1 Samuel 24

Matthew(i) 1 When Saul was come agayne from the Philistines, there were that tolde him saying: beholde Dauid is in the wildernesse of Engadi. 2 Then Saul toke thre thousand chosen men out of al Israel, & went to seke Dauid & his men in the Rockes, where nothyng haunted but wyld gotes. 3 And he came to the flockes of shepe by a wayes side, where was a caue. And Saul went in to couer his feete. And Dauid and his men sat a longe by the sides of the caue. 4 And the men of Dauid sayde vnto him: se the day is come, of which the lord said vnto the: Beholde, I wil delyuer thine enemy into thy hand, & thou shalt do with him what it pleaseth the. Then Dauid arose, & cut of a lappe of Sauls cote pryuely. 5 And immediatly Dauids herte smote hym, because he had cut of a lappe of Sauls cote. 6 And he sayde vnto his men: the Lord kepe me from doying that thing vnto my maister that is the lordes anoynted, to lay mine hand vpon him, seyng he is the lordes anoynted. 7 And so Dauid kept of his seruauntes with wordes, and suffered them not to go vpon Saul. And when Saul was vp out of the caue & gone awaye, 8 Dauid arose and went out of the caue, and cryed after Saul sayinge: My Lorde Kinge. And Saul loked behinde hym. And Dauid stouped to the earth and bowed him selfe, 9 & said to Saul: wherfore geuest thou an eare to mennes wordes, that saye: Dauid seketh the euyl? 10 Beholde, this daye thine eyes haue sene, howe that the Lord had delyuered the this daye, into myne hande in the caue. When they bad kil the, mine eye had compassion on the: and I sayde: I wyll not laye my handes on my mayster, for he is the lordes anoynted. 11 And moreouer my father, se yet the lap of thy cote in my hand. And in as muche as I killed the not to, when I cut of the lappe of thy cote, vnderstand and se, that there is nether euyl nor rebellyousnesse in me, & that I haue not synned agaynst the. And yet thou huntest after my soule to take it. 12 The lorde be iudge betwene the and me, & the lorde aduenge me of the. But myne hand be not vpon the. 13 Accordyng to the old prouerbe, wickednesse shal procede out of the wicked. But myne hande be not vpon the. 14 After whom art thou come out, thou kynge of Israel? After whom chasest thou euen after a dead dogge, & after a flee. 15 The Lord be iudge, and iudge betwene the & me, & se & pleate my cause, and iudge me fre out of thine hande. 16 When Dauid had made an ende of speaking all these wordes to Saul, Saul sayde: is this thy voyce my sonne Dauid? & he lifte vp hys voyce and wepte, 17 and sayde to Dauid: thou art ryghteouser then I, for thou hast rewarde me wyth good, and I haue rewarded the with euyl. 18 And thou haste shewed thys daye howe that thou hast dealt louyngly with me, for as muche as when the Lorde hath locked me in thyne handes, thou sluest me not. 19 For who shall fynde hys enemy and let hym depart a good waye? Wherfore the Lord rewarde the with good, for that thou hast done vnto me thys daye. 20 And now I wote wel that thou shalt be kyng, and that the kyngedome of Israel shalbe stablyshed in thyne hande. 21 Swere therfore vnto me by the Lorde, that thou shalt not destroye my seade after my, & that thou shalt not destroy my name out of my fathers house. 22 And Dauid sware vnto Saul, and Saul went home. But Dauid and hys men gat vp vnto an holde.