Israel. And Saul assembled all Israel and came upon Gilboa; and when
Saul saw all the host of the Philistines, his heart dreaded and fainted
sore, he cried for to have counsel of our Lord. And our Lord answered
him not, ne by swevens ne by priests, ne by prophets. Then said Saul to
his servants: Fetch to me a woman having a phiton, otherwise called a
phitoness or a witch. And they said that there was such a woman in
Endor. Saul then changed his habit and clothing, and did on other
clothing, and went, and two men with him, and came to the woman by
night, and made her by her craft to raise Samuel. And Samuel said to
Saul: Why hast thou put me from my rest, for to arise? And Saul said: I
am coarted [constrained] thereto, for the Philistines fight against me,
and God is gone from me, and will not hear me, neither by prophets, ne
by swevens [dreams]. And Samuel said: What askest thou of me when God is
gone from thee and gone unto David? God shall do to thee as he hath said
to thee by me, and shall cut thy realm from thine hand, and shall give
it thy neighbor David. For thou hast not obeyed his voice, ne hast not
done his commandment in Amalek; therefore thou shalt lose the battle and
Israel shall be overthrown. To-morrow thou and thy children shall be
with me, and our Lord shall suffer the children of Israel to fall in the
hands of the Philistines. Anon then Saul fell down to the earth. The
words of Samuel made him afeard and there was no strength in him, for he
had eaten no bread of all that day, he was greatly troubled. Then the
phitoness desired him to eat, and she slew a paschal lamb that she had,
and dighted and set it tofore him, and bread. And when he had eaten he
walked with his servants all that night. And on the morn the Philistines
assailed Saul and them of Israel, and fought a great battle, and the men
of Israel fled from the face of the Philistines, and many of them were
slain in the mount of Gilboa. The Philistines smote in against Saul and
his sons, and slew Jonathan and Abinadab, and Melchi-shua, sons of Saul.
And all the burden of the battle was turned on Saul, and the archers
followed him and wounded him sore. Then said Saul to his squire: Pluck
out thy sword and slay me, that these men uncircumcised come not and,
scorning, slay me; and his squire would not for he was greatly afeard.
Then Saul took his sword and slew himself, which thing when his squire
saw, that is that Saul was dead, he took his sword and fell on it and
was dead with him. Thus was Saul dead, and his three sons and his
squire, and all his men that day together. Then the children of Israel
that were thereabouts, and on that other side of Jordan, seeing that the
men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his three sons were dead, left
their cities and fled. The Philistines came and dwelled there, and the
next day the Philistines went for to rifle and pillage them that were
dead, and they found Saul and his three sons lying in the hill of
Gilboa. And they cut off the head of Saul, and robbed him of his armor,
and sent it into the land of the Philistines all about, that it might be
showed in the temple of their idols, and unto the people; and set up his
arms in the temple of Ashtaroth, and hung his body on the wall of
Bethshan. And when the men that dwelt in Jabesh-Gilead saw what the
Philistines had done unto Saul, all the strongest men of them arose and
went all that night and took down the bodies of Saul and of his sons
from the wall of Bethshan and burned them, and took the bones and buried
them in the wood of Jabesh-Gilead and fasted seven days.
_Thus endeth the life of Saul which was first king upon Israel, and for
disobedience of God's commandment was slain, and his heirs never reigned
long after._
THE HISTORY OF DAVID
_Here followeth how David reigned after Saul, and governed Israel.
Shortly taken out of the Bible, the most historical matters and but
little touched._
After the death of Saul David returned from the journey that he had
against Amalek. For whilst David had been out with Achish the king, they
of Amalek had been in Ziklag and taken all that was therein prisoners,
and robbed and carried away with them the two wives of David, and had
set fire and burned the town. And when David came again home and saw the
town burned he pursued after, and by the conveying of one of them of
Amalek that was left by the way sick, for to have his life he brought
David upon the host of Amalek whereas they sat and ate and drank. And
David smote on them with his meiny [company] and slew down all that he
found, and rescued his wives and all the good that they had taken, and
took much more of them. And when he was come to Ziklag, the third day
after there came one from the host of Saul, and told to David how that
Israel had lost the battle, and how they were fled, and how Saul the
king and Jonathan his son were slain. David said to the young man that
brought these tidings: How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan be dead?
