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And E?dras stode vp before the house of God, and wente in to the chamber of Iohanan the sonne of Eliasab. And whan he came thither, he ate no bred, and dranke no water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had bene in captiuyte.

Then all the men of Iuda and Ben Iamin gathered them selues together vnto Ierusalem in thre dayes, yt is on the twentieth daye of the nyenth moneth: and all the people sat in the strete before the house of God, and trembled because of the matter, and for the rayne.

confesse now therfore vnto ye LORDE God of youre fathers, & do his pleasure, and separate youre selues from the people of the londe, & from ye straunge wyues.

Let vs appoynte oure rulers therfore in all the congregacion, yt all they which haue taken straunge wyues in oure cities, maye come at the tyme appoynted, and the Elders of euery cite and their Iudges with them, tyll the wrath of oure God because of this matter be turned awaye from vs.

Wha I herde these wordes, I sat me downe & wepte, & mourned two dayes, & fasted & prayed before the God of heauen,

& sayde: O LORDE God of heauen, thou greate & terrible God, thou yt kepest couenaunt & mercy for them yt loue the & obserue thy comaundementes:

& sayde vnto the kynge: God saue the kynges life for euer, shulde I not loke sadly? the cite of my fathers buryall lyeth wayest, & the portes therof are consumed wt the fyre.

Then sayde the kynge vnto me: What is the thy request? Then made I my prayer to the God of heaue,

& letters vnto Assaph the lorde of the kynges wod, yt he maye geue me wodd for balkes to the gates of the palace, which are harde on the house & harde on the walles of the cite, & for the house that I shal entre in to. And ye kynge gaue me acordinge to the good hande of God vpo me.

I gat me vp in ye night season, & a fewe men with me: for I tolde no man what God had geue me in my hert to do at Ierusalem: & there was not one beest wt me, saue it yt I rode vpon.

And I tolde the of the good hade of my God which was vpo me: And ye kynges wordes yt he had spoke vnto me. And they saide: Then let vs get vp. And we buylded, and their handes were strengthed to good.

Then answered I them, and sayde: The God of heauen shal cause vs to prospere: for we his seruauntes are gotten vp, & are buyldinge. As for you, ye haue no porcio ner right, ner remembraunce in Ierusale.

Heare O thou oure God, how we are despysed, turne their shame vpon their awne heade, yt thou mayest geue them ouer in to despisinge in the londe of their captiuite.

Neuertheles we made or praier vnto oure God, & set watchme vpo the wall daye & night ouer against them.

Neuertheles whan or enemies herde yt we had gotten worde of it, God broughte their councell to naughte, and we turned all againe to the wall, euery one vnto his labor.

Loke in what place now ye heare the noise of ye trompe, resorte ye thither vnto vs. Oure God shal fight for vs,

And I sayde: It is not good that ye do. Oughte ye not to walke in the feare of God, because of the rebuke of the Heythen oure enemies?

And I shoke my lappe, and sayde: God shake out euery man after the same maner fro his house and laboure, that maynteyneth not this worde: euen thus be he shaken out, and voyde. And all ye congregacion sayde: Amen, and praysed the LORDE. And the people dyd so.

For the olde Debytes that were before me, had bene chargeable vnto the people, and had take of the bred and wyne, and fortye Sycles of syluer: Yee and their seruauntes had oppressed the people. But so dyd not I, and that because of the feare of God.

Thynke vpo me my God vnto ye best, acordige to all that I haue done for this people.