“ Vrye bode in Jerusalem þat day and þe toþere. And Dauyd clepide hym, þat he eete before hym and drynk, and he made hym drunke; þe which goon out at euen, slepte in his bedde wiþ þe seruauntis of his lord; and he desendide not into his hows. And it is doon þanne eerli, and Dauid wroot a lettre to Joab, and sente bi þe hoond of Vrye, wrytynge in þe lettre, Puttiþ Vrie fro aȝens of þe batail, where þe batail is moost strong, and forsakiþ hym, þat he smyten die. Þanne whanne Joab bisegide þe citee, he putte Vrye in þe place where he wiste moost stronge men to ben. ”

“ Þanne Joab seynge þat a batail was maad redi aȝens hym, and fro aȝens and bihynde þe bac, he cheese to hym of alle þe chosen of Irael, and ordeynde sheltrun aȝens Cyre. Forsoþe þe toþer partye of þe puple he took to Abisai, his broþir, þe which dresside sheltrun aȝens þe sones of Amon. And Joab seiþ, If Cyres han þe ouerhoond aȝens me, þou shalt be to me into help; forsoþe if þe sones of Amon han þe ouerhoond aȝens þee, I shal help to þee; be þou a strong man, and fiȝte we for oure puple, and for þe citee of oure God; forsoþe þe Lord shal do þat is good in his siȝt. ”

“ I shal be to hym into a fader, and he shal be to me into a sone; þe which if eny þing wickidli shal doo, I shal vndirnymme hym in þe ȝeerd of men, and in þe veniaunces of þe sonys of men. Forsoþe my mercy I shal not take a weye fro hym, as I took a weye fro Saul, whom I meuyde a weye fro my face. And þin hows shal be feiþful, and þi kyngdam vnto wiþ outen eende before my face, and þi troon shal be stedefast contynuli. After alle þes wordis, and after al þis visioun, þus spak Naþan to Dauid. ”

“ And Dauid seide to Joab, and to al þe puple þat was wiþ hym, Kittiþ ȝoure cloþis, and beþ gird wiþ sackis, and weileþ before þe exequies of Abner. Forsoþe Dauid folwide þe beere. And whanne þei hadden biryden Abner in Ebron, kyng Dauyd reride his voys, and wepte vpon þe toumbe of Abner; forsoþe and al þe puple wepte. And þe kyng, weilynge and mournynge Abner, seiþ, Not as slow men ben went to dye, þou diedist, Abner. Þin hoondis ben not boundun, and þi feet ben not greued wiþ fettris, but as men ben wont to fal before þe sonys of wickidnes þou felle. ”

“ Forsoþe Achitophel seynge, þat his counseil was not doon, made redi his asse, and roos, and wente into hys hows, and into his citee; and his hows disposid, he diede bi hoongynge, and is biried in þe sepulcre of his fader. Forsoþe Dauid cam into stronge placis, and Absolon passide ouer Jordan, he and alle þe men of Yrael wiþ hym. Forsoþe Absolon sette Amasan for Joab vpon þe oost; forsoþe Amasan was þe sone of a man þat was clepid Geþra of Jezreli, þat wente into Abigayl, þe douȝter of Naas, sister of Saruye, þat was þe moder of Joab. And Irael sette tentis wiþ Absolon in þe loond of Galaad. ”

“ And Achiþophel seiþ to Absolon, Go into þe secundarye wyues of þi fadre, þe whiche he haþ laft at þe hows to be kept; þat whanne al Yrael heriþ, þat þou hast defoulid þi fader, þe hoondis of hem ben strengþid wiþ þee. Þanne þei strauȝten out to Absolon a tabernacle in þe solere, and he wente into þe secundarye wyues of his fader before al Irael. Forsoþe þe counseil þat Achiþophel ȝaf in þoo dais, as if a man counseilde God; so was al þe counseil of Achiþophel, and whanne he was wiþ Dauid, and whanne he was wiþ Absolon. ”

“ And whanne þe kyng was comen to visite hym, Amon seiþ to þe kyng, Come, I preye, Thamar, my sister, þat she make in myn eyen two maner of potagis, and þe meet maad redi I take of hir hoond. Þanne Dauid sente to þe hous of Thamar, seiynge, Go in to þe hows of Amon, þi broþir, and mak to hym potage. And Thamar cam into þe hows of Amon, hir broþir. Forsoþe he laye; þe which takynge meele mengide togidir, and meltynge in his eyen she seþide þe supettis; and takynge þat she hadde soþen, she helte out, and sette before hym, and he wolde not eete. And Amon seide, Doo ȝe a wey alle men fro me. ”

“ Forsoþe Myphibosech hadde a litil sone, Mycha bi name; forsoþe al þe kynrede of þe hows of Ciba seruede to Myphibosech. But Myphibosech dwellide in Jerusalem; for of þe bord of þe kyng contynueli he eete, and he was halt eiþer foot. ”

“ Capitulum XXIII. Forsoþe þes ben þe last wordis, þat Dauid, þe sone of Ysay, seide. A man seide, to whom þere is ordeynd of þe Crist of God of Jacob, a solempne salm maker of Yrael; Þe spirite of þe Lord is spokyn bi me, and his word bi my tonge. He seyde, God of Yrael to me haþ spokyn, þe strong of Yrael, þe lordshipper of men, þe riȝtwise lordshipper in þe dreed of God. As liȝt of morwtide, springinge þe sunne eerli wiþ out clowdis, gliteriþ; and as bi reynes buriouneþ þe eerbe of þe erþe. ”

“ Brekers of þe lawe forsoþe as þornys shulen be pullid vp alle, þe whiche ben not takyn wiþ hoondis. And if eny man wolde touche hem, he shal be aarmyd wiþ yren, and speer tree; and wiþ fier tend vp, þei shulen be brent vnto nouȝt. Þes þe names of þe stronge men of Dauid. Dauid sittynge in þe chayer, moost wise prynce among þree; he is as a moost tendre litil werme of a tree, þe which eiȝt hundrid slewȝ wiþ a bure. Aftir þis Eliazar, þe sone of his vncle Abohy; among þe þree stronge, þat weren wiþ Dauid, whanne þei reproueden to Philisteym, and þei ben gederid þidir into bateil. ”

“ And þe Lord smoot þe litil child, whom þe wijf of Vrye bare to Dauid, and he is dispeyrid. And Dauid preyde þe Lord for þe litil child; and Dauid fastide wiþ fastynge, and wente in aside, and laye vpon þe erþe. ”