Textus Receptus Bibles
Matthew's Bible 1537
| 3:1 | There was long stryfe betwene the house of Saul and the house of Dauid. But Dauid waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker & weaker. |
| 3:2 | And Dauid had chyldren borne him in Hebron: hys eldest sonne was Ammon of Ahinoam the Iesrahelyte: |
| 3:3 | the seconde Cheleab of Abigail the wyfe of Nabal the Carmelyte: the thyrd Absalon the sonne of Maachah the doughter of Tholmai the King of Gessur |
| 3:4 | the fourth Adoniah the sonne of Hagith: the fyfte Saphatiah the sonne of Abital: |
| 3:5 | the syxte Iethraam by Egla Dauids wyfe. These were borne to Dauid in Hebron. |
| 3:6 | And as long as there was battell betwene the house of Saule and the house of Dauid, Abner helde vp the house of Saul. |
| 3:7 | And Saule had a concubyne named Riphah the doughter of Aiah. And Isboseth sayde to Abner. Wherfore lyest thou wyth my fathers concubyne? |
| 3:8 | Then was Abner very wrothe for the wordes of Isboseth, and sayde: Am I not a dogges head, which agaynste Iuda haue shewed mercye thys day vnto the house of Saule thy father, and to his brethren and frendes, and haue not delyuered them into the hande of Dauid: seynge thou fyndest a faulte in me thys daye for a woman? |
| 3:9 | So do God to Abner, and so therto: excepte that as the Lorde hath sworne to Dauid, I so do to hym, |
| 3:10 | and bryng the kyngdom from the house of Saule, and set vp the throne of Dauid ouer Israel and ouer Iuda, euen from Dan to Bersabe. |
| 3:11 | And he coulde geue Abner neuer a worde to aunswere, because he feared hym. |
| 3:12 | And Abner sente messengers to Dauid forthwyth, saiyng: whose is the lande? and he sayde therto: make a bonde wyth me, and se, my hande is with the, to bryng al Israel vnto the. |
| 3:13 | And Dauid aunswered: well sayd, I wyl make a bonde wyth the. But one thynge I requere of the, that thou se not my face, excepte thou fyrst brynge Michol Saules doughter, when thou comest to se me. |
| 3:14 | And Dauid sent messengers to Isboseth Saules sonne, saiynge: delyuer me my wyfe Michol whiche I maryed wyth an hundred forskynnes of the Phylistines. |
| 3:15 | And Isboseth sent and toke her from the husbande Phaltiel the sonne of Lais. |
| 3:16 | And her husband went with her, and came wepinge behynde her, tyll they came to Bahurim. Then sayde Abner vnto hym: go and returne. And he returned. |
| 3:17 | And Abner had communycacyon wyth the elders of Israel saying: ye haue long gone about that Dauid shulde be kyng ouer you. |
| 3:18 | Nowe then do it: for the Lorde hath sayde of Dauid, by the hande of my seruaunt Dauid, I wyl saue my people Israel out of the handes of the Philistines, and oute of the hande of al theyr enemyes. |
| 3:19 | And lyke wordes had he wyth Beniamin, and then went to tell in the eares of Dauid in Hebron all that Israell was content wt and the whole house of Beniamin. |
| 3:20 | And when Abner was come to Dauid to Hebron & twentye men wyth hym, Dauid made hym, & the men that were wyth hym a feast. |
| 3:21 | Then Abner sayde vnto Dauid. I wyll vp and go gather all Israel vnto my Lorde the kynge, that they maye make an appoyntment wyth the, that thou mayest be kyng ouer all that thyne hert desyreth. And so Dauid let Abner depart and he went in peace. |
| 3:22 | And se, the seruauntes of Dauid & Ioab came from chasyng robbers and broughte a great praye wyth them. But Abner was not wyth Dauid in Hebron: for he had sent hym awaye to departe in peace. |
| 3:23 | When Ioab and al the host that was wyth hym were come, men tolde Ioab sayinge: Abner the sonne of Ner came to the Kyng, & he hath sente hym awaye that he is gone in peace. |
| 3:24 | Then Ioab wente to the kynge & sayde: what hast thou done? Se, Abner came vnto the, why hast thou sent him awaye, that he shulde skape quyte? |
| 3:25 | Thou myghtest knowe Abner the sonne of Ner, that he came to flatter wyth the, and to knowe thy conuersacyon and behauoure, and to knowe all that thou doest. |
| 3:26 | And when Ioab was come out from the Kynge, he sent messengers after Abner which brought hym agayne from the wel of Sirah vnwetyng to Dauid. |
| 3:27 | And when Abner was come agayne to Hebron, Ioab toke hym a syde in the gate, to speake wyth hym gylefully, & there smote hym vnder the short rybbes that he dyed, for the bloud of Asahel hys brother. |
| 3:28 | And when it afterward came to Dauids eare, he sayde: I and my kyngedom are gyltelesse before the Lorde for euer, concernyng the bloude of Abner the sonne of Ner. |
| 3:29 | It fal therfore on the head of Ioab and on al hys fathers house: that the house of Ioab be neuer wythoute one or other that hath runnyng yssues or wythout lepers and goers on crouches, and that fal on the swerde, and that lacke bread. |
| 3:30 | And the cause why Ioab & Abisai slue Abner was, that Abner had slayne their brother Asahel at Gabaon in battel. |
| 3:31 | And Dauid sayd to Ioab & to al the people that were wyth hym, rent youre clothes and put on sacke clothe and mourne before Abner. And kyng Dauid hym selfe folowed the bere. |
| 3:32 | And when they had buryed Abner in Hebron, the kyng lyfte vp hys voyce and wepte ouer the sepulchre of Abner, and so dyd all the people. |
| 3:33 | And the kynge lamented ouer Abner and said: Abner dyed not as a wretche dyeth. |
| 3:34 | Thy handes were not manacled nor thy fete broughte into gyues: but as men fall before wycked chyldren, so fellest thou. And all the people wept yet more ouer hym. |
| 3:35 | And when all the people came to eat meat wyth Dauid, whyle it was yet daye, Dauid sware, saying: so do God to me and so therto, yf I taste bread or ought elles, tyll the sunne be doune. |
| 3:36 | And the people wyst it, and it pleased them, as well as all other good thynges, whiche the kynge dyd in the sight of the people. |
| 3:37 | And all the people and al Israel therto vnderstode that daye how that it was not the Kynges mynde to slee Abner the sonne of Ner. |
| 3:38 | And the kynge sayde vnto hys seruauntes: knowe ye not, how that there is a Lorde and that a greate fallen thys daye in Israel? |
| 3:39 | And I am thys daye tender, thoughe I be anoynted kyng. And these men the sonnes of Zaruiah be to good for me to rule? But the Lorde rewarde the doer of euyll accordynge to hys wyckednesse. |
Matthew's Bible 1537
The Matthew Bible, also known as Matthew's Version, was first published in 1537 by John Rogers, under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew". It combined the New Testament of William Tyndale, and as much of the Old Testament as he had been able to translate before being captured and put to death, with the translations of Myles Coverdale as to the balance of the Old Testament and the Apocrypha, except the Apocryphal Prayer of Manasses. It is thus a vital link in the main sequence of English Bible translations.