2 Samuel 18
1 And so David, having reviewed his people, appointed over them tribunes and centurions.
Therfor Dauid, whanne the puple `was biholdun, ordeynede tribunes and centuriouns on hem.
2 And he placed a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Ittai, who was from Gath. And the king said to the people, “I, too, will go forth with you.”
And he yaf the thridde part of the puple vndur the hond of Joab; and the thridde part vndur the hond of Abisai, sone of Saruye, brother of Joab; and the thridde part vndur the hond of Ethai, that was of Geth. And the kyng seide to the puple, Also Y schal go out with you.
3 And the people responded: “You shall not go out. For if we flee, there will not be great concern in them for us. Or if one half part of us will fall, they will not care much. For you are considered as one for ten thousand. Therefore, it is better that you should be in the city to strengthen us.”
And the puple answeride, Thou schalt not go out; for whether we fleen, it schal not perteyne to hem bi greet werk of vs; whether half the part fallith doun of vs, thei schulen not recke ynow, for thou art rekynyd for ten thousynde; therfor it is betere, that thou be to vs in the citee in stronge hold.
4 And the king said to them, “I will do whatever seems good to you.” Therefore, the king stood beside the gate. And the people went out by their troops, by hundreds and by thousands.
`To whiche the kyng seide, Y schal do this, that semeth riytful to you. Therfor the kyng stood bisidis the yate, and the puple yede out bi her cumpenyes, bi hundridis and bi thousyndis.
5 And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Preserve for me the boy Absalom.” And all the people heard the king commanding all the leaders on behalf of Absalom.
And the king comaundide to Joab, and to Abisai, and Ethai, and seyde, Kepe ye to me the child Absolon. And al the puple herde the kyng comaundinge to alle the princes for Absolon.
6 And so, the people departed into the field against Israel. And the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.
Therfor the puple yede out in to the feeld ayens Israel; and the batel was maad in the forest of Effraym.
7 And the people of Israel were cut down in that place by the army of David. And a great slaughter occurred on that day: twenty thousand men.
And the puple of Israel was slayn there of the oost of Dauid, and a greet sleyng of twenti thousynde was maad in that dai.
8 Now the battle in that place was dispersed over the face of all the land. And there were many more of the people whom the forest had consumed, than the sword had devoured, on that day.
Forsothe the batel was scaterid there on the face of al erthe, and many mo weren of the puple whiche the forest wastide, than thei whiche the swerd deuourid in that dai.
9 Then it happened that Absalom, riding on a mule, met the servants of David. And when the mule had entered under a thick and large oak tree, his head became trapped in the oak. And while he was suspended between heaven and earth, the mule on which he had been sitting continued on.
Sotheli it bifeld, that Absalon sittinge on a mule, cam ayens the seruauntis of Dauid; and whanne the mule hadde entrid vndur a thicke ook, and greet, the heed of Absolon cleuyde to the ook; and whanne he was hangid bitwixe heuene and erthe, the mule, on which he sat, passide.
10 Then a certain one saw this and reported it to Joab, saying, “I saw Absalom hanging from an oak.”
Sotheli `sum man siy this, and telde to Joab, and seide, Y siy Absolon hange on an ook.
11 And Joab said to the man who had reported it to him, “If you saw him, why did you not stab him to the ground, and I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt?”
And Joab seide to the man that `hadde telde to hym, If thou siyest, whi persidist thou not hym to the erthe, and Y schulde haue youe `to thee ten siclis of siluer, and a girdil?
12 And he said to Joab: “Even if you weighed out to my hands one thousand silver coins, I would never lay my hands on the son of the king. For in our hearing the king ordered you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Keep for me the boy Absalom.’
And he seide to Joab, Thouy thou paiedist in myn hondis a thousynde platis of siluer, Y nolde sende myn hond in to the sone of the king; for the while we herden, the kyng comaundide to thee, and to Abisai, and to Ethai, and seide, Kepe ye to me the child Absolon.
13 Then too, if I had acted with such audacity, against my own life, this would never have been able to be hidden from the king. And would you then have stood by my side?”
But and if Y hadde do ayens my lijf hardili, this myyte not be hid fro the kyng, and thou woldist stonde on the contrarye side.
14 And Joab said, “It will not be as you wish. Instead, I will be assailing him in your sight.” Then he took three lances in his hand, and he fixed them in the heart of Absalom. And while he was still clinging to life upon the oak,
And Joab seide, Not as thou wolt, `Absolon schal be kept, but Y schal asaile hym bifor thee. Therfore Joab took thre speris in his hond, and fitchide tho in the herte of Absolon. And whanne he spraulide, yit cleuynge in the ook,
15 ten young men, armor bearers of Joab, ran up, and striking him, they killed him.
ten yonge squieris of Joab runnen, and smytiden, and killiden hym.
16 Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and he held back the people, lest they pursue Israel in their flight, for he was willing to spare the multitude.
Sotheli Joab sownede with a clarioun, and withhelde the puple, lest it pursuede Israel fleynge, and he wolde spare the multitude.
17 And they took Absalom, and they threw him into a great pit in the forest. And they piled an exceedingly great heap of stones over him. But all of Israel fled to their own tents.
And thei token Absolon, and castiden forth him in to a greet dich in the forest, and baren togidere a ful greet heep of stoonys on hym; forsothe al Israel fledde in to his tabernaclis.
