1   There is maad thanne a longe stryuynge togidre bitwixe the hows of Dauid and the hows of Saul; Dauid profitynge and euermore strenger than hym self, forsothe the hows of Saul decresynge eche dai. 2   And there ben born sones of Dauid in Ebron; and his first geten was Amon, of Achinoem Jezraelite; 3   and after hym &YOGH;eliab, of Abigail, the wijf of Naabal Carmeel; forsothe the thridde,

Absolon, the sone of Maacha, the dou&yogh;ter of Tholomay, the kyng Jethsure; 4   forsothe the feerthe, Adonyas, the sone of Agith; and the fifthe, Saphacias, the sone of Abital; 5   forsothe the sexte, Jethraam of Egla, the wijf of Dauid. Thes ben born to Dauid in Ebron. 6   Thanne whanne there was a batail bytwixe the hows of Saul and the hows of Dauid, Abner, the sone of Ner, gouernde the hows of Saul. 7   Forsothe there was to Saul a secoundarie wijf, Respha bi name, the do&yogh;ter of Achay; and Abner wente into hir. And Hisboseth seide to Abner, 8   Whi wentist thou in to the secoundarie wijf of my fader? The which, ful miche wrooth for the wordis of Hisboseth, seith, Whether the heed of a dog Y am a&yogh;ens Juda to day, the which haue doon merci vpon the hows of Saul, thi fadre, and vpon britheren, and the next kyn of hym, and I haue not takyn thee into the hondis of Dauid, and thou hast a&yogh;en sou&yogh;t in me that thou vndurnyme for a womman to day? 9   Thes thingis doo God to Abner, and thes thingis adde to hym, but what maner wise the Lord hath swore to Dauid, so shal I doo with hym, 10   that the kyngdom be ouerborn fro the hows of Saul, and the trone of Dauid be rerid vpon Irael and vpon Juda, fro Dan vnto Bersabe. 11   And he my&yogh;te not answere to hym eny thing, for he dradde hym. 12   Thanne Abner sente messageris to Dauid for hym self, seiynge, Whos is the loond? and for thei shulden speke, Mak with me frenships, and myn hoond shal be with thee, and I shal brynge a&yogh;en to thee al Irael. 13   The which seith, Altherbest I shal doo with thee frenships, but o thing I aske of thee, seiynge, Thou shalt not se my face, before that thou brynge Mychol, the dou&yogh;ter of Saul, and so thou shalt come, and se me. 14   Thanne Dauid sente messagers to Hisboseth,

the sone of Saul, seiynge, &YOGH;eeld my wijf Mychol, that I weddide to me for an hundrid tersis of Philisteis. 15   Thanne Hisbotseth sente, and took hir `fro hir man, Faltiel, the sone of Lais; 16   and hir man folwide hir wepynge vnto Bahurym. And Abner seide to hym, Go and turn a&yogh;en; the which turnede a&yogh;en. 17   Forsothe Abner brou&yogh;te in a word to the eldris of Irael, seiynge, Both &yogh;isterday and the thridde dai hens &yogh;e sou&yogh;ten Dauyd, that he regne vpon &yogh;ou. 18   Nowe thanne doth; for the Lord spak to Dauid, seiynge, In the hoond of my seruaunt Dauid I shal saue my puple Yrael fro the hoond of Philisteis, and of alle his enemyes. 19   Forsothe Abner spak also to Beniamyn, and wente, for to speke to Dauid, in Ebron, alle thingis that plesiden to Irael and to al Beniamyn. 20   And he cam to Dauid, in Ebron, with twenti men. And Dauid made to Abner, and to his men that camen with hym, a feest. 21   And Abner seide to Dauid, Y shal ryse, that I gedre to thee, my lord kyng, al Yrael, and I goo in with the boond of pees, and thou comaunde to al, as thi soule desirith. Thanne whanne Dauid hadde ladde out Abner, and he was goon in pees, 22   anone the children of Dauid and of Joab camen, the theuis slayn, with ful miche greet pray; forsothe Abner was not with Dauid, in Ebron, for nowe he hadde laft hym, and he was goon forth in pees. 23   And Joab, and the oost that was with hym, aftirward camen; and so it is toold to Joab of tellers, Abner, the sone of Ner, cam to the kyng, and he lafte hym, and he wente awey in pees. 24   And Joab wente yn to the kyng, and seith, What hast thou doon? Loo! Abner cam to thee; whi hast thou laft hym, and he &yogh;ede, and wente awey? 25   Knowist thou not Abner, the sone of Ner, for to

that he cam to thee, that he desseyue thee, and knowe thin outgoynge and thin incomynge, and he shal knowe alle thingis that thou dost? 26   And so Joab, goon out fro Dauid, sente messageris after Abner; and brou&yogh;te hym a&yogh;en fro the cistern of Cyra, vnknowynge Dauid. 27   And whanne Abner was turned a&yogh;en into Ebron, Joab ladde hym aside to the mydil of the &yogh;aat, that he speke to hym in trecherye; and he smoot hym there in the sheer, and he is deed, into wreche of the blood of his brother Asahel. 28   That whanne Dauid hadde herd the thing doon, seith, Clene I am and my kyngdam anentis God vnto with outen ende fro the blood of Abner, the sone of Ner; 29   and come it vpon the heed of Joab, and vpon al the hows of his fader; ne fail there fro the hows of Joab oon suffrynge flux of seed, and a leprous, holdynge a spyndle, and a fallynge with swerd, and a nedi breed. 30   Therfor Joab, and Abisay, his brother, slewen Abner, forthi that he hadde slayn Asahel, the brother of hem, in Gabaon, in the batail. 31   And Dauid seide to Joab, and to al the puple that was with hym, Kittith &yogh;oure clothis, and beth gird with sackis, and weileth before the exequies of Abner. Forsothe Dauid folwide the beere. 32   And whanne thei hadden biryden Abner in Ebron, kyng Dauyd reride his voys, and wepte vpon the toumbe of Abner; forsothe and al the puple wepte. 33   And the kyng, weilynge and mournynge Abner, seith, Not as slow men ben went to dye, thou diedist, Abner. 34   Thin hoondis ben not boundun, and thi feet ben not greued with fettris, but as men ben wont to fal before the sonys of wickidnes thou felle. And doublynge togidre al the puple wepte vpon hym. 35   And whanne al the multitude was comen to taak meet with Dauid, &yogh;it cleer day, Dauid swore, seiynge,

Thes thingis doo to me God, and thes thingis adde, if before the sunne goynge doun I shal taast breed or eny other thing. 36   And al the puple herde; and alle thingis plesiden to hem that the kyng dide in the si&yogh;t of al the puple; and al the comoun knewe, 37   and al Irael in that dai, for it was not doon of the kyng, that Abner, the sone of Ner, were slayn. 38   And the kyng seide to his seruauntis, Whether &yogh;e knowen not, for a prince and the moost to dai in Irael hath fallen? Forsothe I &yogh;it delicate and anoyntid kyng; greetli thes men, sonis of Saruye, ben hard to me; the Lord &yogh;eeld to the doynge yuel after his malice.

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