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¹ And whan Dauid was gone a lytle by from the toppe of the mount, beholde, Siba the seruaut of Mephiboseth met him with a couple of asses sadled, wheron were two hundreth loaues of bred, and an hundreth quantities of rasyns and an hudreth quantities of fygges, and a bottell of wyne.² Then sayde the kynge vnto Siba: What wilt thou do herewith? Siba sayde: The asses shalbe for the kynges housholde to ryde vpon, and the loaues and fygges for the yonge men to eate, and the wyne shallbe for them to drynke whan they are weery in the wyldernes.³ The kynge sayde: Where is thy lordes sonne? Siba sayde vnto the kynge: Beholde, he abyde that Ierusale, for he saide: To daye shal ye house of Israel restore my fathers kigdome vnto me.⁴ The kynge saide vnto Siba: Beholde, all that Mephiboseth hath, shalbe thine. Siba sayde with reuerence, Let me finde grace in thy sight my lorde O kynge.

⁵ But whan kynge Dauid came to Bahurim, beholde, there wente out a man of the kynred of the house of Saul, whose name was Semei the sonne of Gera, which wente forth and cursed,⁶ and cast stones at Dauid, and at all kynge Dauids seruauntes and all the people and all the mightie men men were at his righte hande and at his lefte.⁷ Thus sayde Semei whan he cursed: Get the forth, get the forth thou bloudy hounde, thou man of Belial.⁸ The LORDE hath rewarded the for all the bloude of the house of Saul, yt thou becamest kynge in his steade. Now hath the LORDE geuen the kyngdome into ye hande of Absalom thy sonne, and beholde, now stickest thou in thine owne myschefe, for thou art a bloudy hounde.⁹ But Abisai the sonne of Zeru Ia sayde vnto the kynge: Shall this deed dogg curse my lorde the kynge? I wyl go and take the heade awaye from him.¹⁰ The kynge saide: Ye children of Zeru Ia, what haue I to do wt you? Let him curse on, for the LORDE hath commaunded him: Curse Dauid. Who can saye now: Why doest thou so?¹¹ And Dauid sayde vnto Abisai and to all his seruauntes: Beholde, my sonne which came of my body, seketh after my lyfe, how moch more now the sonne of Iemini? Let him curse on, for the LORDE hath commaunded him:¹² peraduenture the LORDE shall consydre my aduersyte, and recompence me good for his cursynge this daye.¹³ So Dauid wente on his waye with his men. But Semei wente on by the mount besyde him, and cursed, and cast stones at him, & threwe clottes of earth.¹⁴ And the kynge came in and all the people that was with him, weery, and refreshed him selfe there.

¹⁵ But Absalom and all the people of the men of Israel came to Ierusalem and Achitophel with him.¹⁶ Whan Chusai the Arachite Dauids frende came into Absalom, he sayde vnto Absalom: God saue the kynge God saue the kynge.¹⁷ Absalom sayde vnto Chusai: Is this thy mercy vnto thy frende? Why art thou not gone with thy frende?¹⁸ Chusai sayde vnto Absalom: Not so, but loke whom the LORDE choseth, and this people, and all the men in Israel, his wyl I be, and byde with him.¹⁹ Secondly, whom shulde I serue? Shulde I not do seruyce before his sonne? Like as I haue serued in the presence of thy father, so wyll I do seruyce before the also.²⁰ And Absalom sayde vnto Achitophel: Geue vs youre councell what we shal do?²¹ Achitophel sayde vnto Absalom: Go lye with thy fathers concubynes, whom he hath lefte to kepe the house, so shall all Israel heare that thou hast made thy father to stynke, and the hande of all them that are with ye, shal be the bolder.²² Then made they a tente vnto Absalom vpon the house toppe. And Absalom laye with his fathers concubynes in the sighte of all Israel.²³ At that tyme whan Achitophel gaue a councell, that was euen as yf a man axed councell at God: So were all the councels of Achitophel both with Dauid and with Absalom.