< 1 Samuel 23 >

1 And they declare to David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are spoiling the threshing-floors.”
And thei telden to Dauid, and seiden, Lo! Filisteis fiyten ayens Seila, and rauyschen the corn floris.
2 And David inquires of YHWH, saying, “Do I go? And have I struck among these Philistines?” And YHWH says to David, “Go, and you have struck among the Philistines, and saved Keilah.”
Therfor Dauid councelide the Lord, and seide, Whether Y schal go, and smyte Filisteis? And the Lord seide to Dauid, Go thou, and thou schalt smyte Filisteis, and thou schalt saue Seila.
3 And David’s men say to him, “Behold, we here in Judah are afraid; and how much more when we go to Keilah, to the ranks of the Philistines?”
And men, that weren with Dauid, seiden to him, Lo! we ben heere in Judee, and dredden; hou myche more, if we schulen go in to Seila ayens the cumpanyes of Filisteis.
4 And David adds again to inquire of YHWH, and YHWH answers him and says, “Rise, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hand.”
Therfor eft Dauid councelide the Lord; which answeride, and seide to Dauid, Rise thou, and go `in to Seila; for Y schal bitake Filisteis in thin hond.
5 And David goes, and his men, to Keilah, and fights with the Philistines, and leads away their livestock, and strikes among them [with] a great striking, and David saves the inhabitants of Keilah.
Therfor Dauid yede, and hise men, in to Seila, and fauyt ayens Filisteis; and he droof awey her werk beestis, and smoot hem with greet wounde; and Dauid sauyde the dwelleris of Seila.
6 And it comes to pass, in the fleeing of Abiathar son of Ahimelech to David, to Keilah, an ephod came down in his hand.
Forsothe in that tyme, `wher ynne Abiathar, sone of Achymelech, fledde to Dauid in to Seile, he cam doun, and hadde with hym `ephoth, that is, the cloth of the hiyeste preest.
7 And it is declared to Saul that David has come to Keilah, and Saul says, “God has made him known for my hand, for he has been shut in, to enter into a city of doors and bar.”
Forsothe it was teld to Saul, that Dauid hadde come in to Seila; and Saul seide, The Lord hath take hym in to myn hondis, and he `is closid, and entride in to a citee, in which ben yatis and lockis.
8 And Saul summons all the people to the battle, to go down to Keilah, to lay siege to David and to his men.
And Saul comaundide to al the puple, that it schulde go doun to batel in to Seila, and bisege Dauid and hise men.
9 And David knows that Saul is devising the evil against him and says to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod near.”
And whanne Dauid perceyuede, that Saul made redi yuel priueli to hym, he seide to Abiathar, preest, Brynge hidur ephoth.
10 And David says, “YHWH, God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.
And Dauid seide, Lord God of Israel, thi seruaunt `herde fame, that Saul disposith to come to Seila, that he distrie the citee for me;
11 Do the possessors of Keilah shut me up into his hand? Does Saul come down as Your servant has heard? YHWH, God of Israel, please declare [it] to Your servant.” And YHWH says, “He comes down.”
if the men of Seila schulen bitake me in to hise hondis, and if Saul schal come doun, as thi seruaunt herde, thou Lord God of Israel schewe to thi seruaunt? And the Lord seide, He schal come doun.
12 And David says, “Do the possessors of Keilah shut up me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And YHWH says, “They shut [you] up.”
And Dauid seide eft, Whether the men of Seila schulen bitake me, and the men that ben with me, in to the hondis of Saul? And the Lord seide, Thei schulen bitake, `that is, if thou dwellist in the citee, and Saul come thidur.
13 And David rises—and his men—about six hundred men, and they go out from Keilah, and go up and down where they go up and down; and it has been declared to Saul that David has escaped from Keilah, and he ceases to go out.
Therfor Dauid roos, and hise men, as sixe hundrid; and thei yeden out of Seila, and wandriden vncerteyn hidur and thidur. And it was telde to Saul, that Dauid hadde fledde fro Seila, and was saued; wherfor Saul dissymylide to go out.
14 And David abides in the wilderness, in fortresses, and abides in the hill-country, in the wilderness of Ziph; and Saul seeks him [for] all the days, and God has not given him into his hand.
Forsothe Dauid dwellide in the deseert, in strongeste places, and he dwellide in the hil of wildirnesse of Ziph, in a derk hil; netheles Saul souyte hym in alle daies, and the Lord bitook not hym in to the hondis of Saul.
