & take you from the earth?
12 And Dauid commaunded his young men, and they slue them, and cut of their handes and feete, and hanged them vp ouer the poole in Hebron : But they toke the head of Isboseth, & buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron .

CHAPTER 5

1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to Dauid vnto Hebron , and sayde thus: Beholde, we are thy bone, and thy fleshe.
2 And in time past whe Saul was our king, thou leddest Israel in and out: and the Lord hath sayd to thee, thou shalt feede my people Israel , & thou shalt be a captayne ouer Israel .
3 And so all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron, and king Dauid made a couenaunt with them in Hebron before the Lorde: and they annointed Dauid king ouer Israel.
4 Dauid was thirtie yeres olde when he began to raigne, and he raigned fourtie yeres.
5 In Hebron he raigned ouer Iuda seuen yeres and sixe monethes: and in Hierusalem he raigned thirtie and three yeres ouer all Israel and Iuda.
6 The king also and his men went to Hierusalem vnto the Iebusites the inhabitauntes of the lande, whiche spake vnto Dauid, saying: Except thou take away the blinde and the lame, thou shalt not come in hyther: For they said, Thou art not able to come in hyther.
7 Neuerthelesse, Dauid toke the strong hold of Sion: the same is the citie of Dauid.
8 And Dauid sayde the same day: Whosoeuer smyteth the Iebusites, and getteth vp to the gutters of the houses, and smyteth the lame and the blinde, hated of Dauid soule, [I will preferre him.] Wherfore they said: The blinde and the lame shal not come into that house.
9 And so Dauid dwelt in the towre, and called it the citie of Dauid, and buylt round about it, from Millo & inward.
10 And Dauid prospered and grewe, and ye Lord God of hoastes was with him.
11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to Dauid, and Cedar trees, & carpenters, and masons for walles: and they buylt Dauid an house.
12 And Dauid perceaued that the Lord had stablished him king ouer Israel , & that he had exalted his kingdome for his people Israels sake.
13 And Dauid toke him mo concubines and wyues out of Hierusalem, after he was come from Hebron , and mo sonnes & daughters were yet borne to Dauid.
14 And these be the names of the sonnes that were borne vnto him in Hierusalem: Samua, Sobab, Nathan, & Solomon,
15 Ibhar also and Elisua, Nepheg, and Iaphia,
16 Elisama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
17 But when the Philistines hearde that they had annoynted Dauid king ouer Israel , they came all vp to seke Dauid: And assoone as Dauid hearde of it, he gat him to an holde.
18 And when the Philistines came, they spread them selues in the valley of Raphaim .
19 And Dauid asked counsel of the Lord, saying: Shall I go vp to the Philistines? Wilt thou deliuer them into my handes? And the Lorde aunswered vnto Dauid: Go vp, for I will doubtlesse deliuer the Philistines into thy handes.
20 And Dauid came to Baal Perazim, and smote them there, and sayde: The Lorde hath deuided myne enemies asunder before me, as waters be deuided asunder: And therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.
21 And there they left their images, and Dauid and his men burnt them.
22 And the Philistines came yet againe, and layde them selues in the valley of Rephaim .
23 And when Dauid asked counsel of the Lorde, he aunswered, Thou shalt not go vp: but compasse them on the backsyde, and come vpon them ouer against the Mulbery trees.
24 And when thou hearest the noyse of a thing goyng in the toppe of the Mulbery trees, then remoue: for then shall the Lorde go out before thee, to smyte the hoast of the Philistines.
25 And Dauid did as the Lorde had commaunded him: and smote the Philistines from Geba, vntill thou come to Gazer.

CHAPTER 6

1 Againe Dauid gathered together all the chosen men of Israel , euen thirtie thousand.
2 And arose, and went with all the folke that were with him, from Baala of Iuda, to fet away from thence the arke of God, whose name is called by the name of the lord of hoastes that dwelleth vpon it betweene the cherubims.
3 And they put the arke of God vpon a newe cart, & brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibea: And Uzza and Ahio the sonnes of Abinadab draue the newe carte.
4 And when they brought the arke of God out of the house of Abinadab that was at Gibea, Ahio went before the arke.
5 And Dauid and all the house of Israel played before the lord on sundry instrumentes made of Cedar wood, with harpes, psalteries, timbrelles, hornettes, and simbals.
6 And when they came to Nachons thresshing floore, Uzza put his hand to the arke of God, & helde it, for the oxen did shake it.
7 And the Lord was wroth with Uzza, and God smote him in the same place for his fault, and there he died before the arke of God.
8 And Dauid was displeased, because the Lorde had smitten Uzza: And he called the name of the place Perez Uzza, vntill this day.
9 And Dauid was then afraide of the Lorde, and sayd: Howe shall the arke of the Lord come to me?
10 And so Dauid woulde not bring the arke of the Lorde vnto him into the citie of Dauid: but Dauid caried it into the house of Obed Edom, a Gethite.
11 And the arke of the Lorde continued in the house of Obed Edom the Gethite three monethes: and the Lorde blessed Obed Edom, and all his housholde.
12 And one tolde king Dauid howe that the Lorde had blessed the house of Obed Edom, and all that parteyned vnto him, because of the arke of God. And Dauid went, and brought the arke of God from the house of Obed Edom, into the citie of Dauid with gladnes.
13 And when they that bare the arke of the Lorde, had gone sixe paces, he offered an oxe and a fat beast.
14 And Dauid daunced before the Lorde with all his might, & was girded with a linnen Ephod.
15 So Dauid and all the house of Israel brought the arke of the Lorde with showting and trumpet blowing.
16 And as ye arke of the Lord came into the citie of Dauid, Michol Sauls daughter loked through a windowe, and sawe king Dauid spring and daunce before the Lord, and she despysed him in her heart.
17 And when they brought in the arke of the Lord, they set it in his place, euen in the middes of the tabernacle that Dauid had pitched for it: and Dauid offered burnt offeringes & peace offeringes before the Lorde.
18 And assoone as Dauid had made an ende of offering burnt offeringes and peace offeringes, he blessed the people in the name of the Lorde of hoastes,
19 And gaue among all the folke, euen among the whole multitude of Israel, aswel to the women as men, to euery one a cake of bread, & a peece of flesshe, and a flacked of wine: And so al the people departed euery one to his house.
20 Then Dauid returned to blesse his housholde, and Michol the daughter of Saul came out to meete Dauid, & sayd: O howe glorious was the king of Israel this day, whiche was vncouered to day in the eyes of the maydens of his seruauntes, as a foole vncouereth him selfe?
21 And Dauid sayd vnto Michol: It was before the Lorde, whiche chose me rather then thy father and all his house, and commaunded me to be ruler ouer all the people of the Lorde, euen ouer Israel, and therefore will I play before the Lorde:
22 And will yet be more vyle then so, and will be meeke in myne owne sight: and of the very same mayde seruauntes which thou hast spoken of, shall I be had in honour.
23 Therfore Michol the daughter of Saul had no childe vnto the day of her death.

CHAPTER 7

1 Afterward when the king sate in his house, & the Lord had geuen him rest round about from all his enemies,
2 The king sayde vnto Nathan the prophete: Beholde, I dwell nowe in an house of Cedar trees, but the arke of God dwelleth within the curtaynes.
3 And Nathan sayde to the king: Go, and do all that is in thyne heart, for the Lord is with thee.
4 And the same night the worde of the Lorde came vnto Nathan, saying:
5 Go, and tell my seruaunt Dauid, thus sayeth the Lorde: shalt thou buylde me an house to dwell in?
6 For I haue not dwelt in any house, sence the time that I brought the children of Israel out of Egypt , vnto this day: but haue walked in a tent and tabernacle.
7 In al the places wherin I haue walked with all the childre of Israel , spake I one worde with any of ye tribes of Israel , when I commaunded [the iudges] to feede my people Israel , saying, Why build ye not me an house of Cedar trees?
8 Now therfore, so say vnto my seruaunt Dauid: thus sayeth the lord of hoastes, I toke thee from the sheepe coate as thou wast folowing sheepe, that thou mightest be ruler ouer my people ouer Israel .
9 And I was with thee in all that thou wentest to, and haue destroyed all thyne enemies out of thy sight, & haue made thee a great name, lyke vnto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
10 (Also I will appoynt a place for my people Israel, and will plant it, that they may dwell in a place of their owne, & moue no more: neither shall wicked people trouble them any more, as before time,
11 And sence the time that I set iudges ouer my people of Israel) And I will geue thee rest from all thyne enemies: And the Lorde telleth thee, that he will make thee an house.
12 And when thy dayes be fulfilled, thou shalt sleepe with thy fathers, and I will set vp thy seede after thee, whiche shall proceede out of thy body, and will stablyshe his kingdome.
13 He shall buyld house an for my name, & I wil stablyshe the throne of his kingdome for euer.
14 I will be his father, and he shalbe my sonne: If he sinne, I will chasten him with the rodde of men, and with the plagues of the children of men.
15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I toke it from Saul, who I put away before thee.
16 And thyne house, and thy kingdome shall be stablished for euer before thee, [euen] thy throne shalbe stablished for euer.
17 According to all these wordes and according to all this vision, so dyd Nathan speake vnto Dauid.
18 Then went king Dauid in, and set him downe before the Lord, and sayde: Who am I, O Lorde God? and what is my house that thou hast brought me hyther to?
19 And this was yet a small thing in thy sight O Lorde God: but thou hast spoken also of thy seruauntes house for a great whyle: but doth this appertayne to man, O Lorde God?
20 And what can Dauid say more vnto thee? for thou Lorde God knowest thy seruaunt.
21 Euen for thy wordes sake, & according to thyne owne heart, hast thou done al these great thinges, to make them knowen vnto thy seruaunt.
22 Wherfore thou art great, O Lorde God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to al that we haue heard with our eares.
23 And what one people in the earth is lyke thy people, lyke Israel, whose God went and redeemed them to hym selfe, that they myght be his people, and that he myght make hym a name, and do for you great thynges and terrible for thy lande, O Lorde [euen] for thy people which thou redeemedst to thee out of Egypt [euen] from the nations and their gods.
24 For thou hast ordeyned thy people Israel to be thy people for euer, and thou Lorde art become their God.
25 And nowe Lorde God, the worde that thou hast spoken concernyng thy seruaunt and his house, make it good for euer, and do as thou hast saide:
26 And let thy name be magnified for euer of men that shall say, The Lorde of hoastes is the God ouer Israel: and let the house of thy seruaunt Dauid be stablished before thee.
27 For thou, O Lorde of hoastes, God of Israel, hast tolde in the eare of thy seruaunt, saying, I wyll buylde thee an house: And therefore hath thy seruaunt founde in his heart to pray this prayer vnto thee.
28 Therefore nowe Lorde God (thou art God, and thy wordes be true, thou that hast tolde this goodnes vnto thy seruaunt)
29 Therefore nowe let it please thee to blesse the house of thy seruaunt, that it may continue for euer before thee: for thou Lorde God hast spoken it, and with thy blessyng let the house of thy seruaunt be blessed for euer.

