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CAP 16
1 And whanne Dauid hadde passid a litil the cop of the hil, Siba, the child of Mysphobosech, apperide in to his comyng, with tweyne assis, that weren chargid with twei hundrid looues, and with an hundrid bundels of dried grapis, and with an hundrid gobetis of pressid figus, and with twei vessels of wyn.
2 And the kyng seide to Siba, What wolen these thingis to hem silf? And Siba answeride, My lord the kyng, the assis ben to the meyneals of the kyng, that thei sitte; the looues and `figis pressid ben to thi children to ete; forsothe the wyn is, that if ony man faile in deseert, he drynke.
3 And the kyng seide, Where is the sone of thi lord? And Siba answeride to the kyng, He dwellide in Jerusalem, `and seide, To dai the Lord of the hows of Israel schal restore to me the rewme of my fadir.
4 And the kyng seide to Siba, Alle thingis that weren of Mysphibosech ben thine. And Siba seide, Y preye, fynde Y grace bifor thee, my lord the kyng.
5 Therfor kyng Dauid cam `til to Bahurym, and lo! a man of the meynee of the hows of Saul, Semey bi name, sone of Gera, yede out fro thennus; he yede forth goynge out, and curside.
6 And he sente stoonys ayens Dauid, and ayens alle seruauntis of kyng Dauid; forsothe al the puple, and alle fiyteris yeden at the riytside and at the left side of the king.
7 Sotheli Semey spak so, whanne he curside the kyng, Go out, go out, thou man of bloodis, and man of Belial!
8 The Lord hath yolde to thee al the blood of the hows of Saul, for thou rauyschedist the rewme fro hym; and the Lord yaf the rewme in to the hond of Absolon, thi sone; and lo! thin yuels oppressen thee, for thou art a man of blodis.
9 Forsothe Abisay, the sone of Saruye, seide to the kyng, Whi cursith this dogge, that schal die, my lord the kyng? Y schal go, and Y schal girde of his heed.
10 And the kyng seide, Ye sones of Saruye, what is to me and to you? Suffre ye hym, that he curse; for the Lord comaundide to hym, that he schulde curse Dauid; and who is he that dare seie, Whi dide he so?
11 And the kyng seide to Abysay, and to alle hise seruauntis, Lo! my sone, that yede out of my wombe, sekith my lijf; hou myche more now this sone of Gemyny? Suffre ye hym, that he curse bi comaundement of the Lord;
12 if in hap the Lord biholde my turmentyng, and yelde good to me for this `cursyng of this dai.
13 Therfor Dauid yede, and hise felowis, bi the weie with hym; forsothe Semey yede bi the slade of the hil `bi the side ayens hym; and curside, and sente stoonus ayens him, and spreynte erthe.
14 And so `Dauid the king cam, and al the puple weery with hym, and thei weren refreischid there.
15 Forsothe Absolon, and al the puple of Israel entriden in to Jerusalem, but also Achitofel with hym.
16 Sotheli whanne Chusi of Arath, the frend of Dauid, hadde come to Absolon, he spak to Absolon, Heil, kyng! heil, kyng!
17 To whom Absolon seide, This is thi grace to thi freend; whi yedist thou not with thi freend?
18 And Chusi answeride to Absolon, Nay, for Y shal be seruaunt of hym, whom the Lord hath chose, and al this puple, and al Israel; and Y schal dwelle with him.
19 But that Y seie also this, to whom schal Y serue? whethir not to the sone of the kyng? as Y obeiede to thi fadir, so Y schal obeie to thee.
20 Forsothe Absolon seide to Achitofel, Take ye counsel, what we owen to do.
21 And Achytofel seide to Absolon, Entre thou to the concubyns of thi fadir, whiche he lefte to kepe the hows; that whanne al Israel herith, that thou hast defoulid thi fadir, the hondis of hem be strengthid with thee.
22 Therfor thei tildeden Absolon a tabernacle in the soler, and he entride to the concubyns of his fadir bifor al Israel.
23 Sotheli the counsel of Achitofel, which he yaf in tho daies, was as if a man counselide God; so was al the counsel of Achitofel, bothe whanne he was with Dauid, and whanne he was with Absolon.