15 And David sees that Saul has come out to seek his life, and David [is] in the wilderness of Ziph, in a forest.
And Dauid siy, that Saul yede out, that he schulde seke his lijf. Forsothe Dauid was in the deseert of Ziph, in a wode.
16 And Jonathan son of Saul rises, and goes to David [in the] forest, and strengthens his hand in God,
And Jonathas, the sone of Saul, roos, and yede to Dauid in to the wode, and coumfortide hise hondis in God.
17 and says to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of my father Saul does not find you, and you reign over Israel, and I am to you for second, and also so knows my father Saul.”
And he seide to Dauid, Drede thou not; for the hond of Saul my fadir schal not fynde thee, and thou schalt regne on Israel, and Y schal be the secounde to thee; but also Saul my father woot this.
18 And both of them make a covenant before YHWH; and David abides in the forest, and Jonathan has gone to his house.
Therfor euer eithir smoot boond of pees bifor the Lord. And Dauid dwellide in the wode; forsothe Jonathas turnede ayen in to his hows.
19 And the Ziphites go up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding himself with us in fortresses, in the forest, in the height of Hachilah, which [is] on the south of the desolate place?
Forsothe men of Ziph stieden to Saul in Gabaa, and seiden, Lo! whether not Dauid is hid at vs in the sikireste places of the wode, in the hille of Achille, which is at the riyt syde of deseert?
20 And now, by all the desire of your soul, O king, to come down, come down, and ours [is] to shut him up into the hand of the king.”
Now therfor come thou doun, as thi soule desiride, that thou schuldist come doun; forsothe it schal be oure, that we bitake hym in to the hondis of the kyng.
21 And Saul says, “Blessed [are] you of YHWH, for you have pity on me;
And Saul seide, Blessid be ye of the Lord, for ye sorewiden `for my stide.
22 now go prepare yet, and know and see his place where his foot is; who has seen him there? For [one] has said to me, He is very cunning.
Therfor, Y preie, go ye, and make redi more diligentli, and do ye more curiousli ether intentifli, and biholde ye swiftly, where his foot is, ethir who siy hym there, where ye seiden; for he thenkith on me, that felli Y aspie hym.
23 And see and know of all the hiding places where he hides himself, and you have turned back prepared to me, and I have gone with you, and it has been, if he is in the land, that I have searched him out through all the thousands of Judah.”
Biholde ye, and se alle his hidyng places, in whiche he is hid, and turne ye ayen to me at a certeyn thing, that Y go with you; that if he closith hym silf yhe in to erthe, Y schal seke hym with alle the thousyndis of Juda.
24 And they rise and go to Ziph before Saul, and David and his men [are] in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain, at the south of the desolate place.
And thei risiden, and yeden in to Ziph bifor Saul. Forsothe Dauid and hise men weren in the deseert of Maon, in the feldi places, at the riyt half of Jesymyth.
25 And Saul and his men go to seek, and they declare [it] to David, and he goes down the rock, and abides in the wilderness of Maon; and Saul hears, and pursues after David [to] the wilderness of Maon.
Therfor Saul yede and hise felowis to seke Dauid, and it was teld to Dauid; and anoon he yede doun to the stoon, and lyuyde in the deseert of Maon; and whanne Saul hadde herd this, he pursuede Dauid in the deseert of Maon.
26 And Saul goes on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain, and David is hurried to go from the face of Saul, and Saul and his men are surrounding David and his men, to catch them.
And Saul yede and hise men at the side of the hil `on o part; forsothe Dauid and hise men weren in the side of the hil on the tother part; sotheli Dauid dispeiride, that he myyte ascape fro the face of Saul. And so Saul and hise men cumpassiden bi the maner of a coroun Dauid and hise men, that thei schulden take hem.
27 And a messenger has come to Saul, saying, “Hurry, and come, for the Philistines have pushed against the land.”
And a messanger cam to Saul, and seide, Haste thou, and come, for Filisteis han spred hem silf on the lond.
28 And Saul turns back from pursuing after David, and goes to meet the Philistines, therefore they have called that place “The Rock of Divisions.”
Therfor Saul turnede ayen, and ceesside to pursue Dauid; and yede ayens the comyng of Filisteis. For this thing thei clepen that place the Stoon Departynge.
29 And David goes up there, and abides in fortresses [at] En-gedi.
Therfor Dauid stiede fro thennus, and dwellide in the sykireste places of Engaddi.

< 1 Samuel 23 >