1   Thanne the Lord sente Nathan to Dauid; the which whanne he was comen to hym, seide to hym, Answere to me doom; two men weren in o cytee; oon ryche, and another pore. 2   The riche hadde sheep and oxen ful manye; 3   forsothe

the pore hadde no thing vtterly, saaf o litil sheep, the which he bou&yogh;te, and norshide, and the which wexe anentis hym with his sonys, togidre of his breed etinge, and of his cup drynkynge, and in his bosum slepynge; and it was to hym as a dou&yogh;ter. 4   Forsothe whanne a maner pylgrym was comen to the riche man, he sparynge to take of the sheep and of his oxen, that he &yogh;eue a meetshipe to that pilgrym, that cam to hym, took the sheep of the pore man, and maade redi meetis to the man that cam to hym. 5   Forsothe Dauid wrooth ful myche bi indignacioun a&yogh;ens that man, seide to Nathan, The Lord lyueth, for the sone of deeth is the man, the which dide that; 6   the sheep he shal &yogh;eelde into foure foold, forthi that he hath doo this word, and hath not sparyd. 7   Forsothe Nathan seide to Dauid, Thou ert thilk man, that didist this thing. Thes thingis seith the Lord God of Irael, I haue anoyntid thee into kyng vpon Irael, and I haue delyuerde thee fro the hoond of Saul, 8   and &yogh;eue to thee the hows of thi lord, and the wyues of thi lord in thi bosum, and &yogh;euen to thee the hows of Irael, and of Juda; and if thes thingis ben litil, I shulde adde to thee myche more. 9   Whi thanne hast thou dispisid the word of the Lord, that thou doo yuel thingis in my si&yogh;t? Vrye Ethei thou hast smyten with swerd, and the wijf of hym thou hast takyn to thee into wijf, and thou hast slayn hym bi the swerd of the sones of Amon. 10   For what thing swerd of thin hows shal not goo a wey fro thee vnto with outen ende; forthi that thou hast dispised me, and took the wijf of Vrie Ethei, that she were thi wijf. 11   And so thes thingis seith the Lord, Loo! I shal rere vpon thee yuel of thin hows, and I shal taak awey

thi wyues in thin eyen, and &yogh;yue to thin nei&yogh;bour, and he shal sleepe with thi wyues in the eyen of this sunne. 12   Forsothe thou didist hidyngli; forsothe I shal doo this word in si&yogh;t of al Irael, and in the si&yogh;t of this sunne. 13   And Dauid seide to Nathan, I haue synned to the Lord. And Nathan seide to Dauid, Forsothe the Lord hath ouerborn thi synne; thou shalt not die. 14   Neuerthelater for thou hast maad the enemyes to blaspheme the name of the Lord, for that word the sone that is born to thee bi deeth shal die. 15   And Nathan is turned a&yogh;en into his hows. And the Lord smoot the litil child, whom the wijf of Vrye bare to Dauid, and he is dispeyrid. 16   And Dauid preyde the Lord for the litil child; and Dauid fastide with fastynge, and wente in aside, and laye vpon the erthe. 17   Forsothe the eldris of his hows camen, constreynynge hym that he shulde ryse fro the erthe; the whiche wolde not, and eete not with hem meete. 18   Forsothe it felle the seuenthe dai, that the child diede; and the seruauntis of Dauid dradden to telle to hym, that the child was deed; thei seiden forsothe, Loo! whanne the lityl child lyuede, we speken to hym, and he herde not oure voys; how mych more if we seyn the child is deed, he shal turment hym self? 19   Whanne thanne Dauid hadde herd his seruauntis musynge, he vndirstood that the lytyl faunt was deed; and he seide to his seruauntis, Whether the child is deed? The whiche answerden vnto hym, He is deed. 20   Thanne Dauid roos fro the erthe, and he is wasshid, and anoynt; and whanne he hadde chaungid clothinge, he wente into the hows of the Lord, and honourde, and cam into his hows; and he askyde, that thei shulden sette to hym breed, and he eete. 21   Forsothe

his seruauntys seiden to hym, What is the word that thou hast doon? For the litil faunt, whanne he &yogh;it lyuede, thou fastidist and weptist; forsothe the child deed, thou roos and eete breed? 22   The which seith, For the faunt whanne he &yogh;it lyuede I fastide and wepte; forsothe I seide, Who woot, if perauenture the Lord &yogh;yue hym to me, and the faunt lyue? 23   Forsothe now for he is deed, whi fast I? whether shal I mowe more ouer clepe hym a&yogh;en? I shal more goo to hym, forsothe he shal not turne a&yogh;en to me. 24   And Dauid coumfortide Bersabe, his wijf, and wente into hir, and slepte with hir. The which gat a sone, and clepide the name of hym Salomon; and the Lord louyde hym. 25   And he sente hym in the hoond of Nathan, the prophet; and he clepide the name of hym Loueli to the Lord, forthi that the Lord shulde loue hym. 26   Thanne Joab fau&yogh;t a&yogh;ens Rabath, kyng of the sones of Amon, and he hath ouercomen the kyngis citee. 27   And Joab sente messagers to Dauid, seiynge, I haue fou&yogh;ten a&yogh;ens Rabath, and the citee of watres is to be taken. 28   Now thanne gadre the tother parti of the puple, and bisege the citee, and tak it, lest whanne the citee were wastid of me, to my name the victorie be ascriued. 29   And so Dauid gadride al the puple, and wente forth a&yogh;ens Rabath; and whanne he hadde fou&yogh;ten, he took it. 30   And he took the diademe fro the mawmet, that is clepid the kyng of hem, fro his heed, in wei&yogh;t of gold a talent, hauynge moost precious gemmys; and it is put vpon the heed of Dauid; but and ful myche praye of the cyte he bare out. 31   And bryngynge forth sawede the puple of it, and ladde about vpon hem boostful yren carris, and he dyuydide with sharys, and he pi&yogh;t thur&yogh; in the shap of the sidis; thus he

dide to alle the citees of the sonys of Amon. And Dauid is turned a&yogh;en, and alle the oost of hym, into Jerusalem.

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