And he answered it was so by adventure that I came upon the mount of
Gilboa, and Saul rested upon his spear, and the horsemen and the
chariots of the Philistines approached to himward, and he looked behind
him and saw me, and called me, and said to me: Who art thou? And I said
I am an Amalekite, and then he said: Stand upon me and slay me, for I am
full of anguish, and yet my soul is in me. And I then standing on him
slew him, knowing well that he might not live after the ruin. And I took
the diadem from his head, and the armylle from his arm, which I have
brought hither to thee, my lord. David took and rent his vestment, and
all the men that were with him, and wailed and sorrowed much the death
of Saul and Jonathan and of all the men of Israel, and fasted that day
till even. And David said to the young man: Of whence art thou? And he
said: I am the son of an Amalekite. And David said to him: Why dreadedst
thou not to put thy hand forth to slay him that is anointed of God?
David called one of his men, and bade him slay him. And he smote him and
slew him. And David said: Thy blood be on thy head! thine own mouth hath
spoken against thee, saying: I have slain Saul which was king anointed
of our Lord.
David sorrowed and bewailed much the death of Saul and of Jonathan.
After this David counselled with our Lord and demanded if he should go
in to one of the cities of Judah. And our Lord bade him go, and he asked
whither, and our Lord said: Into Hebron. Then David took his two wives
and all the men that were with him, every each with his household, and
dwelled in the towns of Hebron. And thither came the men of Judah and
anointed David king to reign upon the tribe of Judah. And Abner prince
of the host of Saul, and other servants of Saul, took Ishbosheth the son
of Saul, and led him about, and made him king over Israel, except the
tribe of Judah. Ishbosheth was forty years when he began to reign, and
he reigned two years. The house of Judah only followed David. After this
it happed that Abner, prince of the host of Ishbosheth, with certain
men, went out of the castles, and Joab with certain men of David went
also out and ran by the piscine [pool] of Gibeon. One party was on that
one side, and that other on the other. And Abner said to Joab: Let our
young men play and skirmish together, and Joab agreed. And there rose
twelve of Benjamin, of the party of Ishbosheth, and twelve of the
children of David; and when they met together each took other by the
head, and roof their swords into each other's sides and were all there
slain. And there arose a great battle, and Abner and his fellowship were
put to flight by the men of David.
And among all other there was Asahel one of the brethren of Joab and was
the swiftest runner that might be, and pursued Abner, and Abner looked
behind him, and bade him decline on the right side or on the left side,
and take one of the young men and his harness, and come not at me.
Asahel would not leave him; yet Abner said to him: Go from me and follow
not me lest I be compelled to slay thee, and then I may not make my
peace with Joab thy brother. Which would not hear Abner, but despised
him, and Abner then turned and slew him in the same place, and anon the
sun went down and they withdrew. There were slain of the children of
David nineteen men and of them of Benjamin three hundred and sixty were
slain, and thus there was long strife and contention between the house
of David and the house of Ishbosheth. After this Abner took a concubine
of Saul and held her, wherefore Ishbosheth reproved him of it and Abner
was wroth greatly thereof; and came to David and made friendship with
him. Joab was not there when Abner made his peace with David; but when
he knew it he came to Abner with a fair semblant and spake fair to him
by dissimulation, and slew him for to avenge the death of Asahel his
brother. And when David heard how Joab had slain Abner he cursed him,
and bewailed greatly the death of Abner, and did do bury him [caused him
to be buried] honorably, and David followed the bier himself. And when
Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, heard that Abner was dead, he was all
abashed and all Israel sore troubled. There were two princes of thieves
with Ishbosheth named Baanah and Rechab, which came on a day in to
Ishbosheth where he lay and slept, and there they slew him, and took
privily his head and brought it in to David in Hebron and said: Lo, here
is the head of thine enemy Ishbosheth, that sought to slay thee; this
day God hath given to thee my lord vengeance of Saul and of his seed.
