1   Thanne Salomon seith, The Lord behi&yogh;te, that he schulde dwellen in the dirkenesse; 2   I forsothe haue bilde up an hous to the name of hym, that he schulde dwellen there in to with oute eende. 3   And the kyng turnede his face, and blesside to al the multitude of Israel; for why al the puple stood, inwardly takynge heede; and he seith, 4   Blessed the Lord God of Yrael, for that he spake to Dauid, my fadir, in deede he hath fulfillide, seyinge, 5   Fro the day that I ladde my puple fro the lond of Egipt, I chees not a cytee of alle the lynagis of Yrael, that there schulde be bilde up in it an hous to my name, ne eny othere man I chees, that he were duyke vpon my puple Yrael; 6   bot I chees Jerusalem, that my name be in it, and I chees Dauid, that I ordeyn hym vpon my puple Yrael. 7   And whanne it was of the wille of Dauid, my fadir, that he bilde an hous to the name of the Lord God of Yrael, 8   the Lord seid to hym, For this was thi wille, that thou schuldist bylden an hous to my name, forsothe thou didyst wele, hauynge such a maner wille, 9   bot thou schalt not bylden vp an hous to me; neuerthelater the sone, that gooth out of thi reynes, he schal bylden up an hous to my name. 10   Thanne the Lord fulfillide his word, that he hadde spoken; and I roos for Dauid, my fadir, and sat vpon the trone of Ysrael, as the Lord spac, and bilde up an hous to the name of the Lord God of Yrael; 11   and putte in it the arke, in the whiche is the couenaunt of the Lord, that he couenauntide with the sonis of Yrael. 12   Thanne he stode before the auter of the Lord forn a&yogh;eynst of al the multitude of Yrael, and strau&yogh;t out his hondis. 13   Forsothe Salomon hadde maad the brasyn stondynge,

and hadde putte it in the mydil of the grete hous, hauynge fyue cubitis of lengthe, and fyue of brede, and thre cubitis of hei&yogh;t, and he stode vpon it; and theraftir the knees bowed a&yogh;einus al the multitude of Yrael, and the hondis in to heuen rered, 14   seith, Lord God of Yrael, ther is not lijc thee, God in heuen and in erth, `the whiche kepist couenaunt and mercy with thi seruauntis, that goon before thee in al their herte; 15   the whiche hast &yogh;euen to Dauid thi seruaunt, my fadir, whateuer thingis thou haddist spoken to hym, and that with mouthe thou byheetist, in deed thou hast fulfylde, as and the present tyme preueth. 16   Now thanne, Lord God of Yrael, fulfille to thi seruaunt my fadir Dauid, whateuer thingis thou hast spoken, seyinge, Ther schal not faylen of thee a man beforn me, that sytt vpon the trone of Yrael; so neuer the later &yogh;if thi sonis kepen my weies, and goon in my lawe, as and thou wentist before me. 17   And nowe, Lord God of Yrael, be fastned thi word, that thou speke to thi seruaunt Dauid. 18   Thanne whethir leeuable it be, that the Lord dwelle with men vpon erth? &YOGH;if heuen and heuens of heuens thee taken not, how myche more this hous, that I haue bylde? 19   Bot to this oonly it is maad, that thou beholde the orisoun of thi seruaunt, and his bisechynge, Lord my God, and thou here the preyers, that thi seruaunt heldith out before thee; 20   that thou opene thi ee&yogh;en vpon this hows dais and ny&yogh;tis, vpon the place in the whiche thou hast behoten, that thy name schulde be inwardly clepid, 21   and thou schuldist heeren the orisoun, that thi seruaunt preieth in it. Heere thou the preyers of thi seruaunt, and of thi puple Yrael; who so

