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fwered him, I am an Ama- I died. lekite..

9 He faid unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and flay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.

10 So I ftood upon him, and flew him, becaufe I was fure that he could not live, after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.

II Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them, and likewife all the men that were with him.

12 And they mourned and wept, and fafted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his fon, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Ifrael; because they were fallen by the fword.

13¶ And David faid unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? and he answered, I am the fon of a ftranger, an Amalekite.

14 And David faid unto him, How waft thou not afraid to ftretch forth thine hand to deftroy the Lord's anointed?

16 And David faid unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head: for thy mouth hath teftified against thee, faying, I have flain the Lord's anointed..

117 ¶ And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his fon,

18 (Alfo he bade them teach the children of Judah the ufe of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jafher.)

19 The beauty of Ifrael is flain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!

20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Afkelon: left the daughters of the Philiftines rejoice, left the daughters of the uncircumcifed triumph.

21 Ye mountains' of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the fhield of the mighty is vilely caft away, the fhield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

22 From the blood of the flain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan 15 And David called one turned not back, and the of the young men, and faid,fword of Saul returned not Go near, and fall upon him. And he fmote him, that he

empty.

23 Saul and Jonathan were

lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were fwifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

24 Ye daughters of Ifrael, weep over Saul, who clothed you in fcarlet with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

25 How are the mighty fallen in the midft of the battle! O Jonathan, thou waft flain in thine high places.

26 I am diftreffed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleafant haft thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, paffing the love

of women.

27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

CHAP. XII.

eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bofom, and was unto him as a daughter.

4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he fpared to take of his own flock, and of his own herd to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man's lamb, and dreffed it for the man that was come to him.

5 And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he faid to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing fhall furely die.

6 And he fhall reflore the lamb four-fold, becaufe he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

7¶ And Nathan faid to David, Thou art the man.

ND the Lord fent Na- Thus faith the Lord God of

A than unto David; and Ifrael, I anointed thee king

over Ifrael, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul:

he came unto him, and faid unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. 8 And I gave thee thy 2 The rich man had ex-master's house, and thy mafceeding many flocks and ter's wives into thy bofom, herds: and gave thee the house of Ifrael, and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee fuch and fuch things.

3 But the poor man had nothing fave one little ewelamb, which he had bought and nourished up and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did

9 Wherefore haft thou Q3 defpifcd

defpifed the commandment parted unto his houfe: and of the Lord, to do evil in the Lord ftruck the child his fight thou haft killed that Uriah's wife bare unto Uriah the Hittite with the David, and it was very fick. fword, and haft taken his wife to be thy wife, and haft flain him with the fword of the children of Ammon.

10 Now therefore the fword fhall never depart from thine houfe; because thou haft defpifed me, and haft taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

II Thus faith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own houfe, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he fhall lie with thy wives in the fight of this fun.

12 For thou didst it fecretly: but I will do this thing before all Ifrael, before the fun.

and

13 And David faid unto Nathan, I have finned against the Lord. And Nathan faid unto David, The Lord alfo hath put away thy fin; thou fhalt not die.

14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou haft given great occafion to the enemies of the Lord to blafpheme, the child also that is born unto thee fhall furely die.

15 And Nathan de

16 David therefore befought God for the child; and David fated, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

17 And the elders of his houfe arofe, and went to him, to raife him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.

18 And it came to pafs on the feventh day, that the child died: and the fervants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they faid, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we fpake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?

19 But when David faw that his fervants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David faid unto his fervants, Is the child dead? And they faid, He is dead.

20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came

to his own house, and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. 21 Then faid his fervants unto him, What thing is this that thou haft done? thou didst faft and weep for the child while it was alive, but when the child was dead, thou didst rife and eat bread. 22 And he faid, While the child was yet alive, I fafted and wept: for I faid, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?

23 But now he is dead, wherefore fhould I faft? can I bring him back again? I fhall go to him, but he fhall

not return to me.

24 And David comforted Bath-fheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her and fhe bare a fon, and he called his name Solomon; and the Lord loved him.

25 And he fent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, becaufe of the Lord.

26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.

27 And Joab fent meffengers to David, and faid, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of

waters.

28 Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it: left I take the city, and it be called after

my name.

29 And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.

30 And he took their king's crown from off his head (the weight whereof was a talent of gold, with the precious ftones) and it was fet on David's head: and he brought forth the fpoil of the city in great abundance.

31 And he brought forth. the people that were therein, and put them under faws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerufalem.

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the hand of Joab, and a third fervants of David, and there part under the hand of Abi- was there a great flaughter hai the fon of Zeruiah, that day of twenty thousand Joab's brother, and a third men. part under the hand of It- 8 For the battle was there tai the Gittite: and the king fcattered over the face of all faid unto the people, I will the country: and the wood furely go forth with you my-devoured more people that felf alfo. day, than the fword de

3 But the people anfwer-voured. ed, Thou shalt not go forth: 9 And Abfalom met for if we flee away, they the fervants of David; and will not care for us; neither Abfalom rode upon a mule, if half of us die, will they and the mule went under the care for us: but now thou thick boughs of a great oak, art worth ten thoufand of and his head caught hold of us therefore now it is bet-the oak, and he was taken ter that thou fuccour us out up between the heaven and of the city. the earth, and the mule that was under him went away.

4 And the king faid unto them, What feemeth you heft, I will do. And the king food by the gate-fide, and all the people came out by hundreds, and by thoufands.

io And a certain man faw it, and told Joab, and faid, Behold, I faw Abfalom hanged in an oak.

II And Joab faid unto the man that told him, And 5 And the king command-behold, thou faweft him, and ed Joab, and Abifhai, and It-why didft thou not fmite him tai, faying, Deal gently for there to the ground, and I my fake with the young man, would have given thee ten even with Abfalom. And hekels of filver, and a girall the people heard when dle? the king gave all the captains charge concerning Abfalom.

12 And the man faid unto Joab, Though I should re6 So the people went ceive a thoufand Shekels of out into the field against If-filver in mine hand, yet rael: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim;

7 Where the people of Ifrael were flain before the

would I not put forth mine hand against the king's fon: for in our hearing the king charged thee, and Abishai,

and

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