The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XII.

[verse 1] Forsothe [Sothely I.] Roboam cam in to Sichem; for al Israel was gaderid thidur to make hym kyng. [verse 2] `And sotheli [But and I.] Jeroboam, sone [the sone I.] of Nabath, whanne he was ȝit in Egipt, and fledde fro the face of kyng Salomon, turnede aȝen fro Egipt, for the deeth of [verse 3] Salomon was herd; and thei [men of Israel I.] senten, and clepiden hym. Therfor Jeroboam cam, and al the multitude of Israel, and thei spaken [verse 4] to Roboam, and seiden, Thi fadir puttide hardeste [the most hard I.] ȝok on [upon I.] vs, therfor abate thou a litil now of the hardest comaundement of thi fadir, and of the greuousiste [greuouste DKObç. ful greuous I.] ȝok which [that I.] he puttide [hath put I.] on [upon I.] vs, and we schulen serue to thee. [verse 5] Which [And I.] Roboam seide to hem, Go ȝe `til to [vnto I.] the thridde dai, and turne ȝe aȝen to me. [verse 6] And whanne the puple hadde go, kyng [the kyng I.] Roboam took counsel with the eldere men, that [the whiche I.] stoden bifor Salomon, his fadir, while he lyuyde ȝit; and Ro|boam seide, What counsel ȝyue ȝe to me, that Y answere to the puple? [verse 7] Whiche [The whiche I.] seiden to hym, If thou obeiest to dai to this puple, and seruest this puple, and ȝyuest stide to her axyng, and spekist to hem liȝte [esie I.] wordis, thei schulen be ser|uauntis to thee in alle daies. [verse 8] Which [And I.] Ro|boam forsook the counsel of elde men, which [that I.] thei ȝauen to hym, and took [he took I.] ȝonge [ȝonge; more ȝonge in ver|tues and kun|nyng, than in age. Lire here. C.] men, that weren nurschid with [verse 9] hym, and stoden nyȝ him; and he seide to hem, What counsel ȝyue ȝe to me, that Y answere to this puple, that seiden to me, Make thou esyere the ȝok which [that I.] thi fadir puttide [hath put up I.] on vs? [verse 10] And the ȝonge men, that weren nurschid with hym, seiden to hym, Thus speke thou to this puple, that spaken to thee, and seiden, Thi fadir made greuouse oure ȝok, releeue thou [thus A.] vs; thus

thou schalt speke to hem, My leest fyngur is grettere [is grettere; that is, is myche myȝ|tiere. Lire here. C.] than the bak of my fader; [verse 11] and now my fadir puttide on [upon I.] ȝou a gre|uouse ȝok, forsothe Y schal adde [ley to more I.] on [upon I.] ȝoure ȝok; my fadir beet [betide I. beot K.] ȝou with scourgis, forsothe [but I.] Y schal bete ȝou with scor|piouns [a scorpioun here is seide a kynde of hard|este scourge, that hath knottis of lede ether of irun in the ende of cordis. Lire here. C et plures.] . [verse 12] Therfor Jeroboam, and al the puple, cam to Roboam, in the thridde dai, as the kyng spak, seiynge, Turne ȝe aȝen to me in the thridde dai. [verse 13] And the kyng answeride harde thingis to the puple, while the counsel of eldere men was for|sakun, which [that I.] thei hadden ȝoue to hym; [verse 14] and he spak to hem bi the counsel of ȝonge men, and seide, My fadir made greuouse ȝoure ȝok, forsothe [but I.] Y schal adde [leye to I.] to ȝoure ȝok; my fadir beet ȝou with scourgis, forsothe [but I.] Y schal bete ȝou with scorpiouns. [verse 15] And the kyng assentide not to the puple [puplis I.] , for the Lord hadde turned [turned him I.] awey, `ether hadde wlatid [Om. BI.] hym [Om. I.] , that the Lord schulde reise [reise up I.] his word, which [that I.] he hadde spoke in the hond of Ahias [the prophete Ahias I.] of Silo to Jeroboam, sone [the sone I.] of Nabath. [verse 16] Ther|for [Thanne I.] the puple siȝ, that the kyng nolde [wolde not I.] here hem; and the puple answeride to the kyng, and seide, What part is to vs in Dauid, ether what eritage in the sone of Ysay? Israel, turne thou aȝen in to thi tabernaclis; now, Dauid, se thou thin hows. And Israel ȝede in to hise taber|naclis. [verse 17] Forsothe Roboam regnede on [upon I.] the sones of Israel, whiche [the whiche I.] euere [Om. IS.] dwelliden in the citees of Juda. [verse 18] Therfore kyng Ro|boam sente Adhuram [Roboam sente Adhuram; that he schulde peese the pu|ple and seye, that thilke word of Ro|boam was liȝtly seid, and they ouȝten not go awey fro the kyng for this. And al the puple of Israel stonyde him; for dispit of his lord, for the puple hadde him suspect, lest he hadde be in the councel of the king in answer|inge so to hem, for they that ben on tributis, ben wonnt to councele of encreessing of tho. Lire here. C.] , that was on the tributis; and al the puple of Israel stonyde hym, and he was deed. [verse 19] Forsothe kyng Roboam stiede [stiede up I.] hastili on [upon I.] the [his I.] chare, and fledde in to Jerusalem; and Israel depart|ide fro the hows of Dauid, til in to pre|sent [this present I.] dai. [verse 20] Forsothe it was doon, whanne al Israel hadde herd that Jeroboam turn|ede aȝen, thei senten, and clepiden hym, whanne the cumpany was gaderid togi|dere,

