1   Aftir thes wordis forsothe, in that tyme, there was a vyn to Naboth Jezraelite, that was in Jezrael, biside the paleys of Achab, kyng of Samarye. 2   Thanne spak Achab to Naboth, seiynge, &YOGH;if to me thi vyn &yogh;erd, that I make to me a wort &yogh;erd, for it is ni&yogh;, and biside myn hows; and I shal &yogh;yue to thee for it a betere vyn &yogh;erd; or if more profitable thow wenyst to thee, of siluer the prijs as myche as it is worth, I shal &yogh;eue. 3   To whom answerde Naboth, Merciful be to me the Lord, that I &yogh;yue not the heritage of my fadres to thee. 4   Thanne Achab cam into his hows, endeynynge, and grutchynge vpon the word that Naboth Jezraelite hadde spoken to hym, seiynge, I shal not &yogh;yue to thee the heritage of my faders; and throwynge hym self into his bed turnede a weye his face to the wal, and eete not breed. 5   Forsothe Jezabel, his wijf, wente into hym, and seide to hym, What is that, wherof thi soule is drery? and whi etist thou not breed? 6   The which answerde to hire, I spak to Naboth Jezraelite, and seide to

hym, &YOGH;if to me thi vyn &yogh;erd, the monee takyn, or if to thee it plese, I shal &yogh;yue to thee a betere vyn &yogh;erd for it. And he seith, I shal not &yogh;yue to thee my vyn &yogh;erd. 7   Thanne Jesabel, his wijf, seide to hym, Of greet autoryte thou art, and wel thou gouernyst the rewme of Yrael; rijs, and eet breed, and in euen ynwit be thow; I shal &yogh;yue to thee the vyn &yogh;erd of Naboth Jezraelite. 8   And so she wroot lettris of the name of Achab, and signede hem with his rynge; and sente to the more thur&yogh; birth, and to the best, that weren in his cytee, that dwelliden with Naboth. 9   Of the lettris forsothe this was the sentence; Preche &yogh;e fastynge, and makith Naboth to sitte among the first of the puple; 10   and vndirleye &yogh;ee two men, sonys of Belial, a&yogh;ens hym, and fals witnes seye thei, Naboth hath blessid God and the kyng; and ledith hym out, and stonith, and so dye he. 11   Thanne his citeseens more thur&yogh; birth, and the best that dwelliden with hym in the citee, diden as Jesabel hadde comaundid to hem, and as it was writen in the lettris, that she sente to hem. 12   Thei prechiden fastynge, and maden Naboth to sitte among the first of the puple; 13   and two men brou&yogh;ten forth, sonys of the deuel, thei maden hem to sitte a&yogh;ens hym, and thei, that is, as deuels men, seiden a&yogh;ens hym witnes before al the multitude, Naboth blesside God and the kyng; for what thing thei ledden hym out of the citee, and with stonus slowen. 14   And thei senten to Jesabel, seiynge, Naboth is stoned, and is deed. 15   It is doo forsothe, whanne Jesabel hadde herd Naboth stoned and deed, she spak to Achab, Rijs, weeld the vyn &yogh;erd of Naboth Jezraelite, that wold not to thee assente, and &yogh;yue it, the monee taken; forsothe Naboth lyueth not, but he is deed. 16   The which thing whanne

Achab hadde herd, that Naboth is deed, he roos, and cam doun into the vyn &yogh;erd of Naboth Jezraelite, that he weelde it. 17   Thanne the word of the Lord is doon to Helias Thesbites, 18   seiynge, Rijs, and come down into a&yogh;en comynge to Achab, kyng of Irael, that is in Samarye; loo! to the vyn &yogh;erd of Naboth he dessendide, that he weelde it. 19   And thou shalt speke to hym, seiynge, Thes thingis seith the Lord God, Thow hast slayn, and furthermore thou hast weeldid; and after thes thingis thow shalt adde, Thes thingis seith the Lord, In this place, in the which houndis lickiden the blood of Naboth, shulen lick and thi blood. 20   And Achab seith to Helyas, Whether thow hast foundun me thin enemy? The which seide, I haue founden, forthi that thou be solde that thou doo yuel in the si&yogh;t of the Lord. 21   Therfor thes thingis seith the Lord, Loo! I shal brynge yn yuel vpon thee, and I shal hewe of thin hyndirmoris, and slee fro Achab a pisser to the wal, and the closid, and the last in Irael; 22   and I shal &yogh;yue thin hows as the hows of Jeroboam, the sone of Nabath, and as the hows of Baasa, the sone of Achia; for thou hast doon that thou terre me to wrath, and thou hast maad Irael to synne. 23   But and of Jesabel the Lord hath spokyn, seiynge, Houndis shulen eete Jezabel in the feelde of Jezrael; 24   if Achab were deed in the citee, houndis shulen ete hym; forsothe if he were deed in the feelde, foulis of heuene shulen ete hym. 25   Therfor there was non other siche as Achab, that is sold that he do yuel in the si&yogh;t of the Lord; forsothe Jezabel, his wijf, stiryde hym; 26   and abomynable is maad, insomiche that he folwide the mawmettis that Amorreis maden, whom the Lord destruyde fro the face of the sonis of

Yrael. 27   And so whanne Achab hadde herd thes wordis, he kitte his clooth, and couerde his flesh with an heire, and he fastide, and slepte in a sak, and wente, the heed leyd doun. 28   And the word of the Lord is maad to Helye Thesbite, seiynge, 29   Whether hast thou not seen Achab mekyd before me? Thanne for he is mekid bi chesoun of me, I shal not brynge yn the yuel in the days of hym, but in the dais of his sone I shal brynge yn the yuel to the hows of hym.

Previous section

Next section