< Kings I 22 >
1 And David departed thence, and escaped; and he comes to the cave of Odollam, and his brethren hear, and the house of his father, and they go down to him there.
Therfor Dauid yede fro thennus, and fledde in to the denne of Odollam; and whanne hise britheren, and al the hows of his fadir hadden herd this, thei camen doun thidur to hym.
2 And there gathered to him every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was troubled in mind; and he was a leader over them, and there were with him about four hundred men.
And alle men that weren set in angwisch, and oppressid with othere mennus dette, and in bittir soule, camen togidere to hym; and he was maad the prince `of hem, and as foure hundrid men weren with hym.
3 And David departed thence to Massephath of Moab, and said to the king of Moab, Let, I pray you, my father and my mother be with you, until I know what God will do to me.
And Dauid yede forth fro thennus in to Masphat, which is of Moab; and he seide to the kyng of Moab, Y preye, dwelle my fadir and my modir with you, til Y wite what thing God schal do to me.
4 And he persuaded the King of Moab, and they dwell with him continually, while David was in the hold.
And he lefte hem bifor the face of the kyng of Moab; and thei dwelliden at hym in alle daies, `in whiche Dauid was in `the forselet, ether stronghold.
5 And Gad the prophet said to David, Dwell not in the hold: go, and you shall enter the land of Juda. So David went, and came and lived in the city of Saric.
And Gad, the profete, seide to Dauid, Nyle thou dwelle in `the forselet; go thou forth, and go in to the lond of Juda. And Dauid yede forth, and cam in to the forest of Areth.
6 And Saul heard that David was discovered, and his men with him: now Saul lived in the hill below the field that is in Rama, and his spear [was] in his hand, and all his servants stood near him.
And Saul herde, that Dauid apperide, and the men that weren with hym. Forsothe whanne Saul dwellide in Gabaa, and was in the wode which is in Rama, and `helde a spere in the hond, and alle hise seruauntis stoden aboute hym,
7 And Saul said to his servants that stood by him, Hear now, you sons of Benjamin, will the son of Jessae indeed give all of you fields and vineyards, and will he make you all captains of hundreds and captains of thousands?
he seide to hise seruauntis that stoden nyy hym, The sones of Gemyny, here me now; whether the sone of Ysai schal yyue to alle you feeldis and vyneris, and schal make alle you tribunes and centuriouns?
8 That you are conspiring against me, and there is no one that informs me, whereas my son has made a covenant with the son of Jessae, and there is no one of you that is sorry for me, or informs me, that my son has stirred up my servant against me for an enemy, as [it is] this day?
For alle ye han swore, ether conspirid, togidere ayens me, and noon is that tellith to me; moost sithen also my sone hath ioyned boond of pees with the sone of Ysai; noon is of you, that sorewith `for my stide, nether that tellith to me, for my sone hath reisid my seruaunt ayens me, settynge tresoun to me `til to dai.
9 And Doec the Syrian who was over the mules of Saul answered and said, I saw the son of Jessae as he came to Nomba to Abimelech son of Achitob the priest.
Sotheli Doech of Ydumye answeride, that stood nyy, and was the firste among `the seruauntis of Saul, and seide, Y siy `the sone of Ysai in Nobe, at Achymelech, preest, the sone of Achitob;
10 And [the priest] enquired of God for him, and gave him provision, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
which counseilide the Lord for Dauid, and yaf meetis `to hym, but also he yaf to Dauid the swerd of Goliath Filistei.
11 And the king sent to call Abimelech son of Achitob and all his father's sons, the priests that were in Nomba; and they all came to the king.
Therfor the kyng sente to clepe Achymelech, the preest, `the sone of Achitob, and al the hows of his fadir, of preestis that weren in Nobe; whiche alle camen to the kyng.
12 And Saul said, Hear now, you son of Achitob. And he said, Behold! I [am here], speak, [my] lord.
And Saul seide to Achymelech, Here, thou sone of Achitob.
13 And Saul said to him, Why have you and the son of Jessae conspired against me, that you should give him bread and a sword, and should enquire of God for him, to raise him up against me as an enemy, as [he is] this day?
Which answeride, Lord, Y am redi. And Saul seide to hym, Whi hast thou conspirid ayens me, thou, and the sone of Ysai, and yauest looues and a swerd to hym, and councelidist the Lord for hym, that he schulde rise ayens me, and he dwellith a tretour `til to dai?
14 And he answered the king, and said, And who [is] there amongst all your servants faithful as David, and [he is] a son-in-law of the king, and [he is] executor of all your commands, and [is] honourable in your house?
And Achymelech answeride to the kyng, and seide, And who among alle thi seruauntis is as Dauid feithful, and the sone in lawe `of the kyng, and goynge at thi comaundement, and gloriouse in thin hows?
15 Have I begun today to enquire of God for him? By no means: let not the king bring a charge against his servant, and against you whole of my father's house; for your servant knew not in all these matters anything great or small.
Whether Y bigan to dai to counsele the Lord for hym? Fer be this fro me; suppose not the kyng ayens his seruaunt `siche a thing in al `the hows of my fadir; for thi seruaunt knew not ony thing, ether litil ethir greet, of this cause.
16 And king Saul said, You shall surely die, Abimelech, you, and all your father's house.
And the kyng seide, Achymelech, thou schalt die bi deeth, thou, and al the hows of thi fadir.
17 And the king said to the footmen that attended on him, Draw near and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand [is] with David, and because they knew that he fled, and they did not inform me. But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to fall upon the priest of the Lord.
And the kyng seide to men able to be sent out, that stoden aboute hym, Turne ye, and sle the preestis of the Lord, for the hond of hem is with Dauid; and thei wisten that he fledde, and thei schewiden not to me. Sotheli the seruauntis of the kyng nolden holde forth her hond in to the preestis of the Lord.
18 And the king said to Doec, Turn you, and fall upon the priests: and Doec the Syrian turned, and killed the priests of the Lord in that day, three hundred and five men, all wearing an ephod.
And the kyng seide to Doech, Turne thou, and hurle in to the preestis of the Lord. And Doech of Ydumee turnede, and hurlide in to the preestis, and stranglide in that dai foure score and fyue men, clothid with `ephoth of lynnun cloth.
19 And he struck Nomba the city of the priest with the edge of the sword, both man, and woman, infant and suckling, and calf, and ox, and sheep.
Forsothe he smoot Nobe, the citee of preestis, by the scharpnesse of swerd, men and wymmen, litle children and soukynge, and oxe, and asse, and sheep, bi the scharpnesse of swerd.
20 And one son of Abimelech son of Achitob escapes, and his name [was] Abiathar, and he fled after David.
Forsothe o sone of Achymelech, sone of Achitob, ascapide, of which sone the name was Abiathar; and he fledde to Dauid,
21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain all the priests of the Lord.
and telde to hym that Saul hadde slayn the preestis of the Lord.
22 And David said to Abiathar, I knew it in that day, that Doec the Syrian would surely tell Saul: I am guilty of the death of the house of your father.
And Dauid seide to Abiathar, Sotheli Y wiste, `that is, Y coniectide, ether dredde, in that dai, that whanne Doech of Ydumee was there, he wolde telle with out doute to Saul; Y am gilti of alle the lyues of thi fadir.
23 Dwell with me; fear not, for wherever I shall seek a place [of safety] for my life, I will also seek a place for your life, for you are safely guarded [while] with me.
Dwelle thou with me, drede thou not; if ony man sekith thi lijf, he schal seke also my lijf, and thou schalt be kept with me.