1   The twelfthe &yogh;eer of Achaz, kyng of Juda, regnede Osee, the sone of Hela, in Samarie vpon Yrael nyne &yogh;eer. 2   And he dyde euyl before the Lord, bot not as the kyngis of Yrael, that weren beforn hym. 3   A&yogh;eynus this stey&yogh;ide up Salmanaser, kyng of Assiries, and Osee is maad to hym seruaunt, and &yogh;eeldide to hym tributis. 4   And whanne the kyng of Assiries hadde perceyued, that Osee enforcede to rebellen, and that he hadde sente messagers to Sua, kyng of Egipt, lest he schulde &yogh;euen tributis to the kyng of Assiries, as eche &yogh;eer he was wont, he bysegyde hym, and bounden he putte in to prysoun. 5   And he wente thoru&yogh; out al the lond, and stey&yogh;ynge to Samarie he bysegide it thre &yogh;eer. 6   The nynethe &yogh;eer forsoth of Osee, the kyng of Assiries toke Samarie, and translatyde Ysrael into Assiries; and he sett hem in Hela, and in Thabor, besyde the flode of Gozam, in the cytees of Medis. 7   It is done forsothe,

whanne the sonys of Yrael hadden synned beforn the Lord their God, that ladde hem out fro the lond of Egipt, fro the hond of Pharao, kyng of Egipte, thei heryeden alyen goddis; 8   and wenten aftir the custom of heithene, whom the Lord hadde waastyde in the si&yogh;t of the sonys of Yrael, and of the kyngis of Yrael, for lijk maner thei hadden done. 9   And the sonys of Yrael offendiden with wordis not ri&yogh;t the Lord their God, and thei bildiden to hem hee&yogh;e thingis in alle their cytees, fro the toure of kepers vnto the strengthid cytee. 10   And thei maden to hem ymagis, and mawmett wodis, in all hee&yogh;e hill, and vndir al braunchy tree; 11   and they brenden there encense vpon the auters in maner of heithen, whom the Lord hade translatide fro the face of hem. And thei diden the warst wordis, terryng the Lord; 12   and they heryeden the vnclennesse, of the whiche the Lord comaundide to hem, that thei schulden not done that worde. 13   And the Lord witnesside in Yrael and in Juda, by the hond of alle prophetis, and the see&yogh;ers, seyinge, Turnith a&yogh;eyn fro &yogh;oure warst weyes, and kepith myn hestis, and my cerymonyes, aftir al the lawe `the whiche I haue comaundide to &yogh;oure fadirs, and as I sente to &yogh;ou in the hond of my seruauntis prophetis. 14   The whiche herden not, bot hardeneden their noll aftir the noll of their fadirs, that wolden not obeyschen to the Lord their God. 15   And thei kasten aweye the lawful thingis of hym, and the couenaunt that he couenauntyde with the fadirs of hem, and the witnessingis by the whiche he wytnessede hem; and thei foloweden vanytes, and vaynly thei diden; and thei foloweden heithen folc, that weren by the enuyroun of hem; vpon the whiche the Lord had comaundyde to hem, that thei

schulden not done as and thei dyden. 16   And thei forsoken alle the hestis of the Lord their God, and thei maaden to hem two &yogh;oten calues, and mawmette wodis; and thei honoureden alle the kny&yogh;thode of heuen; 17   and thei serueden to Baal, and thei sacreden to it their sonys and their dou&yogh;tris thoru&yogh; fyer, and to dyuynynge thei inwardly serueden, and to dyuynynge in chiterynge of briddis; and thei bitau&yogh;ten hem seluen that thei done euyl byforn the Lord, and thei terreden hym. 18   And the Lord is wrothe hydously to Yrael; and he toke hem aweye fro his si&yogh;t, and ther laft not bot the lynage of Juda aloon. 19   Bot and not he, Juda, kepte the hestis of the Lord his God, neuer the later he errid, and went in the errours of Yrael, the whiche he hadde wrou&yogh;t. 20   And the Lord threwe aweye al the seed of Yrael, and tourmentyde hem, and he toke hem in the hond of distriers; to the tyme that he cast hem aweye fro his face, 21   fro that nowe tyme fro the whiche Yrael was kutt of fro the hous of Dauid, and thei ordeyneden to hem a kyng, Jeroboam, the sone of Nabath. Forsothe Jeroboam seuerede Yrael fro the Lord, and made hem to synnen a grete synne. 22   And the sonys of Yrael wenten in alle the synnes of Jeroboam, `the whiche he hadde done; and thei wenten not aweye fro hem, 23   for to the Lord dyde Yrael awey fro his face, as he hadde spoken in the hond of alle his seruauntis prophetis; and Yrael is translatyd fro his lond in to Assiries vnto this day. 24   Forsothe the kyng of Assiries brou&yogh;t the puple fro Babiloyne, and fro Cutha, and fro Haylath, and fro Emath, and fro Sepharuaym, and he sette hem in the cytees of Samarye for the sonys of Yrael; the whiche weeldiden Samarie, and dwelliden in the cytees of it. 25   And whanne there thei hadden

