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¹ And kyng Dauid wax eld, and hadde ful many daies of age; and whanne he was hilid with clothis, he was not maad hoot.² Therfor hise seruauntis seiden to hym, Seke we to oure lord the kyng a yong wexynge virgyn; and stonde sche bifor the kyng, and nursche sche hym, and slepe in his bosum, and make hoot oure lord the kyng.³ Therfor thei souyten a yong wexyng virgyn, fair in alle the coostis of Israel; and thei founden Abisag of Sunam, and thei brouyten hir to the kyng.⁴ Forsothe the damysel was ful fair, and sche slepte with the kyng, and mynystride to hym; forsothe the king knew not hir fleischli.

⁵ Sotheli Adonye, sone of Agith, was reisid, and seide, Y schal regne. And he made to hym a chare, and knyytis, and fifti men, that runnen bifor hym.⁶ Nether his fadir repreuyde hym ony tyme, and seide, Whi `didist thou this? Forsothe also he was ful fair, the secounde child aftir Absolon; and his word was with Joab,<sup>7</sup> sone of Saruye, and with `Abiathar, preest, that helpiden the partis of Adonye.⁸ Sotheli Sadoch, the preest, and Banaie, sone of Joiada, and Nathan, the prophete, and Semey, and Cerethi, and Ferethi, and al the strengthe of the oost of Dauid, weren not with Adonye.⁹ Therfor whanne rammes weren offrid, and caluys, and alle fatte thingis, bisidis the stoon Zoelech, that was nyy the welle of Rogel, Adonye clepide alle hise britheren, sones of the kyng, and alle the men of Juda, seruauntis of the kyng.¹⁰ Sotheli `he clepide not Nathan, the profete, and Banaie, and alle stronge men, and Salomon, his brothir.

¹¹ Therfor Nathan seide to Bersabee, modir of Salomon, Whether thou herdist, that Adonye, sone of Agith, regnede, and oure lord Dauid knoweth not this?¹² Now therfor come thou, take thou counsel of me, and saue thi lijf, and of Salomon thi sone.¹³ Go thou, and entre to kyng Dauid, and seie thou to hym, Whether not thou, my lord the kyng, hast swore to me, thin handmaide, and seidist, that Salomon thi sone schal regne aftir me, and he schal sitte in my trone?¹⁴ Whi therfor regneth Adonye? And yit while thou schalt speke there with the kyng, Y schal come aftir thee, and `Y schal fille thi wordis.<sup>15</sup> Therfor Bersabee entride to the kyng in the closet; forsothe the kyng was ful eeld, and Abisag of Sunam `mynystride to hym.¹⁶ Bersabee bowide hir silf, and worschipide the kyng; to whom the kyng seide, What wolt thou to thee?¹⁷ And sche answeride, and seide, My lord the kyng, thou hast swore to thin handmaide bi thi Lord God, Salomon thy sone schal regne aftir me, and he schal sitte in my trone;¹⁸ and lo! Adonye hath regnede now, `while thou, my lord the kyng, knowist not;<sup>19</sup> he hath slayn oxis, and alle fatte thingis, and ful many rammes; and he clepide alle the sones of the king, also `Abiathar preest, and Joab, the prince of chyualri; but he clepide not Salomon, thi seruaunt.²⁰ Netheles, my lord the kyng, the iyen of al Israel biholden in to thee, that thou schewe to hem, who owith to sitte in thi trone, my lord the kyng, aftir thee;²¹ and it schal be, whanne my lord the kyng hath slepte with hise fadris, Y and my sone Salomon schulen be synneris.²² `While sche spak yit with the king, Nathan, the prophete, cam.²³ And thei telden to the kyng, and seiden, Nathan, the prophete, is present. And whanne he hadde entrid in the siyt of the kyng, and hadde worschipide hym lowli to erthe,²⁴ Nathan seide, My lord the kyng, seidist thou, Adonye regne aftir me, and sitte he on my trone?²⁵ For he cam doun to dai, and offride oxis, and fatte thingis, and ful many wetheris; and he clepide alle the sones of the kyng, also Abiathar, preest; and whanne thei eten, and drunken bifor hym, and seiden, Kyng Adonye lyue;²⁶ he clepide not me, thi seruaunt, and Sadoch, preest, and Banaie, sone of Joiada, and Salomon, thi sone.²⁷ Whether this word yede out fro my lord the kyng, and thou schewidist not to me, thi seruaunt, who schulde sitte on the trone of my lord the king after hym?²⁸ And kyng Dauid answeride, and seide, Clepe ye Bersabee to me. And whanne sche hadde entrid bifor the kyng, and hadde stonde bifor hym, the kyng swoor,²⁹ and seide, The Lord lyueth, that delyueryde my lijf fro al angwisch;³⁰ for as Y swore to thee bi the Lord God of Israel, and seide, Salomon, thi sone, schal regne after me, and he schal sitte on my trone for me, so Y schal do to dai.³¹ And Bersabee, with the cheer cast doun in to erthe, worschipide the kyng, and seide, My lord the kyng Dauid lyue with outen ende.

