¹ Therfor al Israel was gaderid to Dauid in Ebron, and seide, We ben thi boon and thi fleisch;

² also yisterdai and the thridde dai ago, whanne Saul regnede yit on Israel, thou it were that leddist out and leddist in Israel; for `thi Lord God seide to thee, Thou schalt fede my puple Israel, and thou schalt be prince on it.

³ Therfor alle the gretter in birthe of Israel camen to the kyng in Ebron; and Dauid maad with hem a boond of pees bifor the Lord, and thei anoyntiden hym kyng on Israel, bi the word of the Lord, which he spak in the hond of Samuel.

⁴ Therfor Dauid yede, and al Israel, in to Jerusalem; this Jerusalem is Jebus, where Jebuseis enhabiteris of the lond weren.

⁵ And thei that dwelliden at Jebus seiden to Dauid, Thou schalt not entre hidur. Forsothe Dauid took the hiy tour of Syon, which is the citee of Dauid;

⁶ and he seide, Ech man that `sleeth first Jebusei, schal be prince and duyk. Therfor Joab, sone of Saruye, stiede first, and was maad prince.

⁷ Sotheli Dauid dwellide in the hiy tour, and therfor it was clepid the cytee of Dauid;

⁸ and he bildide the citee in cumpas fro Mello til to the cumpas; forsothe Joab bildide the tother part of the citee.

⁹ And Dauid profitide goynge and wexynge, and the Lord of oostis was with hym.

¹⁰ These ben the princes of the stronge men of Dauid, that helpiden hym, that he schulde be kyng on al Israel, bi the word of the Lord which he spak to Israel.

¹¹ And this is the noumbre of the stronge men of Dauid; Jesbaam, the sone of Achamony, was prince among thretti; this reiside his schaft ethir spere on thre hundrid woundid men in o tyme.

¹² And after hym was Eleazar, the sone of his fadris brothir, and was `a man of Ahoit, which Eleazar was among thre miyti men.

¹³ This was with Dauid in Aphesdomyn, whanne Filisteis weren gaderid to o place in to batel; and a feeld of that cuntrey was ful of barli, and the puple fledde fro the face of Filisteis.

¹⁴ This Eleazar stood in the myddis of the feeld, and defendide it; and whanne he hadde slayn Filisteis, the Lord yaf greet helthe to his puple.

¹⁵ Sotheli thre of thritti princes yeden doun to the stoon, wher ynne Dauid was, to the denne of Odolla, whanne Filisteis settiden tentis in the valey of Raphaym.

¹⁶ Forsothe Dauid was in a strong hold, and the stacioun, `that is, the oost gaderid, of Filisteis was in Bethleem.

¹⁷ Therfor Dauid desiride watir, and seide, Y wolde, that sum man yaf to me water of the cisterne of Bethleem, which is in the yate.

¹⁸ Therfor these thre yeden thoruy the myddil of the castelis of Filisteis, and drowen watir of the cisterne of Bethleem, that was in the yate, and thei brouyten to Dauid, that he schulde drynke; and Dauid nolde `drynke it, but rather he offride it to the Lord, and seide, Fer be it,

¹⁹ that Y do this thing in the siyt of my God, and that Y drynke the blood of these men, for in the perel of her lyues thei brouyten watir to me; and for this cause he nolde drynke. Thre strongeste men diden these thingis.

²⁰ Also Abisai, the brother of Joab, he was the prince of thre men, and he reiside his schaft ayens thre hundrid woundid men; and he was moost named among thre,

²¹ among the secounde thre he was noble, and the prince of hem; netheles he cam not til to the firste thre.

²² Banaye, the sone of Joiada, strongest man of Capsael, that dide many werkis; he killide two stronge men of Moab; and he yede doun, and killide a lioun in the myddil of a cisterne, in the tyme of snow;

²³ and he killide a man of Egipt, whos stature was of fyue cubitis, and he hadde a spere as the beem of webbis; therfor Banaye yede doun to hym with a yerde, and rauyschide the spere, which he held in the hond, and killide hym with his owne spere.

²⁴ Banaye, the sone of Joiada, dide these thingis, that was moost named among thre stronge men, and was the firste among thretti;

²⁵ netheles he cam not til to the thre; sotheli Dauid settide hym at his eere.

²⁶ Forsothe the strongeste men `in the oost weren Asael, the brother of Joab, and Eleanan, the sone of his fadris brothir of Bethleem,

²⁷ Semynoth Arorites, Helles Phallonytes, Iras,

²⁸ the sone of Acces of Thecue, Abieser of Anathot,

²⁹ Sobochay Sochites, Ylai Achoytes,

³⁰ Maray Nethophatithes, Heles, the sone of Banaa, Nethophatithes, Ethaa,

³¹ the sone of Rabai, of Gabaath of the sones of Beniamyn; Banaye Pharatonythes, men of the stronde Gaas,

³² Abihel Arabatithes, Azmoth Baruanythes, Eliaba Salaonythes,

³³ the sones of Assem Gesonythes, Jonathan, the sone of Saga, Ararithes, Achiam,

³⁴ the sone of Achar, Ararites,

³⁵ Eliphal, the sone of Mapher,

³⁶ Mechoratithes, Ahya Phellonythes,

³⁷ Asrahi Carmelites, Neoray,

³⁸ the sone of Thasbi, Johel, the brother of Nathan, Mabar, the sone of Aggaray, Selech Ammonythes,

³⁹ Nooray Berothites, the squyer of Joab, sone of Saruye,

⁴⁰ Iras Jetreus, Gareb Jethreus,

⁴¹ Vrie Ethei, Sabab,

⁴² the sone of Ooli, Adyna, the sone of Segar Rubenytes, prince of Rubenytis, and thritti men with hym;

⁴³ Hanan, the sone of Macha, and Josaphath Mathanythes, Ozias Astarothites,

⁴⁴ Semma and Jahel, the sones of Hotayn Aroerites,

⁴⁵ Ledihel, the sone of Zamri, and Joha, his brother, Thosaythes,

⁴⁶ Hehiel Maanytes, Jerybay and Josia, the sones of Helnaen, Jethma Moabites, Heliel, and Obed, and Jasihel of Masobia.