David answered to them: By the living God that hath delivered me from
all anguish, him that told me that he had slain Saul, and had thought
to have had a reward of me, I did do slay, how much more ye that be so
wicked to slay him that is not guilty, in his house and upon his bed?
Shall I not ask his blood of your hands, and throw you out of this
world? Yes, certainly. And David commanded to his servants to slay them,
and so they were slain, and cut off their hands and feet, and hung them
on the piscine [pool] in Hebron, and took the head of Ishbosheth and
buried it in the sepulchre of Abner. And then came all the tribes of
Israel to David in Hebron, saying: We be thy mouth and thy flesh, when
Saul lived and was king on us and reigned, thou wert coming and going;
and because God hath said thou shalt reign upon my people and be their
governor, therefore we shall obey thee. And all the seniors of Israel
came and did homage to David in Hebron, and anointed him king over them.
David was thirty years old when he began to reign and he reigned forty
years. He reigned in Hebron upon Judah seven years and six months, and
in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years upon all Israel and Judah.
David then made him a dwelling-place in the hill of Sion in Jerusalem.
And after this the Philistines made war against him, but he oft
overthrew them and slew many of them, and made them tributary to him,
and after brought the ark of God in Jerusalem, and set it in his house.
After this yet the Philistines made war again unto him and other kings
were aiding and helping them against David, whom David overcame and slew
and put under.
And on a time when Joab was out with his men of war lying at a siege
tofore a city, David was at home, and walked in his chamber, and as he
looked out at a window he saw a fair woman wash her and bain her in her
chamber, which stood against his house, and demanded of his servants who
she was, and they said she was Uriah's wife. And David sent letters to
Joab and bade him to send home to him Uriah; and Joab sent Uriah to
David, and David demanded how the host was ruled, and after bade him go
home to his house and wash his feet. And Uriah went thence, and the king
sent to him his dish with meat. Uriah would not go home, but lay before
the gate of the king's house with other servants of the king's. And it
was told to the king that Uriah went not home, and then David said to
Uriah: Thou comest from a far way, why goest thou not home? And Uriah
said to David: The ark of God and Israel and Judah be in the pavilions,
and my lord Joab and the servants of thee, my lord, lie on the ground,
and would ye that I should go to my house? By thy health and by the
health of my soul I shall not do so. Then David said to Uriah, Abide
here then this night, and to-morrow I shall deliver thee. Uriah abode
there that day and the next, and David made him eat tofore him and made
him drunk, yet for all that he would not go home, but lay with the
servants of David. Then on the morn David wrote a letter to Joab, that
he should set Uriah in the weakest place of the battle and where most
jeopardy was, and that he should be left there that he might be slain.
And Uriah bare this letter to Joab, and it was so done as David had
written, and Uriah was slain in the battle. And Joab sent word to David
how they had fought, and how Uriah was slain and dead. When Uriah's wife
heard that her husband was dead, she mourned and wailed him; and after
the mourning David sent for her and wedded her, and she bare him a son.
And this that David had committed on Uriah displeased greatly our Lord.
