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And he spak to the dekenes, at whos techyng al Israel was halewid to the Lord, Sette ye the arke in the seyntuarie of the temple, which Salomon, kyng of Israel, the sone of Dauid, bildide; for ye schulen no more bere it. But now serue `youre Lord God and his puple Israel,

but thei maden redi aftirward to hem silf, and to prestis; for preestis weren occupied `til to nyyt in the offryng of brent sacrifices and of ynnere fatnessis. Wherfor dekenes maden redi to hem silf and to preestis, the sones of Aaron, `the laste.

Forsothe syngeris, the sones of Asaph, stoden in her ordre, bi the comaundement of Dauid, and of Asaph, and of Eman, and of Yditum, the profetis of the kyng; but the porteris kepten bi ech yate, so that thei yeden not awei fro the seruice, sotheli in a poynt; wherfor and dekenes, her britheren, maden redi metis to hem.

No pask was lijk this in Israel, fro the daies of Samuel, the prophete; but nethir ony of the kyngis of Israel made pask as Josie dide, to preestis and dekenes, and to al Juda and Israel, that was foundun, and to the dwelleris of Jerusalem.

And he seide bi messangeris sent to hym, Kyng of Juda, what is to me and to thee? Y come not ayens thee to dai, but Y fiyte ayens another hows, to which God bad me go in haste; ceesse thou to do ayens God, which is with me, lest he sle thee.

Josie nolde turne ayen, but made redi batel ayens hym; and he assentide not to the wordis of Nechao, bi Goddis mouth, but he yede for to fiyte in the feeld of Magedo.

But also alle the princes of preestis and the puple trespassiden wickidli, bi alle abhomynaciouns of hethene men; and thei defouliden the hows of the Lord, which he halewide to hym silf in Jerusalem.

And he brouyte on hem the kyng of Caldeis; and killide the yonge men of hem `bi swerd in the hows of seyntuarie; `he hadde not merci of a yong `man, and of a vergyn, and of an eld man, and sotheli nether of a man niy the deth for eldnesse, but he bitook alle in the hond of that king of Caldeis.

But thei yauen monei to heweris of stoon, and to liggeris of stoon, and thei yauen mete, and drynke, and oile, to men of Sidon, and `to men of Tire, that thei schulden brynge cedre trees fro the Liban to the see of Joppe, bi that that Cirus, kyng of Persis, hadde comaundid to hem.

And Zorobabel, and Josue, and the othere princes of the fadris of Israel, seiden to hem, It is not to vs and to you, that we bilde an hows to oure God; but we vs silf aloone schulen bilde to `oure Lord God, as Cirus, the kyng of Persis, comaundide to vs.

But also we axiden of hem the names `of hem, that we schulden telle to thee; and we han write the names of men, whiche thei ben, that ben princes among hem.

But aftir that oure fadris stiryden God of heuene and of erthe to wrathfulnesse, bothe he bitook hem in the hond of Nabugodonosor, Caldey, kyng of Babiloyne; and he distriede this hows, and translatide the puple therof in to Babiloyne.

But also the goldun and siluerne vessels of Goddis temple, whiche Nabugodonosor took fro the temple of Jerusalem, and brouyte tho in to Babiloyne, be yoldun, and borun ayen in to the temple of Jerusalem, and in to her place, whiche also be set in the temple of God.

But also it is comaundid of me, that that bihoueth to be maad of tho preestis of Jewys, that the hows of God be bildid, that is, that costis be youun bisili to tho men of the arke of the kyng, that is, of tributis, that ben youun of the contrei biyende the flood, lest the werk be lettid.

But also if ony thing plesith to thee, and to thi britheren, for to do of the residue siluer and gold, do ye bi the wille of youre God;

But also thou schalt yyue of the tresouris of the kyng, and of the comyn arke, `ethir purse, and of me `othere thingis, that ben nedeful in the hows of thi God, as myche euere as is nedeful, that thou spende.

Forsothe thou, Esdras, bi the wisdom of thi God, which is in thin hond, ordeyne iugis and gouernouris, that thei deme to the puple, which is biyende the flood, that is, to hem that kunnen the lawe of thi God, and the lawe of the kyng; but also teche ye freli vnkunnynge men.

But also the sones of transmygracioun, that camen fro caitifte, offriden brent sacrifices to the Lord God of Israel, `twelue calues for al the puple of Israel, nynti and sixe rammes, seuene and seuenti lambren, twelue buckis of geet for synne; alle thingis in to brent sacrifice to the Lord.

fro the daies of oure fadris; but also we vs silf han synned greuousli `til to this dai, and for our wickidnessis we, and oure kyngis, and oure prestis ben bitakun in the hondis of kyngis of londis, bothe in to swerd, and in to caitifte, in to raueyn, and in to schenship of cheer, as also in this dai.

And the kyng seide to me, Whi is thi cheer sory, sithen Y se not thee sijk? This is not without cause; but `yuel, Y not what, is in thin herte. And Y dredde ful greetli;