1 Samuel 9
1 And `a man was of Beniamyn, `Cys bi name, the sone of Abiel, sone of Seor, sone of Bethor, sone of Aphia, sone of the man Gemyny, strong in bodili myyt.
Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name, was Kish—son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, son of a Benjamite, —a mighty man of valour;
2 And to hym was a sone, Saul bi name, chosun and good; and no man of the sones of Israel was betere than he; fro the schuldur and aboue he apperide ouer al the puple.
and, he, had a son, whose name, was Saul, a choice young man and of noble appearance, and there was not a man of the sons of Israel, more noble than he, —from his shoulders and upwards, was he taller than any of the people.
3 Sotheli the femal assis of Cys, the fadir of Saul, perischyden. And Cys seide to Saul his sone, Take with thee oon of the children, and rise thou, and go, and seke the femal assis. And whanne thei hadden go bi the hil of Effraym,
Now there had gone astray asses belonging to Kish, Saul’s father, —so Kish said unto Saul his son—I pray thee, take with thee one of the young men, and arise—go, seek the asses.
4 and bi the lond of Salisa, and hadden not foundun, thei passiden also bi the lond of Salym, and tho weren not there; but also 'thei passiden bi the lond of Gemyny, and founden not.
And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they found them not, —then passed they through the land of Shaalim, and they were not there, then passed he through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.
5 Sotheli whanne thei hadden come in to the lond of Suph, and hadden not founde, Saul seide to his child that was with hym, Come thou, and turne we ayen; lest perauenture my fadir hath lefte the femal assis, and is bisy for vs.
They, had come into the land of Zuph when, Saul, said to his young man who was with him, Come! and let us return; lest my father leave off [caring] for the asses, and be concerned for us.
6 Which child seide to hym, Lo! the man of God is in this citee, a noble man; al thing that he spekith, cometh with out doute. Now therfor go we thidir, if perauenture he schewe to vs of oure weie, for which we camen.
And he said to him: Lo! I pray thee, a man of God, [liveth] in this city, and, the man, is held in honour, all that he saith, surely cometh to pass. Now, let us go thither; peradventure he may tell us our way, whereon we should have gone.
7 And Saul seide to his child, Lo! we schulen go; what schulen we bere to the man of God? Breede failide in oure scrippis, and we han no present, that we yyue to the man of God, `nether ony othir thing.
Then said Saul to his young man: Behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man, for, the bread, hath failed from our sacks, and, present, there is none to bring to the man of God, —what is there with us?
8 Eft the child answeride to Saul, and seide, Lo! the fourthe part of `a stater, that is, a cicle, of siluer is foundun in myn hond; yyue we to the man of God, that he schewe to vs oure weie.
And the young man again answered Saul, and said—Lo! there is found in my hand, the fourth part of a shekel of silver, —which thou canst give to the man of God, and he will tell us our way.
9 Sumtyme in Israel ech man goynge to counsel God spak thus, Come ye, and go we to the seere; for he, that is seid `to dai a profete, was clepid sumtyme a seere.
Beforetime, in Israel, thus, said a man when he went to enquire of God, Come and let us go as far as the seer, —for, the prophet of to-day, used to be called, beforetime, the seer.
10 And Saul seide to his child, `Thi word is the beste; come thou, go we. And thei yeden in to the citee, `in which the man of God was.
And Saul said unto his young man, Good, is thy word, come! let us go! So they went unto the city, where the man of God was.
11 And whanne thei stieden in to the hiynesse of the citee, thei founden damesels goynge out to drawe watir, and thei seiden to the dameselis, Whether the seere is here?
They were going up the ascent of the city, when they found young women, coming out to draw water, —so they said unto these, Is, the seer, in this place?
12 Whiche dameselis answeriden, and seiden to hem, He is here; lo! he is bifor thee; `haste thou now, for to day he cam in to the citee; for to dai is sacrifice of the puple in the hiy place.
And the young women answered them and said: He is, lo! before you now, even as, to-day, hath he entered the city, for the people have a sacrifice, to-day, in the high place.
13 Ye schulen entre in to the citee, and anoon ye schulen fynde hym, bifor that he stie in to the hiy place to ete; for the puple schal not ete til he come, for he schal blesse the sacrifice, and afterward thei schulen ete that ben clepid. Now therfor stie ye, for to day ye schulen fynde hym.
As ye enter the city, so, shall ye surely find him, ere yet he shall go up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he hath come, for, he, doth bless the sacrifice, after that, will they eat who have been bidden. Now, therefore, go up, for, about this very time, shall ye surely find him.
14 And thei stieden in to the citee. And whanne thei yeden in the myddis of the citee, Samuel apperide goynge out ayens hem, that he schulde stie in to the hiy place.
