2 Samuel 15

1 Sometime later, Absalom got himself a chariot with horses, and fifty men as bodyguards to run ahead of him.

Therfor aftir these thingis Absolon made a chaar to hym, and knyytis, and fifti men, that schulden go bifor hym.

2 He used to get up early and stand by the main road that led to the city gate. When people brought a case to the king for his decision, Absalom would call out and ask them, “What town are you from?” If they replied, “Your servant is from this particular tribe of Israel,”

And Absolon roos eerli, and stood bisidis the entryng of the yate in the weie; and Absolon clepide to hym ech man, that hadde a cause that he schulde come to the doom of the kyng, and Absolon seide, Of what citee art thou? Which answeride, and seide, Of o lynage of Israel Y am, thi seruaunt.

3 Absalom would tell them, “Look, you're in the right and you've got a good case. It's such a shame there's no one from the king to hear you.”

And Absolon answeride to hym, Thi wordis semen to me good and iust, but noon is ordeyned of the kyng to here thee. And Absolon seide, Who schal ordeyne me iuge on the lond,

4 Then he would say, “If only there was someone to appoint me as judge for the country. Then everyone could come to me with their case or complaint, and I would give them justice.”

that alle men that han cause come to me, and Y deme iustly?

5 When anyone came to bow down before him, Absalom would stop them by reaching out his hand, taking hold of him, and kissing him.

But whanne a man cam to Absolon to greete hym, he helde forth the hond, and took, and kisside that man;

6 This is how Absalom treated all the Israelites who came to the king for his judgment. So he captured the loyalty of the men of Israel.

and Absolon dide this to al Israel, that cam to doom to be herd of the kyng; and Absolon drow awei the hertis of men of Israel.

7 Four years later Absalom asked the king, “Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a promise I made to the Lord.

Forsothe aftir foure yeer Absolon seide to kyng Dauid, Y schal go, and Y schal yelde my vowis, whiche Y vowide to the Lord in Ebron;

8 For I, your servant, made this promise while living at Geshur in Aram, saying: ‘If the Lord does bring me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.’”

for thi seruaunt vowynge vowide, whanne he was in Gessur of Sirie, and seide, If the Lord bryngith ayen me in to Jerusalem, Y schal make sacrifice to the Lord.

9 “Go in peace,” said the king. So Absalom went to Hebron.

And the kyng seide to hym, Go thou in pees. And Absolon roos, and yede in to Ebron.

10 Then Absalom sent his accomplices among all the tribes of Israel, saying, “When you hear the sound of the ram's horn, you shout, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’”

Forsothe Absolon sente aspieris in to al the lynage of Israel, and seide, Anoon as ye heren the sown of clarioun, seye ye, Absolon schal regne in Ebron.

11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They had been invited and went in all innocence, because they didn't know anything about what was planned.

Forsothe twei hundrid men clepid of Jerusalem yeden with Absolon, and yede with symple herte, and outirli thei knewen not the cause.

12 While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's advisor, asking him to come from Giloh, the town where he lived. The conspiracy grew stronger, and Absalom's followers went on increasing.

Also Absolon clepide Achitofel of Gilo, the councelour of Dauid, fro his citee Gilo. And whanne he offride sacrifices a strong swerynge togidere was maad, and the puple rennynge togidere was encreessid with Absolon.

13 A messenger came to tell David, “Absalom has the loyalty of the men of Israel.”

Therfor a messanger cam to Dauid, and seide, With al herte al Israel sueth Absolon.

14 David said to all the officials with him in Jerusalem, “Quick! Let's go! Otherwise we won't be able to get away from Absalom! We must leave immediately, or he will soon catch up with us, attack us, and kill the people here in the city.”

And Dauid seide to hise seruauntis that weren with hym in Jerusalem, Rise ye, and flee we; for noon ascaping schal be to us fro the face of Absolon; therfor haste ye to go out, lest he come, and ocupie vs, and fille on vs fallynge, and smyte the citee bi the scharpnesse of swerd.

15 “Whatever Your Majesty decides, we'll do what you want,” the king's servants replied.

And the seruauntis of the kyng seiden to hym, We thi seruauntis schulen performe gladli alle thingis, what euer thingis oure lord the kyng schal comaunde.

16 The king set off with his whole household following him, but he left behind ten concubines to look after the palace.

Therfor the kyng yede out, and al his hous, on her feet; and the king lefte ten wymmen concubyns, `that is, secundarie wyues, to kepe the hous.

17 The king left with all his soldiers following him. He stopped at the last house,

And the king yede out, and al Israel, on her feet, and the kyng stood fer fro the hous.

18 and all his men marched past him, including all the Cherethites and Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites who had come with him from Gath.

And alle hise seruauntis yeden bisidis him, and the legiouns of Cerethi and of Ferethi, and alle men of Geth `strong fiyters, sixe hundrid men, that sueden him fro Geth, yeden on foote bifor the kyng.

19 The king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why are you coming with us too? Go back and stay with the new king, because you are a foreigner and an exile a long way from home.

Forsothe the kyng seide to Ethai of Geth, Whi comest thou with vs? Turne thou ayen, and dwelle with the kyng, for thou art a pilgrym, and thou yedist out fro thi place.

