1   Benadab forsothe, kyng of Cyrye, gederide al his oost, and two and thretti kyngis with him, and hors, and charris; and stiynge vp a&yogh;ens Samarye fau&yogh;t, and besegide it. 2   And sendynge messageris to Achab, kyng of Yrael, in to the citee, seith, 3   Thes thingis seith Benadab, Thi siluer and thi gold is myyn, and thi wyues, and thi sones altherbest ben myyn. 4   And the kyng of Irael answerde, Aftir thi word, my lord kyng, I am thin, and alle miyn. 5   And the messagers turnynge a&yogh;en seiden, Thes thingis seith Benadab, that sente vs to thee, Thi siluer, and thi gold, and thi wyues, and thi sonys thou shalt &yogh;yue to me. 6   To morwe thanne, this same hour, I shal sende my seruauntis to thee, and thei shulen aserchen thin hows, and the hows of thi seruauntis; and al thing that to hem shal plese, thei shulen putte in her hoondis, and taken aweye. 7   The kyng of Yrael forsothe clepide alle the eldrys of the loond, and seith, Takith hede, and seeth, for he aspieth to vs; forsothe he sente to me for my wyues, and sonys, and for siluer, and gold, and I forsooke not. 8   And alle the more thur&yogh; birth seiden, and al the puple to hym, Here thou not, ne assent thou to hym. 9   And he answerde to the messageris of Benadab, Seith to my lord the kyng, Alle thingis for the whiche thou hast sent to me, thi seruaunt, in the bigynnynge I shal do; forsothe this thing I may not doo. 10   And the messagers turned a&yogh;en, tolden alle thingis to hym. The which sente a&yogh;en, and seith, Thes thingis doon to me goddis, and thes thingis adden thei, if the powdre of Samarye suffisith to the handfulles of al the puple that folwith me. 11   And answerynge the kyng of Yrael seith, Seith to hym, Ne glorye euenly the gird as the vngird. 12   It is doo forsothe, whanne Benadab hadde herd this word, he drank,

and the kyngis, in hiletis; and he seith to his seruauntis, Enuyrounith the citee. 13   And thei enuyrounden it. And loo! a prophet comynge ny&yogh; to Achab, kyng of Yrael, seith to hym, Thes thingis seith the Lord God, Certis thow hast seen al this multitude ful myche; loo! I shal take it into thin hoond to day, that thow wite for I am a Lord. 14   `And Achab seith, Bi whom? And he seide to hym, Thes thingis seith the Lord, Bi the foot folowers of the pryncis of prouyncis. And he seith, Who shal bigynne to fi&yogh;te. And he seide, Thow. 15   Thanne he noumbride the children of the princis of prouyncis, and he founde the noumbre of two hundryd and two and thretti; and he toolde after hem the puple, alle the sones of Yrael, seuen thousand. 16   And thei wenten out at mydday. Benadab forsothe drank drunken in his hilet, and kyngis two and thretti with hym, `the whiche weren comen to the help of hym. 17   Forsothe the children of the princis of prouyncis ben goon out in the first frount. And so Benadab sente, the which toolden to hym, seiynge, Men ben goon out fro Samarye. 18   And he seith, Whether for pees thei comen, nymmeth hem on lyue; whethir that thei fi&yogh;ten, takith hem on lyue. 19   Thanne the children of the pryncis of prouyncis wenten out, and the tother oost folwide; 20   and echon smoot the man that a&yogh;ens hym cam. And Cyris floowen, and Irael pursuede hem; Benadab forsothe, kyng of Cyrye, flei&yogh; in hors with his horsmen. 21   Also the kyng of Irael goon out smoot hors and chaarys, and smoot Cyrye with a ful mych greet veniaunce. 22   Forsothe a prophete nei&yogh;ynge to the kyng of Irael, seide to hym, Go, and tak coumfort, and wite, and se, what thow dost; forsothe the &yogh;eer folowynge the kyng of Cyrye shal stey&yogh;e vp a&yogh;ens thee. 23   The seruauntis forsothe of the

