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

CAP. III.

[verse 1] Thanne the rewme is confermyd into the hoondis of Salomon; and bi affynyte he is joyned to Pharao, the kyng of Egipt; forsothe he took his douȝter, and

brouȝte into the cite of Dauid, to the tyme that he hadde fulfillid beeldynge his hows, and the hows of the Lord, and the wal of Jerusalem bi enuyroun. [verse 2] Neuerthelater the puple offride in heiȝ placis; forsothe the temple was not beildid to the name of the Lord vnto that dai. [verse 3] Forsothe Salomon louede the Lord, goynge in the heestis of Dauid, his fader, out taak that in heiȝ placis he offrede, and tende vp the maad encense. [verse 4] And so Salomon wente into Gabaon, that he offre there; forsothe that was the moost heiȝ place. Salomon offride a thou|sand oostis into brent sacrifice vpon that auter in Gabaon. [verse 5] Forsothe the Lord aperide to Salomon bi [in B rec. m.] sleepe the [bi B rec. m.] nyȝt, seiynge, Ask that thou wolt, that I ȝyue to thee. [verse 6] And Salomon seith, Thou didist with thi seruaunt, my fader Dauid, greet mercy, as he wente in thi siȝt, in treuth and in riȝtwisnes, and in riȝt herte with thee; thou hast kept to hym thi greet merci, and hast ȝeuen to hym a sone, sittynge vpon his troone, as it is to dai. [verse 7] And now, Lord God, thou hast maad thi seruaunt to regne for Dauid, my fader; forsothe I am a litil child, and vnknow|ynge the goynge out and myn yncom|ynge. [verse 8] And thi seruaunt is in the mydil of the puple, whom thou hast chosun, of a puple with out eende, that may not be noumbred and gessid, for multitude. [verse 9] Thanne thou shalt ȝyue to thi seruaunt an able herte to lore, that he may deme thi puple, and knowe betwix good and yuel; forsothe who may deme this puple, thi puple thus myche? [verse 10] Thanne the word pleside before the Lord, that Salomon hadde askid siche a maner thing. [verse 11] And the Lord seide to Salomon, For thou askedist this word, and askidist not to thee manye dais, ne ritchessis, othere [neither B rec. m.]

the [Om. F.] lyues of thin enemyes, but thou askedist to thee wisdam to knowe doom, loo! [verse 12] I haue doon to thee after thi wordis, and ȝeuen to thee a wise herte and an vndurstondynge, in so myche that noon before thee were [was B rec. m.] lijk thee, ne aftir thee ben to ryse. [verse 13] But and [Om. H.] thes thingis, `the whiche [that C.] thou askydist not, I haue ȝeuen to thee, that is, ritchessis, and glorie, that noon were lijk to thee in kyngis alle dais after. [verse 14] Forsothe if thou gost in my weies, and kepist myn heestis, and my comaundementis [maundementis E.] , as wente thi fader, long I shal make thi dais. [verse 15] Thanne Salomon wook vp, and vndurstood that it was a sweuen. And whanne he was comen to Jerusalem, he stood before the arke of the boond of pees of the Lord, and offride brent sacrifices, and made slayn pesible sacrifices, and a greet feste to alle his seruauntis. [verse 16] Thanne camen two wymmen strompettis to the kyng, and stoden be|fore [verse 17] hym; of the whiche oon seith, I biseche, my lord, I and this womman dwelliden in oon hows, and I bare child [Om. E pr. m. a child H.] anentis hire in the bed. [verse 18] The thridde for|sothe day after that I bare, bare [bare child B rec. m.] and [and she A.] this; and we [Y B rec. m.] weren togidir, and noon othere in the hows with vs, out takun vs two. [verse 19] Forsothe the sone of this womman is deed to nyȝt, for slepynge she ouerlaye [verse 20] hym; and risynge with silence of the vnkouenable niȝt, she took my sone fro myn syde, of thin hond womman slep|inge, and leide it in hir bosum; hir sone forsothe, that was deed, she put in to my bosum. [verse 21] And whan I was risyn eerli, for to ȝyue milk to my sone, he semyde deed; whom bisier [bisilyer BCEFH.] lokinge bi the cleer liȝt, I perseyuede not be myn, whom Y gat. [verse 22] The tother womman answerde, It is not so as thou seist, but thi sone is deed;

forsothe myn lyueth. And aȝenward she seide, Thou lieȝst; forsothe my sone lyueth, and thi sone is deed. And so in this maner thei stryuen before the kyng. [verse 23] Thanne the kyng seith, This seith, My sone lyueth, and thi sone is deed; and she answerde, Nay, but thi sone is deed; `myn forsothe [and myn B rec. m.] lyueth. [verse 24] Thanne the kyng seide, Bryngith to me a swerd. And whanne thei hadden brouȝt a swerd be|fore [verse 25] the kyng, Deuydith, he seith, the quyk child in two parties, and ȝyueth the half part to the toon, and the half part [partie E] to the tothir. [verse 26] Forsothe [But B rec. m.] the womman, whos was the quyk child, seith to the kyng; for the bowels of her ben stiryd vpon hire sone; Lord, I biseche, ȝife [ȝeuyth BCEFH.] to hir the quyk child, and wolith not sle hym. Aȝenward she seide, Ne to me, ne to thee be he, but be he deuydide. [verse 27] The kyng answerde, and seith, Ȝyueth to this womman [Om. BCEFH.] the quik child, and be he not slayn; forsothe this is his modir. [verse 28] And so al Yrael herde the dome, that he hadde demyde; and thei dradden the kyng, se|ynge the wisdam of God to ben in hym, `to do [for this B rec. m.] doom.