20 You only just got here, so why should I make you wander around with us now when I don't even know where I am going? Go back and take your men with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”

Thou camest yistirdai, and to dai thou art compellid to go out with vs. Sotheli Y schal go, whidur Y schal go; turne ayen, and lede ayen thi britheren with thee, and the Lord do mercy and treuthe with thee, for thou schewidist grace and feith.

21 But Ittai answered the king, “As the Lord lives, and as Your Majesty lives, wherever Your Majesty may be, whether dead or alive, that's where your servant will be!”

And Ethai answeride to the kyng, and seide, The Lord lyueth, and my lord the kyng lyueth, for in what euer place thou schalt be, my lord the kyng, ether in deeth ethir in lijf, there thi seruaunt schal be.

22 “Go ahead, march on!” David replied. Ittai the Gittite marched past with all his men and all the families that were with him.

And Dauid seide to Ethay, Come thou, and passe. And Ethai of Geth passide, and the kyng, and alle men that weren with hym, and the tother multitude.

23 All the people in the countryside were crying aloud as everyone with David passed by. They crossed the Kidron Valley with the king on the way toward the wilderness.

And alle men wepten with greet vois, and al the puple passide; and the kyng yede ouer the strond of Cedron, and al the puple yede ayens the weie of the olyue tree, that biholdith to deseert.

24 Zadok was there too, and all the Levites were with him, carrying the Ark of God's Agreement. They set down the Ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until everyone had left the city.

Forsothe and Sadoch the preest cam, and alle the dekenes with hym, and thei baren the arke of boond of pees of God, and thei diden doun the arke of God; and Abiathar stiede, til al the puple was passid that yede out of the citee.

25 Then the king told Zadok, “Take the Ark of God back to the city. If I find the Lord approves of me, he will bring me back and let me see both the Ark and his Tent again.

And the kyng seide to Sadoch, Bere ayen the arke of God in to the citee; if Y schal fynde grace in the iyen of the Lord, he schal lede me ayen, and he schal schewe to me that arke and his tabernacle.

26 But if he says, ‘I'm not happy with you,’ then here I stand. Let him do to me whatever he thinks best.”

Sotheli if the Lord seith, Thou plesist not me; Y am redi, do he that, that is good bifor hym silf.

27 The king also told Zadok the priest, “You understand the situation, don't you? Go back to the city safely with your son Ahimaaz, and also Jonathan, son of Abiathar. You and Abiathar take both of your sons back with you.

And the kyng seide to Sadoch, preest, A! thou seere, `that is, profete, turne ayen in to the citee, with pees; and Achymaas, thi sone, and Jonathas, the sone of Abiathar, youre twei sones, be with you.

28 I'll wait at the fords of the wilderness until I hear from you.”

Lo! Y schal be hid in the feeldi places of deseert, til word come fro you, and schewe to me.

29 Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there.

Therfor Sadoch and Abiathar baren ayen the arke of God in to Jerusalem, and dwelliden there.

30 David went on his way up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he did so. He had his head covered, and walked barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads, weeping as they went along.

Forsothe Dauid stiede on the hil of olyue trees, stiynge and wepynge, with the heed hilyd, and `goynge with nakid feet; but also al the puple that was with hym, stiede with the heed hilid, and wepte.

31 David was told, “Ahithophel is one of the people conspiring with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, please make Ahithophel's advice worthless.”

Forsothe it was teld to Dauid, that Achitofel was in the sweryng togidere with Absolon; and Dauid seide, Lord, Y byseche, make thou fonned the counsel of Achitofel.

32 When David arrived at the top of the Mount of Olives, where people worshiped God, there to meet him was Hushai the Archite, with his robe torn and with dust on his head.

And whanne Dauid stiede in to the hiyenesse of the hil, in which he schulde worschipe the Lord, lo! Cusi of Arath, with the cloth to-rent, and with the heed ful of erthe, cam to hym.

33 David told him, “If you come with me, you'll only be a burden to me,

And Dauid seide to hym, If thou comest with me, thou schalt be to me to charge; sotheli if thou turnest ayen in to the citee,

34 but if you go back to the city and tell Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, Your Majesty! Formerly I worked for your father, but now I'll work for you,’ then you can block Ahithophel's advice for me.

and seist to Absolon, Y am thi seruaunt, kyng, suffre thou me to lyue; as Y was the seruaunt of thi fadir, so Y schal be thi seruaunt; thou schalt distrye the counsel of Achitofel.

35 Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, will be there too. Tell them everything you hear in the king's palace.

Forsothe thou hast with thee Sadoch and Abiathar, preestis; and `thou schalt schewe ech word, what euer word thou schalt here in the hows of the kyng, to Sadoch and Abiathar, preestis.

36 Their two sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan, are there with them. Send them to me so they can tell me everything you hear.”

Sotheli twei sones `of hem ben with hem, Achymaas, sone of Sadoch, and Jonathan, sone of Abiathar; and ye schulen sende bi hem to me ech word which ye schulen here.

37 David's friend Hushai arrived back in Jerusalem at the same time Absalom was entering the city.

Therfor whanne Chusi, freend of Dauid, cam in to the citee, also Absolon entryde in to Jerusalem.