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

CAP. II.

[verse 1] Forsothe it was don, whanne the Lord wolde reise Elie bi a whirlewynd in to heuene, Elie and Elisee ȝeden fro Galgalis. [verse 2] And Elie seide to Elisee, Sitte thou here, for the Lord sente me til into Bethel. To whom Elisee seide, The Lord lyueth and thi soule lyueth, for Y schal not forsake thee. And whanne thei hadden come doun [verse 3] to [in to CX.] Bethel, the sones of prophetis, that weren in Bethel, ȝeden out to Elisee, and seiden to hym, Whether thou knowist, that the Lord schal take awey thi lord to dai fro thee? Which answeride, And I knowe [knowede S.] ; be ȝe stille. [verse 4] Forsothe Elie seide to Elisee, Sitte thou here, for the Lord sente me into Jerico. And he seide, The Lord lyueth and thi soule lyueth, for Y schal not forsake thee. And whanne thei [verse 5] hadden come to Jerico, the sones of pro|phetis, that weren in Jerico, neiȝiden to Elisee, and seiden to hym, Whether thou knowist, that the Lord schal take awei thi lord to dai fro thee? And he seide, Y knowe; be ȝe stille. [verse 6] Forsothe Elie seide

to Elisee, Sitte thou here, for the Lord sente me `til to [til in to ELP. to X.] Jordan. Which seide, The Lord lyueth and thi soule lyueth, for Y schal not forsake thee. Therfor bothe [verse 7] ȝeden togidere; and fifti men of the sones of prophetis sueden, which also stoden fer euen aȝens; sothely thei bothe stoden ouer Jordan. [verse 8] And Elie took his mentil, and wlappide it [Om. S.] , and smoot the watris [smoot the watris; the watris weren departid, not bi ony vertu that was in the mentil, but bi Goddis vertu, bi which he wolde schewe the merit of Elie. Lire here. C.] ; whiche weren departid `into [in C.] euer ethir part, and bothe ȝeden bi the [Om. EL.] drie. [verse 9] And whanne thei hadden passid, Elie seide to Elisee, Axe thou that, that thou wolt that Y do to thee, bifor that Y be takun awey fro thee. And Elisee seide, Y biseche, that thi double spirit [that thi dou|ble spirit; Elisee axide not the spirit in double pro|porcioun in comparisoun of Elie, that he schulde be set so bifor Elie, but he axide that the double grace that was in Elie, that is, the grace of myraclis, and the grace of profesie, schulde be in him, that so he schulde be maad liyk the maister. Lire here. C.] be `maad in [with EL.] me. [verse 10] Which Elie answeride, Thou axist an hard thing; netheles if thou schalt se me, whanne Y schal be takun awei fro thee, that that thou axidist schal be; sotheli, if thou schalt not se, it schal not be. [verse 11] And whanne thei ȝeden, and spaken goynge, lo! a chare of fier and horsys of fier departiden euer either; and Elie stiede bi a whirlewynd in to heuene [in to heuene; not in to he|uene of sterris, nether of briȝt|nesse in blis, but in to he|uene of the eir; and bi the eir Elie was borun in to erthely para|diys, whidur Enok was translatid bi|fore; and aboute the ende of the world bothe schulen come forth from thennus, to preeche aȝenus the fals|nesse of Aunte|crist. Lire here. C.] . [verse 12] Forsothe Elise siȝ, and criede, My fadir! my fadir! the chare of Israel [the chare of Israel; a chare berith up, and a charietere rulith, so Elie bar up the pu|ple of Israel, in fillinge ether amendinge de|fautis, as in III. book, xviii. c^o., in the getinge of wa|tir to the puple beinge in perel; also Elie rulide the puple, and brouȝte it aȝen to the veri feith of o God, by geting of fier fro heuene on his brent sacri|fice, to de|claringe of veri Godhed, wher|for the puple criede thanne, the Lord him silf is God. In Ebreu it is thus, the chare of Israel, and the chyualrie therof, that is, myȝtiere to de|fence of Israel, than chyualry with charis of batel, as Rabi Salomon ex|powneth. Lire here. C.] , and the charietere therof. And he siȝ no more Elie. And he took hise clothis, and to-rente tho in to twei partis. [verse 13] And he reiside the mentil of Elie, that felde doun to hym; and he turnede aȝen, and stood ouer the ryuer of Jordan. [verse 14] And with the mentil of Elie, that felde doun to hym, he smoot the watris, whiche weren not departid [which weren not departid; this was doon of God, that Elisee schulde not be reisid ouer myche, of the geting of the spirit of Elie. Where is God of Elie? at this criying the watris weren departid, that it were schewid, that he gat grace and kunning to profesie and to do myraclis, not of hise owne meritis, but of Goddis fre ȝifte, and of the meritis of Elie. Lire here. C.] . And he seide, Where is God of Elie also now? And he smoot the watris, and tho weren departid hidur and thidur; and Elisee passide. [verse 15] Sotheli the sones of prophetis, that weren in Jerico euene aȝens, siȝen, and seiden, The spirit of Elie restide on Elisee. And thei camen in to the meetyng of hym, and worschip|iden hym lowli to erthe. [verse 16] And thei seiden to hym, Lo! with thi seruauntis ben fifti stronge men, that moun go, and seke thi lord, lest perauenture the Spirit of the