18 Now Absalom had raised up for himself, when he was still alive, a monument, which is in the Valley of the King. For he said, “I have no son, and so this shall be the memorial to my name.” And he called the monument by his own name. And it is called the Hand of Absalom, even to this day.
Forsothe Absolon, while he lyuyde yit, hadde reisid to hym a memorial, which is in the valey of the kyng; for he seide, Y haue no sone, and this schal be the mynde of my name; and he clepide `the memorial bi his name, and it is clepid the Hond, `that is, werk, of Absolon `til to this dai.
19 Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said, “I will run and report to the king that the Lord has accomplished judgment for him, from the hand of his enemies.”
Forsothe Achymaas, sone of Sadoch, seide, Y schal renne, and Y schal telle to the kyng, that the Lord hath maad doom to hym of the hond of hise enemyes.
20 And Joab said to him: “You shall not be the messenger on this day. Instead, you shall report on another day. I am not willing for you to give the report today, because the son of the king is dead.”
To whom Joab seide, Thou schalt not be messanger in this dai, but thou schalt telle in another dai; I nyle that thou telle to dai, for the sone of the kyng is deed.
21 Then Joab said to Hushai, “Go, and report to the king what you have seen.” Hushai reverenced Joab, and he ran.
And Joab seide to Chusi, Go thou, and telle to the kyng tho thingis that thou hast seyn. Chusi worschypide Joab, and ran.
22 And Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said to Joab again, “What prevents me from running after Hushai also?” And Joab said to him: “Why do you want to run, my son? You would not be the bearer of good news.”
Eft Achymaas, sone of Sadoch, seide to Joab, What lettith, if also Y renne aftir Chusi? And Joab seide to hym, What wolt thou renne, my sone? Come thou hidur, thou schalt not be a berere of good message.
23 And he responded, “But what if I do run?” And he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz, running along a shorter way, passed Hushai.
Which answeride, `What sotheli if Y schal renne? And Joab seide to hym, Renn thou. Therfor Achymaas ran bi the weie of schortnesse, `and sped, and passide Chusi.
24 Now David was sitting between the two gates. Truly, the watchman, who was at the summit of the gate upon the wall, lifting up his eyes, saw a man running alone.
Forsothe Dauid sat bitwixe twei yatis; sotheli the spiere, that was in the hiynesse of the yate on the wal, reiside the iyen, and siy a man aloone rennynge;
25 And crying out, he told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is good news in his mouth.” But as he was advancing and drawing nearer,
and the spiere criede, and schewide to the kyng. And the kyng seide to hym, If he is aloone, good message is in his mouth.
26 the watchman saw another man running. And so, crying out from the height, he said: “Another man has appeared, running alone.” And the king said, “This one also is a good messenger.”
Sotheli while he hastide, and neiyede neer, the spiere siy another man rennynge; and the spiere criede `in the hiynesse, and seide, Another man rennynge aloone apperith to me. And the kyng seide to hym, And this man is a good messanger.
27 Then the watchman said, “The running of the closest one seems like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man, and he arrives bearing good news.”
Sotheli the spiere seide, Y biholde the rennyng of the formere, as the rennyng of Achymaas, sone of Sadoch. And the kyng seide, He is a good man, and he cometh bryngynge a good message.
28 Then, Ahimaaz, crying out, said to the king, “Be well, O king.” And reverencing the king prone on the ground before him, he said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has enclosed the men who had lifted up their hands against my lord the king.”
Forsothe Achymaas criede, and seide to the kyng, Heil kyng! And he worschipide the kyng lowli bifor hym to erthe, and seide, Blessid be thi Lord God, that closide togidere the men, that reisyden her hondis ayens my lord the kyng.
29 And the king said, “Is there peace for the boy Absalom?” And Ahimaaz said: “I saw a great tumult, O king, when your servant Joab sent me, your servant. I know nothing else.”
And the kyng seide, Whether pees is to the child Absolon? And Achymaas seide, Y siy, `that is, Y herde, a great noise, whanne Joab, thi seruaunt, thou kyng, sente me thi seruaunt; Y kan noon othir thing.
30 And the king said to him, “Pass, and stand here.” And when he had passed and stood still,
To whom the kyng seide, Passe thou, and stonde here. And whanne he hadde passid, and stood, Chusi apperide;
31 Hushai appeared. And approaching, he said: “I bear good news, my lord the king. For today the Lord has judged for you, from the hand of all who had risen up against you.”
and he cam and seide, My lord the kyng, Y brynge good message; for the Lord hath demed to dai for thee of the hond of alle men that risiden ayens thee.
32 But the king said to Hushai, “Is there peace for the boy Absalom?” And responding, Hushai said to him, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against him for evil, be as the boy is.”
Forsothe the kyng seide to Chusi, Whether pees is to the child Absolon? To whom Chusi answeride, and seide, The enemyes of my lord the kyng, and alle men that risiden ayens hym in to yuel, be maad as the child.
33 And so the king, being greatly saddened, ascended to the upper room of the gate, and he wept. And as he went, he was speaking in this manner: “My son Absalom! Absalom my son! Who can grant to me that I may die on your behalf? Absalom, my son! My son, Absalom!”
Therfor the kyng was sory, and stiede in to the soler of the yate, and wepte, and spak thus goynge, My sone, Absolon! Absolon, my sone! who yyueth to me, that Y die for thee? Absolon, my sone! my sone, Absolon!
