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¹ Now whan Saul came agayne from the Philistines, it was tolde him: Beholde, Dauid is in the wyldernes of Engaddi.² And Saul toke thre thousande chosen men out of all Israel, and wente to seke Dauid with his men vpon the stony rockes of the wylde goates.³ And whan he came to the shepe foldes by ye waye, there was a caue, and Saul wente in to couer his fete. But Dauid and his men sat behinde within the caue.⁴ Then sayde Dauids men vnto him: Lo, this is the daye, wherof the LORDE thy God hath sayde vnto the: Beholde, I wyll delyuer thyne enemye in to thy hande, that thou mayest do wt him what it pleaseth the. And Dauid stode vp, & cut of the typpe of Sauls garment quyetly.⁵ Neuertheles it smote him afterwarde in his hert, because he had cut of the typpe of Sauls garment,⁶ and sayde vnto his men: The LORDE let that be farre frome, that I shulde do it, & laye my hande vpo my lorde the LORDES anoyntd: for he is ye anoynted of the LORDE.⁷ And Dauid withelde his seruautes with wordes, & suffred the not to ryse vp agaynst Saul. But whan Saul gat him vp out of the caue, and was goinge his waye,⁸ Dauid rose vp also after him, and wente out of the caue, and cried behynde Saul, & sayde: My lorde the kynge. And Saul loked behynde him. And Dauid bowed downe his face to the earth, and worshipped,

⁹ and sayde vnto Saul: Why herkenest thou vnto the wordes of men, that saye: Dauid seketh thy mysfortune?¹⁰ Beholde, thine eyes se this daye that the LORDE gaue the into my hande in the caue, and I was counceled to slaye the: Neuertheles thou wast fauoured, for I sayde: I wil not laye my hande vpon my lorde, for he is the LORDES anoynted.¹¹ Beholde, my father the typpe of thy garment in my hande, that I wolde not slaye the, whan I cut of the typpe of thy garment. Knowe and se, yt there is no euell ner trespace in my hande: nether haue I offended the, and thou folowest after my soule, to take it awaye.¹² The LORDE shal be iudge betwene me and the, and auenge me on the, but my hade shal not be vpon the,¹³ acordinge as it is sayde after the olde prouerbe: Vngodlynes commeth of the vngodly: but my hande shal not be vpon the.¹⁴ Whom persecutest thou O kynge of Israel, whom persecutest thou? a deed dogg? a flee?¹⁵ The LORDE be iudge, and geue sentence betwene me and the, and cosidre it, and defende my cause, and delyuer me from thy hande.

¹⁶ Now whan Dauid had spoken out these wordes vnto Saul, Saul saide: Is not this thy voyce my sonne Dauid? And Saul lifte vp his voyce, and wepte,¹⁷ and saide vnto Dauid: Thou art more righteous then I: for thou hast recompesed me good, but I haue rewarded the euell.¹⁸ And this daye hast thou shewed me how thou hast done me good, for so moch as ye LORDE hath delyuered me in to thy hande, and thou neuertheles hast not slaine me.¹⁹ What is he, which yf he fynde his enemye, wyl let him go in a good waye? The LORDE rewarde the good for yt thou hast done vnto me this daye?²⁰ Beholde now, I knowe that thou shalt be kynge, & the kyngdome of Israel stondeth in thy hande:²¹ sweare now therfore vnto me by the LORDE, yt thou shalt not rote out my sede after me, nether destroie my name out of my fathers house.²² And Dauid sware vnto Saul. Then wente Saul home, but Dauid gat him vp with his men vnto the castell.