CHAPTER 8

1 After this, now Dauid smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and Dauid toke the bridel of bondage out of the hand of the Philistines.
2 And he smote the Moabites, and measured them with a lyne, and cast them downe to the grounde, euen with two lynes measured he them, to put them to death, and with one full corde to kepe them alyue: And so became the Moabites Dauids seruauntes, and brought giftes.
3 Dauid smote also Hadarezer ye sonne of Rehob king of Zoba, as he went to recouer his border at the ryuer Pherath.
4 And Dauid toke of his, a thousand and seuen hundred horsemen, and destroyed all the charets, and twentie thousand footemen: but reserued an hundred charets of them.
5 And when the Syrians of Damascon came to succour Hadarezer king of Zoba, Dauid slue of the Syrians two and twentie thousand men.
6 And put souldiers in Syria Damascon: And the Syrians became seruautes to Dauid, and brought giftes, and the Lorde saued Dauid, in all that he went vnto.
7 And Dauid toke the shieldes of golde that belonged to the seruauntes of Hadarezer, & brought them to Hierusalem.
8 And out of Beta and Berothai, cities of Hadarezer, did Dauid bryng exceeding much brasse.
9 When Thoi king of Hamath heard how Dauid had smitten all the hoast of Hadarezer,
10 Thoi sent Ioram his sonne vnto king Dauid, to salute him, and to blesse him, because he had fought against Hadarezer, and beaten him (for Thoi had great warre with Hadarezer) And [Ioram] brought with him vessels of siluer, vessels of golde, and vessels of brasse.
11 Which brasse king Dauid did dedicate vnto the Lorde, with the siluer & golde that he had deditate of al nations which he subdued.
12 Of Syria , of the Moabites, & of the children of Ammon, of the Philistines, and of Hamalek, and of the spoyle of Hadarezer sonne of Rehob king of Zoba.
13 And Dauid gat him a name after that he returned & had smitten of the Syrians in the valley of salt 18 thousand men.
14 And he put a garison in Edom, euen throughout all Edom put he souldiers, and all they of Edom became Dauids seruauntes: And the Lorde kept Dauid whatsoeuer he toke in hand.
15 And Dauid raigned ouer all Israel , and executed iudgement and iustice vnto all his people.
16 And Ioab the sonne of Zaruia was ouer the hoast, & Iehosaphat the sonne of Ahilud was recorder.
17 And Sadoc the sonne of Ahitob, and Ahimelech the sonne of Abiathar were the priestes, & Saraiah was the scribe.
18 And Banaiahu the sonne of Iehoida and the Cherethites, and the Phelethites, and Dauids sonnes, were chiefe rulers.

CHAPTER 9

1 And Dauid sayde: Is there yet any man left of ye house of Saul? For I wil shewe him mercie for Ionathans sake.
2 And there was of the householde of Saul, a seruaunt whose name was Ziba, and when they had called him vnto Dauid, the king saide vnto him: Art thou Ziba? He said: Thy seruaunt is he.
3 And the king saide: Remaineth there yet any man of the house of Saul, who I may shewe the mercie of God vpon? Ziba aunswered the king: Ionathan hath yet a sonne, which is lame on his feete.
4 The king said vnto him: where is he? Ziba saide vnto the king: Behold, he is in the house of Machir the sonne of Amiel of Lodeber.
5 Then king Dauid sent, & fet him out of the house of Machir the sonne of Amiel of Lodeber.
6 Now when Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathan ye sonne of Saul was come vnto Dauid, he fell on his face, and dyd reuerence: And Dauid saide, Miphiboseth? He aunswered: Beholde thy seruaunt.
7 Dauid saide vnto him: Feare not, for I will surelie shewe thee kindnesse for Ionathan thy fathers sake, and will restore thee all the fieldes of Saul thy father, & thou shalt eate bread on myne owne table continually.
8 And he bowed him selfe, and sayde: What is thy seruaunt, that thou shouldest loke vpon such a dead dogge as I am?
9 Then the king called to Ziba Sauls seruaunt, and said vnto him: I haue geuen vnto thy maisters sonne all that parteyned to Saul and to all his house.
10 Thou therefore, and thy sonnes, and thy seruauntes, shall tyll the land for him, & bring in, that thy maisters sonne may haue foode to eate: But Miphiboseth thy maisters sonne shall eate bread alway vpon my table. For Ziba had fifteene sonnes, & twentie seruauntes.
11 Then saide Ziba vnto the king: According to all that my Lorde the king hath commaunded his seruaunt, so shall thy seruaunt do, that Miphiboseth may eate [as the king saide] vpon my table, as one of the kinges sonnes.
12 Miphiboseth had a sonne that was young, named Micha: and al that dwelt in the house of Ziba, were seruauntes vnto Miphiboseth.
13 And Miphiboseth dwelt in Hierusalem, for he dyd eate continually at the kinges table, and was lame on both his feete.

CHAPTER 10

1 After this, the king of the children of Ammon dyed, and Hanon his sonne raigned in his steade.
2 Then saide Dauid: I will shewe kindnesse vnto Hanon the sonne of Nahas, as his father shewed kindnesse vnto me. And Dauid sent to comfort him by the hand of his seruauntes, ouer his father: And Dauids seruauntes came in to the land of the children of Ammon.
3 And the princes of the children of Ammon sayde vnto Hanon their lorde: Thinkest thou that Dauid doth honor thy father, that he hath sent comfortours to thee? Hath not Dauid rather sent his seruauntes vnto thee, to searche the citie, and to spie it out, and to ouerthrowe it?
4 Wherefore Hanon toke Dauids seruauntes, and shaued of the one halfe of their beardes, & cut of their garmetes in the middle, euen hard to the buttockes of them, and sent them away.
5 When they tolde it vnto Dauid, he sent to meete them (for they were men exceedingly ashamed) and the king said: Tary at Iericho vntill your beardes be growen, and then returne.
6 And when the children of Ammon sawe that they stancke in the sight of Dauid, they sent & hyred the Syrians of the house of Rehob, and the Syrians of Zoba 20 thousand footemen, and of king Maacha a thousand men, and of Istob twelue thousand men.
7 And when Dauid heard of it, he sent Ioab and all the hoast of strong men.
8 And the children of Ammon came out, and put their armie in aray at the entring in of the gate: and the Syrians of Zoba, of Rehob, Istob, and Maacha, were by them selues in the fielde.
9 Whe Ioab sawe that the front of the battaile was against him before and behinde, he chose of all the choyse of Israel , and put them in aray against the Syrians.
10 And the rest of the people he deliuered into the hand of Abisai his brother, that he might put them in aray against the children of Ammon.
11 And he saide: If the Syrians be stronger then I, thou shalt helpe me: But if the children of Ammon be to strong for thee, I will come and succour thee.
12 Therefore quite thee lyke a man, and let vs be valiaunt for our people and for the cities of our God: And the Lorde do that which is good in his owne eyes.
13 And Ioab proceeded foorth, & the people that was with him, to fight against the Syrians: but they fled before him.
14 And when the children of Ammon sawe that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abisai, and entred into the citie: And so Ioab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Hierusalem.
15 And whe the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel , they gathered them together.
16 And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the ryuer, and they came to Helam: & Zoba the captayne of the hoast of Hadarezer went hefore them.
17 And when it was shewed Dauid, he gathered al Israel together, & passed ouer Iordane, and came to Helam: And the Syrians set them selues in aray against Dauid, and fought with him.
18 And the Syrians fled before Israel , and Dauid destroyed seuen hundred charets of the Syrians, & fourtie thousand horsemen, and smote Zoba the captaine of their hoast, which also dyed there.
19 And when all the kinges that were seruauntes to Hadarezer, saw that they fel before Israel , they made peace with Israel , and serued them: and so the Syrians feared to helpe the children of Ammon any more.

CHAPTER 11

1 And it came to passe that after the yere was expired, in the time when kinges go foorth to battaile, Dauid sent Ioab & his seruautes with him, and all Israel , which destroyed the children of Ammon, & besieged Rabba: But Dauid taryed still at Hierusalem.
2 And in an euening tyde, Dauid arose out of his bed, and walked vpon the roofe of the kinges palace, and from the roofe he sawe a woman washing her selfe, and the woman was very beautifull to loke vpon.
3 And Dauid sent to enquire what woman it should be: And one saide, Is not this Bethsabe the daughter of Eliam, and wyfe to Urias the Hethite?
4 And Dauid sent messengers, and toke her away: And she came in vnto him, and he lay with her (and she was purified from her vnclennesse) and returned vnto her house.
5 And the woman conceaued, and sent and tolde Dauid, & sayde: I am with childe.
6 And Dauid sent to Ioab, saying: Send me Urias the Hethite. And Ioab sent Urias to Dauid.
7 And whe Urias was come vnto him, Dauid demaunded of him howe Ioab did, and how the people fared, and how the warre prospered?
8 And Dauid sayde to Urias: Go downe to thy house, & washe thy feete. And Urias departed out of the kinges palace, and there folowed him a present from the king.
9 But Urias slept at the doore of ye kinges palace, with all the seruauntes of his lorde, and went not downe to his house.
10 Which when they had tolde Dauid, saying, Urias went not downe vnto his house: Dauid saide vnto Urias, Camest thou not from thy iourney? why diddest thou not go downe then vnto thyne house?
11 Urias aunswered Dauid: The arke, & Israel , and Iuda dwell in pauilions, and my lorde Ioab and the seruauntes of my lorde abyde in the open fieldes, and shall I then go into myne house, to eate, and drinke, & lye with my wyfe? By thy lyfe, and by the lyfe of thy soule, I will not do this thing.
12 And Dauid saide vnto Urias: Tary here this day also, and to morow I wil let thee departe. And so Urias abode in Hierusalem that day, and the morow.
13 And when Dauid had called him, he did eate and drinke before him, and he made him drunke: And at euen he went out to lye on his couch with ye seruautes of his lorde, but went not downe to his house.
14 On the morowe Dauid wrote a letter to Ioab, and sent it by the hand of Urias.
15 And he wrote thus in the letter: Put ye Urias in the forefront of the sharper battaile, and come ye backe from him, that he maye be smytten, and dye.
16 So when Ioab besieged the citie, he assigned Urias vnto a place where he wist that strong men were.
17 And the men of the citie came out, and fought with Ioab: And there were certayne ouerthrowen of the people of the seruauntes of Dauid: & Urias the Hethite dyed also.
18 Then Ioab sent, and tolde Dauid all the thinges concerning the warre:
19 And charged the messenger, saying: When thou hast made an ende of telling the matters of the warre vnto the king:
20 If the kinges anger aryse, and he say vnto thee, wherfore approched ye so nye vnto the citie when ye did fight? wyst ye not that they would hurle and shoote from the wall?
21 Who smote Abimelech sonne of Ierubesheth? Did not a woman cast a peece of a mylstone vpon him from of the wall, and he dyed in Thebes ? why went ye nye the wall? Then say thou: Thy seruaunt Urias the Hethite is dead also.
22 So the messenger went, & came and shewed Dauid all that Ioab had sent him for.
23 And the messenger saide vnto Dauid: The men preuailed against vs, & came out vnto vs into the fielde, & we pursued them, euen vnto the entring of the gate:
24 And the shooters shotte from the walles vpon thy seruauntes, and some of the kinges seruauntes be dead, and thy seruaunt Urias the Hethite is dead also.
25 And Dauid saide vnto the messenger, thus shalt thou saye vnto Ioab: Let not that thing trouble thee, for ye sword deuoureth one as well as another: Make thy battayle more strong against the citie to ouerthrowe it, & encourage thou him.
26 And when the wyfe of Urias heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.
27 And when the mourning was past, Dauid sent and fet her to his house, and she became his wyfe, and bare him a sonne: But this thing that Dauid dyd, displeased the Lorde.