kyng of Cyrye seiden to hym, The Goddis of hillis ben the Goddis of hem, therfor thei han ouercomen vs; but betere it is that we fi&yogh;ten a&yogh;ens hem in the wijlde feeldis, and we shulen weelde hem. 24   Thow thanne do this word; remeue alle the kyngis fro thin oost, and put princis for hem; 25   and restore the noumbre of kny&yogh;tis, that fellen of thin, and the hors aftir the hors before hadde, and the chaaris after the chaarys that thou haddist before; and we shulen fi&yogh;te a&yogh;ens hem in the wilde feeldis, and thou shalt seen, that we shulen weelde hem. He trowide to the counseil of hem, and dide so. 26   Thanne after that &yogh;eer was passid, Benadab noumbride Cyros, and stie&yogh;ede vp in to Affeth, that he fi&yogh;te a&yogh;ens Yrael. 27   Forsothe the sones of Yrael ben noumbrid; and metis takyn, wenten forth euen a&yogh;ens, and thei setten tentis a&yogh;ens hem, as two litil flockis of geet. Ciries forsothe fulfilliden the erthe. 28   And nei&yogh;ynge oo man of God seide to the kyng of Yrael, Thes thingis seith the Lord God, For Cyries seiden, God of hillis is the Lord of hem, and he is not God of valeys, I shal &yogh;yue al this greet multitude in thin hoond, and &yogh;e shulen wite for I am a Lord. 29   Dresseden seuen days forn a&yogh;ens thes and thei sheltruns; forsothe the seuenthe day the batail is doon, and the sones of Yrael smyten of Cyryes an hundrid thousand of foot men in o day. 30   Forsothe tho that laften flowen in to Affeth into the citee, and the wal felle vpon seuen and twenti thousand of men that laften. Forsothe Benadab fleynge wente in to the citee, into the cowch that was beside the bed place; 31   and his seruauntis seiden to hym, Loo! we han herd that the kyngis of the hous of Yrael ben mercyable, and so putte we sackis in oure reens, and litil coordis in oure heedis,

and goo we out to the kyng of Yrael; perauenture he shal saue oure lyues. 32   Thei girdeden her reenes with sackis, and puttiden litil coordis in her heedis, and thei camen to the kyng of Yrael, and seiden to hym, Thi seruaunt Benadab seith, I preye thee, lyue my lijf. And he seith, If &yogh;it he lyue, my brother he is. 33   The which the men token for the happi good word, and hastily thei rauyshiden the word of his mouth, and seiden, Thi brothir Benadab lyueth. And he seide to hem, Goth, and bryngith hym to me. Thanne Benadab wente out to hym, and he reryde hym into his chaare. 34   The which seide to hym, The citees that my fader took fro thi fader I shal &yogh;eeld, and streetis make to thee in Damask, as my fader made in Samarye; and I boundun to pees shal goo aweye fro thee. Thanne he couenauntide a boond of pees, and lafte hym. 35   Thanne a maner man of the sones of prophetis seide to his felawe, in the word of the Lord, Smyit me. And he wolde not smyte. 36   To whom he seith, For thow woldist not here the voys of the Lord, loo! thou shalt goon a weye fro me, and a lioun shal smyte thee. And whanne he was goon a weye a litil fro hym, a lioun foond hym, and smoot hym. 37   But and another man fyndynge he seide to hym, Smyit me. The which smoot hym, and woundide. 38   Thanne the prophete wente, and a&yogh;en cam to the kyng in the weye; and he chaungide, bi sprengynge of powdre, the mouth and his eyen. 39   And whanne the king was passid, he criede to the kyng, and seith, Thi seruaunt wente out `fro ny&yogh; to fi&yogh;te, and whanne o man was flowen, a maner man brou&yogh;te hym to me, and seith, Keep this man; the which if were slyden a weye, thi lijf shal be for the lijf of hym, or a

talent of siluer thou shalt &yogh;eelde. 40   Forsothe while Y disturblid hidir and thidyr turnede me, feerly he aperide not. And the kyng of Yrael seith to hym, This is thi dome that thi self hast demyd. 41   And he anoon wipide a weye the powdre fro his face, and the kyng of Irael knewe him, that he was of the prophetis. 42   The whiche seith to hym, Thes thingis seith the Lord, For thou hast laft a man worthi the deeth fro thin hoond, thi lijf shal be for the lijf of hym, and thi puple for his puple. 43   Thanne the kyng of Irael turnede a&yogh;en `in to his hows, dispisynge to here, and ful of woodnes cam in to Samarie.

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