Then our Lord sent Nathan the prophet unto David, which, when he came,
said to him: There were two men dwelling in a city, that one rich and
that other poor. The rich man had sheep and oxen right many, but the
poor man had but one little sheep, which he bought and nourished and
grew with his children, eating of his bread and drinking of his cup, and
slept in his bosom. She was to him as a daughter. And on a time when a
certain pilgrim came to the rich man, he, sparing his own sheep and oxen
to make a feast to the pilgrim that was come to him, took the only sheep
of the poor man and made meat thereof to his guest. David was wroth and
said to Nathan: By the living God, the man that hath so done is the
child of death, the man that hath so done shall yield therefor four
times double. Then said Nathan to David: Thou art the same man that hath
done this thing. This said the Lord God of Israel: I have anointed thee
king upon Israel, and kept thee from the hand of Saul, and I have given
to thee an house to keep in thine household and wives in thy bosom. I
have given to thee the house of Israel and the house of Judah, and if
these be small things I shall add and give to thee much more and
greater. Why hast thou therefore despised the word of God and hast done
evil in the sight of our Lord? Thou hast slain Uriah with a sword, and
his wife hast thou taken unto thy wife, and thou hast slain him with the
sword of the sons of Ammon. Therefore the sword shall not go from thy
house, world without end, forasmuch as thou hast despised me and hast
taken Uriah's wife unto thy wife. This said our Lord: I shall raise evil
against thee, and shall take thy wives in thy sight and give them to thy
neighbor. Thou hast done it privily, but I shall make this to be done
and open in the sight of all Israel. And then said David to Nathan:
Peccavi! I have sinned against our Lord. Nathan said: Our Lord hath
taken away thy sin, thou shalt not die, but forasmuch as thou hast made
the enemy to blaspheme the name of God, therefore the son that is born
to thee shall die by death. And Nathan returned to his house. And for
this sin David made this psalm: Miserere mei deus [Have pity on me, O
God!], which is a psalm of mercy, for David did great penance for these
sins of adultery and also of homicide.
Therefore God took away this sin, and forgave it him, but the son that
she brought forth died. And after this Bathsheba, that had been Uriah's
wife, brought forth another son named Solomon, which was well-beloved of
God, and after David, Solomon was king.
After this David had much war and trouble and anger, insomuch that on a
time Amnon, oldest son of David, loved Thamar his sister. David knew
hereof, and was right sorry for it, but he would not rebuke his son
Amnon for it, for he loved him because he was his first begotten son.
Absalom hated Amnon ever after, and when Absalom on a time did do shear
his sheep he prayed all his brethren to come eat with him, and made them
a feast like a king's feast. At which feast he did do slay his brother
Amnon; and anon it was told to the King David that Absalom had slain all
the king's sons. Wherefore the king was in great heaviness and sorrow,
but anon after it was told him that there was no more slain but Amnon,
and the other sons came home. And Absalom fled into Geshur, and was
there three years, and durst not come home. And after by the moyen of
Joab he was sent for, and came into Jerusalem, but yet he might not come
in his father the king's presence, and dwelled there two years, and
might not see the King his father. This Absalom was the fairest man that
ever was, for from the sole of his foot unto his head there was not a
spot; he had so much hair on his head that it grieved him to bear,
wherefore it was shorn off once a year, it weighed two hundred shekels
of good weight. Then when he abode so long that he might not come to his
father's presence he sent for Joab to come speak with him, and he would
not come. He sent again for him and he came not. Then Absalom said to
his servants: Know ye Joab's field that lieth by my field? They said
yea. Go ye, said he, and set fire in the barley that is therein, and
burn it. And Joab's servants came and told to Joab that Absalom had set
fire on his corn. Then Joab came to Absalom and said: Why hast thou set
fire on my corn! And he said, I have sent twice to thee, praying thee to
come to me that I might send thee to the king, and that thou shouldst
say to him why I came from Geshur; it had been better for me for to have
abiden there. I pray thee that I may come to his presence and see his
visage, and if he remember my wickedness let him slay me. Joab went in
to the King and told to him all these words. Then was Absalom called,
and entered in to the king, and he fell down and worshipped the king,
and the king kissed him. After this Absalom did do make for himself
chariots and horsemen and fifty men for to go before him, and walked
among the tribes of Israel; and greeted and saluted them, taking them by
the hand, and kissed them, by which he gat to him the hearts of the
people; and said to his father that he had avowed to make sacrifice to
God in Hebron, and his father gave him leave. And when he was there he
gathered people to him, and made himself king, and did do cry that all
men should obey and wait on him as king of Israel. When David heard this
he was sore abashed and was fain to flee out of Jerusalem. And Absalom
came with his people and entered into Jerusalem into his father's house,
and after pursued his father to depose him. And David ordained his
people and battle against him, and sent Joab, prince of his host,
against Absalom, and divided his host into three parts, and would have
gone with them, but Joab counselled that he should not go to the battle
whatsomever happed, and then David bade them to save his son Absalom.