CHAPTER 12

1 And the Lord sent Nathan vnto Dauid, and he came vnto him, and tolde him: There were two men in one citie, the one rich, & the other poore.
2 The rich man had exceeding many sheepe and oxen:
3 But the poore had nothing saue one litle sheepe, which he had bought and nouryshed vp: And it grew vp with him and with his children also, and did eate of his owne meate, and drancke of his owne cuppe, & slept in his bosome, and was vnto him as his daughter.
4 And there came a straunger vnto the rich man, and he spared to take of his owne sheepe and of his owne oxen to dresse for ye straunger that was come vnto him: But toke the poore mans sheepe, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5 And Dauid was exceeding wroth with the man, and saide to Nathan: As the Lorde lyueth, the man that hath done this thing is the childe of death.
6 He shal restore the lambe foure folde, because he did this thyng and had no pitie.
7 And Nathan saide to Dauid, Thou art the man: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel , I annoynted thee king ouer Israel , and ryd thee out of the hand of Saul.
8 I gaue thee thy maisters house, and thy maisters wyues into thy bosome, and gaue thee the house of Israel and of Iuda, and might (if that had ben to litle) haue geuen thee so muche more.
9 Wherefore then hast thou despised the commaundement of the Lorde to do euill in his sight? Thou hast kild Urias the Hethite with the sword, & hast taken his wyfe to thy wyfe, and hast slaine him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10 Now therefore, the sword shall neuer depart from thyne house, because thou hast despised me, and taken the wyfe of Urias the Hethite to be thy wyfe.
11 Wherefore thus saith the Lorde: Beholde, I will stirre vp euil against thee, euen out of thyne owne house, and wyll take thy wyues before thyne eyes, and geue them vnto thy neyghbour, and he shall lye with thy wyues in the sight of this sunne.
12 For thou diddest it secretly: but I wil do this thing before al Israel, and in the open sunne lyght.
13 And Dauid saide vnto Nathan: I haue sinned against the Lord. And Nathan saide vnto Dauid: The Lord also hath put away thy sinne, thou shalt not dye.
14 Howbeit, because in doing this deede thou hast geuen ye enemies of the Lord a cause to blaspheme, the childe that is borne vnto thee shall surely dye.
15 And Nathan departed vnto his house: And the Lorde strake the childe that Urias wyfe bare vnto Dauid, and it sickened sore.
16 Dauid therefore besought God for the childe, and fasted, and went in, & laye all night vpon the earth.
17 And the elders of his house arose and went to him, to take him vp from the earth: But he would not, neither did he eate meate with them.
18 And the seuenth day the childe dyed, and the seruauntes of Dauid feared to tell him that the childe was dead: For they said, beholde, while the childe was yet alyue we spake vnto hym, and he would not hearke vnto our voyce: how will he then vexe him selfe, if we tell him that the childe is dead?
19 But Dauid seing his seruautes whispering, perceaued that the childe was dead: & Dauid said vnto his seruauntes, Is the childe dead? They saide: He is dead.
20 And Dauid arose from the earth, and washed and annoynted him selfe, and chaunged his apparell, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: and afterward came to his owne house, & bad that they should set bread before him, and he dyd eate.
21 Then said his seruauntes vnto him: What thing is this that thou hast done? Thou diddest fast & weepe for the childe while it was alyue, & assoone as it was dead, thou diddest ryse vp & eate meate.
22 He said: While the childe was yet ailue I fasted and wept: for this I thought, Who can tell whether God wyll haue mercy on me, that the childe may lyue?
23 But now seeing it is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him againe any more? I shall go to him, rather then he shall come againe to me.
24 And Dauid comforted Bethsabe his wyfe, & went in vnto her and lay with her, and she bare a sonne, and he called his name Solomon, and the Lord loued him,
25 And had sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet: therefore he called his name Iedidia, of the Lordes behalfe.
26 Then Ioab fought against Rabba of the children of Ammon, and toke the citie of the kingdome.
27 And Ioab sent messengers to Dauid, saying: I haue fought against Rabba, and haue taken the citie of waters.
28 Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and besiege the citie, that thou mayst take it: lest I take it, & it be called after my name.
29 And Dauid gathered al the people together, & went against Rabba, and besieged it, and toke it.
30 And he toke their kinges crowne from of his head (which wayed a talent of golde, & in it were precious stones) and it was set on Dauids head, and he brought away the spoyle of the citie, in exceeding great abundaunce.
31 And he caryed away the people that was therein, & put them vnder sawes, and vnder iron harrowes, and vnder axes of iron, & thrust them into the tylekyll: thus dyd he with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And so Dauid and al the people returned vnto Hierusalem.

CHAPTER 13

1 After this, so it was that Absalom the sonne of Dauid had a fayre sister, named Thamar, whom Amnon ye sonne of Dauid loued.
2 And he was so sore vexed, that he fell sycke for his sister Thamar: for she shas a virgin, and he thought it hard for him to do any thing to her.
3 But Amnon had a frende called Ionadab, the sonne of Simah, Dauids brother: And Ionadab was a very subtile man.
4 And he said vnto him: How commeth it, that thou being the kinges sonne, art thus consumed from day to day? Wylt thou not tell me? Amnon aunswered him: I loue Thamar my brother Absaloms sister.
5 Ionadab saide vnto him, Lay thee downe on thy bed, and make thy selfe sicke: And when thy father is come to see thee, saye vnto him: I pray thee let my sister Thamar come, and geue me meate, and dresse it in my syght, that I may see it, and eate it of her hand.
6 And so Amnon laye downe, and made him selfe sicke: And when the king was come to see him, Amnon saide vnto the king: I pray thee let Thamar my sister come, and make me a coople of cakes in my sight, that I may eate of her hand.
7 Then Dauid sent home to Thamar, saying: Go now to thy brother Amnos house, and dresse him meate.
8 So Thamar went to her brother Amnons house, & he was layed downe: And she toke floure, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and dyd bake them.
9 And toke a panne, and powred them out before him: but he would not eate. And Amnon saide: Haue out all men from me. And they went all out from him.
10 And Amnon saide vnto Thamar: Bring the meate into the chamber, that I may eate of thyne hand. And Thamar toke ye cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother:
11 And whe she had set them before him to eate, he toke her, and saide vnto her: Come, lye with me my sister.
12 And she aunswered him: Nay my brother, do not force me, for there hath no such thing ben done in Israel : Do not thou this folly.
13 And I, whyther shall I cause my shame to go? And thou shalt be as one of the fooles in Israel : Now therefore, I pray thee speake vnto the king, and he wyll not denie me vnto thee.
14 Howbeit, he would not hearken vnto her voyce: but being stronger then she, forced her, and lay with her.
15 And then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred wherewith he hated her, was greater then the loue with which he before loued her: And Amnon saide vnto her: Up, and get thee hence.
16 She aunswered him, There is no cause: This euill that thou puttest me away, is greater then the other that thou diddest vnto me. Neuerthelesse, he would not heare her:
17 But called his boye that serued him, and saide: Put away this woman from me, and bolt the doore after her.
18 And she had a garment of diuers colours vpon her: for with such wer the kinges daughters (that were virgins) appareled. Then his seruaunt brought her out, and locked the doore after her.
19 And Thamar toke and put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of diuers colours that was on her, & layed her hand on her head, and so went, and as she went, cryed.
20 And Absalom her brother saide vnto her: Hath Amnon thy brother ben with thee? Now yet be still my sister, he is thy brother, let not this thing greeue thyne heart. And so Thamar remayned desolate in her brother Absaloms house.
21 But when king Dauid heard of all these thinges, he was very wroth.
22 And Absalom sayde vnto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad: Howbeit, Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Thamar.
23 And after the tyme of two yeres, Absalom had sheepe shearers in the playne of Hazor beside Ephraim, & bade all the kinges sonnes.
24 And came to the king, and saide: Beholde, thy seruaunt hath sheepe shearers, I pray thee that the king with his seruauntes come to thy seruaunt.
25 The king aunswered Absalom: Nay my sonne, I pray thee let vs not go all, lest we be chargeable vnto thee. And Absalom laye sore vpon him: howbeit he would not go, but blessed him.
26 Then saide Absalom: but I pray thee shall not my brother Amnon go with vs? And the king aunswered him: what needeth it that he go with thee?
27 But Absalom made such instaunce, that he let Amnon & all the kinges children go with him.
28 Now had Absalom commaunded his young men, saying: Marke when Amnons heart is mery with wine, and when I bid you smyte Amnon: then kil him, and feare not: haue not I bidden you? be bolde therfore, & play the men.
29 And the seruauntes of Absalom dyd vnto Amnon euen as Absalom had commaunded: And al the kinges sonnes arose, and euery man gat him vp vpon his mule, and fled.
30 And whyle they were yet in the way, tydinges came to Dauid, saying: Absalom hath slaine all the kinges sonnes, and there is none left alyue.
31 Then the king arose, & tare his garmentes, and lay along on the earth: and all his seruauntes stoode by with their clothes rent.
32 And Ionadab the sonne of Simeach Dauids brother, aunswered, and sayde: Let not my lorde suppose that they haue slaine all the young men of the kings sonnes, but Amnon onely is dead: For that hath ben determined in Absaloms minde, since he forced his sister Thamar.
33 Now therefore, let not my lorde the king take the thing so greeuously, to thinke that all the kinges sonnes are dead, for Amnon onely is dead.
34 But Absalom fled: And ye young man that kept the watch, lyft vp his eyes & loked, and beholde there came much people by the way of the hill syde behinde him.
35 And Ionadab said vnto the king, Beholde, the kinges sonnes come: As thy seruaunt said, so it is.
36 And assoone as he had left speaking, beholde the kinges sonnes came, & lyft vp their voyces, and wept: The king also & all his seruauntes wept exceedingly sore.
37 But Absalom escaped, and went to Thalmai the sonne of Ammihur kyng of Gesur: And Dauid mourned for his sonne euery day.
38 And so Absalom escaped, and went to Gesur, and was there three yeres.
39 And king Dauid desired to go foorth vnto Absalom: For where as Amnon was dead, he was comforted ouer him.

