Content

CAP 1
1 And Josias made pask in Jerusalem to the Lord, and he offride pask the fourtenthe day of the monthe of the first monthe,
2 ordeynynge prestis bi her whiles of daies, clothid in stolis, or longe clothis, in the temple of the Lord.
3 And he seide to the dekens, the holy seruauntis of Israel, that thei schulden halewe hem self to the Lord, in settynge of the holy arke of the Lord in the hous, that kyng Salomon, the sone of Dauid, bildide;
4 It schal not be to you no more to take it upon schuldris; and now serueth to oure Lord, and do ye cure of that folk of Israel, of the part aftir townes,
5 and her lynagis, aftir the writyng of Dauid, kyng of Israel, and aftir the greet wirschipful doyng of Salomon, his sone, in al the temple, and aftir youre litil fadris part of princehood of hem, that stonden in the siyt of the bretheren of the sones of Israel.
6 Offre ye pask, and maketh redy the sacrifices to youre bretheren; and do ye aftir the heest of the Lord, that is youen to Moyses.
7 And Josias yaf to the folc that was founden there, scheep, of lombis, and of kides, and of sche geet, thritti thousynd; calues, thre thousynd.
8 Thes yiftis ben youen of the kingis owne thingis aftir the heest of the Lord to the peple, and to prestis, in to pask; scheep in noumbre two thousynd, and calues an hundrid.
9 And Jechonyas, and Semeias, and Nathanael, his brother, and Azabias, and Oziel, and Coroba, yauen in to pask, fyue thousynd scheep, and fyue hundrid calues.
10 And whanne thes thingis weren nobly don, the prestis and dekens stoden, hauynge therf looues bi lynages.
11 And aftir the partis of the princehood of fadris thei offriden to the Lord in the siyt of the peple, after tho thingis that ben writen in the book of Moyses.
12 And thei rostiden the pask with fijr, as it bihouyde; and thei soden oostis in sethinge vessels and in pottis, with wel willyng.
13 And thei brouyten it to alle that ther weren of the folk; and aftir thes thingis thei maden redy to hem self and to prestis.
14 Forsothe the prestis offriden ynner fatnesse, vnto the hour was endid; and dekens greythiden to hem self, and to her bretheren, and to the sones of Aaron.
15 And men sacrifiynge offriden her douytris, aftir the oordre and the heestis of Dauid; and Azaph, and Zacharie, and Jeddynus, that was of the king;
16 and the porters bi alle the yatis offriden, so that noon passide his yate. Forsothe her bretheren greythiden to hem.
17 And so tho thingis, that perteynyden to the sacrifice of the Lord, ben endid.
18 In that day thei diden pask, and offriden ostis upon the sacrifice of the Lord, aftir the heest of kyng Josie.
19 And the sones of Israel, that weren founden present, diden in that tyme pask, and the feest day of therf looues bi seuen daies.
20 And ther was not solempnyzed sich a paske in Israel, fro the tymes of Samuel, the prophet.
21 And alle the kyngis of Israel halewiden not sich a pask, as diden Josias, and the prestis, and dekens, and Jewis, and al Israel, that weren founden in the commemoracioun, or mynde making, at Jerusalem.
22 In the eiytenthe yer, Josie regnynge, this pask was halewid.
23 And the werkis of Josie ben maad riyt in the siyt of his Lord, in ful dredynge herte;
24 and tho thingis forsothe that weren aboute him ben writen, in the rathere tymes of hem that synnyden, and the whiche weren vnreligious ayen the Lord, bifore or more than al hethen folk, and the whiche synners souyten not the wordis of the Lord upon Israel.
25 And aftir al this deede of Josie, Pharao, king of Egipt, yede up, comynge to casten awey in Carcamys upon Eufraten; and Josias wente in to metyng to him.
26 And the king of Egipt sente to Josiam, seiynge, What is to me and to thee, kyng of Jude?
27 I am not sent of the Lord, upon Eufraten forsothe is my bataile; hastily therfor go doun.
28 And Josias was not turned ayen upon the chare, but he enforside him self to ouercome Pharao, not takinge hede to the word of the prophet, fro the mouth of the Lord;
29 but he sette to him bataile in the feeld of Mecedan; and princis camen doun to kyng Josiam.
