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¹ And Dauid mustred the people yt was with him, and set captaynes ouer the, ouer thousandes and ouer hundreds.² And sent out of the people one thirde parte vnder Abisai the sonne of Zeru Ia Ioabs brother, and one thirde parte vnder Ithai the Gethite. And the kynge sayde vnto the people: I wyll go forth with you also.³ Neuertheles the people sayde: Thou shalt not go forth, for though we fle, or die halfe of vs they shal not regarde vs. For thou art as ten thousande of vs. Therfore is this better that thou mayest helpe vs out of the cite.⁴ The kynge sayde: Loke what ye are content withall, that wyl I do. And the kynge stode in the gate, and all the people wente forth by hundreds and by thousandes.⁵ And ye kinge comaunded Ioab and Abisai, and Ithai, and sayde: Intreate me the yonge man Absalom gently. And all the people herde it, wha the kynge comaunded all the captaynes concernynge Absalom.⁶ And whan the people were come forth in to the felde agaynst Israel, the battayll beganne in the wod of Ephraim.⁷ And the people of Israel were smitten there before Dauids seruauntes, so that there was a greate slaughter the same daye, of twentye thousande men.⁸ And the battaill was scatred abrode there in the londe. And the wod consumed moch more people the same daye, then the swerde consumed.

⁹ And Absalom met Dauids seruauntes, and rode vpon a Mule. And whan the Mule came vnder a greate thicke Oke tre, his heade toke holde on the Oke, and so hanged he betwene heauen and earth, but the Mule ranne awaye from vnder him.¹⁰ Whan a certayne man sawe that, he tolde Ioab, and saide: Beholde, I sawe Absalom hange vpo an Oke tre.¹¹ And Ioab saide vnto the ma yt tolde it him: Beholde, sawest thou that, why smotest thou him not there to the groude? so wolde I haue geuen the of myne awne behalfe ten syluerlynges and a gyrdell.¹² The man sayde vnto Ioab: Yf thou haddest weyed me a thousande syluerlynges in my handes, yet wolde I not haue layed my handes on the kynges sonne. For the kynge commaunded the and Abisai and Ithai before oure eares, and sayde: Kepe me the yonge man Absalom.¹³ Or yf I had dyssembled vpon the ioperdy of myne owne soule (for so moch as nothinge shulde be hyd from ye kinge) thou thy selfe shuldest haue stode against me.¹⁴ Ioab sayde: Not so, I wil vpon him before thy face. Then toke Ioab thre speares in his hande, and thrust Absalom thorow ye hert, while he was yet alyue vpon the Oke.¹⁵ And ten yoge men Ioabs weapenbearers, came aboute him, and smote him to death.¹⁶ Then blewe Ioab the trompe, and broughte the people agayne, that they shulde folowe nomore vpon Israel. For Ioab wolde fauoure the people.¹⁷ And they toke Absalom, and cast him in the wod in to a greate pytt, and layed a greate heape of stones vpon him. And all Israel fled, euery one vnto his tente.¹⁸ Absalom had set him vp a piler whyle he was yet alyue, which stode in the kynges valley, for he sayde: I haue no sonne, therfore shall this be a remembraunce of my name: and he called the piler after his owne name. And vnto this daie it is yet called Absaloms place.

¹⁹ Ahimaas the sonne of Sadoc sayde: Let me runne now, and brynge the kynge worde, that the LORDE hath gotten him righte fro the hande of his enemies.²⁰ But Ioab sayde: Thou shalt bringe no good tidinges to daie another daye shalt thou brynge him worde, and not to daye, for the kynges sonne is deed²¹ But vnto Chusi sayde Ioab: Go thou thy waye, and tell the kynge what thou hast sene. And Chusi did his obeysauce vnto Ioab, and ranne.²² Ahimaas the sonne of Sadoc saide agayne vnto Ioab: What and I ranne also? Ioab sayde: What wilt thou runne my sonne? Come hither, thou shalt brynge no good tydinges. (He answered:) What and I ranne yet.²³ He saide vnto him: Renne on yi waye then. So Ahimaas ranne the straight waye, and came before Chusi.²⁴ As for Dauid, he sat betwene the two gates. And the watchman wente vp to ye toppe of the porte vpon the wall, and lifte vp his eyes, and sawe a man renninge alone,²⁵ and cryed, and tolde the kinge. The kynge sayde: Yf he be alone, then is there good tydinges in his mouth. And as the same wente and came forth,²⁶ the watchman sawe another man rennynge, and cryed in the porte and sayde: Beholde, there renneth a man alone. The kinge sayde: The same is a good messaunger also.²⁷ The watchman sayde: I se the rennynge of the first as it were the rennynge of Ahimaas the sonne of Sadoc. And the kynge sayde: He is a good man, and bryngeth good tidinges.²⁸ Ahimaas cryed, and sayde vnto ye kinge: Peace, and worshipped before the kynge vpon his face to the grounde, and sayde: Praised be the LORDE thy God, which hath geuen ouer ye men that lifte vp their handes agaynst my LORDE the kynge.²⁹ The kynge sayde: Goeth it well with the yonge man Absalom? Ahimaas sayde: I sawe a greate vproure, whan Ioab the kynges seruaunt sent me thy seruaunt, and I wote not what it was.³⁰ The kynge sayde: Go aboute, and stonde here. And he wente aboute and stode there.³¹ Beholde, then came Chusi and sayde: I brynge good tydinges my lorde the kynge: The LORDE hath executed righte for the this daye, from the hande of all them that rose vp agaynst the.³² But the kynge sayde vnto Chusi: Goeth it well with the yonge man Absalom? Chusi sayde: Euen so go it wt all the enemyes of my lorde the kynge, and with all them that ryse vp agaynst the to do euell, as it goeth with the yonge man.³³ Then was the kynge soroufull, and wente vp in to the perler vpon the gate, and wepte, and as he wente, he sayde thus: O my sonne Absalo, my sonne, my sonne Absalom, wolde God yt I shulde dye for the. O Absalom my sonne, my sonne.