1 Samuel 9
1 And `a man was of Beniamyn, `Cys bi name, the sone of Abiel, sone of Seor, sone of Bethor, sone of Aphia, sone of the man Gemyny, strong in bodili myyt.
Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
2 And to hym was a sone, Saul bi name, chosun and good; and no man of the sones of Israel was betere than he; fro the schuldur and aboue he apperide ouer al the puple.
And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.
3 Sotheli the femal assis of Cys, the fadir of Saul, perischyden. And Cys seide to Saul his sone, Take with thee oon of the children, and rise thou, and go, and seke the femal assis. And whanne thei hadden go bi the hil of Effraym,
And the asses of Kish Saul’s father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go seek the asses.
4 and bi the lond of Salisa, and hadden not foundun, thei passiden also bi the lond of Salym, and tho weren not there; but also 'thei passiden bi the lond of Gemyny, and founden not.
And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.
5 Sotheli whanne thei hadden come in to the lond of Suph, and hadden not founde, Saul seide to his child that was with hym, Come thou, and turne we ayen; lest perauenture my fadir hath lefte the femal assis, and is bisy for vs.
And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us.
6 Which child seide to hym, Lo! the man of God is in this citee, a noble man; al thing that he spekith, cometh with out doute. Now therfor go we thidir, if perauenture he schewe to vs of oure weie, for which we camen.
And he said to him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man; all that he says comes surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can show us our way that we should go.
7 And Saul seide to his child, Lo! we schulen go; what schulen we bere to the man of God? Breede failide in oure scrippis, and we han no present, that we yyue to the man of God, `nether ony othir thing.
Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?
8 Eft the child answeride to Saul, and seide, Lo! the fourthe part of `a stater, that is, a cicle, of siluer is foundun in myn hond; yyue we to the man of God, that he schewe to vs oure weie.
And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.
9 Sumtyme in Israel ech man goynge to counsel God spak thus, Come ye, and go we to the seere; for he, that is seid `to dai a profete, was clepid sumtyme a seere.
(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spoke, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)
10 And Saul seide to his child, `Thi word is the beste; come thou, go we. And thei yeden in to the citee, `in which the man of God was.
Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of God was.
11 And whanne thei stieden in to the hiynesse of the citee, thei founden damesels goynge out to drawe watir, and thei seiden to the dameselis, Whether the seere is here?
And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, Is the seer here?
12 Whiche dameselis answeriden, and seiden to hem, He is here; lo! he is bifor thee; `haste thou now, for to day he cam in to the citee; for to dai is sacrifice of the puple in the hiy place.
And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place:
13 Ye schulen entre in to the citee, and anoon ye schulen fynde hym, bifor that he stie in to the hiy place to ete; for the puple schal not ete til he come, for he schal blesse the sacrifice, and afterward thei schulen ete that ben clepid. Now therfor stie ye, for to day ye schulen fynde hym.
As soon as you be come into the city, you shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he does bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time you shall find him.
14 And thei stieden in to the citee. And whanne thei yeden in the myddis of the citee, Samuel apperide goynge out ayens hem, that he schulde stie in to the hiy place.
And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place.
15 Forsothe the Lord `hadde maad reuelacioun in the eere of Samuel `bifor o dai, that Saul cam, and seide,
Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
16 In this same our which is now to morewe, Y schal sende to thee a man of the lond of Beniamyn, and thou schalt anoynte hym duyk on my puple Israel, and he schal saue my puple fro the hond of Filisteis; for Y haue biholde my puple, for `the cry of hem cam to me.
To morrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked on my people, because their cry is come to me.
17 And whanne Samuel hadde biholde Saul, the Lord seide to Samuel, Lo! the man, whom Y seide to thee; this man schal be lord of my puple.
And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, Behold the man whom I spoke to you of! this same shall reign over my people.
18 Forsothe Saul neiyede to Samuel in the myddis of the yate, and seide, Y preye, schewe thou to me, where is the hows of the seere?
Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray you, where the seer’s house is.
19 And Samuel answeride to Saul, and seide, Y am the seere; stie thou bifor me in to the hiy place, that thou ete with me to dai, and Y schal delyuere thee in the morewtid, and Y schal schewe to thee alle thingis that ben in thin herte.
And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me to the high place; for you shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let you go, and will tell you all that is in your heart.
20 And be thou not bisy of the femal assis, whiche thou lostist the thridde dai agoon, for tho ben foundun; and whose schulen be alle the beste thingis of Israel, whether not to thee, and to al the hows of thi fader?
And as for your asses that were lost three days ago, set not your mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you, and on all your father’s house?
21 Sotheli Saul answeride, and seide, Whether Y am not a sone of Gemyny, of the leeste lynage of Israel, and my kynrede is the laste among alle the meynees of the lynage of Beniamyn? Whi therfor hast thou spoke to me this word?
And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? why then speak you so to me?
22 Therfor Samuel took Saul, and his child, and ledde hem in to the chaumbur of thre ordris, and he yaf to hem a place in the bigynnyng of hem that weren clepid; for thei weren as thretti men.
And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlor, and made them sit in the most chief place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons.
23 And Samuel seide to the cook, Yyue thou the part, which Y yaf to thee, and comaundide, that thou schuldist kepe bi it silf anentis thee.
And Samuel said to the cook, Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, Set it by you.
24 Sotheli the cook reiside the schuldir, and settide bifor Saul. And Samuel seide, Lo! that, that lefte, `sette thou bifor thee, and ete; for of purpos it was kept to thee, whanne Y clepide the puple. And Saul eet with Samuel in that dai.
And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was on it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is left! set it before you, and eat: for to this time has it been kept for you since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day.
25 And thei camen doun fro the hiy place in to the citee; and Samuel spak with Saul in the soler, and Saul `araiede a bed in the soler, and slepte.
And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul on the top of the house.
26 And whanne thei hadden rise eerli, and `now it bigan to be cleer, Samuel clepide Saul in to the soler, and seide, Rise thou, that Y delyuere thee. And Saul roos, and bothe yeden out, that is, he, and Samuel.
And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send you away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.
27 And whanne thei yeden doun in the laste part of the citee, Samuel seide to Saul, Seie thou to the child, that he go bifor vs, and passe; forsothe stonde thou a litil, that Y schewe to thee the word of the Lord.
And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on), but stand you still a while, that I may show you the word of God.
