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¹ Saul was a child of o yeer whanne he bigan to regne; forsothe he regnede on Israel twei yeer.² And Saul chees to hym thre thousynde of Israel, and twei thousynde weren with Saul in Machynas, in the hil of Bethel; forsothe a thousynde weren with Jonathas in Gabaath of Beniamyn; sotheli he sente ayen the tother puple ech man in to `hise tabernaclis.<sup>3</sup> And Jonathas smoot the stacioun of Filisteis, that was in Gabaa. And whanne Filisteis hadden herd this, Saul sownede with a clarioun in al the lond, and seide, Ebreys here.<sup>4</sup> And al Israel herde siche a fame, Saul smoot the stacioun of Filisteis; and Israel reiside hym silf ayens Filisteis; therfor the puple criede after Saul in Galgala.<sup>5</sup> And Filisteis weren gaderid to fiyte ayens Israel; `of Filisteis weren thretti thousynde of charis, and sixe thousynde of knyytis, and the tother comyn puple, as grauel `which is ful myche in the brynke of the see; and thei stieden, and settiden tentis in Machynas, at the eest of Bethauen.⁶ And whanne men of Israel hadden seyn this, that thei weren set in streiytnesse, for the puple was turmentid, thei hidden hem silf in dennes, and in priuey places, and in stonys, and in dychis, and in cisternes.⁷ Sotheli Ebreis passiden Jordan in to the lond of Gad and of Galaad. And whanne Saul was yit in Galgala, al the puple was aferd that suede hym.

⁸ And seuene daies he abood Samuel bi couenaunt, and Samuel cam not in to Galgala; and the puple yede a wei fro Saul.⁹ Therfor Saul seide, Brynge ye to me brent sacrifice, and pesible sacrifices; and he offride brent sacrifice.¹⁰ And whanne he hadde endid offrynge brent sacrifice, lo! Samuel cam; and Saul yede out ayens hym, to greete Samuel.¹¹ And Samuel spak to hym, What hast thou do? Saul answeride, For Y siy that the puple yede awei fro me, and thou camest not bi the daies of couenaunt; certis Filisteis weren gaderid in Machynas;¹² Y seide, Now Filisteis schulen come doun to me in to Galgala, and Y haue not plesyd the face of the Lord; Y was compellid bi nede, and Y offryde brent sacrifice to the Lord.¹³ And Samuel seide to Saul, Thou hast do folili, and thou `keptist not the heestis of thi Lord God, whiche he comaundide to thee; and if thou haddist not do this thing, riyt now the Lord hadde maad redi thi rewme on Israel with outen ende;¹⁴ but thi rewme schal not rise ferthere. The Lord hath souyt a man to hym silf after his herte; and the Lord comaundide to hym, that he schulde be duyk on his puple, for thou keptist not tho thingis whiche the Lord comaundide.

¹⁵ Forsothe Samuel roos, and stiede fro Galgala in to Gabaa of Beniamyn; and the `residue puplis stieden after Saul ayens the puple which fouyten ayens hem; and thei camen fro Galgala in to Gabaa, in the hil of Beniamyn. And Saul noumbride the puple, that weren foundun with hym as sixe hundrid men.<sup>16</sup> And Saul, and Jonathas his sone, and the puple that was foundun with hem, was in Gabaa of Beniamyn; forsothe Filisteis saten togidere in Machynas.<sup>17</sup> And thre cumpanyes yeden out of the `castels of Filisteis to take prey; o cumpany yede ayens the weie of Effraym to the lond of Saul;¹⁸ sothely an other cumpeny entride bi the weie of Bethoron; forsothe the thridde cumpenye turnede it silf to the weie of the terme in the lond of Sabaa; and that terme neiyeth to the valey of Seboym ayens the deseert.¹⁹ Forsothe `no smyyth of yrun was foundun in al the lond of Israel; for Filisteis `weren war, ether eschewiden, lest perauenture Ebreis maden a swerd ether a spere.²⁰ Therfor al Israel yede doun to Filisteis, that ech man schulde scharpe his schar, and picoise, and ax, `and sarpe;<sup>21</sup> `and so alle egis weren bluntid `of scharris, and of picoisis, and of `forkis of thre teeth, and of axis, `til to a pricke to be amendid.²² And whanne the dai of batel cam, no swerd and spere was foundun in the hond of al the puple that was with Saul and Jonathas, outakun Saul, and Jonathas his sone.²³ Forsothe the stacioun of Filisteis yede out, that it schulde passe in to Machynas.