euer preye in this place, here fro thi dwellynge place, that is fro heuens, and be thou maad plesed. 22   &YOGH;if eny man synne in to his nei&yogh;bour, and redi comme to sweren a&yogh;einus hym, and by curse bynde hym before the auter in this hous, 23   thou schalt heeren fro heuen, and thou schalt do dome of thi seruauntis; so that thou &yogh;elde to the wickide his weie in to his owne heued, and venge the ri&yogh;twijs, and &yogh;eldynge to hym aftir his ri&yogh;twisnesse. 24   &YOGH;if thi puple Yrael were ouercomen of enmyes, forsothe thei schul synnen to thee, and turned done penaunce, and besechen thi name, and preyen in this place, 25   thou schalt heeren fro heuen, and haue thou mercy to the synne of thi puple Yrael, and brynge hem a&yogh;ein in to the lond, that thou &yogh;eue to hem, and to their fadirs. 26   &YOGH;if, heuen closed, reyn flowe not for synne of thi puple, and thei preyen thee in this place, and knowlechen to thi name, and turned fro their synnes, whanne hem thou tormentist, here, 27   Lord, fro heuen, and for&yogh;eue the synnes to thi seruauntis, and to thi puple Yrael, and teche hem a good wei, by the whiche thei goon in, and &yogh;eue reyn to the erth, that thou hast &yogh;euen to thi puple to weelden. 28   &YOGH;if hunger were sprungyn in the lond, and pestilence, and rust, and weder rootynge tilth, and locust, and werm, and enmyes, the regyouns wasted, beseegen the &yogh;atis of the cytee, and alle veniaunce and infirmyte thrist doun; 29   &yogh;if any of thi puple Irael preye, knowynge the veniaunce, and his infirmyte, stretche out his hondis in this hous, 30   thou schalt heeren fro heuen, that is, fro thin hee&yogh; dwellynge place, and be thou plesed, and &yogh;eeld to eche man aftir

his weies, the whiche thou hast knowen hym to han in his hert; thou forsothe aloone hast knowen the hertis of the sonis of men; 31   that thei dreeden thee, and goon in thi weies alle days, `the whiche thei lyuen vpon the face of the erth, that thou hast &yogh;euen to oure fadirs. 32   A straunger also that is not of thy puple Yrael, &yogh;if he come fro a ferre lond for thi grete name, and for thi strong hond, and for thi strau&yogh;t out arme, and honour in this place, 33   thou schalt heeren fro heuen, thi most fast place; and thou schalt don alle thingis, for the whiche that pilgryme inwardly clepith thee, that alle puplis of erth knowen thi name, and dreeden thee, as thi puple Yrael; and knowen thei, for thi name is inwardly clepide vpon this hous, that I haue bilde to thi name. 34   &YOGH;if thi puple weren goon out to bataile a&yogh;einus ther aduersaries, by the weye in to the whiche thou sentist hem, thei schuln honouren thee a&yogh;einus the weye in the whiche is the cytee that thou hast chosen, and the hous that I haue bylde to thi name, 35   that thou here fro heuen the preyers of hem and the besechynge, and thou do veniaunce. 36   &YOGH;if forsothe thei synnen to thee, and forsothe ther is no man that synneth not, and thou were wroth to hem, and takist hem to the enmyes; and caytijf thei leeden hem in to a ferre lond, or certis that is ni&yogh;; 37   and turned in al their herte in the lond, to the whiche thei weren ladde caytijf, done penaunce, and preyen thee in the lond of their caytijfte, seyinge, We han synned, wickidly we han wrou&yogh;t, vnri&yogh;twisely we han done; 38   and weren torned to thee in al their herte, and in al their soule, in the lond of their

caytyfte, to the whiche thei ben lad, thei schuln honouren thee a&yogh;einus the weie of their lond, that thou hast &yogh;euen to their fadirs, and of the cytee that thou hast chosen, and of the hous that I haue bilde to thi name; 39   that thou heere fro heuen, that is, fro thi fast dwellynge place, the preyers of hem, and do dome, and for&yogh;yue to thi puple, thof synful; 40   thou ert forsothe my God; I biseche, thin ee&yogh;en ben opened, and thin eeris ben takynge heed to the orisoun that is don in this place. 41   Nowe thanne, Lord God, arijs in to thi rest, thou and the ark of thi strength; thi prestis, Lord God, ben clothed helth, and thin halowes glaaden thei in goodes. 42   Lord God, ne turne thou awey the face of thi crist; haue mynde of the mercyes of Dauid thi seruaunt. 1   And whanne Salomon hadde fulfilde heeldynge out preyers, fijr came doun fro heuen, and deuoured the brent sacrifices, and the slayn offrynges; and the mageste of the Lord fulfilde the hous. 2   And the prestis my&yogh;ten not goon in to the temple of the Lord; forthi that the mageste of the Lord hadde fulfilde the temple of the Lord. 3   Bot and alle the sonis of Ysrael sawen fijr goyng doun, and the glorie of the Lord vpon the hous, and fallynge doun bowed in to the erth vpon the pament paued with stoon, honourden, and preyseden the Lord, For `he is good, for in to the world the mercy of hym. 4   The kyng forsothe, and al the puple offreden slayn offryngis beforn the Lord.

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