1   Roboam forsothe cam into Sichym; thider forsothe was gedrid al Irael to ordeyn hym a kyng. 2   Forsothe but Jeroboam, the sone of Nabath, whanne &yogh;it he was in Egipt, ferre flowen fro the face of Salomon the kyng, the deeth of hym herd, he turnede a&yogh;en fro Egipt; 3   and thei senten, and clepeden hym. Thanne Jeroboam and al the multitude of Irael cam, and thei speken to Roboam, seiynge, 4   Thi fader putte to vs moost hard &yogh;ok, and so thou now mak lasse a lytil of the heest of thi fader moost hard, and of the moost greuous &yogh;ok that he hath putte on to vs, and we shulen serue to thee. 5   The which seith to hem, Gooth vnto the thridde day, and turneth a&yogh;en to me. 6   And whanne the puple was goon, kyng Roboam wente in counseil with the eldris, that stoden ny&yogh; before Salomon, his fader, whil that he &yogh;it lyuede; and seith, What counseil &yogh;euen &yogh;e to me, that I answere to the puple? 7   The whiche seiden to hym, If thou obesshe to this puple to dai, and seruest to this puple, and to the askynge of hem &yogh;euest stede, and spekist to hem li&yogh;t wordis, thei shulen be to thee seruauntis alle dais. 8   The which forsook the counseil of the oold men, that thei &yogh;auen to hym, and he took to hym the &yogh;onge men, that weren norishid with hym, and stoden ny&yogh; to hym; 9   and he seide to hem, What counseil &yogh;euen &yogh;e to me, that Y answere to this puple, that seiden to me, Mak li&yogh;ter the &yogh;ok that thi fader putte vpon vs? 10   And the &yogh;onge men seiden to hym, that weren norishid with hym, Thus spek to this puple, that speken to thee, seiynge,

Thi fader agregide oure &yogh;ok, thou releue vs; thus thou shalt speke to hem; My leest fyngre is gretter than the bak of my fader; 11   and now my fader putte vpon &yogh;ow a greuous &yogh;ok, forsothe I shal adde vpon &yogh;oure &yogh;ok; my fader bette &yogh;ow with scourgis, forsothe I shal bete &yogh;ou with scorpiouns. 12   Thanne Jeroboam cam, and al the puple, to Roboam the thridde day, as the kyng spak, seiynge, Turneth a&yogh;en to me the thridde dai. 13   And the kyng answerde to the puple hard, forsakid the counseil of the eldres, that thei hadden &yogh;euen to hym; 14   and he spak to hem aftir the counseil of the &yogh;onge men, seiynge, My fader agregide &yogh;oure &yogh;ok, and I forsothe shal adde to &yogh;oure &yogh;ok; my fader bette &yogh;ou with scourgis, Y shal bete &yogh;ou with scorpiouns. 15   And the kyng assentide not to the puple, for the Lord was a&yogh;ens hym, that he rere his word, that the Lord spak in the hoond of Ahye Silonyte to Jeroboam, sone of Nabath. 16   And so the puple seynge, that the kyng wolde not here hem, answerde to hym, seiynge, What to vs part in Dauid, or what heritage in the sone of Ysaye? Turne a&yogh;en into thi tabernaclis, Irael; now se thin hows, Dauid. And Yrael wente into her tabernaclis. 17   Vpon the sonys forsothe of Irael, whiche euere dwelliden in the citees of Juda, regnede Roboam. 18   Thanne kyng Roboam sente to Vram, that was vpon the tributis; and al the puple stoneden hym, and he is deed. 19   Forsothe kyng Roboam hastijf steiede vp in a chare, and flei&yogh; into Jerusalem; and Irael wente a wey fro the hows of Dauid, vnto the day that is now. 20   It is doon forsothe whanne al Irael hadde seen that Jeroboam was turned a&yogh;en, thei senten, and clepeden hym, the oost gadryd, and thei ordeyneden hym kyng vpon al the rewme

of Ysrael; ne eny man folwide the hous of Dauid, saue the lynage of Juda alone. 21   Forsothe Roboam cam to Jerusalem, and he gadride al the hows of Juda, and the lynage of Beniamyn, an hundrid and four score thousand of chosen men and fi&yogh;ters, that thei fi&yogh;ten a&yogh;ens the hows of Irael, and brynge a&yogh;en the rewme to Roboam, the sone of Salomon. 22   Forsothe the word of the Lord is don to Semeyam, a man of God, 23   seiynge, Spek to Roboam, the sone of Salomon, kyng of Juda, and to al the hous of Juda and of Beniamyn, and to the tothere of the puple, seiynge, Thes thingis seith the Lord, 24   &YOGH;e shulen not stie up, ne fi&yogh;t a&yogh;ens &yogh;oure bretheren, the sones of Irael; turne a&yogh;en a man into his hows, of me forsothe is doon this word. Thei herden the word of the Lord, and thei ben turned a&yogh;en fro the weye, as the Lord comaundide to hem. 25   Forsothe Jeroboam beeldide vp Sichem, in the hil of Effraym, and dwellide there; and goon out thens, he beeldide vp Phanuel. 26   And Jeroboam seide in his herte, Now the kyngdam shal turne a&yogh;en to the hows of Dauid, 27   if this puple stie vp, that he doo sacrifices in the hows of the Lord in Jerusalem; and the herte of this puple shal be turned to her lord, Roboam, kyng of Juda; and thei shulen slee me, and turnen a&yogh;en to hym. 28   And the counseil out thou&yogh;t, he made two golden calues, and seide to hem, Wole &yogh;e no more stye vp in to Jerusalem; loo! thi goddis, Irael, that ladden thee out of the loond of Egipt. 29   And he putte oon in Bethel, and another in Dan. 30   And doon is this word to Irael into synne; forsothe the puple wente to honoure the calf, into Dan. 31   And he maade templis in hei&yogh;tis, and preestis of the eendis of the puple, that weren not of the sones of Leuy. 32   And he ordeyned a solempne dai in the ei&yogh;tithe

moneth, the fiftenthe dai of the moneth, into the liknes of the solempnete that is halwid in Juda. And stiynge vp, lijk maner he made an auter in Bethel, that he offre to the calues, the whiche he hadde forgid; and he sette in Bethel preestis of the hei&yogh; thingis, that he hadde maad. 33   And he stiede vp vpon the auter, that he hadde maad in Bethel, the fifteenthe day of the ei&yogh;tithe moneth, the which he feynede of his owne herte; and he made a solempnete to the sonys of Yrael, and he stiede vp vpon the auter, that he brenne encense.

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