A   After this it fortuned, that Absalom gatt hym charettes and horsses, and fyftie men to runne before him. And he roase vp erlye in the morninges, and stode in the place of the entring in of the gate. And euery man that had anye matter and came to the kynge for iudgement, him dyd Absal&obar; call vnto hym, and sayde: of what cytie art thou? He answered: thy seruaunt is of one of the trybes of Israel. And Absalom sayde vnto hym: se, thy matter is good and ryghteous, but there is no man deputed of the kynge to heare the. Absal&obar; sayde moreouer: Oh, that I were made iudge in the lande, that euery man which hath anye pleye and matter in the lawe, myght come to me, and that I myght do him iustice? And wh&abar; any man came nye to hym, and dyd him obeysaunce, he put forth his hande and toke hym to hym, and kyssed hym. And on this maner dyd Absalom to all Israel that came to the B    kynge for Iudgement, and &rhand; he stale the hertes of the men of Israel. And &rhand; after fourtye yeres it fortuned that Absal&obar; sayde vnto the kynge: let me go nowe &rhand; to Hebron, and paye my vowe which I haue vowed, vnto the Lorde: for thy serua&ubar;t vowed a vowe ^note (when I was in Gesur in the l&abar;de of Siria) say&ebar;g: yf the Lord shall bringe me agayne to Ierusal&ebar;, I will &rhand; serue þe; Lord. And the kynge sayde vnto hym: go in peace. And so he arose, and went to Hebron.

But Absalom sent spyes thorowe out all þe; tribes of Israel say&ebar;ge: as sone as ye heare the voyce of the tr&obar;pet blowe, C   ye shall saye: Absal&obar; raigneth kynge in Hebr&obar;. And with Absalom went two h&ubar;dred men out of Ierusalem, that were called. And they went &wt; pure hertes, not knowinge of any thynge. And Absalom sent also for Ahithophel the Gilonite Dauids counseller, that he shulde come out of hys cytie Gilo, whyle he offered sacrifyces. And there was wrought stronge treason. For the people went and increased &wt; Absalom in multitude. And there cam a messenger to Dauid ∧ sayd: the hertes of the men of Israel are turned after Absal&obar;. And Dauid sayde vnto all his seruauntes þt; were &wt; him at Ierusal&ebar;: vp, þt; we maye be gone, for we shall not else escape from Absalom. Make spede, to departe: leste he come sod&ebar;lie, and catche vs, ∧ bringe some myscheffe vp&obar; vs, and smyte the cytie with the edge of the swerde. And þe; kynges serua&ubar;tes sayde vnto him: beholde, thy seruauntes are redye, to do whatsoeuer my Lord þe; kyng shall apoynte.

D   And the kynge ∧ all his housholde departed a fote. And he left behinde hym ^note ten &rhand; concubines, to kepe the house. And so þe; kynge ∧ all the people went out a fote, ∧ taryed in a place that was farre of. And all his serua&ubar;tes w&ebar;t about him. And all the Cerethites and all the Phelethites and all þe; Gethites (myghtie men of warre) (euen .vj. hundred men whych were come a fote from Geth) went before the kynge. Then sayde þe; kynge to ^note Ithai the Gethite, wherfore commest thou wyth vs? Returne and abide with the kynge, for thou art a straunger, and art remoued fr&obar; thyne awne place. Thou camest but yesterdaye, and shulde I vnquyet the to daye to go &wt; vs? I wyll go whether I can. Therfore returne thou, ∧ carye agayne thy brethr&ebar;. Mercye and truthe (shall the Lord shew vnto the.) And Ithai answered the kynge and sayd: as trulye as God lyueth ∧ as my Lord the kinge lyueth, in what place my Lord the kynge shalbe, whether in deeth or lyfe, euen there also wyll thy serua&ubar;t be. And Dauid þe; kynge sayde to Ithai: come then and go forwarde. And Ithai the Gethite went forth, ∧ all hys men, ∧ all the chyldren that were &wt; hym. And all the countreye wepte wyth a loude voyce, ∧ so dyd all the people that w&ebar;t forth. E   The kynge also hym selfe passed ouer the broke Kydron. And all the people went towarde the waye þt; leadeth to the wyldernesse. And Sadock and all þe; Leuites were

Dauid wyth him, and bare the arcke of the apoyntment of God. And there they set downe the Arcke of God. And Abiathar &rhand; went vp, vntill the people were all come ouer, out of the cytie. And þe; kynge sayde vnto Sadock. Carye the Arcke of God agayne into the cytie. If I shall fynde fauoure in the eyes of þe; Lorde, he will bringe me agayne, and shewe me both it, ∧ the tabernacle therof. But and yf the Lorde thus saye: I haue no lust vnto the, beholde, here am I, let him do wyth me, what semeth good in his eyes.

F   The kynge sayde also vnto Sadock the preaste: Art not þu; a ^note Sear? Returne into the citie in peace. And take your two sonnes wyth you: Ahimaaz thy sonne, and Ionathas the sonne of Abiathar. Beholde, I will tarye in the feldes of the wyldernesse, vntyll there come some worde from you to be tolde me. Sadock therfore and Abiathar caryed the Arcke of God agayne to Ierusalem, and they taryed there. And Dauid went vpon mount olyuet, and wepte as he went, and had his heed couered, ∧ went barefote. And all the people that was wyth hym, had euery man hys heed couered, and as they went vp, they wepte also. And one tolde Dauid sayenge: Ahithophel is one of them that haue conspired wyth Absalom. And Dauid sayde. G   O Lorde, turne the co&ubar;cell of Ahithophel into folyshenes.

When Dauid was come to the toppe of the mount &rhand; he worshypped God: and beholde, Husai þe; Arachite came agaynst hym with hys coote torne, and hauynge erth vp&obar; his heed. Unto whome Dauid sayde: yf thou go wyth me, thou shalt be a burthen vnto me. But yf thou returne to the cytie, ∧ saye vnto Absalom: I wyll be thy seruaunt O kynge: (as I haue thus longe bene thy fathers seruaunt, so am I nowe thy seruaunt) thou mayst for my sake destroye the councell of ^note Ahithophel. And thou hast there with þe; Sadock and Abiathar the Preastes, vnto whom thou shalt shewe all that thou canst heare out of the kynges house. And beholde, they haue there wyth th&ebar; theyr two sonnes: Ahimaaz Sadockes sonne, and Ionathas Abiathars sonne: by them also shall ye sende me all that ye can heare. And so ^note Husai Dauids frende gat hym to the cytie. And Absalom also entred into Ierusalem.

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