1 Samuel 18
1 And it was doon, whanne Dauid `hadde endid to speke to Saul, the soule of Jonathas was glued togidre to the soule of Dauid, and Jonathas louyde hym as his owne soule.
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
2 And Saul took Dauid in that dai, and grauntide not `to hym, `that he schulde turne ayen in to `the hows of his fadir.
And Saul took him that day, and would not let him return to his father’s house.
3 Forsothe Jonathas and Dauid maden boond of pees, `that is, swerynge euerlastynge frenschip; for Jonathas louyde Dauid as his owne soule;
And David and Jonathan made a covenant, for be loved him as his own soul.
4 for whi Jonathas dispuylide him silf fro the coote `in which he was clothid, and yaf it to Dauid, and hise othere clothis, `til to his swerd and bouwe, and `til to the girdil.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the coat with which he was clothed, and gave it to David, and the rest of his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
5 Also Dauid yede out to alle thingis, to what euer thingis Saul `hadde sent hym, and he gouernede hym silf prudentli; and Saul settide hym ouer the men of batel, and `he was acceptid, `ether plesaunt, in the iyen of al the puple, and moost in the siyt of `the seruauntis of Saul.
And David went out to whatsoever business Saul sent him, and he behaved himself prudently: and Saul set him over the soldiers, and he was acceptable in the eyes of all the people, and especially in the eyes of Saul’s servants.
6 Forsothe whanne Dauid turnede ayen, whanne `the Filistei was slayn, and bar the heed of `the Filistei in to Jerusalem, wymmen yeden out of alle the citees of Israel, and sungen, and ledden queris, ayens the comyng of king Saul, in tympans of gladnesse, and in trumpis.
Now when David returned, after be slew the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels of joy, and cornets.
7 And the wymmen sungen, pleiynge, and seiynge, Saul smoot a thousynde, and Dauid smoot ten thousynde.
And the women sung as they played, and they said: I Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
8 Saul was wrooth greetli, and this word displeside `in his iyen; and he seide, Thei yauen ten thousynde to Dauid, and `thei yauen a thousynde to me; what leeueth to hym, no but the rewme aloone?
And Saul was exceeding angry, and this word was displeasing in his eyes, and he said: They have given David ten thousands, and to me they have given but a thousand; what can he have more but the kingdom?
9 Therfor Saul bihelde Dauid not with `riytful iyen, `fro that dai and afterward.
And Saul did not look on David with a good eye from that day and forward.
10 Sotheli aftir the tother dai a wickid spirit of God asailide Saul, and he propheciede in the myddis of his hows.
And the day after the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of his house. And David played with his hand as at other times. And Saul held a spear in his hand,
11 Forsothe Dauid harpide with his hond, as bi alle daies; and Saul helde a spere, and caste it, and gesside that he myyte prene Dauid with the wal, that is, perse with the spere, so that it schulde passe til to the wal; and Dauid bowide `fro his face the secounde tyme.
And threw it, thinking to nail David to the wall: and David stept aside out of his presence twice.
12 And Saul dredde Dauid, for the Lord was with hym, and hadde go awei fro him silf.
And Saul feared David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from himself.
13 Therfor Saul remouide Dauid fro hym silf, and made hym tribune on a thousynde men; and Dauid yede out and entride in `the siyt of the puple.
Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him a captain over a thousand men, and he went out and came in before the people.
14 And Dauid dide warli in alle hise weies, and the Lord was with hym;
And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him.
15 and so Saul siy that Dauid was ful prudent, and he bigan to be war of Dauid.
And Saul saw that he was exceeding prudent, and began to beware of him.
16 Forsothe al Israel and Juda louyden Dauid; for he entride and yede out bifor hem.
But all Israel and Juda loved David, for he came in and went out before them.
17 And Saul seide to Dauid, Lo! `my more douytir Merob, Y schal yiue her wijf to thee; oneli be thou a strong man, and fiyte thou the `batels of the Lord. Forsothe Saul `arettide, and seide, Myn hond be not in hym, but the hond of Filisteis be on hym.
And Saul said to David: Behold my elder daughter Merob, her will I give thee to wife: only be a valiant man, and fight the battles of the Lord. Now Saul said within himself: Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hands of the Philistines be upon him.
