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¹ Forsothe whanne Dauid dwellide in his hows, he seide to Nathan, the prophete, Lo! Y dwelle in an hows of cedris; sotheli the arke of boond of pees of the Lord is vndur skynnys.² And Nathan seide to Dauid, Do thou alle thingis that ben in thin herte, for God is with thee.³ Therfor in that nyyt the word of the Lord was maad to Nathan,⁴ and seide, Go thou, and speke to Dauid, my seruaunt, The Lord seith these thingis, Thou schalt not bilde to me an hows to dwelle in;⁵ for Y `dwellide not in an hows, fro that tyme in which Y ledde Israel out of the lond of Egipt til to this dai, but euere Y chaungide places of tabernacle, and dwellide in a tente with al Israel.<sup>6</sup> Where I spak nameli to oon of the iugis of Israel, to which I comaundide that thei schulde fede my puple, and seide, Whi `bildidist thou not to me an hous of cedre?⁷ Now therfor thou schalt speke thus to my seruaunt Dauid, The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Y took thee, whanne thou suedist the floc in the lesewis, that thou schuldist be duyk on my puple Israel;⁸ and Y was with thee whidur euere thou yedist, and Y killide alle thin enemyes bifor thee, and Y made to thee an name as of oon of the grete men that ben maad worschipful, ether `famouse, in erthe.⁹ And Y yaf a place to my puple Israel; it schal be plauntid, and schal dwelle there ynne, and it schal no more be moued, and the sones of wickydnesse schulen not defoule hem,¹⁰ as fro the bigynnyng, fro the daies in whiche Y yaf iugis to my puple Israel; and Y made lowe alle thin enemyes. Therfor Y telle to thee, that the Lord schal bilde an hows to thee.¹¹ And whanne thou hast fillid thi daies, that thou go to thi fadris, Y schal reise thi seed after thee, that schal be of thi sones, and Y schal stablische his rewme;¹² he schal bilde to me an hows, and Y schal make stidefast his seete til in to with outen ende.¹³ Y schal be to hym in to a fadir, and he schal be to me in to a sone; and Y schal not do my mersi fro hym, as Y took awei fro hym that was bifore thee;¹⁴ and Y schal ordeyne hym in myn hows and in my rewme til in to with outen ende; and his trone schal be moost stidefast with outen ende.¹⁵ Bi alle these wordis, and bi al this reuelacioun, so Nathan spak to Dauid.

¹⁶ And whanne kyng Dauid hadde come, and hadde sete bifore the Lord, he seide, Lord God, who am Y, and what is myn hows, that thou schuldist yyue siche thingis to me?¹⁷ But also this is seyn litil in thi siyt, and therfor thou spakest on the hows of thi seruaunt, yhe, in to tyme to comynge; and hast maad me worthi to be biholdun ouer alle men.¹⁸ My Lord God, what may Dauid adde more, sithen thou hast so glorified thi seruaunt, and hast knowe hym?¹⁹ Lord, for thi seruaunt thou hast do bi thin herte al this grete doyng, and woldist that alle grete thingis be knowun.²⁰ Lord, noon is lijk thee, and noon other God is with oute thee, of alle whiche we herden with oure eeris.²¹ For who is anothir as thi puple Israel, o folc in erthe, to whom God yede, to delyuere and make a puple to hym silf, and to caste out bi his greetnesse and dredis naciouns fro the face therof, which he delyuerede fro Egipt?²² And thou hast set thi puple Israel in to a puple to thee til in to with outen ende, and thou, Lord, art maad the God therof.²³ Now therfor, Lord, the word which thou hast spoke to thi seruaunt, and on his hows, be confermed with outen ende, and do, as thou spake;²⁴ and thi name dwelle, and be magnefied `with outen ende; and be it seid, The Lord of oostis is God of Israel, and the hous of Dauid, his seruaunt, dwellynge bifor hym.²⁵ For thou, my Lord God, hast maad reuelacioun to the eere of thi seruaunt, that thou woldist bilde to hym an hous; and therfor thi seruaunt foond trist, that he preie bifor thee.²⁶ Now therfor, Lord, thou art God, and hast spoke to thi seruaunt so grete benefices;²⁷ and thou hast bigunne to blesse the hous of thi seruaunt, that it be euer bifore thee; for, Lord, for thou blessist, it schal be blessid with outen ende.