1   Thanne alle the more thur&yogh; birth of Yrael ben gadryd, with the princis of lynagis, and the duykis of the meynees of the sones of Yrael, to king Salomon, in to Jerusalem, that thei bryngen the arke of the boond of pees of the Lord fro the cite of Dauid, that is, fro Syon. 2   And al Irael cam to gidre to kyng Salomon, in the moneth of Bethanym, in a solempne day; he is the seuenth moneth. 3   And alle the eldris of Irael camen; and preestis token the arke, 4   and beren the arke of the Lord, and the tabernacle of the couenaunt of pees, and alle the vessels of the seyntuarie, that weren in the tabernacle; and preestis and Leuytis beren hem. 5   Forsothe kyng Salomon, and al the multitude of Yrael, that was comen to hym, wenten with hym before the arke, and offreden sheep and oxen, with out eymynge and noumbre. 6   And the preestis brou&yogh;ten yn the arke of the boond of pees of the Lord into his place, into Goddis answerynge place of the temple, into the holi of halowis, vnder the weengis of cherubyn. 7   Forsothe cherubyn spradden out the weengis vpon the place of the arke; and thei couerden the ark, and his clothis ther aboue. 8   And whanne the berynge stauys semeden out, and the hei&yogh;est of hem apereden with out the seyntuarie, before Goddis answerynge place, thei apereden no more with out forth; and the whiche weren there vnto the day that is now. 9   Forsothe in the arke was noon othere

thing but the two stonen tablis, the whiche Moyses hadde sette in it in Oreb, whanne the Lord couenauntide couenaunt of pees with the sones of Irael, whanne thei shulden goo out of the loond of Egipt. 10   It is doon forsothe whanne the preestis weren goon out of the seyntuarie, a litil clowde fulfillide the hous of the Lord; 11   and the preestis my&yogh;ten not stoond and mynystre, for the litil clowde; forsothe the glorie of the Lord hadde fulfillid the hous of the Lord. 12   Thanne seith Salomon, The Lord seide, that he shulde dwelle in a litil clowde. 13   Beeldynge I haue beeldid an hows in to thi `dwellynge place, thi moost fast see into euermore. 14   And the kyng turnede his face, and blisside to al the chirch in Irael; forsothe al the chirch of Irael stood. 15   And Salomon seith, Blessid is the Lord God of Irael, that spak in his mouth to Dauid, my fader, and in the hondis of hym perfourmyde, seiynge, 16   Fro the day that I ladde out my puple Irael fro Egipt, I chees not a citee of alle the lynagis of Irael, that an hows shulde be beeldid vp, and my name were there; but Dauid I chees, that he were vpon my puple Irael. 17   And Dauid, my fader, wolde beeld vp an hows to the name of the Lord God of Yrael. 18   And the Lord seith to Dauid, my fader, That thou thou&yogh;tist in thin herte to beelde vp an hows to my name, thou didist wel, that same thing tretynge in mynde; 19   neuerthelater thou shalt not beelde to me an hows, but thi sone, that shal goon out of thi reynes, he shal beelde an hows to my name. 20   The Lord hath confermyd his word, that he spak; and I stood for Dauid, my fader, and satte upon the trone of Irael, as the Lord spak; and I haue beeld an hows to the name of the Lord God of Yrael. 21   And I haue sette there a place of the arke, in the which is the couenaunt of

