“ Forsoþe Hely was wel oold, and he herde alle þingis þat his sones diden in al Yrael, and what maner wise þei slepten wiþ wymmen, þe whiche weyteden at þe dore of þe tabernacle. And he seide to hem, Whi doon ȝe siche maner þingis, þe which I here werst þingis of al þe puple? Wole ȝe not, my sones; it is not good loos þat Y here, þat ȝe maken to trespas þe puple of þe Lord. If a man synneþ in a man, God may be plesid to him; forsoþe if in to þe Lord a man synneþ, who shal preye for hym? And þei herden not þe voyce of her fader, for God wold sleen hem. Forsoþe Samuel þe child profitide, and wexe ”

“ Þere is noon holy as is þe Lord; forsoþe ne þere is oþer wiþ out þee, and þere is not strong as our God. Wole ȝe not multiplie to speke heiȝe þingis, gloriynge; go þere a wey oold þingis fro ȝoure mouþe; for þe God of sciencis Lord is, and to hym ben before maad redi þouȝtis. Þe boowe of stronge men is ouercomen, and feble ben gird wiþ strengþ. Þe fillid before for looues han leyd hem self, and þe hungri ben fulfillid; to þe tyme þat þe bareyn bere wel many, and she þat many sones hadde, is feblid. ”

“ Forsoþe if þere arise any tyme a man pursuynge þee, and sechynge þi lijf, þe lijf of my lord shal be kept, as in a litil knytche of lyuynge men, anentis þe Lord þi God; forsoþe þe lijf of þin enemyes shal be turned about as in þe birre, and þe cercle of a slynge. Whanne þanne þe Lord shal do to þee, my lord, alle þes gode þingis, þat he haþ spokyn of þee, and settiþ þee a duyk vpon Yrael, þis shal not be to þee, my lord, into ȝoxynge and into scripil of herte, þat þou hast shed giltlesse blood, or þi self þou hast vengid. ”

“ Capitulum XXI. Dauid forsoþe cam into Nobe to Achymalech þe preest; and Achymalech was astonyed, forþi þat Dauid was comen; and he roos aȝens hym, and seide to hym, Whi þou alone, and no man is wiþ þee? And Dauid seiþ to Achymalech þe preest, Þe kyng comaundide to me a word, and seide, No man knowe þe þing, for þe whych þou art sent fro me, and what maner heestis I haue ȝouen to þee; for and to þe children I haue ordeynd also into þat and þat place; nowe þanne if eny þing þou hast at hoond, or fyue looues, ȝif to me, or what euer þou fyndist. ”

“ Forsoþe whanne þei weren comen into þe loond of Suph, and hadden not foundun, Saul seide to his chijld þat was wiþ hym, Come, and turne we aȝen; lest perauenture my fadre leeue þe she assis, and be bysie for vs. Þe which seiþ to hym, Loo! þe man of God is in þis cytee, a noble man; al þat he spekiþ, wiþ out dout it comeþ. Now þanne goo we þidre, if perauenture he shewe to vs of oure weye, for þe which we ben comen. And Saul seyde to his child, Loo! we shulen go; what shulen we brynge to þe man of God? ”

“ Loo! þe dais comen, and I shal kut of þin arme, and þe arme of þe hows of þi fadre, þat þere be not an oold man in þin hows. And þou shalt see þin enemye in þe temple, in alle þe welsum þingis of Yrael; and þere shal not be an oold man in þin hous alle dais. Neuerþelater I shal not doo awey fulli fro þee a man fro myn auter, but þat þin eyen faylen, and þi lijf fayle; and a greet parti of þin hows shal die, whanne to mannus age it shal come. Forsoþe þis shal be þe tokne, þat is to come to þi two sonys, Ophny and Phynees, in o day þei shulen die boþe. ”

