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¹ Forsothe these ben the laste wordis, whiche Dauid, the sone of Ysai, seide. The man seide, to whom it is ordeyned of Crist, of the God of Jacob, the noble salm makere of Israel;² The spiryt of the Lord spak bi me, and his word bi my tunge.³ Dauid seide, God of Israel spak to me, the stronge of Israel, the `iust Lord of men, `is Lord in the drede of God.⁴ As the liyt of the morewtid, whanne the sunne risith eerli, is briyt with out cloudis; and as an erbe cometh forth of the erthe bi reynes.⁵ And myn hows is not so greet anentis God, that he schulde make with me euerlastynge couenaunt, stidefast and maad strong in alle thingis; for al myn helthe hangith of him, and al the wille `that is, al my desir, goith in to hym, and no thing is therof, that makith not fruyt.<sup>6</sup> Forsothe alle trespassouris schulen be drawun out as thornes, that ben not takun with hondis.<sup>7</sup> And if ony man wole touche tho, he schal be armed with irun, and with tre formed in to spere; and the thornes schulen be kyndlid, and schulen be brent `til to nouyt.

⁸ These ben the names of the stronge men of Dauid. Dauid sittith in the chaier, the wiseste prince among thre; he is as a moost tendir worm of tree, that killide eiyte hundrid with o fersnesse.⁹ Aftir hym was Eleazar, the sone of his fadirs brother Abohi; among thre stronge men, that weren with Dauid, whanne thei seiden schenschip to Filisteis, and weren gaderid thidir in to batel.¹⁰ And whanne the men of Israel hadden stied, he stood, and smoot Filisties, til his hond failide, and was starke with the swerd. And the Lord made greet helthe in that dai; and the puple that fledde turnedc ayen to drawe awei the spuylis of slayn men.¹¹ And aftir hym was Semma, the sone of Age, of Arari. And Filisteis weren gaderid in the stacioun; forsothe there was a feeld ful of lente; and whanne the puple fledde fro the face of Filisteis,¹² he stood in the myddis of the feeld, and bihelde it; and he smoot Filisteis, and the Lord made greet helthe.¹³ Also and thre men yeden doun bifore, that weren princes among thretti, and camen to Dauid in the tyme of reep in to the denne of Odollam. Forsothe the castels of Filisteis weren set in the valei of giauntis.¹⁴ And Dauid was in a strong hold; sotheli the stacioun of Filisteis was thanne in Bethleem.¹⁵ Therfor Dauid desiride water of the lake, and seide, If ony man wolde yyue to me drynk of watir of the cisterne, which is in Bethleem, bisidis the yate.¹⁶ Therfor thre stronge men braken in to the castels of Filisteis, and drowen watir of the cisterne of Bethleem, that was bisidis the yate, and brouyten to Dauid; and he nolde drinke,¹⁷ but offride it to the Lord, and seide, The Lord be merciful to me, that Y do not this; whether Y schal drynke the blood of these men, that yeden forth, and the perel of soulis? Therfor he nolde drynke. Thre strongeste men diden thes thingis.¹⁸ Also Abisay, brother of Joab, the sone of Saruye, was prince of thre; he it is that reiside his schaft ayens thre hundrid men, whiche he killide; `he was nemid among thre,<sup>19</sup> and was the noblere among thre, and he was the prince of hem; but he cam not to the thre firste men.<sup>20</sup> And Banaye, the sone of Joiada, strongeste man of grete werkis, of Capseel, he smoot twei liouns of Moab, `that is, twei knyytis hardi as liouns; and he yede doun, and smoot a lioun in the myddil cisterne in the daies of snow.²¹ Also he killide a man of Egipt, a man worthi of spectacle, hauynge a spere in the hond; therfor whanne he hadde come doun with a yerde to that man, bi miyt he wrooth out the spere fro the hond of the man of Egipt, and killide hym with his owne spere.²² Banaye, sone of Joiada, dide these thingis;²³ and he was nemyed among thre stronge men, that weren among the thretti noblere men; netheles he cam not til to the thre. And Dauid made hym a counselour of priuyte to hym silf.²⁴ Asahel, the brother of Joab, was among thretti men; Eleanan, the sone of his fadris brother, of Bethleem; Semma, of Arari;²⁵ Elcha, of Arodi; Helas, of Phelti;²⁶ Hira, sone of Aches, of Thecua; Abiezer, of Amatoth;²⁷ Mobannoy, of Cosathi; Selmon, of Achotes;²⁸ Macharai, of Nethopath;²⁹ Heled, the sone of Baana, and he was of Netophath; Hiray, sone of Rabai, of Gebeeth, of the sones of Beniamyn; Banay, of Effrata;³⁰ Hedday, of the stronde of Gaas;³¹ Abiadon, of Arbath; Asmaneth, of Berromy;³² Eliaba, of Sabony; sones of Assen, Jonathan, and Jasan; Semma, of Herodi;³³ Hayam, sone of Sarai, of Zaroth;³⁴ Eliphelech, sone of Saalbai, the sone of Maachati; Heliam, sone of Achitofel, of Gilo;³⁵ Esrai, of Carmele; Pharai, of Arbi;³⁶ Ygaal, sone of Nathan, of Soba;³⁷ Bonny, of Gaddi; Silech, of Ammony; Naarai, of Beroth, the squyer of Joab, the sone of Saruye;³⁸ Haray, of Jethri; Gareb, and he was of Gethri;³⁹ Vrye, of Ethei; alle weren seuene and thretti men.