< 1 Samuel 18 >

1 And it came to pass, when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
And it was doon, whanne Dauid `hadde endid to speke to Saul, the soule of Jonathas was glued togidre to the soule of Dauid, and Jonathas louyde hym as his owne soule.
2 And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house.
And Saul took Dauid in that dai, and grauntide not `to hym, `that he schulde turne ayen in to `the hows of his fadir.
3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
Forsothe Jonathas and Dauid maden boond of pees, `that is, swerynge euerlastynge frenschip; for Jonathas louyde Dauid as his owne soule;
4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his belt.
for whi Jonathas dispuylide him silf fro the coote `in which he was clothid, and yaf it to Dauid, and hise othere clothis, `til to his swerd and bouwe, and `til to the girdil.
5 And David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
Also Dauid yede out to alle thingis, to what euer thingis Saul `hadde sent hym, and he gouernede hym silf prudentli; and Saul settide hym ouer the men of batel, and `he was acceptid, `ether plesaunt, in the iyen of al the puple, and moost in the siyt of `the seruauntis of Saul.
6 And it came to pass as they came, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music.
Forsothe whanne Dauid turnede ayen, whanne `the Filistei was slayn, and bar the heed of `the Filistei in to Jerusalem, wymmen yeden out of alle the citees of Israel, and sungen, and ledden queris, ayens the comyng of king Saul, in tympans of gladnesse, and in trumpis.
7 And the women spoke to one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
And the wymmen sungen, pleiynge, and seiynge, Saul smoot a thousynde, and Dauid smoot ten thousynde.
8 And Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
Saul was wrooth greetli, and this word displeside `in his iyen; and he seide, Thei yauen ten thousynde to Dauid, and `thei yauen a thousynde to me; what leeueth to hym, no but the rewme aloone?
9 And Saul kept a jealous eye on David from that day and onward.
Therfor Saul bihelde Dauid not with `riytful iyen, `fro that dai and afterward.
10 And it came to pass on the next day, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand.
Sotheli aftir the tother dai a wickid spirit of God asailide Saul, and he propheciede in the myddis of his hows.
11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David escaped from his presence twice.
Forsothe Dauid harpide with his hond, as bi alle daies; and Saul helde a spere, and caste it, and gesside that he myyte prene Dauid with the wal, that is, perse with the spere, so that it schulde passe til to the wal; and Dauid bowide `fro his face the secounde tyme.
12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and had departed from Saul.
And Saul dredde Dauid, for the Lord was with hym, and hadde go awei fro him silf.
13 Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
Therfor Saul remouide Dauid fro hym silf, and made hym tribune on a thousynde men; and Dauid yede out and entride in `the siyt of the puple.
14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.
And Dauid dide warli in alle hise weies, and the Lord was with hym;
15 Therefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.
and so Saul siy that Dauid was ful prudent, and he bigan to be war of Dauid.
16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
Forsothe al Israel and Juda louyden Dauid; for he entride and yede out bifor hem.
17 And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee for a wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’S battles. For Saul said, Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.
And Saul seide to Dauid, Lo! `my more douytir Merob, Y schal yiue her wijf to thee; oneli be thou a strong man, and fiyte thou the `batels of the Lord. Forsothe Saul `arettide, and seide, Myn hond be not in hym, but the hond of Filisteis be on hym.
18 And David said to Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?
Sotheli Dauid seide to Saul, Who am Y, ether what is my lijf, ether the meynee of my fadir in Israel, that Y be maad the `sone in lawe of the kyng?
19 But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul’s daughter should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.
Forsothe the tyme `was maad whanne Merob, the douyter of Saul, `ouyte to be youun to Dauid, sche was youun wijf to Hadriel Molatite.
20 And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
Forsothe Dauid louide Mychol, the douytir of Saul; and it was teld to Saul, and it pleside hym.
21 And Saul said, I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Therefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the two.
And Saul seide, Y schal yyue hir to hym, that it be to hym in to sclaundir, and the hond of Filisteis be on hym. Therfor Saul seide to Dauid, In `twei douytris thou schalt be my sone in lawe to dai.
22 And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Speak with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king’s son in law.
And Saul comaundide to hise seruauntis, Speke ye to Dauid, while it `is hid fro me, and seie ye, Lo! thou plesist the king, and alle hise seruauntis louen thee; now therfor be thou hosebonde of the `douytir of the kyng.
23 And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?
And the seruauntis of Saul spaken alle these wordis in the eeris of Dauid. And Dauid seide, Whether it semeth litil to you `to be sone in lawe of the kyng? Forsothe Y am a pore man, and a feble.
24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spoke David.
And the seruauntis telden to Saul, and seiden, Dauid spak siche wordis.
25 And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
Sotheli Saul seide, Thus speke ye to Dauid, The kyng hath no nede to yiftis for spowsails, no but onely to an hundrid prepucies, `that is, mennus yerdis vncircumcidid, `of Filisteis, that veniaunce be maad of the kyngis enemyes. Certis Saul thouyte to bitake Dauid in to the hondis of Filisteis.
26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son in law: and the days had not expired.
And whanne the seruauntis of Saul hadden teld to Dauid the wordis, whiche Saul hadde seid, the word pleside `in the iyen of Dauid, that he schulde be maad the kyngis son in lawe.
27 Therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king’s son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter for a wife.
And aftir a fewe daies Dauid roos, and yede in to Acharon, with the men that weren with hym, and he killide of Filisteis twei hundrid men; and brouyte `the prepucies of hem, and noumbride tho to the kyng, that he schulde be the kyngis sone in lawe. And so Saul yaf Mycol, his douyter, wiif to hym.
28 And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him.
And Saul siy, and vndirstood, that the Lord was with Dauid.
29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually.
Forsothe Mychol, `the douyter of Saul, louide Dauid, and Saul bigan more to drede Dauid; and Saul was maad enemye to Dauid in alle daies.
30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much esteemed.
And the princes of Filisteis yeden out; forsothe fro the bigynnyng of her goyng out Dauyd bar hym silf more warli than alle the men of Saul; and the name of Dauid was maad ful solempne.

< 1 Samuel 18 >