And they went forth and fought, and Absalom with his host was overthrown
and put to flight. And as Absalom fled upon his mule he came under an
oak, and his hair flew about a bough of the tree and held so fast that
Absalom hung by his hair, and the mule ran forth. There came one to Joab
and told him how that Absalom hung by his hair on a bough of an oak, and
Joab said: Why hast thou not slain him? The man said: God forbid that I
should set hand on the king's son; I heard the king say: keep my son
Absalom alive and slay him not. Then Joab went and took three spears,
and fixed them in the heart of Absalom as he hung on the tree by his
hair, and yet after this ten young men, squires of Joab, ran and slew
him. Then Joab trumped and blew the retreat, and retained the people
that they should not pursue the people flying. And they took the body of
Absalom and cast it in a great pit, and laid on him a great stone. And
when David knew that his son was slain, he made great sorrow and said: O
my son Absalom, my son Absalom, who shall grant to me that I may die for
thee, my son Absalom, Absalom my son! It was told to Joab that the king
wept and sorrowed the death of his son Absalom, and all their victory
was turned into sorrow and wailing, insomuch that the people eschewed to
enter into the city. Then Joab entered in to the king and said: Thou
hast this day discouraged the cheer of all thy servants because they
have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and daughters, of thy
wives and of thy concubines, thou lovest them that hate thee, and hatest
them that love thee, and showest well this day that thou settest little
by thy dukes and servants; and truly I know now well that if Absalom had
lived and all we thy servants had been slain, thou haddest been pleased.
Therefore, arise now and come forth and satisfy the people; or else I
swear to thee by the good lord that there shall not one of thy servants
abide with thee till to-morrow, and that shall be worse to thee than all
the harms and evils that ever yet fell to thee. Then David the king
arose and sat in the gate, and anon it was shown to all the people that
the king sat in the gate. And then all the people came in tofore the
king, and they of Israel that had beerv with Absalom fled into their
tabernacles, and after came again unto David when they knew that Absalom
was dead.
And after, one Sheba, a cursed man, rebelled and gathered people against
David. Against whom Joab with the host of David pursued, and drove him
unto a city which he besieged, and by the means of a woman of the same
city Sheba's head was smitten off and delivered to Joab over the wall,
and so the city was saved, and Joab pleased. After this David called
Joab, and bade him number the people of Israel, and so Joab walked
through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and over Jordan
and all the country, and there were founden in Israel eight hundred
thousand strong men that were able to fight and to draw sword, and of
the tribe of Judah fifty thousand fighting men. And after that the
people was numbered, the heart of David was smitten by our Lord and was
heavy, and said: I have sinned greatly in this deed, but I pray the Lord
to take away the wickedness of thy servant, for I have done follily.
David rose on the morn early, and the word of our Lord came to Gad the
prophet saying: that he should go to David and bid him choose one of
three things that he should say to him. When Gad came to David he said
that he should choose whether he would have seven years hunger in his
land, or three months he should flee his adversaries and enemies, or to
have three days' pestilence. Of these three God biddeth thee choose
which thou wilt; now advise thee and conclude what I shall answer to our
Lord. David said to Gad: I am constrained to a great thing, but it is
better for me to put me in the hands of our Lord, for his mercy is much
more than in men, and so he chose pestilence.
