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¹ And it was tolde Ioab: beholde, ye kinge wepeth & mourneth for Absalom.² And so out of ye victory of yt daye there came a mourninge amonge all the people. For the people had herde the same daye, yt the kynge toke on heuely because of his sonne.³ And ye people stale awaye the same daye, so that they came not in to the cite: as a people that is put to shame, pycketh them selues awaye, whan they are fled in a battayll.⁴ As for the kynge, he had couered his face, and cryed loude, and sayde: Oh my sonne Absalom, Absalom my sonne, my sonne.⁵ But Ioab came to the kynge in to the house, and sayde: This daye hast thou shamed all thy seruauntes (which haue delyuered thy soule this daye, and the soules of thy sonnes, of thy doughters, of thy wyues, and of thy cocubynes)⁶ in that thou louest them that hate the, and hatest those that loue ye. For to daye thou shewest thy selfe, that thou carest not for the captaynes and seruauntes: For I perceaue this daye, that yf Absalom onely were alyue, and we all deed this daye, thou woldest thynke it were well.⁷ Get the vp now therfore, and go forth, and speake louyngly vnto thy seruauntes. For I sweare vnto the by ye LORDE, yf thou go not forth, there shall not be lefte the one man this nighte: this shalbe worse vnto ye, then all the euell that happened the sence yi youth vp hither to.⁸ The the kynge gat him vp, and sat in the gate. And it was sayde vnto the people: beholde, the kynge sytteth in the gate. Then came all the people before ye kynge. But Israel was fled euery one vnto his tent.

⁹ And all the people stroue in all the trybes of Israel, and sayde: The kynge ryd vs from the hande of oure enemies, and delyuered vs from the hande of the Philistynes, and was fayne to fle out of the lode for Absalom.¹⁰ So Absalom whom we had anoynted ouer vs, is deed in the battayll. Why are ye so styll now, that ye fetch not the kynge agayne?¹¹ The kynge sent vnto Sadoc & Abiathar the prestes, & caused to saye vnto the: Speake to the Elders of Iuda, & saye: Why wyl ye be the last to fetch the kynge agayne vnto his house? (for ye sayenge of all Israel was come before the kynge into his house)¹² ye are my brethren, my bone, and my flesh. Wherfore wyl ye then be the last to brynge the kynge agayne?¹³ And saye vnto Amasa: Art not thou my bone and my flesh? God do this & that vnto me, yf thou shalt not be the chefe captayne before me in Ioabs steade, as longe as thou lyuest.¹⁴ And he bowed the hert of all the men of Iuda as of one man. And they sent vnto ye kynge: Come agayne, thou and all thy seruauntes:¹⁵ So the kynge came agayne. And whan he came vnto Iordane, ye men of Iuda were come to Gilgal, for to go downe to mete the kynge, that they mighte brynge ye kynge ouer Iordane.

¹⁶ And Semei the sonne of Gera the sonne of Iemini, which dwelt at Bahurim, made haist, and wente downe with ye men of Iuda to mete kynge Dauid,¹⁷ and there were with him a thousande me of Ben Iamin. Siba also the seruaunt of the house of Saul with his fyftene sonnes and twenty seruauntes, & gat them thorow Iordane and passed ouer ye fery,¹⁸ that they mighte brynge ouer the kynges housholde, and to do him pleasure. But Semei the sonne of Gera fell downe before the kynge, whan he passed ouer Iordane,¹⁹ and sayde vnto the kynge: O my lorde, laye not the trespace vnto my charge, & thynke not vpon it that thy seruaunt vexed the, in the daye whan my lorde the kynge wente out of Ierusalem: and let not ye kynge take it to hert,²⁰ for thy seruaunt knoweth that he hath synned. And beholde, this daye am I come the first amonge all the house of Ioseph, for to go downe to mete my lorde the kynge.²¹ Neuertheles Abisai the sonne of Zeru Ia answered and sayde: And shulde not Semei dye therfore, seynge he hath cursed ye anoynted of ye LORDE?²² But Dauid sayde: What haue I to do with you ye children of ZeruIa, that ye wyll become Sathan vnto me this daye? Shulde eny man dye this daye in Israel? Thynkest thou that I knowe not, yt I am become kynge ouer Israel this daye?²³ And ye kynge sayde vnto Simei: Thou shalt not dye? And the kynge sware vnto him.