18 Sotheli Dauid seide to Saul, Who am Y, ether what is my lijf, ether the meynee of my fadir in Israel, that Y be maad the `sone in lawe of the kyng?
And David said to Saul: Who am I, or what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law of the king?
19 Forsothe the tyme `was maad whanne Merob, the douyter of Saul, `ouyte to be youun to Dauid, sche was youun wijf to Hadriel Molatite.
And it came to pass at the time when Merob the daughter of Saul should have been given to David, that she was given to Hadriel the Molathite to wife.
20 Forsothe Dauid louide Mychol, the douytir of Saul; and it was teld to Saul, and it pleside hym.
But Michol the other daughter of Saul loved David. And it was told Saul, and it pleased him.
21 And Saul seide, Y schal yyue hir to hym, that it be to hym in to sclaundir, and the hond of Filisteis be on hym. Therfor Saul seide to Dauid, In `twei douytris thou schalt be my sone in lawe to dai.
And Saul said: I will give her to him, that she may be a stumblingblock to him, and that the band of the Philistines may be upon him. And Saul said to David: In two things thou shalt be my son in law this day.
22 And Saul comaundide to hise seruauntis, Speke ye to Dauid, while it `is hid fro me, and seie ye, Lo! thou plesist the king, and alle hise seruauntis louen thee; now therfor be thou hosebonde of the `douytir of the kyng.
And Saul commanded his servants to speak to David privately, saying: Behold thou pleasest the king, and all his servants love thee. Now therefore be the king’s son in law.
23 And the seruauntis of Saul spaken alle these wordis in the eeris of Dauid. And Dauid seide, Whether it semeth litil to you `to be sone in lawe of the kyng? Forsothe Y am a pore man, and a feble.
And the servants of Saul spoke all these words in the ears of David. And David said: Doth it seem to you a small matter to be the king’s son in law? But I am a poor man, and of small ability.
24 And the seruauntis telden to Saul, and seiden, Dauid spak siche wordis.
And the servants of Saul told him, saying: Such words as these hath David spoken.
25 Sotheli Saul seide, Thus speke ye to Dauid, The kyng hath no nede to yiftis for spowsails, no but onely to an hundrid prepucies, `that is, mennus yerdis vncircumcidid, `of Filisteis, that veniaunce be maad of the kyngis enemyes. Certis Saul thouyte to bitake Dauid in to the hondis of Filisteis.
And Saul said: Speak thus to David: The king desireth not any dowry, but only a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. Now Saul thought to deliver David into the hands of the Philistines.
26 And whanne the seruauntis of Saul hadden teld to Dauid the wordis, whiche Saul hadde seid, the word pleside `in the iyen of Dauid, that he schulde be maad the kyngis son in lawe.
And when his servants had told David the words that Saul had said, the word was pleasing in the eyes of David to be the king’s son in law.
27 And aftir a fewe daies Dauid roos, and yede in to Acharon, with the men that weren with hym, and he killide of Filisteis twei hundrid men; and brouyte `the prepucies of hem, and noumbride tho to the kyng, that he schulde be the kyngis sone in lawe. And so Saul yaf Mycol, his douyter, wiif to hym.
And after a few days David rose up, and went with the men that were under him, and he slew of the Philistines two hundred men, and brought their foreskins and numbered them out to the king, that he might be his son in law. Saul therefore gave him Michol his daughter to wife.
28 And Saul siy, and vndirstood, that the Lord was with Dauid.
And Saul saw, and understood that the Lord was with David. And Michol the daughter of Saul loved him.
29 Forsothe Mychol, `the douyter of Saul, louide Dauid, and Saul bigan more to drede Dauid; and Saul was maad enemye to Dauid in alle daies.
And Saul began to fear David more: and Saul became David’s enemy continually.
30 And the princes of Filisteis yeden out; forsothe fro the bigynnyng of her goyng out Dauyd bar hym silf more warli than alle the men of Saul; and the name of Dauid was maad ful solempne.
And the princes of the Philistines went forth: and from the beginning of their going forth, David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul, and his name became very famous.