So they went up into the city. As they were entering into the midst of the city, lo! Samuel, coming out over against them, to ascend the high place.
15 Forsothe the Lord `hadde maad reuelacioun in the eere of Samuel `bifor o dai, that Saul cam, and seide,
Now, Yahweh, had unveiled the ear of Samuel, —one day before Saul came, saying:
16 In this same our which is now to morewe, Y schal sende to thee a man of the lond of Beniamyn, and thou schalt anoynte hym duyk on my puple Israel, and he schal saue my puple fro the hond of Filisteis; for Y haue biholde my puple, for `the cry of hem cam to me.
About this time to-morrow, will I send unto thee, a man out of the land of Benjamin, whom thou shalt anoint, to be leader over my people Israel, and he shall save my people, out of the hand of the Philistines, —for I have looked upon the oppression, because their outcry hath come in unto me.
17 And whanne Samuel hadde biholde Saul, the Lord seide to Samuel, Lo! the man, whom Y seide to thee; this man schal be lord of my puple.
And, when, Samuel, beheld Saul, Yahweh, answered him, Lo! the man, of whom I said unto thee, Here, is one shall control my people.
18 Forsothe Saul neiyede to Samuel in the myddis of the yate, and seide, Y preye, schewe thou to me, where is the hows of the seere?
And Saul drew near unto Samuel, in the midst of the gate, —and said—I pray thee, do tell me, where is the house of the seer?
19 And Samuel answeride to Saul, and seide, Y am the seere; stie thou bifor me in to the hiy place, that thou ete with me to dai, and Y schal delyuere thee in the morewtid, and Y schal schewe to thee alle thingis that ben in thin herte.
And Samuel answered Saul, and said—I, am, the seer! Go up before me, to the high place, so shall ye eat with me, to-day, —and I will let thee go in the morning, and, all that is in thy heart, will I tell thee.
20 And be thou not bisy of the femal assis, whiche thou lostist the thridde dai agoon, for tho ben foundun; and whose schulen be alle the beste thingis of Israel, whether not to thee, and to al the hows of thi fader?
And, as for the asses that went astray from thee three days ago, do not regard them, for they are found, —but to whom belongeth all that is desirable in Israel? is it not to thee, and to all the house of thy father?
21 Sotheli Saul answeride, and seide, Whether Y am not a sone of Gemyny, of the leeste lynage of Israel, and my kynrede is the laste among alle the meynees of the lynage of Beniamyn? Whi therfor hast thou spoke to me this word?
Then answered Saul, and said—Am not I, a man of Benjamin, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and [is not], my family, the poorest of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Wherefore, then, hast thou spoken unto me of such a thing as this?
22 Therfor Samuel took Saul, and his child, and ledde hem in to the chaumbur of thre ordris, and he yaf to hem a place in the bigynnyng of hem that weren clepid; for thei weren as thretti men.
And Samuel took Saul and his young man, and brought them into the guest-chamber, —and gave them a place at the head of them who were bidden, they being about thirty persons.
23 And Samuel seide to the cook, Yyue thou the part, which Y yaf to thee, and comaundide, that thou schuldist kepe bi it silf anentis thee.
And Samuel said to the cook, Set on the portion that I gave thee, —of which I said unto thee, Put it by thee.
24 Sotheli the cook reiside the schuldir, and settide bifor Saul. And Samuel seide, Lo! that, that lefte, `sette thou bifor thee, and ete; for of purpos it was kept to thee, whanne Y clepide the puple. And Saul eet with Samuel in that dai.
And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and placed it before Saul, and said—Lo! the part reserved! Set it before thee [and] eat, for, unto the time appointed, hath it been kept for thee, since the time that I said, The people, have I bidden. So Saul did eat with Samuel, on that day.
25 And thei camen doun fro the hiy place in to the citee; and Samuel spak with Saul in the soler, and Saul `araiede a bed in the soler, and slepte.
And, when they had come down from the high place into the city, he spread a couch for Saul upon the house-top, and he lay down.
26 And whanne thei hadden rise eerli, and `now it bigan to be cleer, Samuel clepide Saul in to the soler, and seide, Rise thou, that Y delyuere thee. And Saul roos, and bothe yeden out, that is, he, and Samuel.
And it came to pass, at the uprisings of the dawn, that Samuel called unto Saul on the house-top, saying, Arise! that I may send thee away. So Saul arose, and they two, he and Samuel, went forth abroad.
27 And whanne thei yeden doun in the laste part of the citee, Samuel seide to Saul, Seie thou to the child, that he go bifor vs, and passe; forsothe stonde thou a litil, that Y schewe to thee the word of the Lord.
As they were going down the end of the city, Samuel, said unto Saul—Bid the young man, that he pass on before us, (and he passed on) but, thou, stand still where thou art, that I may let thee hear the word of God.