Then our Lord sent pestilence the time constitute, and there died of the
people from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men. And when the angel
extended his hand upon Jerusalem for to destroy it, our Lord was
merciful upon the affliction, and said to the angel so smiting: It
sufficeth now, withdraw thy hand. David said to our Lord when he saw the
angel smiting the people: I am he that have sinned and done wickedly,
what have these sheep done? I beseech thee that thy hand turn upon me
and upon the house of my father. Then came Gad to David and bade him
make an altar in the same place where he saw the angel; and he bought
the place, and made the altar, and offered sacrifices unto our Lord, and
our Lord was merciful, and the plague ceased in Israel.
David was old and feeble and saw that his death approached, and ordained
that his son Solomon should reign and be king after him. Howbeit that
Adonijah his son took on him to be king during David's life. For which
cause Bathsheba and Nathan came to David, and tofore them he said that
Solomon should be king, and ordained that he should be set on his mule
by his prophets Nathan, Zadok the priest and Benaiah, and brought in to
Sion. And there Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him
king upon Israel and blew in a trump and said: Live the King Solomon.
And from thence they brought him into Jerusalem and set him upon his
father's seat in his father's throne, and David worshipped him in his
bed, and said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel that hath suffered me
to see my son in my throne and seat And then Adonijah and all they that
were with him were afeared, and dreading Solomon ran away, and so ceased
Adonijah. The days of David approached fast that he should die, and did
do call Solomon before him, and there he commanded him to keep the
commandments of our Lord and walk in his ways, and to observe his
ceremonies, his precepts and his judgments, as it is written in the law
of Moses, and said: Our Lord confirm thee in thy reign, and send to thee
wisdom to rule it well. And when David had thus counselled and
commanded him to do justice and keep God's law, he blessed him and died,
and was buried with his fathers. This David was an holy man and made the
holy psalter, which is an holy book and is contained therein the old law
and the new law. He was a great prophet, for he prophesied the coming of
Christ, his nativity, his passion, and resurrection, and also his
ascension, and was great with God, yet God would not suffer him to build
a temple for him, for he had shed man's blood. But God said to him, his
son that should reign after him should be a man peaceable, and he should
build the temple to God. And when David had reigned forty years king of
Jerusalem, over Judah and Israel, he died in good mind, and was buried
with his fathers in the city of David.
THE SONG OF DAVID
He sang of God, the mighty source
Of all things, the stupendous force
On which all strength depends;
From whose right arm, beneath whose eyes,
All period, power, and enterprise
Commences, reigns, and ends.
The world, the clustering spheres he made,
The glorious light, the soothing shade,
Dale, champaign, grove, and hill:
The multitudinous abyss,
Where secrecy remains in bliss,
And wisdom hides her skill.
Tell them, I AM, Jehovah said
To Moses: while Earth heard in dread,
And, smitten to the heart,
At once, above, beneath, around,
All Nature, without voice or sound,
Replied, "O Lord, THOU ART."
_--C. Smart_
THE STORY OF A CUP OF WATER
BY THEODORE T. MUNGER
[From "Lamps and Paths," by courtesy of Houghton, Mifflin & Co.]
Be noble! and the nobleness that lies
In other men, sleeping, but never dead,
Will rise in majesty to meet thine own.
--James Russell Lowell: _Sonnet IV_
Restore to God his due in tithe and time:
A tithe purloined cankers the whole estate.
Sundays observe: think, when the bells do chime,
'Tis angels' music; therefore come not late.
God there deals blessings. If a king did so,
Who would not haste, nay give, to see the show?
--George Herbert
O Lord, that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!
_--King Henry VI.,_ Part II.; i. I
_"And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the
water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate! And the three brake
through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of
Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David:
but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the Lord, and
said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink
the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with
the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not
drink it."_--I Chronicles xi. 17-19