“ Þanne þe Lord souȝte a man after his herte; and þe Lord haþ comaundid to hym, þat he were a duyk vpon his puple, forþi þat þou hast not kept þe þingis þat þe Lord comaundide. Forsoþe Samuel roos, and stiede vp fro Galgalis in Gabaa of Beniamyn; and þe toþer puple stieden vp after Saul, metynge to þe puple þat ouercamen hem; comynge fro Galgala in Gabaa, in þe hil of Beniamyn. And Saul noumbrede þe puple, þat weren foundun wiþ hym as sixe hundryd men. And Saul, and Jonaþas his sone, and þe puple þat was foundun wiþ hem, was in Gabaa of Beniamyn ”

“ Jonaþas forsoþe seide to þe ȝong man his squyer, Come, and passe we to þe stacioun of þes vncercumcidide, if perauenture þe Lord do for vs; for it is not to þe Lord hard to saue, or in many or in fewe. And his squyer seide to hym, Do alle þingis þat plesen to þin inwit; go whider þow coueytist, I shal be wiþ þee where euere þou wolt. And Jonaþan seiþ, Loo! we goon to þes men; and whanne we aperen to hem, if þis maner þei speken to vs, Dwel ȝe, to þe tyme þat we comen to ȝou; stonde we in oure place, ne stye we vp to hem. ”

“ To whom whanne he was brouȝt, he spak to hym, Ne falle not doun þe herte of eny man in hym, and þi seruaunt shal goo, and fiȝt aȝen þe Philistee. And Saul seiþ to Dauid, Þou mayst not wiþstoond to þis Philistee, ne fiȝte aȝens hym, for a child þou art; forsoþe þis man is a fiȝter fro his ȝongþ. And Dauid seide to Saul, Þi seruaunt fedde þe flok of his fader, and þere cam a lioun or a beere, and took a weþer fro þe mydil of þe flok; I pursuede hem, and smoot, and delyuerde fro þe mouþ of hem; and þei rysen aȝens me, and I cauȝte þe chaul of hem, and straunglide, and slowȝ hem. ”

“ And whanne fro niȝt Samuel was rysen þat he go to Saul eerli, it is toold to Samuel, for Saul was comen into Carmeel, and hadde arerid to hym an out shynynge tokne of victory in maner of a bow, and turned was passid, and goon doun into Galgala. Þanne Samuel cam to Saul, and Saul offred brent sacrifice to þe Lord of þe cheef of þe preiys, þat he brouȝte fro Amalech. And while Samuel was comen to Saul, Saul seide to hym, Þou blessid of þe Lord, Y haue fulfillid þe word of þe Lord. And Samuel seide, And what is þis voys of flockis þat rengiþ in myn eeris, and of droues þat I here? ”

“ Forsoþe in alle his weyes Dauid wiseli dide, and þe Lord was wiþ hym; and so Saul sawȝ þat he was wel mych wiys, and began to shunne hym. Forsoþe al Yrael and Juda louyde Dauyd; forsoþe he ȝede yn and ȝede out before hem. And Saul seide to Dauid, Loo! my more douȝter Merob, hir Y shal ȝeue to þee a wijf; oneli be a strong man, and fiȝt þe bateils of þe Lord. Forsoþe Saul trowide, seiynge, Be not myn hoond in hym, but be vpon hym þe hoond of Philisteis. Forsoþe Dauyd seide to Saul, Who am Y, or what is my lijf, or þe kynrede of my fadre in Irael, þat Y be maad þe sone in lawe of þe kyng? ”

“ And Dauid answerynge seiþ, Loo! þe speer of þe kyng, go oon of þe children of þe kyng, and take it; forsoþe þe Lord shal ȝeeld to ech man after his riȝtwisnes and feiþ; forsoþe þe Lord haþ takun þee to day into myn hoond, and I wold not stretche out myn hoond in þe crist of þe Lord; and as þi lijf is maad greet to day in myn eyen, so my lijf be maad greet in þe eyen of þe Lord, and delyuer he me fro al angwish. Þanne Saul seiþ to Dauid, Blessid þou, sone myn Dauid; forsoþe and doynge þou shalt doo, and myȝti þou shalt mowe. Þanne Dauid wente into his weye, and Saul turnede aȝen into his place. ”

