1   Gladid out is myn herte in the Lord, and areryd is myn horn in my God; maad large is my mouth vpon myn enemyes, for Y am glade in thin &yogh;yuer of heelth. 2   There is noon holy as is the Lord; forsothe ne there is other with out thee, and there is not strong as our

God. 3   Wole &yogh;e not multiplie to speke hei&yogh;e thingis, gloriynge; go there awey oold thingis fro &yogh;oure mouthe; for the God of sciencis Lord is, and to hym ben before maad redi thou&yogh;tis. 4   The boowe of stronge men is ouercomen, and feble ben gird with strength. 5   The fillid before for looues han leyd hem self, and the hungri ben fulfillid; to the tyme that the bareyn bere wel many, and she that many sones hadde, is feblid. 6   The Lord mortifieth, and quykeneth; bryngith doun to hellis, and a&yogh;en bryngith. 7   The Lord makith pore, and richeth; and mekith, and vndurrerith. 8   He bryngith vp fro powdre the nedye, and fro dryt he heueth vp the pore, that he sitte with princis, and the seet of glorie he holde; of the Lord forsothe ben the vttermoost parties of the erthe, and he hath put vpon hem the world. 9   The feet of his halowis he shal kepe, and vnpyteuous men in derknessis shulen waxe stille; for in his owne strength shal not be strengthid a man. 10   The Lord shulen drede the aduersaries of hym, and vpon hem in heuenes he shal thondre; the Lord shal deme the eendis of erthe, and he shal &yogh;yue empyre to his kyng, and he shal hie&yogh; the horn of his Crist. 11   And Helchana wente in Ramatha, into his hows; forsothe the child was seruaunt in the si&yogh;t of the Lord before the face of Hely the preest. 12   Forsothe the sones of Hely the sones of Belial, 13   not knowynge the Lord, ne the office of preestis to the puple; but who so euere hadde offerd the slayn sacrifyce, the child of the preest cam, while the flesh were sothen, and hadde a flesh hook thre tothid in his hoond; 14   and he putte it into the leede, or into the cawdroun, or into the pot, or into the greet panne; and al that the fleshook reryde, the preest

took to hym self; so thei diden to al Irael of men comynge in Silo. 15   Also or that thei brenten the fat, the child of the preest cam, and seide to the offrere, &YOGH;if to me flesh, that I seethe to the preest; I shal not take forsothe sothen flesh, but rawe. 16   And the offrere seide to hym, Be brent first after the maner to day the talw&yogh;, and tak to thee as mych as thi soule desireth. The which answerynge seide to hym, Nay, forsothe nowe thow shalt &yogh;yue; ellis I shal tak bi forse. 17   Therfor the synne of the children was greet wel mych before the Lord; for thei drowen awey men fro the sacrifice of the Lord. 18   Forsothe Samuel seruede before the face of the Lord, a child gird with a surplesse. 19   And a litil coote his moder made to hym, the which she brou&yogh;t the ordeyned days, stiynge vp with hir man for to offre a solempne oost, and hir vowe. 20   And Hely blesside to Elchana and to his wijf; and he seide to hym, The Lord &yogh;eelde to thee seed of this womman, for the encrees that thou hast lent to the Lord. And thei wenten into her place. 21   Thanne the Lord visitide Anne, and she conseyuede, and bare thre sones and two dou&yogh;tren. And the child Samuel is magnyfied anentis the Lord. 22   Forsothe Hely was wel oold, and he herde alle thingis that his sones diden in al Yrael, and what maner wise thei slepten with wymmen, the whiche weyteden at the dore of the tabernacle. 23   And he seide to hem, Whi doon &yogh;e siche maner thingis, the which I here werst thingis of al the puple? 24   Wole &yogh;e not, my sones; it is not good loos that Y here, that &yogh;e maken to trespas the puple of the Lord. 25   If a man synneth in a man, God may be plesid to him; forsothe if in to the Lord a man

synneth, who shal preye for hym? And thei herden not the voyce of her fader, for God wold sleen hem. 26   Forsothe Samuel the child profitide, and wexe; and he pleside both to God and to men. 27   Forsothe there cam a man of God to Heli, and seith to hym, Thes thingis seith the Lord, Whether not apertly Y am shewid to the hows of thi fader, whanne thei weren in Egipt, in the hows of Pharao? 28   And I cheese him of alle the lynagis of Yrael to me in to preest, that he shulde stie vp to myn auter, and brenne to me encense, and beer before me ephot; and I haue &yogh;ouen to the hows of thi fader alle thingis of the sacrifices of the sones of Yrael. 29   Whi with the heele &yogh;e han throwen awey my slayn sacrifice, and my &yogh;iftis, that I haue comaundid to be offred in the temple; and more thou hast honourede thi sones than me, that &yogh;e my&yogh;ten eete the cheese thingis of al the sacrifice of Yrael, my puple? 30   Therfor seith the Lord God of Yrael, Spekynge I haue spoken, that thin hows and the hows of thi fader serue in my si&yogh;t into with out ende; forsothe nowe seith the Lord, Awey be that fro me; but who so euere honourith me, Y shal glorifie hym; forsothe who dispisen me, shulen be vnnoble. 31   Loo! the dais comen, and I shal kut of thin arme, and the arme of the hows of thi fadre, that there be not an oold man in thin hows. 32   And thou shalt see thin enemye in the temple, in alle the welsum thingis of Yrael; and there shal not be an oold man in thin hous alle dais. 33   Neuerthelater I shal not doo awey fulli fro thee a man fro myn auter, but that thin eyen faylen, and thi lijf fayle; and a greet parti of thin hows shal die, whanne to mannus age it shal come. 34   Forsothe this shal be the tokne, that is to come to

thi two sonys, Ophny and Phynees, in o day thei shulen die bothe. 35   And I shal rere to me a trewe preest, that after myn herte and soule shal doo; and I shal bilde to hym a trewe hows, and he shal goo before my Crist alle days. 36   Forsothe it is to come, that who so euere abidith stil in thin hows, he come that it be preyed for hym, and he offre a silueren peny, and a round kaak of breed, and seye, Lete me, Y biseche, to o preeste paarte, that I eete a morsel of breed.

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