CHAPTER 14

1 Ioab ye sonne of Zaruia perceaued that the kynges heart was toward Absalom:
2 And he sent to Thekoa, and fet thence a wyse woman, & sayde vnto her: I pray thee faine thy selfe to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparell, and annoynt not thy self with oyle, but be as a woman that had long tyme mourned for the dead:
3 And come to the king, and speake on this maner vnto hym (And so Ioab taught her what she should say.)
4 And when the woman of Thekoa spake with the king, she fell on her face to the grounde, and did obeysaunce, and sayde: Helpe, O king.
5 The king said vnto her: What ayleth thee? She aunswered: I am in deede a wydow, and myne husband is dead.
6 And thy hande mayde had two sonnes, and they two fought together in the fielde, where was no man to go betweene them, but the one smote the other, and slue him.
7 And beholde, the whole kindred is risen against thy handmayd, & they said: Delyuer hym that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the soule of his brother whom he slue, we will destroy the heyre also: And so they shall quenche my sparkle which is left, and shall not leaue to my husband neither name nor issue vpon the earth.
8 And the king sayde vnto the woman: Go home to thyne house, I wyll geue a charge for thee.
9 And the woman of Thekoa saide vnto the king: My lorde O king, this trespasse be on me and on my fathers house: and the king and his throne be giltlesse.
10 And the king saide: If any man say ought vnto thee, bring him to me, and he shall hurt thee no more.
11 Then saide she: I pray thee let the king remember the Lord thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer many reuengers of blood to destroy, lest they slay my sonne. And he aunswered: As the Lorde lyueth, there shal not one heere of thy sonne fall to the earth.
12 The woman sayde: Let thyne handmayde speake one worde vnto my lorde the king. And he sayde: Say on.
13 The woman sayd: Wherfore then hast thou thought suche a thing against the people of God? For the king doth speake this thing as one which is faultie, that he shoulde not fet home againe his banished.
14 For we must nedes dye, and are as wather spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered vp againe: Neither doth God spare any person, yet doth he appoynt meanes that his banished be not vtterly expelled from him.
15 Nowe therfore I am come to speake of this thing vnto the my lord the king, [because] they that be of ye people haue made me afrayd: And thy handmayde sayd, Now will I speake vnto the king, it may be that the king will perfourme the request of his handmayde.
16 And the king shall heare his handmayde, to deliuer her out of the hand of the man that woulde haue destroyed me, and also my sonne out of the inheritaunce of God.
17 And thyne handmayde sayde: The worde of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: For my lord the king is as an angel of God, in hearing of good & bad: Therfore the Lorde thy God be with thee.
18 Then the king aunswered, and sayde vnto the woman: Hyde not from me I pray thee ye thing that I shall aske thee. And the woman sayde: Let my lord the king nowe speake.
19 And the king sayd: Is not the hand of Ioab with thee in all this matter? The woman aunswered, and sayde: As thy soule liueth my lorde the king, I wil not turne to the right hande nor to the left from ought that my lorde the king hath spoke: for euen thy seruaunt Ioab bad me, and he put all these wordes in the mouth of thyne handmayde:
20 For to the intent that I shoulde chaunge the fourme of speach, hath thy seruaunt Ioab done this thing: And my lorde is wyse, according to the wisdome of an angel of God, to vnderstande all thinges that are in the earth.
21 And the king sayd vnto Ioab: Behold, I haue done this thing: Go & bring the young man Absalom againe.
22 And Ioab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed him selfe, and thanked the king: And Ioab sayd, Now thy seruaunt knoweth, that I haue founde grace in thy sight my lorde O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his seruaunt.
23 And so Ioab arose, and went to Gesur, and brought Absalom to Hierusalem.
24 And the king sayde: Let him turne to his owne house, & not see my face. And so Absalo returned to his owne house, and sawe not the kinges face.
25 But in al Israel there was none to be so muche praysed as Absalom for beautie: from ye sole of his foote to the toppe of his head, there was no blemishe in him.
26 And when he polled his head (for at euery yeres ende he polled it, because the heere was heauy on him therfore he polled it) he weighed the heere of his head at two hundreth sicles, after the kinges wayght.
27 And Absalom had three sonnes borne him, and one daughter named Thamar, whiche was a fayre woman to loke vpon.
28 So Absalom dwelt two yeres in Hierusalem, and sawe not the kinges face.
29 Therfore Absalom sent for Ioab to haue sent him to the king, but he would not come to him: And when he sent againe, he would not come.
30 Therfore he sayde vnto his seruauntes: Behold, Ioab hath a field by my place, & he hath barlye therin: Go, & set it on fyre. And Absaloms seruauntes set it on fire.
31 Then Ioab arose, and came to Absalom vnto his house, and sayd vnto him: Wherfore haue thy seruauntes burnt my fielde with fire?
32 And Absalo aunswered Ioab: Behold, I sent for thee, desiring thee to come, because I woulde haue sent thee to the king, for to say, Wherfore am I come from Gesur? It had ben better for me to haue ben there still: Nowe therfore would I see the kinges face: And if ther be any trespasse in me, let hym kil me.
33 And so Ioab came to the king, and tolde him: Which when he had sent for Absalom, he came to the king, and fel to the ground on his face before him, and the king kissed Absalom.

CHAPTER 15

1 After this, Absalo prepared him charettes & horses, and fiftie men to runne before him.
2 And Absalom rose vp early, and stoode in the place of the entring in of the gate: And euery man that had any matter and came to the king for iudgement, him did Absalom cal vnto him, and sayde: Of what citie art thou? He aunswered: Thy seruaunt is of one of the tribes of Israel .
3 And Absalom said vnto him: See, thy matters are good and righteous, but there is no man [deputed] of the king to heare thee.
4 Absalom sayde moreouer: Oh, that I were made iudge in the land, that euery man which hath any plea and matter in the lawe, might come to me, and that I might do him iustice.
5 And when any man came nye to him, and dyd him obeysaunce, he put foorth his hande, and toke him to him, and kissed him.
6 And on this maner dyd Absalom to al Israel that came to the king for iudgement: so Absalom stale the heartes of the men of Israel .
7 And after fourtie yeres, Absalom said vnto the king: I pray thee let me go to Hebron, & pay my vowe which I haue vowed vnto the Lorde:
8 For thy seruaunt vowed a vowe (when I was in Gesur in Siria) saying: If the Lorde shall bring me againe in deede to Hierusalem, I wil serue the Lorde.
9 And the king said vnto him: Go in peace. And so he arose, and went to Hebron .
10 But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel , saying: Assoone as ye heare the voyce of the trumpet blow, ye shall say, Absalom raigneth in Hebro.
11 And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Hierusalem, that were called: And they went with pure heartes, not knowing of any thing.
12 And Absalom sent for Ahithopel the Gilonite Dauids counseller, fro his citie Gilo, while he offered sacrifices, and there was wrought strong treason: For the people went and increased with Absalom.
13 And ther came a messenger to Dauid, and sayde: The heartes of the men of Israel are turned after Absalom.
14 And Dauid said vnto all his seruautes that were with him at Hierusalem: Up, that we may flee, for we shall not els escape from Absalom: Make speede to departe, lest he come sodenly & catche vs, and bring euyll vpon vs, and smyte the citie with the edge of the sworde.
15 And the kinges seruauntes sayd vnto him: Beholde, thy seruauntes are redy to do whatsoeuer my lord the king shall appoynt.
16 And the king departed, and al his housholde at his feete: And the king left ten concubines to kepe the house.
17 And the king went foorth and all the people at his feete, and taried in a place that was farre of.
18 And al his seruauntes went about him: and all the Cerethites, and all the Phelethites, and all the Gethites, euen sixe hundred men whiche were come after him from Geth, went before the king.
19 Then sayde the king to Ithai the Gethite: Wherfore commest thou with vs? Returne, and abyde with the king, for thou art a straunger, depart therfore to thy place.
20 Thou camest yesterday, and should I vnquiet thee to day to go with vs? I will go whyther I can: Therfore returne thou, & cary againe thy brethren: Mercy and trueth be with thee.
21 And Ithai aunswered the king, & said: As the Lord lyueth, and as my lord the king lyueth, in what place my lorde the king shalbe, whether in death or lyfe, euen there also will thy seruaunt be.
22 And Dauid said to Ithai: Come then, and go forward. And Ithai the Gethite went foorth, and all his men, and all the children that were with him.
23 And all the countrey wepte with a loude voyce, & all the people went ouer: The king also him selfe passed ouer the brooke Cedron, and all the people went ouer towarde the waye that leadeth to the wildernesse.
24 And lo Sadoc also and all the Leuites were with him, & bare the arke of the appoyntment of God, and they set downe the arke of God, and Abiathar went vp, vntill the people were all come ouer, out of the citie.
25 And the king sayde vnto Sadoc, Cary the arke of God againe into the citie: If I shall finde fauour in the eyes of the Lorde, he will bring me againe, & shewe me both it, and the tabernacle therof.
26 But if he thus say, I haue no lust vnto thee: beholde here am I, let hym do with me what semeth good in his eyes.
27 The king sayde also vnto Sadoc the priest: Art not thou a Sear? Returne into the citie in peace, and take your two sonnes with you, Ahimaaz thy sonne, and Ionathan the sonne of Abiathar.
28 Behold, I wil tary in the fieldes of the wildernesse, vntil there come some word from you to be tolde me.
29 Sadoc therfore and Abiathar caried the arke of God againe to Hierusalem, and they taried there.
30 And Dauid went vpon mount Oliuet , and wept as he went vp, and had his head couered, & went barefoote: And all the people that was with him, had euery man his head couered: & as they went vp, they wept.
31 And one tolde Dauid, saying: Ahithophel is one of them that haue conspired with Absalom. And Dauid sayde: O Lorde I pray thee, turne the counsell of Ahithophel into foolishnes.
32 When Dauid was come to the toppe of the mount, he worshipped God: and beholde, Husai the Arachite came against him, with his coate torne, and hauing earth vpon his head.
33 Unto whom Dauid sayde: If thou go with me, thou shalt be a burthen vnto me.
34 But if thou returne to the citie, and say vnto Absalom, I will be thy seruaunt O king: as I haue thus long ben thy fathers seruaunt, so am I nowe thy seruaunt, thou mayest for my sake destroy the counsel of Ahithophel.
35 And hast thou not there with thee Sadoc and Abiathar the priestes? therfore whatsoeuer thou shalt here out of the kings house, thou shalt shewe to Sadoc and Abiathar the priestes.
36 And behold, they haue there with them their two sonnes, Ahimaaz Sadocs sonne, and Ionathan Abiathars sonne: by them also shal ye sende me all that ye can heare.
37 And so Husai Dauids freende went to the citie, and Absalom entred into Hierusalem.

