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

CAP. II.

[verse 1] Forsothe Salomon demed to bilden up an hous to the name of the Lord, and a paleys to hym silf. [verse 2] And he noumbrede seuenty thousand of men berynge in schulderis, and eiȝti [eyȝt B.] thousand that schul|den hewen stones in hillis; and the pro|uostes of hem thre thousand and sixe hundrith. [verse 3] Also he sente to Yram, kyng of Tiry, seyinge, As thou hast don with my fadir Dauid, and hast sente to hym cedre trees, that he bilde to hym an hous, [verse 4] in the whiche and he dwellide; so do with me, that I bilde an hous to the name of the Lord my God, and that I sacre it, to brennen encense beforn hym, and to swote thingis to ben out smokid, and to the euermore propocicioun of looues, and to the brent sacrifices erly and at euen, also to the sabotis, and to the newe mones [monethes B.] , and solempnytes of the Lord oure God in to euermore, that ben comaundid to Yrael. [verse 5] The hous forsothe, that I coueite to bilden up, is greet; for|sothe the Lord oure God is grete vpon alle goddis. [verse 6] Who than schal mowen ben myȝty, that he bilde up to hym an worthi hous? Ȝif forsothe heuen and heuens of heuens mown not taken hym, how myche am I, that I may to hym bilden up an

hous, bot to thes thingis al oonly, that encense be brent beforn hym? [verse 7] Sende thann to me an tauȝt man, that kann wirchen in gold, and siluer, brasse, and yren, purpur, cocco, and iacynte; and that kanne grauen in craft of grauyng with these craftise men, `the whiche [that C pr. m.] I haue with me in Jewrie and Jerusalem [in Jerusalem C.] , the whiche Dauid, my fadir, made redy before. [verse 8] Bot and cedre trees senden to me, and tyne trees, and pyne trees of Lyban; I knowe forsothe, that thi ser|uauntis kunnen hewen trees of the wode; and my seruauntis schuln ben with thi [verse 9] seruauntis, that ther ben made redy to me many trees; the hous forsothe that I coueite to bilden up is ful myche grete, and ful glorious. [verse 10] Forthermore to werk men, that ben to hewen trees, to thi ser|uauntis, I schal ȝeuen in to metis choris of whete twenty thousand, and choris of barly as fele, and of oyle twenty thou|sand mesures, as of twelue galouns. [verse 11] For|sothe Iram, kyng of Tyry, seide bi the lettres that he sente to Salomon, For the Lord hath louede his puple, therfore thee he maad regnen vpon it. [verse 12] And he addid, seyinge, Blessid the Lord God of Yrael, that made heuen and erth, that ȝaue to kyng Dauid a wijs sone, and tauȝt, and witty, and sleeȝ, that he bilde up an hous to the Lord, and a paleis to hym silf. [verse 13] Therfore I haue sente to thee a sleeiȝ man and most kunnyng, Yram, my fadir, [verse 14] sone of a womman of the lynage of Dan, whos fadir was Tyrus; the whiche kouthe wirchen in gold, and in siluer, brasse, and yren, and marbil, and trees, in pur|pur also, and jacynct, and bijse, and cocko; and that kanne grauen al grau|ynge, and fynde sleeȝly what euer thing

is nedeful in werk with thi craftise men, and with the craftise men of my lord Dauid, thi fadir. [verse 15] Thanne the whete, and the barly, and the oyle, and the wijne, `the whiche [that C pr. m.] , my lord, thou hast behoten, sende to thi seruauntis. [verse 16] We forsothe hewen the trees from the wode, as fele as thou schalt han need; and we schulen applyen hem in names bi the se in to Joppe; thin forsothe schal ben to leeden hem ouer in to Jerusalem. [verse 17] Than Salo|mon noumbride alle the men comlyngis, that weren in the lond of Yrael, aftir the noumbrynge that Dauid, his fadir, noum|bred; and ther ben founden an hun|drith and fyfty thousand and thre thou|sand and sixe hundrith. [verse 18] And he maad of hem seuenty thousand, that schulde beren birthens with schuldirs, and eiȝty thousand, that stoonys in hillis schulden hewen; thre forsothe thousand and sex hundrith prouostis of the werkis of the puple [puplis ABFH.] .