and thei maden hym kyng on [upon I.] al Israel; and no man suede the hows of Dauid, outakun the lynage aloone of Juda. [verse 21] Forsothe [And I.] Roboam cam to Jerusalem, and gaderide [gaderide togidre I.] al the hows of Juda, and the lynage of Beniamyn, an hundrid and fourescore thousynde of chosun men and weriours, that thei schulden fiȝte aȝens the hows of Israel, and schulden brynge aȝen the rewme to Roboam, sone [the sone I.] of Solo|mon. [verse 22] Forsothe the word of God was made to Semeia, the man of God, and [verse 23] seide, Speke thou to Roboam, sone [the sone I.] of Sa|lomon, the [Om. I.] kyng of Juda, and to al the hows of Juda and of Beniamyn, and to the residue of the puple, and seie thou, [verse 24] The Lord seith thes thingis, Ȝe schulen not stie [stie up I.] , nether ȝe schulen fiȝte aȝens ȝoure britheren, the sones of Israel; `a man [Om. I.] turne [turne eche man I.] aȝen in to his hows, for this word is doon of me. Thei herden the word of the Lord, and thei turneden aȝen fro the iurney, as the Lord comaundide to hem. [verse 25] Forsothe [And I.] Jeroboam bildide Sichem, in the hil of Effraym, and dwellide there; and he ȝede out fro thennus, and bildide Phanuel. [verse 26] And Jeroboam seide in his herte, Now the rewme schal turne aȝen to the [verse 27] hows of Dauid, if this puple stieth [schal stie up I.] to Jerusalem, that it make sacrifices [sacrifice I.] in the hows of the Lord in Jerusalem; and the [thanne the I.] herte of this puple schal turne [turne aȝen I.] to her lord, Roboam, kyng of Juda; and thei schulen sle me, and schulen turne aȝen to hym. [verse 28] And by counsel thouȝt out, he [Jeroboam I.] made tweyne goldun caluys, and seide [he seide I.] to hem [the peple I.] , Nyle ȝe stie [wende up I.] more in to Jerusalem; Israel, lo! thi goddis, that [whiche I.] ledden thee out of the lond of Egipt. [verse 29] And he [Jeroboam I.] set|tide [sette EIL.] oon [oo calff I.] in Bethel, and the tother in Dan. [verse 30] And this word was maad to Israel in to synne; for the puple ȝede til [Om. I.] in to Dan, to worschipe the calf. [verse 31] And Jero|boam made templis in hiȝe placis, and `he

made [Om. I.] preestis of the laste men [of the laste men; that is, of ech lynage with out dif|ference, for the kynrede of Leuy nolde as|sente to him. Lire here. C.] of the puple, that [the whiche I.] weren not of the sones of Leuy. [verse 32] And he [the kyng I.] ordeynede a solempne dai in the eiȝthe monethe, in the fiftenthe dai of the monethe, bi the [Om. I.] licnesse of so|lempnyte [the solempnyte I.] which [that I.] was halewid in Juda. And he [the king I.] stiede [wente up I.] , and made in lijk maner an auter in Bethel, that he schulde offre to the calues, whiche he hadde maad; and he ordeynede in Bethel preestis of the [Om. C.] hiȝe places, whiche he hadde maad. [verse 33] And he styede on [up upon I.] the auter, which [that I.] he hadde bildid in Bethel, in the fiftenthe day of the eiȝthe monethe, which he [the kyng I.] hadde feyn|ed of his herte; and he made solempnyte [a solempnyte I.] to the sones of Israel, and he stiede on [upon I.] the auter, that he schulde brenne en|cence [brenne en|cence; so he mystook to him preesthod. Lire here. C.] .