CHAPTER 16

1 And when Dauid was a litle past the toppe [of the hill] beholde, Ziba the seruaunt of Miphiboseth mette him with a coople of asses sadled, & vpon them two hundred loues of bread, & one hundred bunches of resinges, and an hundred of dried figges, & a bottel of wyne.
2 And the king sayde vnto Ziba: What meanest thou with these? And Ziba sayde: They be Asses for the kinges houshold to ryde on, and bread and fruit for the young men to eate, and wine, that such as be faynt in the wildernesse may drinke.
3 And the king sayde: Where is thy maisters sonne? Ziba aunswered vnto the king, Behold he tarieth still at Hierusalem: For he sayde, This day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdome of my father.
4 Then sayd the king to Ziba: Behold, thyne are all that pertayned vnto Miphiboseth. And Ziba sayde: I humbly beseche thee that I may finde grace in thy sight, my lorde O king.
5 And when king Dauid came to Bahurim, beholde, thence came out a man of the kinred of the house of Saul, named Semei the sonne of Gera , and he came out cursing.
6 And he cast stones at Dauid, and at all the seruauntes of Dauid: And all the people and al the men of warre were on his right hande, and on his left.
7 And thus sayd Semei when he cursed: Come foorth, come foorth thou bloodsheder, and thou man of Belial.
8 The Lord hath brought vpon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose steade thou hast raigned, and the Lorde hath deliuered the kingdome into the hande of Absalom thy sonne: And beholde, thou art come to thy mischiefe, because thou art a bloodsheder.
9 Then sayde Abisai the sonne of Zaruia vnto the king: Why doth this dead dogge curse my lord the king? let me go nowe, and take of the head of him.
10 And the king sayde: What haue I to do with you ye sonnes of Zaruia? for he curseth euen because the Lord hath bidden him curse Dauid: Who dare then say, Wherfore hast thou done so?
11 And Dauid sayde to Abisai, and to all his seruautes, Behold, my sonne which came of myne owne bowels, seketh my lyfe: How much more then may this sonne of Iemini do it? Suffre him to curse, for the Lorde hath bidden him.
12 It may be that the Lorde will loke on myne affliction, and do me good for his cursing this day.
13 And as Dauid and his men went by the way, Semei went along on the hilles syde ouer against him, & cursed as he went, and threwe stones at him, and cast duste.
14 And the king and all that were with him came weery, and refreshed them selues there.
15 And Absalom & al the people the men of Israel came to Hierusalem, and Ahithophel was with him.
16 And assoone as Husai the Arachite Dauids frend, was come vnto Absalo, Husai sayde vnto Absalom: God saue the king, God saue the king.
17 And Absalom sayde to Husai: Is this the kindnesse to thy frende? Why wentest thou not with him?
18 Husai aunswered vnto Absalom, Nay not so: But whom the Lorde and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, & with him wil I dwell.
19 And moreouer, vnto whom shal I do seruice? not to his sonne? And as I was seruaunt before thy father, so will I before thee.
20 Then spake Absalom to Ahithophel: Geue counsel what we shall do.
21 And Ahithophel said vnto Absalom: Get thee in vnto thy fathers cocubines whiche he hath left to kepe the house, and all Israel shal heare, that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hades of al that are with thee, be strong.
22 And so they spread Absalom a tent vpon the toppe of the house, and Absalom went in vnto his fathers concubines in the sight of all Israel .
23 And the counsel of Ahithophel whiche he counseled in those dayes, was as a man had asked counsel at the oracle of God: euen so was all the counsel of Ahithophel, both with Dauid and with Absalom.

CHAPTER 17

1 Ahithophel also said vnto Absalom: Let me choose out now twelue thousand men, and I wil vp and folowe after Dauid this night:
2 And I wil come vpo him whyle he is weery and weake handed, and will feare him: And all the people that are with him, shall flee, and so will I smite the king only,
3 And wil bring againe all the people vnto thee: and when al shall returne, the man whom thou sekest [beyng slayne] all the people shalbe in peace.
4 And the saying pleased Absalom wel and al the elders of Israel .
5 Then sayde Absalom: Cal nowe Husai the Arachite also, and let vs heare lykewyse what he sayth.
6 When Husai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake vnto him, saying: Ahithophel hath geuen such counsel: Shal we do after his saying, or no? tell thou.
7 Husai aunswered vnto Absalom: The counsel that Ahithophel hath geuen, is not good at this time.
8 For sayde Husai, thou knowest thy father & his men howe that they be strong men, and they be chased in their mindes, and are euen as a Beare robbed of her whelpes in the fielde: Thy father is a man also practised in warre, and wil not lodge with the people.
9 Behold he is hyd nowe in some caue, or in some other place: And though some of his men be ouerthrowen at the first brunt, yet they that heare it, will say: The people that foloweth Absalom, be put to the worse.
10 And he also that is valiaunt, whose heart is as ye heart of a Lio, shal shrink and faynt: For all Israel knoweth, that thy father is a mightie man, and they which be with him are stout men.
11 Therfore my counsell is, that al Israel be gathered vnto thee fro Dan to Beerseba, as the sande of the sea in numbre, and that thou go to battayle in thyne owne person.
12 For so shall we come vpon him in one place or other where we shal finde him, and we wil fal vpon him, euen as thicke as the deawe falleth on ye ground: And of al the men that are with him, we shal not leaue him one.
13 Moreouer, if he be gotten into a towne, then shall al the men of Israel bring ropes to that citie, and we will drawe it into the riuer, vntil ther be not one small stone founde there.
14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel sayde: The counsel of Husai the Arachite, is better then the counsell of Ahithophel. For it was euen the Lordes determination to destroy the good counsell of Ahithophel, that the Lorde might bring euyll vpon Absalom.
15 Then sayde Husai vnto Sadoc & Abiathar the priestes: Of this & that maner did Ahithophel and the elders of Israel counsel Absalom, and thus & thus haue I counsayled.
16 Nowe therfore send quickly, & shewe Dauid, saying: Tarie not this night in ye fieldes of the wildernesse, but get thee ouer, lest the king be deuoured, & all the people that are with him.
17 Now Ionathan and Ahimaaz abode by the well Rogel: (for they might not be seene to come into the citie) and a wench went and told them: And they went, and shewed king Dauid.
18 Neuerthelesse, a lad sawe them, and tolde it to Absalom: But they went both of them away quickly, & came to a mans house in Bahurim, which had a well in his yarde, into the whiche they went downe.
19 And the wyfe toke and spread a couerlet ouer the welles mouth, & spread ground corne theron: and the thing was not spied.
20 And when Absaloms seruauntes came to the wyfe to the house, they sayde: Where is Ahimaaz & Ionathan? The woman aunswered the: They be gone ouer the brooke of water. And whe they had sought them, and coulde not finde them, they returned to Hierusalem.
21 And assoone as they were departed, the other came out of the wel, and went and tolde king Dauid, and sayde vnto him: Up, and get you quickly ouer the water, for suche counsel hath Ahithophel geuen against you.
22 Then Dauid arose, and all the people that were with him, & they were come ouer Iordane by that it was day: so that there lacked not one of them: that was not come ouer Iordane.
23 And when Ahithophel sawe that his counsel was not folowed, he sadled his Asse, and arose and gate him home to his owne house, and to his owne citie, & put his housholde in order, and hanged him selfe, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
24 Then Dauid came to Mahanaim, And Absalom passed ouer Iordane, he and all the men of Israel with him.
25 And Absalom made Amasa captaine of the hoast in stede of Ioab: which Amasa, was a mans sonne named Iethra an Israelite, that went into Abigail the daughter of Nahas, sister to Zaruia Ioabs mother.
26 So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead .
27 And when Dauid was come to Mahanaim, Sobi the sonne of Nahas, out of Rabba of the children of Ammon, & Machir the sonne of Ammiel out of Lodeber, and Barzellai the Gileadite out of Rogelim,
28 Brought beddes, basens, earthen vessels, wheat and barly, floure & parched corne, beanes, lentiles, & parched pulse,
29 Hony, butter, sheepe, & cheese of kyne, for Dauid and for the people that were with him, to eate: For they sayde, The people is hungry, weery, and thirstie, in the wildernesse.

