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but Y biseche, that Y thi seruaunt turne ayen, and die in my citee, and be biried bisidis the sepulcre of my fadir and of my modir; forsothe Chamaam is thi seruaunt, my lord the kyng, go he with thee, and do thou to hym that that semeth good to thee.

And whanne the kyng hadde come in to his hows in Jerusalem, he took ten wymmen, hise secundarie wyues, whiche he hadde left to kepe the hous, and he bitook hem in to keping, and yaf mete to hem; and he entride not to hem; but thei weren closid `til to the dai of her deeth, and lyueden in widewehed.

The thing hath not so it silf; but a man of the hil of Effraym, Siba, sone of Bochri, bi surname, reiside his hond ayens kyng Dauid; bitake ye him aloone, and we schulen go awei fro the citee. And the womman seide to Joab, Lo! his heed schal be sent to thee bi the wal.

Therfor whanne Gabaonytis weren clepid, the kyng seide to hem; sotheli Gabaonytis ben not of the sones of Israel, but thei ben the relikys of Ammorreis; and the sones of Israel hadden swore to hem, `that is, that thei schulden not `be slayn, and Saul wolde smyte hem for feruent loue, as for the sones of Israel and of Juda;

And Gabaonytis seiden to hym, No questioun is to vs on gold and siluer, but ayens Saul, and ayens his hows; nether we wolen, that a man of Israel be slayn. To whiche the kyng seide, What therfor wolen ye, that Y do to you?

but offride it to the Lord, and seide, The Lord be merciful to me, that Y do not this; whether Y schal drynke the blood of these men, that yeden forth, and the perel of soulis? Therfor he nolde drynke. Thre strongeste men diden thes thingis.

and was the noblere among thre, and he was the prince of hem; but he cam not to the thre firste men.

And the strong veniaunce of the Lord addide to be wrooth ayens Israel [Note: of this that the Lord wolde punysche the puple, he suffride Dauyth to be reisid bi pride to the noumbring of the puple; wherfor the gloss of Gregre on this place seith thus, The dedis of gouernours ben disposid for the maneris of sugetis, that ofte for the yuel of the floc, the liyf yhe of a good schepparde trespassith, for Dauyth was preisid bi God witnesse, and he was blowun with the bolnyng of sudeyn pride, and synnede in noumbringe puple, and the puple resseyuede peyne; for the hertis of gouernours ben disposid, vp the meritis of the puplis. The synne of the puple for which it was punyschid, is not expressid in the text, but in the book of Ebreu questiouns it is seid, that this was herfor, for the puple ayen stood not Dauyth as it ouyte, in the dede of Vrie, but for this dede was priuy til it was al doon; the puple myyte not withstonde Dauyth in the synne to be lettid, and aftir that this synne cam in to the knowing of the puple, the puple ouyte not to punysche it, for the peyne was determynd thanne of God, as it is opin in xii. co. bi the wordis of Nathan, therfor it is seid betere, that the synne of the puple, was the rebelte therof ayenus Dauyth in suynge Siba, sone of Bothry, that was the worste man and ful of dissencioun, and Siba aloone was punyschid for this rebelte. ], and he stiride in hem Dauid, seiynge to Joab, Go thou, and noumbre thou Israel and Juda.

And Joab seide to the kyng, Thi Lord God encresse to this puple, `hou greet it is now, and eft multiplie he an hundrid fold in the siyt of my lord the kyng; but what wole my lord the kyng to hym silf in sich a thing?

Forsothe the herte of Dauid smoot hym, `that is, his concience repreuyde hym, aftir that the puple was noumbrid; and Dauid seide to the Lord, Y synnede greetli [Note: in pride, and in breking of Goddis heest, for in xxxi. co. of Exody, whanne the sones of Israel weren noumbrid, ech man schulde [offre] to the Lord half a sicle, and this was not doon here. ] in this dede; but, Lord, Y preye that thou turne awei the wickidnesse of thi seruaunt, for Y dide ful folili.

Forsothe Dauid seide to Gad, Y am constreyned on ech side greetli; but it is betere that Y falle in to the hondis of the Lord [Note: if Dauyth hadde chose huugur of vii. yeer, he and riche men wolden haue purueyed to hem silf of liyflode, and pore men schulden haue be turmentid gretly; and if he hadde chose fliyt bifor enemyes, he and myyty men schulden haue be defendid and pore men slayn, therfor he chees pestilence, comyn peyne to alle, for he tristide in Goddis mersi. ], for his emercies ben manye, than in the hondis of men.

To whom the king answeride, and seide, Not as thou wolt, but Y schal bie of thee for prijs, and Y schal not offre to `my Lord God brent sacrifices youun freli. Therfor Dauid bouyte the corn floor [Note: for vi. hundrid siclis of gold, in the firste book of Paralip. xxi. co. ], and `he bouyte oxis for fifti siclis of siluer.

he hath slayn oxis, and alle fatte thingis, and ful many rammes; and he clepide alle the sones of the king, also `Abiathar preest, and Joab, the prince of chyualri; but he clepide not Salomon, thi seruaunt.

Forsothe Adonye herde, and alle that weren clepid of hym to feeste; and thanne the feeste was endid. But also Joab seide, whanne the vois of trumpe was herd, What wole it to it silf the cry of the citee makynge noise?

But also Salomon sittith on the trone of rewme;

And Salomon seide, If he is a good man, sotheli not oon heer of hym schal falle in to erthe; but if yuel be foundun in hym, he schal die.

But also thou schalt yelde grace to the sones of Bersellai of Galaad, and thei schulen be eetynge in thi boord; for thei metten me, whanne Y fledde fro the face of Absolon, thi brother.

Also thou hast anentis thee Semey, sone of Gera, sone of Gemyny, of Bahurym, which Semei curside me bi the worste cursyng, whanne Y yede to `the castels; but for he cam doun to me in to metyng, whanne Y passide Jordan, and Y swoor to him bi the Lord, and seide, Y schal not slee thee bi swerd,

And he seide, Thou knowist that the rewme was myn, and al Israel purposide to make me in to king to hem; but the rewme is translatid, and is maad my brotheris; for of the Lord it is ordeyned to hym.

Also the kyng seide to Abiathar, preest, Go thou in to Anatot, to thi feeld; and sotheli thou art a man of deeth, `that is, worthi the deeth, for conspiryng ayens me, and the ordynaunce of God, and of my fadir; but to dai Y schal not sle thee, for thou barist the arke of the Lord God bifor Dauid, my fadir, and thou suffridist trauele in alle thingis, in whiche my fadir trauelide.