begunne to dwellen, thei dredden not the Lord; and the Lord sente to hem lyouns, that slewen hem. 26   And it is told to the kyng of Assiries, and seide, The folc that thou hast translatyde, and maad to dwellen in the cytees of Samarye, knowen not the lawful thingis of the God of the lond; and the Lord sente in to hem lyouns, and loo! thei schuln slen hem; for thy that thei knowen not the custum of the God of the lond. 27   The kyng forsothe of Assiries comaundyde, seyinge, Bringith hidre oon of the prestis, `the whiche in to caytyfte &yogh;e han brou&yogh;t, that he goo, and dwelle with hem, and teche hem the lawful thingis of God of the lond. 28   Thanne whanne oon of thes prestis, that weren ladde caytyfe fro Samarie, was commen, he dwellide in Bethel, and tau&yogh;te hem, in what maner wyse thei schulden herie the Lord. 29   And ech folc forgid his god, and putten hem in hee&yogh;e templis, `the whiche Samaritis maden, folc and folc in their cytees, in the whiche thei dwelliden. 30   Forsothe Babyloynes men maden Socoth Benoth; forsothe Cutheny men maaden Vergel; and the men of Emath maaden Asma; 31   bot Euey maaden Nabaath and Tharcha; thes forsothe that weren of Sepharuaym brenden their sonys with fyre to Adramalech and Aramalech, goddis of Sepharuaym. 32   And neuer the latere thei herieden the Lord; thei maaden forsothe to hem prestis of the most newe thingis of hee&yogh;e thingis, and thei putten hem in hee&yogh;e heithen templis. 33   And whanne thei schulden heryen God, forsothe to their goddis thei serueden, aftir the vsage of heithen men, fro the whiche thei were translatyde to Samarye; 34   vnto the day that is nowe thei foloweden the old maner; they dredden not the Lord, ne keepen his cerymonyes, and domys, and lawe, and maundement, that

the Lord hadde comaundide to the sonys of Jacob, whome he clepide Yrael; 35   and hadde smyten with hem couenaunt, and hadde comaundide to hem, seyinge, Wylle &yogh;e not dreeden alyen goddis, and honourith not hem, ne herieth hem, and offre &yogh;e not to hem; 36   bot the Lord &yogh;oure God, that ladde &yogh;ou out fro the lond of Egipt in grete strengthe, and in aarme strau&yogh;te out, hym dreedith, and hym honourith, and to him offrith. 37   The cerymonyes forsothe, and the domys, and the lawe, and the maundement that he wroote to &yogh;ou, keepith, that &yogh;e done alle days; and dreed &yogh;e not alyen goddis. 38   And the couenaunt that he smoote with &yogh;ou, willith not for&yogh;eten, ne herie &yogh;ee alyen goddis; 39   bot the Lord &yogh;oure God dreedith, and he schal delyuere &yogh;ou fro the hond of alle &yogh;oure enmyes. 40   Thei forsothe herden not, bot aftir their vsage beforn hadde thei diden euyl. 41   Thanne thes gentylis forsothe weren dreedynge God; bot neuer the later and to their mawmettis seruynge, for and the sonys of hem and the sonys sonys so done, as dyden their fadirs, vnto the present day.

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