“ Forsoþe Achis seide to hym, In whom felle þou on to dai? Dauid answerde, Aȝens þe souþ of Jude, and aȝens þe souþ of Yranyel, and aȝens þe souþ of Ceny. Man and womman Dauid lafte not on lyue, ne brouȝte into Geþ, seiynge, Lest perauenture þei speken aȝens vs. Þese þingis dide Dauid, and þis was þe dom of hym, alle þe dais þe whiche he dwellide in þe regioun of Philisteis. Þanne Achis leuyde to Dauid, seiynge, Forsoþe manye yuels he haþ wrouȝte aȝens his puple Yrael, þerfor a seruaunt he shal be to me for euere more. ”

“ Capitulum XXIII. And men toolden to Dauid, seiynge, Loo! Phylisteis fiȝten aȝens Seyla, and struyen þe floris of cornys. Þanne Dauid counseilde þe Lord, seiynge, Wheþer I shal goo, and smyte þes Philisteis? And þe Lord seiþ to Dauid, Go, and þou shalt smyte Philisteis, and saue Seylam. And men seiden, þat weren wiþ Dauid, to hym, Loo! we here beynge in Juda dreden; myche more if we goon into Seilam aȝens þe companyes of Philisteis. Eft þanne Dauid counseilde þe Lord; þe which answerynge seiþ to hym, Ryse, and go into Seilam; forsoþe I shal take þe Philisteis in þin hoond. ”

“ Capitulum XXVI. And Ziphei camen to Saul in Gabaa, seiynge, Loo! Dauid is hid in þe hil of Achille, þe which is fro aȝens of þe wildernesse. And Saul roos, and cam doun into þe deseert of Ziph, and wiþ hym þre þousandis of men of þe chosun of Yrael, þat he seche Dauid in þe deseert of Ziph. And Saul sette tentis in Gabaa of Achille, þat was fro aȝens of þe wildernesse in þe weye. Forsoþe Dauid dwellide in deseert. Forsoþe seynge þat Saul was comen after hym into deseert, he sente aspies, and lernyde moost certeynli, þat þidre he was comyn. ”

“ And Saul seide, Falle we vpon þe Philistyens bi nyȝt, and waste we hem vnto þe morwetide liȝt; ne leeue we of hem a man. And þe puple seide, Al þat good is seen to þee in þin eyen, do. And þe preest seiþ, Neiȝ we hider to God. And Saul counseylide þe Lord, seiynge, Wheþer shal Y pursue Philistiym, if þou taake hem into þe hoondis of Yrael? And he answerde not to hym in þat day. And Saul seide, Aplieþ hidir alle þe corners of þe puple, and witiþ, and seeþ, bi whom falliþ þis synne to day. Þe Lord þe saueour of Yrael lyueþ; for if bi Jonaþan my sone it is doon, wiþ out aȝen drawynge he shal die. ”

“ And þere fellen woundid of þe Philisteis, in þe weye of Sarym, and vnto Geþ, and vnto Acharon. And þe sonis of Yrael turnynge aȝen, after þat þei hadden pursued þe Philisteis, þei asseilden þe tentis of hem. Forsoþe Dauyd takynge þe heed of þe Philistee, brouȝte it into Jerusalem; forsoþe þe armys of hym he putte in his tabernacle. Forsoþe þat tyme þat Saul sawȝ Dauyd goynge out aȝens þe Philistee, he seiþ to Abner, þe prynce of his chyualrie, Abner, of what stok descendide þis ȝong man? And Abner seide, Lyueþ þi soule, kyng, I knewȝ not. And þe kyng seiþ, Ask þou, whos sone is þis child. ”

“ Capitulum XVII. Forsoþe Philisteis gedrynge her cumpanyes into batayl camen to gidre in Socoþ of Judee, and þei setten tentis betwix Socoþ and Azecha, in þe coostis of Domyn. Forsoþe Saul and þe men of Yrael gedrid camen in þe valey of Therebynt, and dressiden sheltroun to fiȝt aȝens þe Phylisteis. And Philisteis stoden vpon þe hil on þis partye, and Irael stood vpon an hil, and on þe toþer perty a valey þat was bitwix hem. And a bastard man wente out fro þe tentis of Philistiens, Goliaþ of Geþ bi name, in heiȝte of sexe cubitis and a span ”