CHAPTER 18

1 And Dauid numbred the people that were with him, and set captaynes of thousandes and of hundredes ouer them.
2 And Dauid set foorth the third part of the people vnder the hande of Ioab, and the third part vnder the hand of Abisai the sonne of Zaruia Ioabs brother, and the other third part vnder the hand of Ithai the Gethite: And the king said vnto the people, I will go with you my selfe also.
3 And the people aunswered, Thou shalt not go foorth: for if we flee away, they wil not care for vs, neither shal they regard vs, though halfe of vs were slaine: but thou art nowe worth ten thousande of vs, Wherfore it is better that thou succour vs out of the citie.
4 And the king sayde vnto them: What seemeth you best, that wil I do. And the king stoode by the gate syde, and all the people came out by hundredes, and by thousandes.
5 And the king commaunded Ioab, and Abisai, and Ithai, saying: Intreate the young man Absalom gently for my sake. And all the people hearde that the king gaue all the captaynes charge concerning Absalom.
6 And so the people wet out into the fielde against Israel (and the battel was in the wood of Ephraim)
7 Where the people of Israel were slaine before the seruauntes of Dauid: & there was a great slaughter that day, euen of twentie thousande men.
8 For the battell was scattered ouer al the countrey: And the wood deuoured mo people that day, then dyd the sword.
9 And Absalom mette the seruauntes of Dauid ryding vpon a mule, whiche caried him vnder the thycke bowes of a great oke, and his head was caught of the oke, and he was lift vp betweene the heauen and the earth: and the mule that was vnder him, went away.
10 And one that sawe it, tolde Ioab, saying: Beholde, I sawe Absalom hange in an oke.
11 And Ioab sayd vnto the man that told him: If thou diddest see him, why diddest not thou there smite him to the ground, and I would haue geuen thee ten sicles of siluer, and a gyrdle?
12 The man sayd vnto Ioab: Though I should receaue a thousande sicles of siluer in myne hande, yet woulde I not stretche out myne hand against ye kinges sonne: For we heard with our eares when the king charged thee, & Abisai, and Ithai, saying: Beware that none touche the young man Absalom.
13 Moreouer, if I had done it, I shoulde haue done against mine owne lyfe: for there is no matter hyd from the king, yea & thou thy selfe wouldest haue ben against me.
14 Then sayde Ioab, I may not stand thus tarying with thee: And he toke three dartes in his hande, & thrust them through Absalom whyle he was yet alyue in the middes of the oke.
15 And ten seruauntes that bare Ioabs weapons, turned and smote Absalom, and slue him.
16 And Ioab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from folowing Israel : for Ioab held backe the people.
17 And they toke Absalom, and cast him into a great pyt in the wood, and layed a mightie great heape of stones vpon him: And all Israel fled euery one to their tentes.
18 And this Absalom yet in his lyfe time toke and reared vp a piller, whiche is in the kinges dale: For he sayd, I haue no sonne to kepe my name in remembraunce, and he called the piller after his owne name, and it is called vnto this day Absaloms place.
19 Then sayd Ahimaaz the sonne of Sadoc: Let me runne nowe and beare the king tydinges, how that the Lord hath iudged him quyte of the hande of his enemies.
20 And Ioab sayd vnto him: Thou art no man to beare tidinges to day, thou shalt beare tydinges another time: but to day thou shalt beare none, because the kinges sonne is dead.
21 Then sayd Ioab to Chusi: Go and tell the kyng what thou hast seene. And Chusi bowed him selfe vnto Ioab, and ranne.
22 Then sayd Ahimaaz the sonne of Sadoc againe to Ioab: What I pray thee, if I also runne after Chusi? And Ioab sayde: Wherfore wilt thou runne my sonne, seyng that thou hast no tydinges to bring?
23 Yet what if I runne? He said vnto him: Runne. Then Ahimaaz ranne by the way of the playne, & came before Chusi.
24 And Dauid sate betweene the two gates: And the watchman went vp to the roofe ouer the gate vnto the wal, and lift vp his eyes and sawe, & beholde there came a man runnyng alone.
25 And the watchman cryed, & tolde the king. And the king sayd: If he be alone, there is tydinges in his mouth. And he came a pace, and drewe neare.
26 And the watchman sawe another man running, and the watchman called vnto the porter, and sayd: Behold, there commeth another man running alone. And the king sayd: He is also a tydinges bringer.
27 And the watchman sayde: Me thinketh the running of the formost, is lyke the running of Ahimaaz the sonne of Sadoc. The king sayde: He is a good man, and commeth with good tidinges.
28 And Ahimaaz called & said vnto ye king, peace be with thee: And he fell downe to the earth vpo his face before the king, and sayd: Blessed be the Lord thy God, which hath shut vp the me that lift vp their handes against my lorde the king.
29 And the king sayd: Is the young man Absalom safe? Ahimaaz aunswered: When Ioab sent the kinges seruaunt, and me thy seruaunt, I sawe a great tumult, but I wote not what it was.
30 And the king sayde vnto him: Turne aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stoode styll.
31 And behold, Chusi came also, and sayd: Tydinges my lorde the king, for the Lord hath deliuered thee this day out of the hande of al them that rose against thee.
32 And the king sayde vnto Chusi: Is the young man Absalom safe? Chusi aunswered: The enemies of my lorde the king, and all that ryse against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.
33 And the king was moued, and went vp to the chamber ouer the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he sayde, O my sonne Absalom, my sonne, my sonne Absalom: woulde God I had died for thee, O Absalom my sonne, my sonne.

CHAPTER 19

1 And it was told Ioab, beholde the king weepeth, & mourneth for Absalom.
2 And the victorie of that day was turned into mourning vnto al the people: for the people heard say that day howe ye king sorowed for his sonne.
3 And the people went that day into the citie by stealth, as people confounded to conuey themselues when they flee in battell.
4 But the king hyd his face, and cryed with a loude voyce: O my sonne Absalom, O Absalom my sonne, my sonne.
5 And Ioab came into the house to the king, and sayd: Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy seruautes, which this day haue saued thy life, & the liues of thy sonnes, and of thy daughters, & the liues of thy wyues, and of thy concubines,
6 In that thou louest thyne enemies, and hatest thy frendes: For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither thy princes nor seruauntes: And this day I do perceaue, that if Absalom had lyued, and all we had died this day, that had pleased thee well.
7 Nowe therfore vp, and come out, and speake cofortably vnto thy seruauntes: For I sweare by the Lorde, except thou come out, there will not tary one man with thee this night, and that wilbe worse vnto thee, then all the euyll that fell on thee from thy youth vnto this houre.
8 Then the king arose, and sate in the gate: And they tolde vnto all the people, saying, beholde the king doth sit in the gate, and all the people came before the king: For Israel had fled, euery man to his tent.
9 And al ye people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying: The king saued vs out of the hand of our enemies, & he deliuered vs out of the hande of the Philistines, and nowe he is fled out of the lande for Absalom:
10 But Absalom whom we annoynted ouer vs, is dead in battell: Therefore, why are ye so still, that ye bring not the king agayne?
11 And king Dauid sent to Sadoc & Abiathar the priestes, saying: Speake vnto the elders of Iuda, and say: Why are ye behinde to bring the king againe to his house (seyng that such tydinges is come from all Israel vnto the king, euen to his house?)
12 Ye are my brethren, my bones, and my fleshe: Wherfore then are ye the last that bryng the king againe?
13 And say ye to Amasa: Art thou not of my bone and of my fleshe? God do so to me and more also, if thou be not captayne of the hoast to me for euer in the roome of Ioab.
14 And he bowed the heartes of all the men of Iuda, euen as the heart of one man, so that they sent [this word] to the king: Returne thou with all thy seruauntes.
15 So the king returned, and came to Iordane: And Iuda came to Gilgal for to go to meete the king, and to conuey him ouer Iordane.
16 And Simei the sonne of Gera the sonne of Iemini, whiche was of Bahurim, hasted and came downe with the men of Iuda to meete king Dauid.
17 And there were a thousand men of Beniamin with him, and Ziba the seruaunt of the house of Saul and his fyfteene sonnes and twentie seruauntes with him, and they went ouer Iordane before the king.
18 And there went ouer a boate to carie ouer the kinges housholde, and to do him pleasure: And Simei the sonne of Gera fel before the king as he was come ouer Iordane,
19 And sayde vnto the king: Let not my lorde impute wickednes vnto me, nor remembre the thinges that thy seruaunt dyd wickedly when my lord the king departed out of Hierusale, that the king should take it to his heart.
20 For thy seruaunt doth knowe howe that I haue done amisse: And therfore behold, I am the first this day of all the house of Ioseph, that am come downe to meete my lorde the king.
21 But Abisai the sonne of Zaruia aunswered, and sayd: Shall not Simei dye for this, because he cursed the Lordes annoynted?
22 And Dauid sayde: What haue I to do with you ye sonnes of Zaruia? For this day ye be aduersaries vnto me: Shall there any man dye this day in Israel ? Do not I knowe that I am this day kyng ouer Israel ?
23 And therfore the kyng sayde vnto Simei, Thou shalt not dye: and the kyng sware vnto hym.
24 And Miphiboseth the sonne of Saul came downe to meete the kyng, and had neither washed his feete, nor dressed his bearde, nor washed his clothes, from the tyme the kyng departed, vntyll he came againe in peace.
25 And when he was come to Hierusalem and met the king, the king sayde vnto him: Wherfore wentest not thou with me Miphiboseth?
26 He aunswered: My lorde O king, my seruaunt deceaued me: For thy seruaunt saide, I would haue myne asse sadled to ryde thereon, for to go to the king: because thy seruaunt is lame.
27 And he hath accused thy seruaunt vnto my lorde the king, and my lorde the king is as an angell of God: do therfore what seemeth good in thine eyes.
28 For all my fathers house were but dead men before my lorde the king, and yet diddest thou put thy seruaunt among the that dyd eate at thyne owne table: What right therefore haue I yet to crye any more vnto the king?
29 And the king said vnto him: Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I haue saide, Thou and Ziba deuide the landes betweene you.
30 And Miphiboseth sayd vnto the king: yea, let him take all forsomuch as my lord ye king is come againe in peace vnto his owne house.
31 And Barzellai ye Gileadite came downe from Roglim, and went ouer Iordane with the king, to conduct him ouer Iordane.
32 Barzellai was a very aged man, euen foure score yeres olde, and prouided the king of sustenaunce while he laye at Mahanaim: for he was a man of very great substaunce.
33 And the king said vnto Barzellai, come ouer with me, & I will feede thee with me in Hierusalem.
34 And Barzellai saide vnto the king: How long haue I to liue, that I shuld go vp with the king vnto Hierusalem?
35 I am this day foure score yeres olde: & can I deserue betweene good or euyll? Hath thy seruaunt any taste in that he eateth or drinketh? Can he heare any more the voyce of syngyng men and women? wherfore the should thy seruaunt be yet a burthen vnto my lord the king?
36 Thy seruaunt will go a litle way ouer Iordane with the king: & why wyl the king recompence it me with such a rewarde?
37 O let thy seruaunt turne backe agayne, that I may dye in myne owne citie, and [be buryed] in the graue of my father & of my mother: Beholde, here is thy seruaunt Chimham, let him go with my lorde the king, and do to him what shall please thee.
38 And the king aunswered: Chimham shall go with me, and I will do to him that thou shalt be content with: And what soeuer thou shalt require of me, that same will I do for thee.
39 And al the people went ouer Iordane: and whe the king was come ouer Iordane, he kissed Barzellai, & blessed him, & he went backe againe vnto his owne place.
40 And then the king went to Gilgal, & Chimham went with him: And al the people of Iuda, conducted the king, and also halfe the people of Israel .
41 And beholde, all the men of Israel came to the king, & saide vnto the king: Why haue our brethren the men of Iuda stolen thee away, and haue brought the king and his housholde and all Dauids men with him ouer Iordane?
42 And all the men of Iuda aunswered the men of Israel , Because the king is neare of kinne to vs: Wherefore be ye angry for this matter? Haue we eaten of the kinges cost? or haue we taken any brybes?
43 And the men of Israel aunswered the men of Iuda, and saide: We haue ten partes in the king, and haue thereto more ryght to Dauid then ye: Why then did ye despise vs, that our aduise should not be first had, in restoring our king? And the wordes of the men of Iuda were fiercer the the wordes of the men of Israel .

