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¹ They of Siph came to Saul vnto Gibeath, & sayde: Is not Dauid hyd vpo the hill of Hachila, which lyeth ouer agaynst the wyldernesse?² Then Saul gat him vp, and wente downe to the wildernes of Siph, and thre thousande chosen men of Israel with him, to seke Dauid in the wildernes of Siph,³ and pitched vpon the hill of Hachila, which lyeth by the waye before the wildernes. But Dauid remayned in the wyldernes, and whan he sawe that Saul came after him in to the wildernes,⁴ he sent out spyes, and knewe of a suertie, that he was come in dede.⁵ And Dauid gat him vp, and came to the place where Saul had pitched his tet, and sawe the place where Saul laye with his chefe captayne Abner ye sonne of Ner: for Saul laye in the tent, and the hoost aboute him.

⁶ Then answered Dauid, and sayde vnto Ahimelech the Hethite, and to Abisai the sonne of Ieru Ia ye brother of Ioab: Who wil go downe wt me to Saul in to the hoost? Abisai sayde: I wil go downe with the.⁷ So Dauid and Abisai came to the people in the night season, & beholde, Saul laye and slepte in the tent, and his speare stacke in ye grounde at his heade. But Abner and the people laye rounde aboute him.⁸ The sayde Abisai vnto Dauid: God hath closed thine enemye in thyne hande this daye. Therfore will I now thrust him thorow once with the speare euen in to the grounde, yt he shall haue ynough of it.⁹ Neuertheles Dauid sayde vnto Abisai: Destroye him not, for who wil laye hande vpon the anoynted of ye LORDE, & remayne vngiltye?¹⁰ Dauid sayde morouer: As truly as the LORDE lyueth, yf ye LORDE him selfe smyte him not, or excepte his tyme come that he dye, or that he go in to the battayll and perishe,¹¹ the LORDE let it be farre fro me, that I shulde laye my hande on the LORDES anoynted. Take ye speare now therfore at his heade, & the cuppe of water, & let vs go.¹² So Dauid toke ye speare & the cuppe of water at Sauls heade, & they wente their waye. And there was no man yt sawe it, ner perceaued it, nether awaked, but they slepte euery one, for there was a depe slepe fallen vpon them from the LORDE.

¹³ Now whan Dauid was come ouer on ye other syde, he stode vpon the toppe of the mount a farre of (so that there was a wyde space betwene them)¹⁴ and cried vpon ye people, and vpo Abner the sonne of Ner, & sayde: Hearest thou not Abner? And Abner answered and sayde: Who art thou that cryest so, and diseasest the kynge?¹⁵ And Dauid sayde vnto Abner: Art thou not a man? And where is there soch one as thou in Israel? Why hast thou not then kepte thy lorde ye kynge? for there is one of ye people come in to destroye thy lorde ye kynge.¹⁶ It is not well that thou hast done. As truly as the LORDE lyueth ye are the children of death, because ye haue not kepte youre lorde the LORDES anoynted. Beholde now, where is ye kynges speare, and the cuppe of water that was at his heade.¹⁷ Then knewe Saul the voyce of Dauid, and saide: Is not that thy voyce my sonne Dauid? Dauid sayde: It is my voyce my lorde the kynge.¹⁸ And he sayde morouer: Why doth my lorde so persecute his seruaunt? What haue I done? and what euell is there in my hande?¹⁹ Yet let my lorde the kynge heare but the wordes of his seruaunt? Yf ye LORDE prouoke the against me, let there be smelled a meatofferynge: but yf the childre of men do it, cursed be they before the LORDE, because they haue thrust me out this daye (that I shulde not dwell in the LORDES inheritaunce) and saye: Go yi waye, and serue other goddes.²⁰ So fall not now my bloude vpon the earth from the face of the LORDE. For the kynge of Israel is gone forth to seke a flee, as a partriche is folowed on vpo the mountaynes.

²¹ And Saul sayde: I haue synned: Come agayne Dauid my sonne, I wil do the nomore hurte, because my soule hath bene deare in yi sighte this daye. Beholde, I haue done foolishly and very vnwysely.²² Dauid answered and sayde: Beholde, here is the kynges speare, let one of the yongemen come ouer here and fetch it.²³ But the LORDE shal rewarde euery one acordinge to his righteousnes and faith, for ye LORDE delyuered ye this daye in to my hande: neuertheles I wolde not laie my hande vpo the LORDES anoynted.²⁴ And as yi soule hath bene greatly reputed in my sighte this daye, so let ye LORDE repute my soule in his sighte, & delyuer me from all trouble.²⁵ Saul saide vnto Dauid: Blessed be thou Dauid my sonne, thou shalt do it, & be able. But Dauid wente his waye, and Saul turned agayne vnto his place.