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¹ Therfor aftir these thingis Dauid counseilide the Lord, and seide, Whether Y schal stie in to oon of the citees of Juda? And the Lord seide to hym, Stie thou. And Dauid seide to the Lord, Whidur schal Y stie? And the Lord answeride to hym, In to Ebron.² Therfor Dauid stiede, and hise twei wyues, Achynoem of Jezrael, and Abigail, the wijf of Nabal of Carmele.³ But also Dauid ledde the men that weren with hym, ech man with his hows; and thei dwelliden in the townes of Ebron.⁴ And the men of Juda camen, and anoyntiden there Dauid, that he schulde regne on the hows of Juda. And it was teld to Dauid, that men of Jabes of Galaad hadden biried Saul.⁵ Therfor Dauid sente messangeris to the men of Jabes of Galaad, and seide to hem, Blessid be ye of the Lord, that diden this mercy with your lord Saul, and birieden hym.⁶ And now sotheli the Lord schal yelde to you merci and treuthe, but also Y schal yelde thankyng, for ye diden this word.⁷ Youre hondis be coumfortid, and be ye sones of strengthe; for thouy youre lord Saul is deed, netheles the hows of Juda anoyntide me kyng to `hym silf.

⁸ Forsothe Abner, the sone of Ner, prince of the oost of Saul, took Isbosech, the sone of Saul, and ledde hym aboute bi the castels,⁹ and made him kyng on Galaad, and on Gethsury, and on Jezrael, and on Effraym, and on Beniamyn, and on al Israel.¹⁰ Isbosech, the sone of Saul, was of fourti yeer, whanne he began to regne on Israel; and he regnede twei yeer. Sotheli the hous aloone of Juda suede Dauid.¹¹ And the noumbre of daies, bi whiche Dauid dwellide regnynge in Ebron on the hows of Juda, was of seuene yeer and sixe monethis.¹² And Abner, the sone of Ner, yede out, and the children of Isbosech, sone of Saul, fro the castels in Gabaon.¹³ Forsothe Joab, the sone of Saruye, and the children of Dauid yeden out, and camen to hem bisidis the cisterne in Gabaon. And whanne thei hadden come togidere in to o place euene ayens, these saten on o part of the cisterne, and thei on the tother.¹⁴ And Abner seide to Joab, `The children rise, and plei befor us. And Joab answeride, Rise thei.<sup>15</sup> Therfor thei risiden, and passiden twelue in noumbre of Beniamyn, of the part of Isbosech, sone of Saul; and twelue of the children of Dauid.<sup>16</sup> And ech man, whanne `the heed of his felowe was takun, fastnede the swerde in to the side of `the contrarye; and thei felden doun togidere. And the name of that place was clepid The Feeld of stronge men in Gabaon.<sup>17</sup> And `batel hard ynow roos in that dai; and Abner and the sones of Israel `weren dryuun of the children of Dauid.

¹⁸ Forsothe thre sones of Saruye weren there, Joab, and Abisai, and Asahel; forsothe Asahel was a `rennere moost swift, as oon of the capretis that dwellen in woodis.<sup>19</sup> Forsothe Asahel pursuede Abner, and bowide not, nether to the riyt side nether to the left side, ceessynge to pursue Abner.<sup>20</sup> Therfor Abner bihelde bihynde his bac, and seide, Whether thou art Asahel?<sup>21</sup> Which answeride, Y am. And Abner seide to hym, Go to the riytside, ether to the lefte side; and take oon of the yonge men, and take to thee hise spuylis. Sotheli Asahel nolde ceesse, that ne he pursuede hym.<sup>22</sup> And eft Abner spak to Asahel, Go thou awei; nyle thou pursue me, lest Y be compellid to peerse thee in to erthe, and Y schal not mowe reise my face to Joab, thi brother.<sup>23</sup> And Asahel dispiside to here, and nolde bowe awey. Therfor Abner smoot him `with the spere turned awei in the schar, and roof thorouy, and he was deed in the same place; and alle men that passiden bi the place, in which place Asahel felde doun, and was deed, stoden stille.²⁴ Forsothe while Joab and Abisai pursueden Abner fleynge, the sunne yede doun; and thei camen til to the litil hil of the water cundiyt, which is euene ayens the valey, and the weie of deseert in Gabaon.

²⁵ And the sones of Beniamyn weren gaderid to Abner, and thei weren gaderid togidere in to o cumpeny, and stoden in the hiynesse of oon heep of erthe.²⁶ And Abner criede to Joab, and seide, Whether thi swerd schal be feers `til to sleyng? Whether thou knowist not, that dispeir is perelouse? Hou longe seist thou not to the puple, that it ceesse to pursue hise britheren?²⁷ And Joab seyde, The Lord lyueth, for if thou haddist spoke eerli, the puple pursuynge his brother hadde go awey.²⁸ And Joab sownede with a clarioun, and al the oost stood; and thei pursueden no ferthere Israel, nether bigunnen batel.²⁹ Forsothe Abner and hise men yeden by the feeldi places of Moab in al that nyyt, and passiden Jordan; and whanne al Bethoron was compassid, thei camen to the castels.³⁰ Sotheli whanne Abner was left, Joab turnede ayen, and gaderide togidere al the puple; and ten men and nyne, outakun Asahel, failiden of the children of Dauid.³¹ Forsothe the seruauntis of Dauid smytiden of Beniamyn, and of the men that weren with Abner, thre hundrid men and sixti, whiche also weren deed.³² And thei token Asahel, and birieden hym in the sepulcre of his fadir in Bethleem. And Joab, and the men that weren with hym, yeden in al that nyyt, and in thilke morewtid thei camen in to Ebron.