CHAPTER 20

1 When there came thither a certaine man of Belial, named Seba, the sonne of Bichri, a man of Iemini, he blew a trumpet, and said: we haue no part in Dauid, neither haue we inheritaunce in the sonne of Isai: euery man to his tentes, O Israel.
2 And so euery man of Israel went fro Dauid, and folowed Seba the sonne of Bichri: But the men of Iuda claue fast vnto their king from Iordane to Hierusalem.
3 And Dauid came to his house to Hierusalem, and the king toke the ten women his concubines, that he had left behind him to kepe ye house, & put them in warde, & fed them, but lay no more with them: And so they were inclosed vnto the day of their death, lyuing in wydowhood.
4 Then saide the king to Amasa: Call me the men of Iuda together within three dayes, and be thou here also.
5 And so Amasa went to gather ye men of Iuda together, but taryed longer the the time which he had appoynted him.
6 And Dauid saide to Abisai: Now shal Seba the sonne of Bichri do vs more harme then did Absalom: Take thou therefore thy lordes seruauntes, and folowe after him, lest he get him walled cities, and escape vs.
7 And there went out after him Ioabs men, and the Cerethites, and the Phelethites, and all the mightyest men: And they departed out of Hierusalem, to folow after Seba the sonne of Bichri.
8 And when they were at ye great stone in Gibeon , Amasa went before them: And Ioabs garment that he had about him, was girde vnto him, & he had gyrded thereon a sword, which was ioyned fast to his loynes in a sheath, that as he went it fell sometime out.
9 And Ioab saide to Amasa: Art thou in health my brother? And Ioab toke Amasa by ye beard with the right hand, to kisse him.
10 But Amasa toke no heede to the sword that was in Ioabs hand: for therewith he smote him in the fyst [rybbe] & shed out his bowels to the grounde, and thrust at him no more, & he dyed: So Ioab and Abisai his brother folowed after Seba the sonne of Bichri.
11 And one of Ioabs men stoode by him, and saide: He that beareth any fauour to Ioab, or good will to Dauid, let him go after Ioab.
12 And Amasa wallowed in blood in the middes of the way: And when the man sawe that all the people stoode still, he remoued Amasa out of the way into the fielde, and cast a cloth vpon him, because he saw that euery one that came by him stoode still.
13 And assoone as he was remoued out of the way, al the people went after Ioab, to folow after Seba the sonne of Bichri.
14 And he went thorow all the tribes of Israel , vnto Abel, and to Bethmaacha, and all the places of Berim: And they gathered together, and went after him.
15 And they came and besieged him in Abel, neare to Bethmaacha: And they cast vp a bancke against the citie, and the people therof stoode on the ramper, and all the people that was with Ioab, thrust at the wall to ouerthrowe it.
16 Then cryed a wyse woman out of the citie, heare, heare, I pray you say vnto Ioab: Come hither that I may speake with thee.
17 When Ioab was come vnto her, the woman saide: Art thou Ioab? He aunswered: I am he. She saide vnto him: Heare the wordes of thyne handmayd. And he aunswered: I do heare.
18 Then she spake thus: They spake in the olde tyme, saying, They should aske of Abel: And so haue they continued.
19 I am one of them that are peaceable & faithfull in Israel , and thou goest about to destroy a citie, and a mother in Israel : Why wilt thou deuour the inheritaunce of the Lorde?
20 And Ioab aunswered, and sayd: God forbyd, God forbid it me that I should either deuour, or destroy.
21 The matter is not so: But a man of mount Ephraim (Seba the sonne of Bichri by name) hath lyft vp his hand against the king, euen against Dauid: Delyuer vs him onely, & I wyll depart from the citie. And the woman said vnto Ioab: Behold, his head shalbe throwen to thee ouer the wall.
22 And then the woman went vnto all the people with her wisedome, and they smote of the head of Seba ye sonne of Bichri, and cast it out to Ioab: And he blew a trumpet, & they retyred from the citie, euery man to his tent: And Ioab returned to Hierusalem, vnto the king.
23 Ioab was ouer all the hoast of Israel , and Banaia the sonne of Iehoida was ouer the Cerethites & Phelethites.
24 And Aduram was ouer the tribute, and Iehosaphat the sonne of Ahilud, was recorder.
25 Seua was scribe, and Sadoc and Abiathar were the priestes.
26 And Ira the Iairite was chiefe about Dauid.

CHAPTER 21

1 Then there was an hunger in the dayes of Dauid three yeres together: And Dauid enquired of ye Lorde. And the Lorde aunswered: It is for Saul, and the house of blood, because he slue the Gibeonites.
2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and saide vnto them: (Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel , but a remnaunt of the Amorites, and the children of Israel sware vnto them: And Saul sought to slay them, for a zeale that he had to the children of Israel and of Iuda.)
3 Wherefore Dauid saide vnto the Gibeonites: What shall I do for you, & wherewith shall I make the attonement, that ye may blesse ye inheritaunce of the Lorde?
4 The Gibeonites aunswered him: We will haue no siluer nor golde of Saul nor of his house, neither is it our mind that thou shouldest kil any man in Israel . He saide: What you shall say, that will I do for you.
5 They aunswered the king: The man that consumed vs, and imagined to bring vs to naught, that we are destroyed from remaining in any of the coastes of Israel:
6 Let seuen men of his sonnes be deliuered vnto vs, & we will hang them vp vnto the Lorde in Gibeah of Saul whom ye Lord did choose. And the king saide: I will geue them you.
7 But the king had compassion on Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathan the sonne of Saul, because of the Lordes oth that was betweene them, euen betweene Dauid & Ionathan the sonne of Saul.
8 But the king toke the two sonnes of Rispha the daughter of Aia whom she bare vnto Saul, euen Armoni and Miphiboseth, and the fiue sonnes of Michol the daughter of Saul, whom she bare to Adriel the sonne of Barzellai the Meholathite.
9 And he deliuered them vnto ye handes of the Gibeonites, which hanged them in the hill before the Lorde: And they fell all seuen together, and were slaine in the dayes of haruest, euen in the first dayes, and in the beginning of barlye haruest.
10 And Rispha the daughter of Aia, toke sackcloth, & hanged it vp for her vpon the rocke [euen] from the beginning of haruest, vntill water dropped vpon them out of heauen, & suffered neither the byrdes of the ayre to lyght on them by day, nor beastes of ye fielde by night.
11 And it was tolde Dauid what Rispha the daughter of Aia the concubine of Saul, had done.
12 And Dauid went and toke the bones of Saul and of Ionathan his sonne, from the citezins of Iabes in Gilead, which had stolen them from the streate of Bethsan where the Philistines had hanged them, whe the Philistines had slaine Saul in Gilboa:
13 And he brought thence the bones of Saul, and the bones of Ionathan his sonne, and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.
14 And the bones of Saul & Ionathan his sonne buryed they in the countrey of Beniamin, in Zela, in the sepulchre of Cis his father: And when they had perfourmed al that the king commaunded, God was then at one with the land.
15 Moreouer, yt Philistines had yet warre againe with Israel , and Dauid went downe and his seruauntes with him, & fought against the Philistines: And Dauid waxed faintie.
16 And Iesbi benob one of the sonnes of the giauntes (the iron of whose speare wayed three hundred sicles of brasse) and he being gyrded with a new sword, thought to haue slaine Dauid.
17 But Abisai the sonne of Zaruia succoured him, & smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the seruauntes of Dauid sware vnto him, saying: Thou shalt go no more out with vs to battaile, that thou quenche not the light of Israel .
18 And yet after this, there was a battaile with the Philistines at Gob, and then Sibbechai the Husathite slue Saph which was one of ye sonnes of the giauntes.
19 And there was another battaile in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the sonne of Iaere Oregim a Beth lehennite slue Goliath ye Gethite: the staffe of whose speare was as great as a weauers clothbeame.
20 And there was yet another battaile in Geth, wher was a man of a great stature, and had on euery hand sixe fingers, & on euery foote sixe toes, foure & twentie in number, and was borne also of the kindred of the giauntes in Geth.
21 And when he defyed Israel , Ionathan the sonne of Simea the brother of Dauid slue him.
22 These foure were borne to the giaunt in Geth, and dyed by the hand of Dauid, & by the handes of his seruauntes.

CHAPTER 22

1 And Dauid spake the wordes of this song vnto the Lorde, what time the Lorde had delyuered him out of the hand of al his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul.
2 And he saide: The Lorde is my rocke, and my castell, and my delyuerer.
3 God is my strength, in him will I trust: he is my shielde, and the horne of my saluation, my hie towre, and my refuge, my sauiour, thou hast saued me from wrong.
4 I will call on the Lorde which is prayse worthy: and so shall I be saued from myne enemies.
5 For the panges of death closed me about: the fludes of Belial put me in feare.
6 The sorowes of hell compassed me about, the snares of death ouertoke me.
7 In my tribulation did I call vppon the Lorde, and crye to my God: and he dyd heare my voyce out of his temple, and my crye [did enter] into his eares.
8 The earth trembled and quaked: the foundations of heauen moued & shooke when he was angry.
9 Smoke went out at his nosthryls, & consuming fyre out of his mouth: coles were kindled thereat.
10 And he bowed heauen & came downe: and there was darkenesse vnder his feete.
11 And he rode vpon Cherub and did flee: he was seene vppon the winges of the winde.
12 He made darknes a tabernacle rounde about him: with waters gathered together in thicke cloudes.
13 Through the brightnes of his presence were the coles of fyre kindled.
14 The Lorde thundred from heauen: & he that is most hie, put out his voyce.
15 He shot arrowes, and scattered them: [to wit] lyghtning, & ouerthrew them.
16 The chanels of the sea appeared: and the foundatios of the world were seene, by the reason of ye rebuking of the Lord, and through the blasting of the breath of his nosthryls.
17 He sent from aboue and toke me: he drew me out of many waters.
18 He deliuered me from my mightie enemie, and from them that hated me: for they were to strong for me.
19 When they had preuented me in the daye of my calamitie: the Lorde stayed me vp.
20 For he brought me out into roomth: he deliuered me, because he had a fauour vnto me.
21 The Lorde rewarded me according to my righteousnesse: accordyng to the purenes of my hands he recompensed me.
22 For I haue kept the wayes of ye Lord: and did not wickedly agaynst my God.
23 For all his lawes were in my sight: & his statutes, I did not depart therefro.
24 In his sight also haue I ben vpright: and haue kept me from myne owne iniquitie.
25 And the Lorde did to me againe according to my righteousnesse: euen after my purenes in his eye sight.
26 With the godly thou shalt be godlie: and with the man that is vpright, thou shalt be vpright.
27 With the pure thou shalt be pure: and with the froward thou wilt shewe thy selfe froward.
28 And the poore people thou wilt saue: but thyne eyes are vpon the proude, to bring them downe.
29 For thou art my lyght, O Lorde: and the Lorde shall light my darkenesse.
30 For by thee I shall breake through an hoast of men: and by my God wyll I spring ouer a wall.
31 God is vncorrupt in his way, the word of the Lord is tryed in the fyre: he is a shielde to all them that trust in him.
32 For who is a God saue the Lord? and who is mightie saue our God?
33 God strengthneth me in battaile: & ryddeth the way cleare before me.
34 He maketh my feete lyke hyndes feete: and setteth me vpon my hie places.
35 He teacheth my handes to fight: that euen a bowe of steele is broken with myne armes.
36 Thou hast geuen me the shielde of thy saluation: and with thy louing mekenesse thou doest multiplie me.
37 Thou hast enlarged my steps vnder me: and my legges shall not faile me.
38 I haue folowed vpon myne enemies, and destroyed them: and turned not againe, vntill I had consumed them.
39 I haue wasted them, and wounded them, that they shal not be able to aryse: yea, they shall fall vnder my feete.
40 Thou hast gyrded me about with might to battayle: and them that rose against me, hast thou subdued vnder me.
41 And thou hast geuen me the neckes of myne enemies: that I might destroye them that hate me.
42 They loked about, but there was none to saue them: [euen] vnto the Lorde, but he heard them not.
43 Then did I beate them as small as the dust of the earth: I did stampe them as the clay of the streate, and did spreade them abrode.
44 Thou also hast deliuered me from the discention of my people, thou hast kept me to be an head ouer nations: the people which I knew not, do serue me.
45 Straunge childre dissemble with me: at the hearing of the eare, they obey me.
46 Straunge children wil shrinke away: and they shall be smytten with feare in their priuie chamber.
47 Let the Lord lyue, and blessed be my strength: magnified be God [euen] the force of my saluation.
48 It is God that geueth me [power] to reuenge me: & bringeth downe the people vnder me.
49 He deliuereth me from myne enemies, thou also hast lyft me on hie from them that rose against me: thou hast delyuered me from the wicked man.
50 And therefore I wyll prayse thee O Lorde among the nations: and wyll sing vnto thy name.
51 He is the towre of saluation for his king, and dealeth mercyfully with his annoynted: euen with Dauid, and with his seede for euermore.