²⁴ Mephiboseth the sonne of Saul came downe also to mete the kynge. And he had not made cleane his fete ner combde his beerde, nether had he waßshed his clothes from the daye that the kynge was gone awaye, vntyll the daye that he came agayne in peace.²⁵ Now wha he came to Ierusalem for to mete the kynge, the kynge sayde vnto him: Mephiboseth, wherfore wentest thou not with me?²⁶ And he sayde: My lorde O kynge, my seruaut hath dealte vnrighteously with me: for thy seruaunt thoughte: I wyl saddell an asse and ryde theron, and go vnto the kynge: for thy seruaunt is lame,²⁷ and he hath accused thy seruaunt before my lorde ye kynge. But my lorde ye kynge is an angell of God, and thou mayest do what pleaseth the.²⁸ For all my fathers house was nothinge, but people of death before my lorde ye kynge. And yet hast thou set thy seruaunt amonge them that eate at yi table. What other righteousnes haue I, that I shulde crye eny more vnto the kynge?²⁹ The kynge sayde vnto him: What speakest thou yet more of thy matter? I haue sayde: Thou and Siba parte the londe betwene you.³⁰ Mephiboseth sayde vnto the kynge: Let him take it all, in as moch as my lorde ye kynge is come home in peace.

³¹ And Barsillai the Gileadite came downe from Roglim, and broughte the kynge ouer Iordane, that he mighte coueye him in Iordane.³² And Barsillai was very olde, so good as foure score yeare olde, the same had prouyded ye kynge of fode whyle he was at Mahanaim, for he was a very noble man.³³ And the kynge sayde vnto Barsillai: Thou shalt go ouer with me, I wyll take care for the wt myne awne selfe at Ierusalem.³⁴ But Barsillai sayde vnto the kynge: What haue I yet to lyue, that I shulde go vp to Ierusalem wt the kynge?³⁵ This daye am I foure score yeare olde. How shulde I knowe what is good or euell, or taist what I eate or drynke, or heare what the Musicians do synge? Why shulde thy seruaunt be chargeable first vnto my lorde the kynge?³⁶ thy seruaunt shall go a litle with the kynge ouer Iordane. Why wil the kynge recompence me after this maner?³⁷ Let thy seruaunt turne backe agayne, that I maye dye in my cite besyde my father and my mothers graue. Beholde, there is thy seruaunt Chimeam, let him go ouer with my lorde the kynge, and do vnto him what pleaseth the.³⁸ The kynge sayde: Chimeam shal go ouer with me, and I wyll do for him what liketh the: and what so euer thou desyrest of me, that wyll I do for the also.³⁹ And whan all ye people was gone ouer Iordane and the kynge likewyse, the kynge kyssed Barsillai and blessed him, and he turned vnto his place.

⁴⁰ And ye kynge passed ouer vnto Gilgal, and Chimeam wente with him. And all the people of Iuda broughte the kynge ouer, howbeit there was but halfe of the people of Israel there.⁴¹ And beholde, the came all the men of Israel vnto the kynge, & sayde vnto him: Why haue oure brethren the men of Iuda stollen the awaye, and haue conueyed ye kynge and his housholde ouer Iordane, and all Dauids men with him?⁴² Then answered they of Iuda vnto them of Israel: The kynge is of oure nye kynred, why are ye angrie therfore? Thynke ye that we haue receaued eny fode or giftes of the kynge?⁴³ Then answered they of Israel vnto them of Iuda, & sayde: We haue ten tymes more with the kynge and with Dauid, the thou, why hast thou regarded me then so lightly, that oures were not the first to fetch oure kynge agayne? But they of Iuda spake harder then they of Israel.