³² And kyng Dauid seide, Clepe ye Sadoch, the preest, to me, and Nathan, the prophete, and Banaie, sone of Joiada. And whanne thei hadden entrid bifor the kyng,³³ the kyng seide to hem, Take with you the seruauntis of youre lord, and putte ye my sone Salomon on my mule, and lede ye hym in to Gyon.³⁴ And Sadoch, the preest, and Nathan, the profete, anoynte hym in to kyng on Israel and Juda; and ye schulen synge with a clarioun, and ye schulen seie, Lyue kyng Salomon!³⁵ Ye schulen stie aftir hym, and ye schulen come to Jerusalem; and he schal sitte on my trone, and he schal regne for me; and Y schal comaunde to hym, that he be duyk on Israel and on Juda.³⁶ And Banaie, sone of Joiada, answeride to the kyng, and seide, Amen, `that is, so be it, ether verili, ether feithfuli; so speke the Lord God of my lord the kyng.<sup>37</sup> As the Lord was with my lord the kyng, so be he with Salomon, and make he the trone of Salomon heiyere than the trone of my lord the kyng Dauid.<sup>38</sup> Therfor Sadoch, the preest, yede doun, and Nathan, the prophete, and Banaie, sone of Joiada, and Cerethi, and Ferethi; and thei puttiden Salomon on the mule of Dauid, the kyng, and thei brouyten hym in to Gion.<sup>39</sup> And Sadoch, the preest, took an horn of oile of the tabernacle, and anoyntide Salomon; and thei sungen with a clarioun; and al the puple seide, Lyue kyng Salomon!<sup>40</sup> And al the multitude stiede after hym, and the puple of men syngynge with pipis, and `of men beynge glad with greet ioye, `stiede aftir hym; and the erthe sownede of the cry of hem.

⁴¹ Forsothe Adonye herde, and alle that weren clepid of hym to feeste; and thanne the feeste was endid. But also Joab seide, whanne the vois of trumpe was herd, What wole it to it silf the cry of the citee makynge noise?⁴² Yit the while he spak, Jonathan, sone of Abiathar, the preest, cam; to whom Adonye seide, Entre thou, for thou art a strong man, and tellynge goode thingis.⁴³ And Jonathan answeride to Adonye, Nay; for oure lord the kyng Dauid hath ordeyned Salomon kyng;⁴⁴ and Dauid sente with Salomon Sadoch, the preest, and Nathan, the prophete, and Banaie, sone of Joiada, and Cerethi, and Ferethi; and thei puttiden Salomon on the mule of the kyng.⁴⁵ And Sadoch, the preest, and Nathan, the prophete, anoyntiden hym kyng in Gion; and thei camen doun fro thennus beynge glad, and the citee sownede; this is the vois which ye herden.⁴⁶ But also Salomon sittith on the trone of rewme;⁴⁷ and the seruauntis of the kyng entriden, and blessiden oure lord the kyng Dauid, and seiden, God make large the name of Salomon aboue thi name, and magnyfye his trone aboue thi trone. And kyng Dauid worschipide in his bed;⁴⁸ and ferthermore he spak these thingis, Blessid be the Lord God of Israel, that yaf to dai a sittere in my trone, while myn iyen seen.⁴⁹ Therfor alle, that weren clepid of Adonye to feeste, weren aferd, and risiden, and ech man yede in to his weie.⁵⁰ Sotheli Adonye dredde Salomon, and roos, and yede in to the tabernacle of the Lord, and helde the horn of the auter.⁵¹ And thei telden to Salomon, and seiden, Lo! Adonye dredith the kyng Salomon, and holdith the horn of the auter, and seith, Kyng Salomon swere to me to dai, that he schal not sle his seruaunt bi swerd.⁵² And Salomon seide, If he is a good man, sotheli not oon heer of hym schal falle in to erthe; but if yuel be foundun in hym, he schal die.⁵³ Therfor kyng Salomon sente, and ledde `hym out fro the auter; and he entride, and worschipide kyng Salomon; and Salomon seide to hym, Go in to thin hows.