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| [1]Forsothe it was doon, after that Saul was deed, that Dauid turnede ayen fro the sleyng of Amalech, and dwellide twei daies in Sichelech. |
[1]After the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites and had been two days in Ziklag, |
| [2]Forsothe in the thridde dai a man apperide, comynge fro the castels of Saul with the cloth to-rent, and his heed spreynt with dust; and as he cam to Dauid, he felde on his face, and worschipide. |
[2]Behold, a man came the third day out of the host from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and when he came to David, he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. |
| [3]And Dauid seide to hym, Fro whennus comest thou? Which seide to Dauid, Y fledde fro the castels of Israel. |
[3]Then David said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the host of Israel I am escaped. |
| [4]And Dauid seide to hym, What is the word which is doon; schewe thou to me. And he seide, The puple fledde fro the batel, and many of the puple felden, and ben deed; but also Saul, and Jonathas, his sonne, perischyden. |
[4]And David said unto him, What is done? I pray thee, tell me. Then he said, that the people is fled from the battle, and many of the people are overthrown, and dead, and also Saul and Jonathan his son are dead. |
| [5]And Dauid seide to the yong man, that telde to hym, Wherof woost thou, that Saul is deed, and Jonathas, his sonne? |
[5]And David said unto the young man, that told it him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? |
| [6]And the yong man seide, that telde to hym, Bi hap Y cam in to the hil of Gelboe, and Saul lenyde on his spere; forsothe charis and knyytis neiyiden to hym; |
[6]Then the young man that told him, answered, As I came to mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear, and lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. |
| [7]and he turnede bihynde his bak, `and siy me, and clepide. To whom whanne Y hadde answeride, Y am present; he seide to me, Who art thou? |
[7]And when he looked back, he saw me, and called me. And I answered, Here am I. |
| [8]And Y seide to hym, Y am a man of Amalech. |
[8]And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. |
| [9]And he spak to me, Stonde thou on me, and sle me; for angwischis holden me, and yit al my lijf is in me. |
[9]Then said he unto me, I pray thee, come upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. |
| [10]And Y stood on hym, and Y killide hym; for Y wiste that he myyte not lyue aftir the fallyng; and Y took the diademe, that was in his heed, and the bye fro his arm, and Y brouyte hidur to thee, my lord. |
[10]So I came upon him, and slew him, and because I was sure that he could not live, after that he had fallen, I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and brought them hither unto my lord. |
| [11]Forsothe Dauid took and to-rente hise clothis, and the men that weren with hym; |
[11]Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them, and likewise all the men that were with him. |
| [12]and thei weiliden, and wepten, and fastiden `til to euentid, on Saul, and Jonathas, his sone, and on the puple of the Lord, and on the hows of Israel, for thei hadden feld bi swerd. |
[12]And they mourned and wept, and fasted until even for Saul and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel, because they were slain with the sword. |
| [13]And Dauid seide to the yong man, that telde to him, Of whennus art thou? And he answeride, Y am the sone of a man comelyng, of a man of Amalech. |
[13]Afterward David said unto the young man that told it him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger an Amalekite. |
| [14]And Dauid seide to him, Whi dreddist thou not to sende thine hond, that thou schuldist sle the crist of the Lord? |
[14]And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid, to put forth thine hand to destroy the anointed of the Lord? |
| [15]And Dauid clepide oon of hise children, and seide, Go thou, and falle on hym. Which smoot that yong man, and he was deed. |
[15]Then David called one of his young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. |
| [16]And Dauid seide to hym, Thi blood be on thin heed; for thi mouth spak ayens thee, and seide, Y killide the crist of the Lord. |
[16]Then said David unto him, Thy blood be upon thine own head: for thine own mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed. |
| [17]Forsooth Dauid biweilide sych a weilyng on Saul, and on Jonathas, his sone; |
[17]Then David mourned with this lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son, |
| [18]and comaundide, that thei schulden teche the sones of Juda weilyng, as it is writun in the Book of Just Men. And Dauid seyde, Israel, biholde thou, for these men that ben deed, woundid on thin hiye placis; |
[18](Also he bade them teach the children of Judah to shoot, as it is written in the book of Jasher) |
| [19]the noble men of Israel ben slayn on thin hillis. |
[19]O noble Israel, he is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty overthrown! |
| [20]Hou felden stronge men? nyle ye telle in Geth, nether telle ye in the weilottis of Ascolon; lest perauenture the douytris of Filisteis be glad, lest the douytris of vncircumcidid men `be glad. |
[20]Tell it not in Gath, nor publish it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. |
| [21]Hillis of Gelboe, neither dew nethir reyn come on you, nether the feeldis of firste fruytis be; for the scheeld of stronge men was cast awey there, the scheeld of Saul, as `if he were not anoyntid with oile. |
[21]Ye mountains of Gilboa, upon you be neither dew nor rain, nor be there fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is cast down, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil. |
| [22]Of the blood of slayn men, of the fatnesse of strong men, the arewe of Jonathas yede neuer abak, and the swerd of Saul turnede not ayen void. |
[22]The bow of Jonathan never turned back, neither did the sword of Saul return empty from the blood of the slain, and from the fat of the mighty. |
| [23]Saul and Jonathas amyable, and fair in her lijf, weren not departid also in deeth; thei weren swiftere than eglis, strongere than liouns. |
[23]Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their deaths they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. |
| [24]Douytris of Israel, wepe ye on Saul, that clothide you with fyn reed colourid in delicis, that yaf goldun ournementis to youre atyre. |
[24]Ye daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, which clothed you in scarlet, with pleasures, and hanged ornaments of gold upon your apparel. |
| [25]Hou `felden doun stronge men in batel? |
[25]How were the mighty slain in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. |
| [26]Jonathas was slayn in the hiye places. Y make sorewe on thee, my brother Jonathas, ful fair, `and amyable more than the loue of wymmen; as a modir loueth oon aloone sone, so Y louyde thee. |
[26]Woe is me for thee, my brother Jonathan: very kind hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women: |
| [27]Hou therfor `felden doun stronge men, and armeris of batel perischide? |
[27]How are the mighty overthrown, and the weapons of war destroyed! |