Lord hath take hym, and hath cast forth hym in oon of the hillis, ethir in oon of the valeys. [verse 17] Which [And Helizee I.] seide, `Nyle ȝe sende [Sende ȝe not I.] . And thei constreyneden hym, til he as|sentide to hem, and seide, Sende ȝe. And thei senten fifti men; and whanne thei hadden souȝt [souȝt him I.] bi thre daies, thei founden [founden him I.] not. [verse 18] And thei turneden aȝen to hym [Helizee I.] ; and he dwelide in Jerico. And he seide to hem, Whether Y seide not to ȝou, Nyle ȝe sende? [verse 19] Therfor the [Om. I.] men of the citee seiden to Elisee, Lo! the dwellyng [the dwelling, etc.; that is, the setting of the citee was best for pro|fetis, for it was couenable to contempla|cioun; and the erthe was not bareyn, not but for malice of the watir. Lire here. C.] of this cite is ful good, as thou thi silf, lord, seest; but the watris ben ful [moost I.] yuele, and the lond is bareyn. [verse 20] And he [Helizee I.] seide, Brynge ȝe to me a newe vessel, and sende [putte I.] ȝe salt in to it. And whanne thei hadden brouȝt [verse 21] it [it to him I.] , he ȝede out to the welle of watris, and sente [putte I.] salt in to it [the welle I.] , and seide, The Lord seith these thingis, Y haue helid these [the L.] watris, and nethir deeth, nether [ne ELP.] bareyn|esse, schal be more in tho [hem I.] . [verse 22] Therfor the watris weren heelid til [Om. I.] in to this dai, bi the word of Elisee, which [that I.] he spak. [verse 23] For|sothe Elisee stiede [wente up I.] fro thennus in to Bethel; and whanne he stiede [wente up I.] bi the weie, litle children ȝeden out of the citee, and scorneden hym, and seiden, Stie [Stie up I.] , thou ballard! stie [Stie up I.] , thou ballard! [verse 24] And whanne he hadde biholde, he siȝ hem, and curside hem [and curside hem; these children weren tauȝt and stirid of her fadris and modris, idolatrouris, to scorne the pro|fete of the Lord, and ther|for he curside hem, that her fadris and mo|dris schulden be punyschid, and that the children schul|den no more be stirid, to the malice of fadris and modris; for he wiste bi God schewinge, that her deth ouȝte to come sone aftir his cursing, which he brouȝte forth bi the sentence of Goddis riȝt|fulnesse. Lire here. C.] in the name of the Lord. And twey beeris ȝeden [wenten I.] out of the forest, and to-rente fourti children of hem. [verse 25] Sotheli [Certis I.] Elisee wente fro thennus in to the hil of Carmele, and fro thennus he turnede `aȝen to [aȝen into DI. to ELP.] Samarie.