1   Forsothe Jozias maad in Jerusalem pasch to the Lord, that was offred the fourtenthe day of the first moneth; 2   and he sette prestis in their offices; and he meuede hem louely, that thei schulden mynystren in the hous of the Lord. 3   Also to the Leuytis, at whos techinge al Irael was halowed to the Lord, he spak, Puttith the ark in the seyntuarie of the

temple, that Salomon, the sone of Dauid, kyng of Irael, bilde up; forsothe &yogh;e schul bern it namore. Nowe forsothe mynystreth to the Lord oure God and to his puple Irael, 4   and makith &yogh;ou redy by houses and &yogh;oure kynredis in the deuysiouns of eche oon, as Dauid, king of Irael, comaundide, and Salomon, his sone, discriuede; 5   and mynystreth in the seyntuarie bi &yogh;our meynees and Leuytis companyes, and, halowed, offreth pasch; 6   also &yogh;oure bretheren, that thei mowen aftir the wordis that the Lord spac in the hond of Moyses don, makith redy before. 7   Forthermore Jozias &yogh;aue to al the puple, that was founden in to the solempnyte of pasch, lombis, and kides of the flockes, and of other feeld beestis thritty thousand, of oxen forsothe, thre thousand; thes thingus of al the substaunce of the kyng. 8   Also his duykis wilfully that thei voweden offreden, bothe to the puple and prestis and Leuytis. Bot Elchias, and Zacharias, and Jehiel, princis of the hous of the Lord, &yogh;euen to the prestis, to don pasch, feeld bestis mengyngly, two thousand and sexe hundrith, and oxen thre hundrith. 9   Choneyas forsothe, and Semeyas, also Nathanael and his bretheren, also Azabias, Jahiel, and Josabas, princis of Leuytis, &yogh;euen to other Leuytis, to halowen the pasch, fyue thousand of feeld beestis, and oxen fyue hundrith. 10   And the seruyse is maad redy beforn; and the prestis stoden in their office, also Leuytis in companyes, after the kingis comaundement; and offred is pasch. 11   And the prestis sprengeden their hondis with blood, and Leuytis drewen of skynnes of brent sacrifices, 12   and seuerden hem, that thei schulden &yogh;euen by houses and meynees

of echon, and thei schulden ben offred to the Lord, as it is writen in the boke of Moyses; and of oxen thei diden lijc maner. 13   And thei roosteden pasch vpon the fijr, after that it is wrijten in the lawe. Forsothe pesible hoostis thei seetheden in posnettis, and cawdrones, and pottis, and hastily thei deleden to al the puple; 14   to hem selue forsothe, and to the prestis aftirward thei maden redy; for in the offrynge of brent sacrifices and talewis, vnto the ny&yogh;t the prestis weren ocupied. Wherfore the Leuytis to hem silf and to the prestis, sonus of Aaron, greitheden last. 15   Bot the syngers, sonus of Asaph, stoden in their ordre, aftir the heste of Dauid, and Asaph, and Eman, and Ydytym, of the prophetis of the kyng; the porters forsothe bi alle the &yogh;atis keptyn al about, so that in no poynt forsothe thei wenten fro the seruyse; wherfore and the bretheren of hem, Leuytis, greitheden to hem metis. 16   Thanne al the heryinge of the Lord lawfuly is fulfild in that day, that thei do pasch, and offren brent sacrifice vpon the auter of the Lord, aftir the heste of the kyng Jozie. 17   And the sonus of Irael, that weren founden, diden ther pasch in that tyme, and the solempnyte of therf looues seuen days. 18   Ther was not a pasch lijc to this in Irael, fro the days of Samuel, prophete; bot ne eny of the kingus of Irael maad pasch as Jozias, to the prestis and Leuytis, and to al Jude and Irael, that was founden, and to the dwellers of Jerusalem. 19   The ei&yogh;tenthe &yogh;eer of the kyngdam of Jozie this pasch is halewed. 20   After that Jozias hadde enstored the temple, Nechao, kyng of Egipt, stei&yogh;ede up to fi&yogh;ten in Charchamys beside Eufraten;

and Jozias wente forth in to a&yogh;ein commynge of hym. 21   And he, messagers sent to hym, seith, What to me and to thee, kyng of Juda? To day not a&yogh;einus thee I comme, bot a&yogh;einus an other hous I fy&yogh;te, to whom God comaundide me hastely to gon; leue a&yogh;einus God to don, that is with me, lest he slee thee. 22   Jozias wolde not ben turned a&yogh;ein, bot greithede a&yogh;ein hym bataile; and he assentide not to the wordis of Nechao, of the mouth of God, bot wente for to fi&yogh;ten in the feeld of Magedo. 23   And there woundid of the scheters, seide to his childre, Ledith me out of the bataile, for gretely I am woundid. 24   The whiche beeren hym ouer fro oon chaar to an other, that folowede hym, in kingus maner, and beeren hym awey in to Jerusalem; and he is deed, and beried in the costeuous toumbe of his fadirs. And al Juda and Jerusalem weileden hym, 25   Jeremyas most, whos alle the syngers and syngeresses in to the present day lamentaciouns vpon Jozie replyen; and as lawe it is hadde in Irael, Loo! it is told writen in the Lamentaciouns. 26   The remnaunt forsothe of the wordis of Jozie, and of his mercyes, the whiche in the lawe of the Lord ben comaundide, also the werkis of hym, the first and the last, ben writen in the bok of the kyngus of Irael and of Juda.

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