30 And thanne the king seide to his children, or seruauntes, Moueth me awey fro the bataile; forsothe I am gretly maad sijk. And anoon his children moueden him awey fro the scheltrun.
31 And he stiede upon his secoundarie chare; and comynge to Jerusalem, he diede, and was biried in his fadris sepulcre.
32 And in al Jude thei biweiliden Josie, and thei that bifore seten with wyues, weiliden him vnto this day; and this is grauntid to be don euer more in al the kynrede of Israel.
33 Thes thingis forsothe ben writen in the book of stories of kyngis of Juda, and the glorie of Josie, and his vndirstonding in the lawe of God, bi alle dedes of the doyng of him; for euenly tho weren don of hym, and the whiche ben not writun in the book of kingis of Israel and of Juda.
34 And thei that weren of the kynrede token Jeconye, the sone of Josie, and setten him king for Josie, his fadir, whanne he was of thre and thritty yeer.
35 And he regnyde upon Israel thre monthis; and thanne the kyng of Egipt putte him awey, that he regnyde not in Jerusalem.
36 And he pilide the folk of an hundrid talentis of siluer, and of a talent of gold.
37 And the kyng of Egipt sette Joachim, his brother, kyng of Jude and of Jerusalem; and he bonde the maistir iuges of Joachim, and takynge Saracel, his brother, he brouyte him ayen to Egipt.
39 Joachim was of fyue and twenty yeer, whanne he regnyde in the loond of Juda and of Jerusalem; and he dide yuel thing in the siyt of the Lord.
40 Aftir this forsothe Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, stiede up, and byndynge Joachim in a strong boond, brouyte him in to Babiloyne;
41 and Nabugodonosor toke and brouyte the holy vessels of God, and sacride tho in his temple in Babiloyne.
42 Forsothe of his vnclennesse and his vnreligioustee it is writen in the book of the tymes of kyngis.
43 And Joachim, his sone, regnyde for him; whanne forsothe he was ordeyned king, he was of eiyte yeer.
44 Forsothe he regnyde thre monthis and ten daies in Jerusalem; and dide yuel in siyt of the Lord.
45 And aftir a yer Nabugodonosor sente, and brouyte him ouer in to Babiloyne, togidre with the sacrid vessels of the Lord.
46 And he sette Sedechie kyng of Juda and of Jerusalem, whanne he was of oon and twenti yeer.
47 Forsothe he regnyde elleuen yeer; and he dide yuel in siyt of the Lord, and was not adred of the wordis that ben seid of Jeremye, the prophet, fro the mouth of the Lord.
48 And he adiurid, or chargid bi ooth, of kyng Nabugodonosor, forsworn wente awey, and his noll made hard, he ouerpasside the laweful thingis of the Lord God of Israel.
49 And the duykis of the Lordis peple baren hem wickidly many thingis, and thei diden vnpitously ouer alle the wickidnessis of Gentiles; and thei defouliden the temple of the Lord, that was hooly in Jerusalem.
50 And God of her fadris sente bi his aungel to ayenclepe hem, for the whiche thing he sparide to hem, and to her tabernaclis.
51 Thei forsothe scornyden in her corners, and that dai that the Lord spake, thei weren bobbynge his prophetis.
52 The whiche Lord is stirid to wraththe upon his folk, for their irreligiositee. And the kyngis of Caldeis comaundiden, and stiyeden up,
53 thei slowen the younge men of hem with swerd, aboute the hooly temple of hem; and thei spariden not to yonge man, ne to maiden, ne to old man, and to ful woxen man;
54 but also alle thei ben taken in to the hondis of hem; and thei token alle the sacrid vessels of the Lord, and the kyngis coffres, and brouyten tho in to Babiloyne.
55 And thei brenden up the hous of the Lord, and destroieden the wallis of Jerusalem, and thei brenden his touris with fijr.
56 And thei wastiden alle the wurschipful thingis, and brouyten hem to nouyt; and thei brouyten the peple lefte of the swerd in to Babiloyne.
57 And thei weren his thrallis, vn to the tyme that Peersis regnyden, in the fulfillynge of the word of the Lord, in the mouth of Jeremye;
58 til that the loond wolde do benyngnely their sabotis, he sabatisede al the tyme of their forsakyng, in the appliynge of seuenti yer.