1 Samuel 23

1 And thei telden to Dauid, and seiden, Lo! Filisteis fiyten ayens Seila, and rauyschen the corn floris.

And it was told David, saying, behold, the Philistines war in Keila, and they rob, they trample on the threshing-floors.

2 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.

And David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the Lord said, Go, and thou shalt smite these Philistines, and shalt save Keila.

3 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.

And the men of David said to him, Behold, we are afraid here in Judea; and how shall it be if we go to Keila? Shall we go after the spoils of the Philistines?

4 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.

And David enquired yet again of the Lord; and the Lord answered him, and said to him, Arise and go down to Keila, for I will deliver the Philistines into thy hands.

5 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.

So David and his men with him went to Keila, and fought with the Philistines; and they fled from before him, and he carried off their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter, and David rescued the inhabitants of Keila.

6 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.

And it came to pass when Abiathar the son of Achimelech fled to David, that he went down with David to Keila, having and ephod in his hand.

7 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.

And it was told Saul that David was come to Keila: and Saul said, God has sold him into my hands, for he is shut up, having entered into a city that has gates and bars.

8 And Saul comaundide to al the puple, that it schulde go doun to batel in to Seila, and bisege Dauid and hise men.

And Saul charged all the people to go down to war to Keila, to besiege David and his men.

9 And whanne Dauid perceyuede, that Saul made redi yuel priueli to hym, he seide to Abiathar, preest, Brynge hidur ephoth.

And David knew that Saul spoke openly of mischief against him: and David said to Abiathar the priest, Bring the ephod of the Lord.

10 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;

And David said, Lord God of Israel, thy servant has indeed heard, that Saul seeks to come against Keila to destroy the city on my account.

11 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.

Will [the place] be shut up? And now will Saul come down, as thy servant has heard? Lord God of Israel, tell thy servant.

12 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.

And the Lord said, It will be shut up.

13 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.

And David arose, and the men with him, in number about four hundred, and they went forth from Keila, and went whithersoever they could go: and it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keila, and he forbore to come.

14 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.

And he dwelt in Maserem in the wilderness, in the narrow [passes]; and dwelt in the wilderness in mount Ziph, in the dry country. And Saul sought him continually, but the Lord delivered him not into his hands.

15 And Dauid siy, that Saul yede out, that he schulde seke his lijf. Forsothe Dauid was in the deseert of Ziph, in a wode.

And David perceived that Saul went forth to seek David; and David was in the dry mountain in the New Ziph.

16 And Jonathas, the sone of Saul, roos, and yede to Dauid in to the wode, and coumfortide hise hondis in God.

And Jonathan son of Saul rose, and went to David to Caene, and strengthened his hands in the Lord.

17 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.

And he said to him, Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be second to thee; and Saul my father knows it.

18 Therfor euer eithir smoot boond of pees bifor the Lord. And Dauid dwellide in the wode; forsothe Jonathas turnede ayen in to his hows.

So they both made a covenant before the Lord; and David dwelt in Caene, and Jonathan went to his home.

19 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?

And the Ziphites came up out of the dry country to Saul to the hill, saying, Behold, is not David hidden with us in Messara, in the narrows in Caene in the hill of Echela, which is on the right of Jessaemon?

20 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.

And now [according to] all the king's desire to come down, let him come down to us; they have shut him up into the hands of the king.

21 And Saul seide, Blessid be ye of the Lord, for ye sorewiden `for my stide.

And Saul said to them, Blessed [be] ye of the Lord, for ye have been grieved on my account.

22 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.

Go, I pray you, and make preparations yet, and notice his place where his foot shall be, quickly, in that place which ye spoke of, lest by any means he should deal craftily.

23 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.

Take notice, then, and learn, and I will go with you; and it shall come to pass that if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Juda.

24 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.

And the Ziphites arose, and went before Saul: and David and his men [were] in the wilderness of Maon, westward, to the right of Jessaemon.

25 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.

And Saul and his men went to seek him: and they brought word to David, and he went down to the rock that was in the wilderness of Maon: and Saul heard, and followed after David to the wilderness of Maon.

26 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.

And Saul and his men go on one side of the mountain, and David and his men are on the other side of the mountain: and David was hiding himself to escape from Saul: and Saul and his men encamped against David and his men, in order to take them.

27 And a messanger cam to Saul, and seide, Haste thou, and come, for Filisteis han spred hem silf on the lond.

And there came a messenger to Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come hither, for the Philistines have invaded the land.

28 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.

So Saul returned from following after David, and went to meet the Philistines: therefore that place was called The divided Rock.

29 Therfor Dauid stiede fro thennus, and dwellide in the sykireste places of Engaddi.

And David rose up from thence, and dwelt in the narrow passes of Engaddi.