1   Helisee forsothe seide, Here &yogh;e the word of the Lord; these thingis seith the Lord, In this tyme to morwe a buschell of tryid floure schal be at `half an ounce of monee, and two buschels of barly for half an ounce of monee, in the &yogh;ate of Samarye. 2   Answerynge forsothe oon of the duykis, vpon whose hond the kyng lenyde, to the man of God, seide, &YOGH;if the Lord make also the goters in heuen to be opnyde, whether it schal mow ben that thou spekist? The whiche seith, Thou schalt seen with thin ee&yogh;en, and therof thou schalt not eten. 3   Than foure leprouse men weren byside the entree of the &yogh;ate, the whiche seyden to gydre, What wil we be here, to the tyme that we dyen? 4   Whether we wyln goon in to the cyte, by hungre we schul dyen; whethir we schuln dwellen here, to dyen it is to us. Commith thann, and flee&yogh;e we ouer to the tentis of Cyrie; &yogh;if thei sparen to us, we schul lyuen; `&yogh;if forsothe thei wiln slen, neuer the later we schul dyen. 5   Thanne they rysen at euen, that thei comen to the tentis of Cirie; and whanne thei weren commen to the bigynnynge of the tentis of Cyrye, no man there thei founden. 6   Forsothe the Lord hadde made to heren a soun in the tentis of Cyrye of charis, and of hors,

and of a mych hoost; and thei seyden to gydre, Loo! by meede the kyng of Yrael hath hyred a&yogh;eynst us the kyngis of Etheis and of Egipciens; and thei ben commen vpon us. 7   Thanne thei risen, and flowen in dercnessis, and laften their tentis, and hors, and mulis, and asses, in the tentis; and thei flowen, their lyuis oonly coueitynge to sauen. 8   Thann whanne thoo mesels weren commen to the bigynnynge of the tentis, thei wenten in to oon tabernacle, and eten, and drunken; and token thenns syluer, and gold, and clothis; and thei wenten aweye, and hydden; and eft thei ben turned a&yogh;eyn to another tabernacle, and thenns lyc maner beerynge aweye, hydden. 9   And they seyden to gidir, We do not ri&yogh;t, this is forsothe a day of good message; &yogh;if we holden oure pese, and wyln not tellen vnto the morowe, we schul be vndernummen of hydous gylt; commith, and goo we, and tellen in the halle of the kyng. 10   And whanne thei weren commen to the &yogh;ate of the cytee, thei tolden to hem, seyinge, We wenten to the tentis of Syrie, and no man ther we founden, bot hors and assis bounden, and the pi&yogh;t tentis. 11   Thanne the porteris &yogh;eden, and tolden in the paleys of the kyng withinne forth. 12   The whiche rose at ny&yogh;t, and seith to his seruauntis, I sey to &yogh;ou, what to us Cyryes han done; thei wyten, for with hungre we traueylen, and therfore they ben goon oute of the tentis, and lurken in the feeldis, seyinge, Whanne thei weren goon oute of the cyte, we schuln taken hem on lyue, and thann we schuln mowe goon in to the cytee. 13   Forsoth oon of his seruauntis answerde, Take we the fyue hors, that ben laft in the cytee; for thei oonly ben in alle the multitude of Yrael, the tother forsothe ben wastyde; and seendynge we schuln

mowe aspyen. 14   Thanne thei brou&yogh;ten forthe two hors; and the kyng sente in to the tentis of Cyries, seyinge, Goth, and seeth. 15   The whiche wenten aftre hem vnto Jordan; and, lo! al the wey was ful of clothis, and of vesselis, that the Cyryes hadden throwen aweye, whanne thei weren distourblid. And the messagers turnede a&yogh;eyn, scheweden to the kyng. 16   And the puple goon oute, tobrast the tentis of Cyrye; and a buschel of floure is maad at `half an ounce of monee, and two buschels of barly for half an ounce of monee, aftir the word of the Lord. 17   Forsothe the kynge that duyk, in whose hond he hade lenyd, he sett at the &yogh;ate; whom the puple altotrade in the entre of the &yogh;ate, and is deed, aftir that, that the man of God hadde spoken, whanne the kyng came doun to hym. 18   And it is done aftir the word of the man of God, the whiche he hade seide to the kyng, whanne he seith, Two buschels of barly schuln ben at one half ounce of monee, and oon buschell of flour for oon half ounce of monee, this same tyme to morwe in the &yogh;ate of Samarie; 19   whanne the duyk hadde answerde to the man of God, and hadde seyde, Also &yogh;if the Lord make the goters in heuen to be opnede, whether it schal mow be done that thou spekist? and he seid, Thou schalt seen with thin ee&yogh;en, and therof thou schalt not eten. 20   Thanne it felle to hym, as it was seyde beforn; and the puple to-trade him `in the &yogh;ate, and he is deed.

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