CHAPTER 23

1 These also be the last wordes of Dauid: Dauid the sonne of Isai said: and ye man which was ordayned the annoynted of the God of Iacob and the sweete Psalmist of Israel, sayde:
2 The spirite of the Lorde spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spake to me, euen the most mightie of Israel sayde: A ruler ouer men being iust, ruling in ye feare of God:
4 And as the morning lyght when the sunne is vp, a morning in which are no cloudes, [so shal my house be, but not] as the grasse of the earth is by bryghtnesse and rayne.
5 For so shal not my house be with God: For he hath made with me an euerlasting couenaunt, perfect and sure in all poyntes: and this is truly all my health, and all my desyre, that it growe, but not as grasse .
6 But the vngodly man, shall be as a thorne cleane pluckt vp, which can not be taken with handes:
7 But the man that shall touche them, must be defenced with iron, or with the shaft of a speare, and they shalbe burnt with fire in the same place.
8 These be the names of the mightie men whom Dauid had: One that sate in the seate of wisedome, being chiefest among the princes, was Adino of Ezni, he slue eyght hundred at one tyme.
9 After him was Eliazar the sonne of Dodo the sonne of Ahohi, one of the three worthies with Dauid, which defyed the Philistines that were there gathered together to battaile, when the men of Israel were gone vp.
10 He arose and layed on the Philistines, vntill his hand was weery, and claue vnto the sword: And the Lorde gaue great victory the same day, and the people returned after him, only to spoyle.
11 After him was Samma the sonne of Age the Hararite: & the Philistines gathered together besyde a towne, where was a parcell of land full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines:
12 But he stoode in ye middest of the groud, and defended it, & slue the Philistines: and the Lorde gaue great victorie.
13 These three (which were of the thirtie chiefe captaines) went downe to Dauid in the haruest tyme vnto the caue Adullam: and the hoast of the Philistines pytched in the valley of giauntes.
14 And Dauid was then in an houlde, and the souldiers of ye Philistines were in Bethlehem .
15 And Dauid longed, & saide: Oh that I had of the water that is in the wel by the gate of Bethlehem for to drynke.
16 And the three mightie brake through the hoast of the Philistines, & drue water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and toke and brought it to Dauid: Neuerthelesse he would not drinke thereof, but powred it vnto the Lorde,
17 And saide, The Lorde forbyd that I should do so: Is not this the blood of the men that went in ieoperdie of theyr lyues? & therefore he would not drinke it. And these thinges did these three mightie men.
18 Abisai the brother of Ioab the sonne of Zaruia, was chiefe among the three, & he lyft vp his speare against three hundred, and slue them, & had the name among the three:
19 For he was most excellent of the three, and was their captayne: Howbeit he attayned not vnto [the first] three.
20 And Banaiah the sonne of Iehoida the sonne of a mightie man, valiaunt in actes, of Rabzeel, slue two strog men of Moab : He went downe also, and slue a lion in the middest of a pit in time of snowe.
21 And he slue an Egyptian a goodly bigge man, and the Egyptian had a speare in his hand: But he went downe to him with a staffe, and plucked the speare out of the Egyptians hand, and slue him with his owne speare.
22 These thinges did Banaiah ye sonne of Iehoida, and had the name among the three worthies.
23 He was honorable among thirtie, but he attayned not to [the first] three: And Dauid made him of his counsel.
24 Asahel the brother of Ioab, was one of the thirtie: Elhanan the sonne of Dodo, of Bethlehem:
25 Samma the Harodite, Elica the Harodite,
26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the sonne of Acces the Thecoite:
27 Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai ye Husathite:
28 Zelmon an Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite:
29 Heleb the sonne of Baanah an Netophatite, Ithai the sonne of Ribai out of Gibea of the children of Beniamin:
30 Banaiah the Pirathonite, Heddai of the ryuer of Gaas:
31 Abialbon the Arbathite, Asmaueth the Barhumite:
32 Eliahba a Saalbonite: of the sonnes of Iasen, Ionathan:
33 Samma the Hararite, Ahiam ye sonne of Sarar an Hararite:
34 Eliphelet ye sonne of Aasbai the sonne of Maachathi, Eliam the sonne of Ahithophel the Gilonite:
35 Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite.
36 Igal the sonne of Nathan of Zoba, Bani the Gadite:
37 Zelec the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, which was the harnesse bearer of Ioab the sonne of Zaruia:
38 Ira the Iethrite, Gareb ye Iethrite:
39 Aria the Hethite: thirtie and seuen in all.

CHAPTER 24

1 And agayne the Lorde was wroth against Israel , and he moued Dauid agaynst them, in that he sayde: Go number Israel & Iuda.
2 For the king sayde to Ioab the captaine of the hoast which was with him: Go thou abrode now throughout al the tribes of Israel , euen from Dan to Beerseba, and number ye the people, that I may knowe the number of them.
3 And Ioab saide vnto the king: The Lorde thy God encrease the people an hundreth folde mo then they be, & that the eyes of my lorde the king may see it: And what is the cause that my lorde the king hath a lust to this thyng?
4 Notwithstanding, the kinges word preuayled agaynst Ioab & against the captaines of the hoast: And Ioab & the captaynes of the hoast, went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel .
5 And they passed ouer Iordane, & pitched in Aroer on the right syde of the citie that lyeth in the myddest of the valey of Gad, and toward Iazer.
6 And then they came to Gilead, and to the land Tahtim hodshi, & from thece they came to Dan Iaan, and about to Sidon .
7 And came to the strong hould of Tyre , and to all the cities of the Heuites and of the Chanaanites: & then went out to the south of Iuda, euen to Beerseba.
8 And so when they had ben abrode throughout all the land, they returned to Hierusalem, after the end of nine monethes and twentie dayes.
9 And Ioab deliuered the number and summe of the people vnto the king, and there were in Israel eyght hundred thousand men of might that drewe swordes: and the men of Iuda were fiue hundred thousand men.
10 And Dauids heart smote him, after that he had numbred the people: And Dauid saide vnto the Lord, I haue sinned exceedingly in that I haue done: And nowe I beseche thee Lord take away the trespasse of thy seruaunt, for I haue done very foolishly.
11 And when Dauid was vp in the morning, the word of the Lorde came vnto the prophet Gad Dauids sear, saying:
12 Go and say vnto Dauid, thus sayth the Lorde: I offer thee three thynges, choose thee which of them I shall do vnto thee.
13 So Gad came to Dauid, and shewed him, and said vnto him: Wylt thou haue seuen yeres hunger to come vpon thy land: or wilt thou flee three monethes before thyne enemies, they folowyng thee: or that there be three dayes pestilence in thy land? Now therefore aduise thee, and see what aunswere I shall geue to him that sent me.
14 And Dauid saide vnto Gad, I am in a wonderfull strayte: Let vs fall now into the hand of the Lorde (for much is his mercy) and let me not fall into the hand of man.
15 And so the Lorde sent a pestilence in Israel , from the morning vnto the time appoynted: And there dyed of the people from Dan to Beerseba seuentie thousand men.
16 And when the angel stretched out his hand vpon Hierusalem to destroy it, the Lorde repented him of the euill, & saide to the angel that destroyed the people: It is now sufficient, holde thyne hand. And the angell of the Lord was by the threshing place of Areuna the Iebusite.
17 And Dauid spake vnto the Lorde, when he saw the angell that smote the people, and saide: Lo, it is I that haue sinned, and that haue done wickedlie: But these sheepe, what haue they done? Let thyne hand I pray thee be against me, and against my fathers house.
18 And Gad came the same day to Dauid, and said vnto him: Go vp and reare an aulter vnto the Lorde in the threshing floore of Areuna the Iebusite.
19 And Dauid according to the saying of Gad, went vp as the Lorde commaunded.
20 And Areuna loked, and sawe the king and his seruauntes comming toward him: and Areuna went out, and bowed him selfe before the king on his face vpon the ground.
21 And Areuna sayde: Wherefore is my lord the king come to his seruaunt? Dauid aunswered: To bye the threshing floore of thee, and to make an aulter vnto the Lord, that the plague may ceasse from the people.
22 And Areuna saide vnto Dauid: Let my lorde the king take and offer what seemeth him good in his eyes: Beholde, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and charets, and the other instrumentes of the oxen for wood.
23 All these thinges did Areuna as a king geue vnto the king, & said moreouer vnto the king: The Lorde thy God accept thee.
24 And the king saide vnto Areuna: Not so, but I will bye it of thee at a price, and wil not offer sacrifice vnto the Lord my God of the which doth cost me nothing. And so Dauid bought the thresshing floore and the oxen for fiftie sicles of siluer.
25 And Dauid buylt there an aulter vnto the Lorde, and offered burnt sacrifices, and peace offeringes: And so the Lorde was intreated for the land, and the plague ceassed from Israel .