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[verse 1] It is do forsothe in the monith of Aprill, the twentithe ȝer of Artaxerses, the [Om. C.] king, and win was befor hym, and I heuede vp the win, and ȝaf to the king, and I was astoneid beforn his face. [verse 2] And the king seide to me, Whi is thi chere dreri, sithen I see thee not sijk? That is
not in vein; but I wot not the euel that is in thin herte. And I dradde ful myche; [verse 3] and I seide to the king, King, with outen ende liue; whi shulde not my chere so|rewin priueli? for the cite of the hous of the sepulcris of my fader [fadris A.] is desert, and his ȝatus ben brent with fir. [verse 4] And the king seith to me, For what thing askist thou? And I preȝede the God of heuene, [verse 5] and seide to the king, If it is seen good to the king, and if it plese to thi ser|uauns befor thi face, that thou sende me in to Jude, I beseche, to the cite of the sepulcre of my fader, and I shal bilden it. [verse 6] And the king seide to me, and the quen that sat biside hym, Vnto what time shal be thi wei, and `whanne shalt [what wolt A.] thou come aȝeen? And I pleside befor the chere of the king, and he sente me, [verse 7] and I sette hym a time; and seide to the king, If to the king it is seen good, lettris ȝiue he to me to the dukis of the regioun beȝonde the flod, that thei lede me ouer, [verse 8] to the time I [that I AH.] come in to Jude; and a lettre to Asaf, kepere of the wilde wode of the king, that he ȝiue to me trees, that I mowe couere the ȝatis of the tour of the hous, and of the wal of the cite, and the hous that I shal come in. And the king ȝaf to me, after the goode hond of my God with me. [verse 9] And I cam to the dukis of the regioun beȝunde the flod, and I ȝaf to hym the epistolis of the king. Forsothe the king hadde sent with me prinsis of kniȝtus, and horsemen. [verse 10] And Sanaballath Oronyte, and Tobie, ser|uaunt Amonyte, herden, and ben euele paȝid bi gret sorewe, that a man was come, that shulde seche the prosperite of the sonus of Irael. [verse 11] And I cam in to Je|rusalem, and I [Om. A.] was there thre daȝes.
[verse 12] And I ros the nyȝt, and fewe men with me, and I shewide to no man, what God hadde ȝiuen in myn herte, that I shulde do in Jerusalem; and there was noon helpely beeste to me, but the beeste that I sat on. [verse 13] And I wente out bi the ȝate of the valei the nyȝt, and beforn the welle of the dragoun, and at the drit ȝate; and I beheeld the wal of Jerusalem scaterid, and his ȝatis wastid with fijr. [verse 14] And I passide ouer to the ȝate of the welle, and to the watir cundict of the king, and ther was no place to the beeste, that I [verse 15] sat on that he myȝte passen ouer; and I steȝide vp bi the strem the nyȝt, and I beheeld the wal, and [I A.] turned aȝeen I [and I A.] cam to the ȝate of the valei, and am comen aȝeen. [verse 16] The maister iuges forsothe wisten not, whider I was go, or what I wolde do; but and to the Jewis, and to the prestus, and to the most worshipeful men, and to the maister iuges, and to the tothere that maden the werc, vnto that of the placis no thing I hadde shewid. [verse 17] And I seide to hem, `Ȝee han knowen the affliccioun, in whiche we ben, for Jerusa|lem is desert, and his ȝatis ben wastid with fijr; cometh, and bilde we vp the wallis of Jerusalem, and be we no more repref. [verse 18] And I shewide to hem the hond of my God, that it was good with me, and the woordis of the king, that he spac to me; and I sey, Rise we, and bilde we; and the hondis of hem ben coumfortid in goode. [verse 19] Forsothe Sanballath Oronyte, and Tobias, seruaunt Amonyte, and Go|sem Arabs, herden, and scorneden vs, and despiseden; and seiden, What is this thing that ȝee don? whether aȝen the king ȝee rebellen? [verse 20] And I ȝeld [ȝeldide AE sec. m. FH.] to them a woord, and seide to them, God
