2 Samuel 16

1 And when David had passed a little beyond the top of the mountain, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, appeared to meet him, with two donkeys, which were burdened with two hundred loaves, and one hundred bunches of dried grapes, and one hundred masses of dried figs, and a skin of wine.

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 king said to Ziba, “What do you intend to do with these things?” And Ziba responded: “The donkeys are for the household of the king, so that they may sit. And the loaves and dried figs are for your servants to eat. But the wine is for anyone to drink who may be faint in the desert.”

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 king said, “Where is the son of your lord?” And Ziba answered the king: “He remained in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Today, the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’”

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 king said to Ziba, “All the things which were for Mephibosheth are now yours.” And Ziba said, “I beg you that I may find grace before you, my lord the king.”

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 Then king David went as far as Bahurim. And behold, a man from the kindred of the house of Saul, named Shimei, the son of Gera, went out from there. And going out, he continued on, and he was cursing,

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 throwing stones against David and against all the servants of king David. And all the people and all the warriors were traveling to the right and to the left sides of the king.

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 And so, as he was cursing the king, Shimei said: “Go away, go away, you man of blood, and you man of Belial!

Sotheli Semey spak so, whanne he curside the kyng, Go out, go out, thou man of bloodis, and man of Belial!

8 The Lord has repaid you for all the blood of the house of Saul. For you have usurped the kingdom in place of him. And so, the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of Absalom, your son. And behold, your evils press close upon you, because you are a man of blood.”

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 Then Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king: “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go and cut off his head.”

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 king said: “What is it to me and to all of you, O sons of Zeruiah? Permit him, so that he may curse. For the Lord has commanded him to curse David. And who is the one who would dare to say, ‘Why has he done so?’”

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 king said to Abishai and to all his servants: “Behold, my son, who went forth from my loins, is seeking my life. How much more does a son of Benjamin do so now? Permit him, so that he may curse, in accord with the command of the Lord.

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 Perhaps the Lord may look with favor upon my affliction, and the Lord may repay me good, in place of the cursing of this day.”

if in hap the Lord biholde my turmentyng, and yelde good to me for this `cursyng of this dai.

13 And so, David continued walking along the way, and his associates with him. But Shimei was advancing along the ridge of the mountain on the side opposite him, cursing and throwing stones at him, and scattering dirt.

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 the king and the entire people with him, being weary, went and refreshed themselves there.

And so `Dauid the king cam, and al the puple weery with hym, and thei weren refreischid there.

15 But Absalom and all his people entered into Jerusalem. Moreover, Ahithophel was with him.

Forsothe Absolon, and al the puple of Israel entriden in to Jerusalem, but also Achitofel with hym.

16 And when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, had gone to Absalom, he said to him: “May you be well, O king! May you be well, O king!”

Sotheli whanne Chusi of Arath, the frend of Dauid, hadde come to Absolon, he spak to Absolon, Heil, kyng! heil, kyng!

17 And Absalom said to him: “Is this your kindness to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?”

To whom Absolon seide, This is thi grace to thi freend; whi yedist thou not with thi freend?

18 And Hushai responded to Absalom: “By no means! For I will be his, whom the Lord has chosen. And I, and all this people, and all of Israel, will remain with him.

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 then too, I declare this: whom should I serve? Is it not the son of the king? Just as I have been subject to your father, so will I be subject to you also.”

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 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Present a counsel as to what we ought to do.”

Forsothe Absolon seide to Achitofel, Take ye counsel, what we owen to do.

21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom: “Enter to the concubines of your father, whom he left behind in order to care for the house. Thus, when all of Israel will hear that you disgraced your father, their hands may be strengthened with you.”

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 Therefore, they spread a tent for Absalom on the rooftop. And he entered to the concubines of his father in the sight of all Israel.

Therfor thei tildeden Absolon a tabernacle in the soler, and he entride to the concubyns of his fadir bifor al Israel.

23 Now the counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was treated as if one were consulting God. So was every counsel of Ahithophel, both when he was with David, and when he was with Absalom.

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.