the Fourth Week of Advent
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Bishop's Bible
2 Samuel 19
1 And it was told Ioab, beholde the king weepeth, & mourneth for Absalom.2 And the victorie of that day was turned into mourning vnto al the people: for the people heard say that day howe ye king sorowed for his sonne.3 And the people went that day into the citie by stealth, as people confounded to conuey themselues when they flee in battell.4 But the king hyd his face, and cryed with a loude voyce: O my sonne Absalom, O Absalom my sonne, my sonne.5 And Ioab came into the house to the king, and sayd: Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy seruautes, which this day haue saued thy life, & the liues of thy sonnes, and of thy daughters, & the liues of thy wyues, and of thy concubines,6 In that thou louest thyne enemies, and hatest thy frendes: For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither thy princes nor seruauntes: And this day I do perceaue, that if Absalom had lyued, and all we had died this day, that had pleased thee well.7 Nowe therfore vp, and come out, and speake cofortably vnto thy seruauntes: For I sweare by the Lorde, except thou come out, there will not tary one man with thee this night, and that wilbe worse vnto thee, then all the euyll that fell on thee from thy youth vnto this houre.8 Then the king arose, and sate in the gate: And they tolde vnto all the people, saying, beholde the king doth sit in the gate, and all the people came before the king: For Israel had fled, euery man to his tent.
9 And al ye people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying: The king saued vs out of the hand of our enemies, & he deliuered vs out of the hande of the Philistines, and nowe he is fled out of the lande for Absalom:10 But Absalom whom we annoynted ouer vs, is dead in battell: Therefore, why are ye so still, that ye bring not the king agayne?11 And king Dauid sent to Sadoc & Abiathar the priestes, saying: Speake vnto the elders of Iuda, and say: Why are ye behinde to bring the king againe to his house (seyng that such tydinges is come from all Israel vnto the king, euen to his house?)12 Ye are my brethren, my bones, and my fleshe: Wherfore then are ye the last that bryng the king againe?13 And say ye to Amasa: Art thou not of my bone and of my fleshe? God do so to me and more also, if thou be not captayne of the hoast to me for euer in the roome of Ioab.14 And he bowed the heartes of all the men of Iuda, euen as the heart of one man, so that they sent [this word] to the king: Returne thou with all thy seruauntes.15 So the king returned, and came to Iordane: And Iuda came to Gilgal for to go to meete the king, and to conuey him ouer Iordane.
16 And Simei the sonne of Gera the sonne of Iemini, whiche was of Bahurim, hasted and came downe with the men of Iuda to meete king Dauid.17 And there were a thousand men of Beniamin with him, and Ziba the seruaunt of the house of Saul and his fyfteene sonnes and twentie seruauntes with him, and they went ouer Iordane before the king.18 And there went ouer a boate to carie ouer the kinges housholde, and to do him pleasure: And Simei the sonne of Gera fel before the king as he was come ouer Iordane,19 And sayde vnto the king: Let not my lorde impute wickednes vnto me, nor remembre the thinges that thy seruaunt dyd wickedly when my lord the king departed out of Hierusale, that the king should take it to his heart.20 For thy seruaunt doth knowe howe that I haue done amisse: And therfore behold, I am the first this day of all the house of Ioseph, that am come downe to meete my lorde the king.21 But Abisai the sonne of Zaruia aunswered, and sayd: Shall not Simei dye for this, because he cursed the Lordes annoynted?22 And Dauid sayde: What haue I to do with you ye sonnes of Zaruia? For this day ye be aduersaries vnto me: Shall there any man dye this day in Israel? Do not I knowe that I am this day kyng ouer Israel?23 And therfore the kyng sayde vnto Simei, Thou shalt not dye: and the kyng sware vnto hym.
24 And Miphiboseth the sonne of Saul came downe to meete the kyng, and had neither washed his feete, nor dressed his bearde, nor washed his clothes, from the tyme the kyng departed, vntyll he came againe in peace.25 And when he was come to Hierusalem and met the king, the king sayde vnto him: Wherfore wentest not thou with me Miphiboseth?26 He aunswered: My lorde O king, my seruaunt deceaued me: For thy seruaunt saide, I would haue myne asse sadled to ryde thereon, for to go to the king: because thy seruaunt is lame.27 And he hath accused thy seruaunt vnto my lorde the king, and my lorde the king is as an angell of God: do therfore what seemeth good in thine eyes.28 For all my fathers house were but dead men before my lorde the king, and yet diddest thou put thy seruaunt among the that dyd eate at thyne owne table: What right therefore haue I yet to crye any more vnto the king?29 And the king said vnto him: Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I haue saide, Thou and Ziba deuide the landes betweene you.30 And Miphiboseth sayd vnto the king: yea, let him take all forsomuch as my lord ye king is come againe in peace vnto his owne house.
31 And Barzellai ye Gileadite came downe from Roglim, and went ouer Iordane with the king, to conduct him ouer Iordane.32 Barzellai was a very aged man, euen foure score yeres olde, and prouided the king of sustenaunce while he laye at Mahanaim: for he was a man of very great substaunce.33 And the king said vnto Barzellai, come ouer with me, & I will feede thee with me in Hierusalem.34 And Barzellai saide vnto the king: How long haue I to liue, that I shuld go vp with the king vnto Hierusalem?35 I am this day foure score yeres olde: & can I deserue betweene good or euyll? Hath thy seruaunt any taste in that he eateth or drinketh? Can he heare any more the voyce of syngyng men and women? wherfore the should thy seruaunt be yet a burthen vnto my lord the king?36 Thy seruaunt will go a litle way ouer Iordane with the king: & why wyl the king recompence it me with such a rewarde?37 O let thy seruaunt turne backe agayne, that I may dye in myne owne citie, and [be buryed] in the graue of my father & of my mother: Beholde, here is thy seruaunt Chimham, let him go with my lorde the king, and do to him what shall please thee.38 And the king aunswered: Chimham shall go with me, and I will do to him that thou shalt be content with: And what soeuer thou shalt require of me, that same will I do for thee.39 And al the people went ouer Iordane: and whe the king was come ouer Iordane, he kissed Barzellai, & blessed him, & he went backe againe vnto his owne place.
40 And then the king went to Gilgal, & Chimham went with him: And al the people of Iuda, conducted the king, and also halfe the people of Israel.41 And beholde, all the men of Israel came to the king, & saide vnto the king: Why haue our brethren the men of Iuda stolen thee away, and haue brought the king and his housholde and all Dauids men with him ouer Iordane?42 And all the men of Iuda aunswered the men of Israel, Because the king is neare of kinne to vs: Wherefore be ye angry for this matter? Haue we eaten of the kinges cost? or haue we taken any brybes?43 And the men of Israel aunswered the men of Iuda, and saide: We haue ten partes in the king, and haue thereto more ryght to Dauid then ye: Why then did ye despise vs, that our aduise should not be first had, in restoring our king? And the wordes of the men of Iuda were fiercer the the wordes of the men of Israel.