pees of the Lord, the whiche he smoot with oure faders, whanne thei wenten out of the loond of Egipt. 22   Forsothe Salomon stood before the auter of the Lord, in the si&yogh;t of the chyrch of Yrael; and he spradde out his hoondis into heuene, 23   and seith, Lord God of Yrael, there is not lijk of thee, God in heuene aboue, and upon erthe beneeth, the which kepist couenaunt and mercy to thi seruauntis, that goon before thee in al her herte; 24   the which keptist to Dauid, my fader, thi seruaunt, that thou speke to hym; with mouth thou speke, and with hoondis thou hast fulfillid, as this dai proueth. 25   Now thanne, Lord God of Irael, kepe to thi seruaunt Dauid, my fader, that thou speke to hym, seiynge, There shal not be doon a wey a man before me of thee, that sitte vpon the trone of Irael, so neuerthelater if thi sonis kepen thi weye, that thei goon before me, as thou wentist in my si&yogh;t. 26   And now, Lord God of Irael, thi wordis ben thei fastned, that thou speke to thi seruaunt Dauid, my fader. 27   Thanne whethir it is to trowe, that vereli God dwelle vpon erthe; forsothe if heuene, and heuenes of heuens mowen not take thee, myche more this hows, that I haue beeldid to thee. 28   But behold to the orisoun of thi seruaunt, and to the preiers of hym, Lord my God; here the ympne, and the orysoun, that thi seruaunt preieth before thee to day; 29   that thin eyen ben openyd vpon this hows ni&yogh;t and day, vpon the hows, of the which thou seydyst, My name shal be there; that thou here the orisoun, that thi seruaunt preieth to thee in this place; 30   that thou here the preier of thi seruaunt, and of thi puple Irael, what euere thing he shal preye in this place, and thou here in the stede of thi dwellynge place in heuene; and whanne thou herist, thou

shalt be merciful. 31   If a man synneth into his nei&yogh;bour, and haue eny ooth, bi the which streyned he be holdyn, and come for the ooth before thi auter, into thin hows, 32   thou shalt here in heuen, and doon, and thou shalt deme thi seruauntis; condempnynge the wickid, and &yogh;eeldynge his weye vpon his heed, iustifiynge the ri&yogh;twise, and &yogh;eeldynge to hym after his ri&yogh;twisnes. 33   If thi puple Irael shul flee his enemyes, for he is to synne to thee, and doynge penaunce, and knowlechynge to thi greet name, comen, and honouren, and preyen thee in this hows, 34   here thou in heuene, and for&yogh;if the synne of thi puple Irael; and thou shalt lede hem a&yogh;en into the loond, that thou &yogh;af to the fadres of hem. 35   If heuene were closid, and shal not reyne for the synnes of hem, and preiynge in this place, penaunce doon to thi name, and fro her synnes weren conuertid for her affliccioun, 36   here thou hem in heuene, and for&yogh;if the synnes of thi seruauntis, and of thi puple Irael, and shew to hem a good weye, bi the which thei goon, and &yogh;if reyne vpon the loond, that thou hast &yogh;ouun to thi puple in to possessioun. 37   `If that hungre were growen `vp on the erthe, or were pestilence, or corrupt eyr, or fretynge, or locust, or rust, and turmentith hym, and his enemy besegynge the &yogh;atis, al veniaunce, al infirmyte, 38   al cursynge, and wisshynge, that shall falle to eny man of thi puple Yrael, if a man knowe the wounde of his herte, and stretche out his hoondis in this hows, 39   thou shalt here in heuene, in the place of thi dwellynge, and thou shalt be a&yogh;en plesid, and thou shalt doo that thou &yogh;yue to echon after alle her weyes, as thou shalt seen the herte of hym; for thou alone hast knowun the herte of alle the sonys of men, 40   that thei dreden thee alle days in the which thei

lyuen vpon the face of the erthe, that thou hast &yogh;euen to oure fadris. 41   Forthermore and an alyen, that is not of thi puple Irael, whanne he cometh fro a ferre loond for thi name; forsothe thi greet name shal be herd, and thi strong hoond, and thi strau&yogh;t out arme ouer al; 42   whanne thanne he shal come, and preye in this place, 43   thou shalt here in heuene, in the firmament of thi dwellynge place, and thou shalt doo alle thingis, for the whiche the alien hath inwardli clepid thee, that alle puplis of erthis lernen to drede thi name, as thi puple Yrael, and proue thei, for thi name is inwardly clepid vpon this hows, that I haue beeldid. 44   If thi puple were goon out to batail a&yogh;ens his enemyes, bi the weye whidir euere thou shalt seende hem, thei shulen preye thee a&yogh;en the weye of the citee that thou hast chosun, and a&yogh;ens the hows that I haue beeldid to thi name, 45   and thou shalt here in heuene the orysouns of hem, and the preyers of hem, and doon the doom of hem. 46   That yf thei synnen to thee, there is not a man that synneth not, and wrooth thou shalt take hem to her enemyes, and caytife were lad into the loond of enemyes, 47   ferre or ni&yogh;, and doon penaunce in her herte, in the place of caitifte, and turned han preyed in her caytifte, seiynge, We han synned, wickidly we han doon, vnpitously we han born vs; 48   and weren turned to thee in al her herte, and in al her soule, in the loond of her enemyes, to the which catife thei weren lad, and preyen thee a&yogh;ens the weie of her loond that thou hast &yogh;ouen to the faders of hem, and of the citee that thou hast chosun, and of the temple that I haue beeldid to thi name, 49   thou shalt here in heuen, in the firmament of thi see, and the orysouns of hem, and the preiers of hem, and thou shalt doon

