1 Chronicles · Chapter 11

[ edit] Thanne al Yrael is gaderid to gider to Dauid in Ebron, ſeyinge, Þi boon and þi fleſche we ben; ȝiſterday forſoþe and þe þrid day hennus, whanne ȝit regned Saul vpon Yrael, þou wer þat laddiſt out and brouȝtiſt in Yrael; to þee forſoþe þe Lord þi God ſeide, Þou ſchal feden my puple Yrael, and þou ſchalt ben prince vpon it. Þanne al þe more þoruȝ birþe of Yrael camen to þe kyng in Ebron; and Dauid wente in wiþ hem peſe couenaunt beforn þe Lord; and þei anoyntiden hym king vpon Yrael, aftir þe word of þe Lord, þat he ſpac in þe hond of Samuel. Þanne Dauid ȝede, and al yſrael, in to Jeruſalem; þis is Jebus, where weren Jebuſeis dwellers of þe lond.

And þei þat dwelliden at Jebus ſeiden to Dauyd, Þou ſchalt not commen in hydre. Forſoþe Dauid toke þe toure of Syon, þat is þe cytee of Dauid; and he ſeide, Eche þat ſmytiþ Jebuſe firſt, ſchal ben a prince and duyke. Þanne Joab, þe ſone of Saruye, ſteyȝide up firſt, and is maad a prince. Dauid forſoþe dwellid in þe tour, and þerfore it is clepid þe cytee of Dauid; and he bilde up a cytee in enuyroun fro Mello vnto Gyrum; Joab forſoþe þe toþer partye of þe cytee made out. And Dauiþ profitide goynge and waxynge, and þe Lord of hooſtis was wiþ hym. Þes þe princis of þe ſtronge men of Dauid, þe whiche helpiden hym, þat he wer kyng vpon al Yſrael, aftir þe word of þe Lord þat he ſpac to Yrael.

And þis þe noumbre of þe ſtronge men of Dauid; Jeſbaam, þe ſone of Achamony, prince amonge þritty; he rerede his ſpere vpon þre hundriþ woundide oon while. And aftir hym Eliazar, þe ſone of his vncle Ahoites, þat was among þe þre myȝty. Þis was wiþ Dauid in Aphedomyn, whanne Philiſteis ben gederd to oon place in to batail; and þer was a feeld of þat regyoun full of barly, and þe puple fleiȝ fro þe face of Philiſteis. Þis ſtode in þe mydil of þe feeld, and defendid hym; and whanne he hadde ſmyten þe Philiſteis, þe Lord ȝaue grete helþe to his puple.

Þere wenten doun forſoþe þre of þe þritty princis to þe petra, in þe whiche was Dauid, at þe denn of Odolla, whanne Philiſteis hadden ſett tentis in þe valey of Raphaym. Forſoþe Dauid was in þe ſtreyngþe, and þe ſtacyoun of Philiſteis in Beþlem. Þanne Dauid deſiride watir, and ſeide, O! ȝif eny wolde ȝeuen to me water of þe ſiſterne of Beþlem, þat is in þe ȝate.

Þanne þes þre by þe mydil tentis of þe Philiſteis wenten, and drewen watir of þe cyſterne of Beþlem, þat was in þe ȝate, and brouȝten to Dauid, þat he ſchuld drynken; þe whiche wolde not, bot more offride it to þe Lord, ſeyinge, God ſcheelde, þat in þe ſiȝt of my God I do þis, and þe blood of þes men I drynke, for in perele of þeir lijues þei brouȝten to me water; and for þis cauſe he wolde not drynke. Þes þingus diden þe þree ſtrengeſte. Abiſay forſoþe, þe broþer of Joab, he was prince of þre, and he rerede his ſpere aȝeynus þre hundriþ woundid; and he was amonge þre moſt nemned, and among þe þre þe ſecounde, noble, and a prince of hem; neuerþelater vnto þe þre firſt he came not.

Banayas, þe ſone of Joiade, moſt ſtronge man, þe whiche many werkis dyde, of Capſeel; he ſmote two, Aryel, Moab; and he deſcendide, and ſlowȝ a lyoun in þe mydil ciſterne, in tyme of ſnowȝ; and he ſmote an Egipcien man, whos ſtature was of fyue cubitis, and hadde a ſpere as þe beem of webſters; þanne he came doun to hym wiþ a ȝerde, and cauȝte þe ſpere, þat he helde in hond, and ſlowȝ hym wiþ his ſpere. Þes þingus dyde Bananyas, þe ſone of Joiade, þat was amonge þe þre ſtronge moſt named, and among þe þritty þe firſt; neuer þe later vnto þe þre he came not; Dauid forſoþe putte hym at his litil ere.

Forſoþe þe moſt ſtronge men in þe hooſt; Azahel, þe broþer of Joab, and Eleanan, þe ſone of his vncle of Beþlem, Semynoþ Aroriþes, Helles Phalonyþes, Iras, þe ſone of Acces Thecuytes, Abieſer Anoþotites, Sobachai Soþites, Ilay Achoites, Marai Neþophatites, Heles, þe ſone of Bana, Neþophatites, and Hay, þe ſone of Relay, of Gabaoþ of þe ſonys of Beniamyn; Banaya Pharaþonytes, men of þe ſtrem of Gaaz, Abiel Arabaþites, Azynoþ Baruanyþes, Eliaba Salaonyþes, þe ſonys of Aſſem Jeſonyþes, Jonaþan, þe ſone of Saga, Ararites, Achiam, þe ſone of Achar, Arariþes, Eliphal, þe ſone of Vri, Efer Mechuraþites, Ahia Philonytes, Azrai Carmelites, Joamy, þe ſone of Eyrabay, Joel, þe broþer of Naþan, Mybahur, þe ſone of Agaray, Selech Amonytes, Noorai Beroþites, þe ſquyer of Joab, ſone of Saruye, Yras Jeþreus, Gareb Jeþreus, Vrias Eþeus, Sabab, þe ſone of Choli, Abyna, þe ſone of Segar Rubenyte, prince of Rubenytis, and wiþ hym þritty; Hanan, þe ſone of Macha, and Joſephaþ Maþanytes, Oſias Aſtoroþites, Semma, and Rahel, ſonys of Otayn Aroerites, Lediel, þe ſone of Zamry, and Joa, his broþer, Thoſaites, Heliel Maanytes, Jeribai and Joſia, ſonys of Elnaen, Jeþma Moabites, Heliel, and Obed, and Jaſiel of Moſobia.