the doom of hem; 50   and thou shalt haue merci to thi puple, that hath synned to thee, and to alle the wickidnesses bi the whiche thei han trespassid in thee; and thou shalt &yogh;yue merci before hem, that hadden hem caitife, that thei doon merci to hem. 51   Forsothe thi puple he is, and thin heritage, whom thou hast brought out of the loond of Egipte, fro the mydil of the yren furneis; 52   that thin eyen ben opened to the preyer of thi seruaunt, and of thi puple Yrael; and thou shalt here hem in alle thingis, for the whiche thei inwardly shulen clepe thee. 53   Forsothe thou hast seuerde hem to thee in to herytage of alle puplis of the erthe, as thou speke bi Moysen, thi seruaunt, whanne thou laddist out oure fadris fro Egipt, Lord God. 54   It is doon forsothe, whanne Salomon hadde ful eendid, preiynge the Lord al the orysoun, and this preier, he aroos fro the si&yogh;t of the auter of the Lord; forsothe either knee he hadde pi&yogh;t into the erthe, and the hoondys he hadde sprad out to heuene. 55   Thanne he stood, and blesside to al the chirche `of Yrael with a greet voys, seyynge, Blessid is the Lord God, 56   that &yogh;af rest to his puple Irael, after alle thingis that he spak; there felle not of a word, forsothe not oon, of alle the wordis that he spak bi Moyses, his seruaunt. 57   Be the Lord oure God with vs, as he was with oure faders, not forsakynge vs, ne throwynge a ferre; 58   but bowe he oure hertis to hym, that we goon in alle the weys of hym, and kepe the maundements of hym, and cerymonyes, and domes, what euere he comaundide to oure fadres. 59   And ben thes myn wordis, in the whiche I haue preied before the Lord, nei&yogh;ynge to thee Lord oure God day and ny&yogh;t, that he do doom to his seruaunt, and to his puple Irael bi eche days; 60   and witen alle puplis

of the erthe, for the Lord he is God, and there is noon more with out hym. 61   Forsothe be oure herte parfite with the Lord oure God, `that we goon in the domys of hym, and kepen the heestis of hym, as and to day. 62   Thanne the kyng, and al Yrael with hym, offreden slayn sacrifices before the Lord. 63   And Salomon slew&yogh; pesible oostis, that he offrede to the Lord; two and twenti thousand of oxen, and an hundryd and twenti thousand of sheep; and the kyng and the sones of Yrael halweden the temple of the Lord. 64   In that day the kyng halwide the mydil of the porche, that was before the hows of the Lord; forsothe he dide brent offryngis there, and sacrifice, and the talw&yogh; of the pesible thingis; for the brasen auter that was before the Lord was to litil, and my&yogh;te not take the brent offrynge, and the sacrifice, and the talw&yogh; of pesible thingis. 65   Thanne Salomon made in that tyme a solempne feest day, and al Irael with hym, a greet multitude, fro the entre of Emath vnto the ryuer of Egipt, before the Lord oure God, seuen days and seuen dais, that is, fourteen dais. 66   And in the ei&yogh;t day he lafte the puple, the which blessynge to the kyng wente into her tabernaclis, gladynge and with myrye herte vpon alle the goodis that God hadde doon to Dauid, his seruaunt, and to Irael, his puple.

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