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¹ And kyng Dauid spak to al the chirche, God hath chose Salomon, my sone, yit a child and tendre; forsothe the werk is greet, and a dwellyng is not maad redi to man but to God.² Sotheli Y in alle my myytis haue maad redi the costis of the hows of my God; gold to goldun vessels, siluer in to siluerne vessels, bras in to brasun vessels, irun in to irun vessels, tre in to trenun vessels, onychyn stonys, and stonys as of the colour of wymmens oynement, and ech precious stoon of dyuerse colouris, and marbil of dyuerse colouris, most plenteuously.³ And ouer these thingis Y yyue gold and siluer in to the temple of my God, whiche Y offride of my propir catel in to the hows of my God, outakun these thingis whiche Y made redi in to the hooli hows,⁴ thre thousynde talentis of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seuene thousynde of talentis of siluer most preuyd, to ouergilde the wallis of the temple;⁵ and werkis be maad bi the hondis of crafti men, where euere gold is nedeful, of gold, and where euere siluer is nedeful, of siluer; and if ony man offrith bi his fre wille, fille he his hond to dai, and offre he that that he wole to the Lord.⁶ Therfor the princes of meynees, and the duykis of the lynagis of Israel, and the tribunes, and the centuriouns, and the princes of the possessiouns of the kyng, bihiyten;⁷ and thei yauen in to the werkis of the hows of the Lord, fyue thousynde talentis of gold, and ten thousynde schyllyngis; ten thousynde talentis of siluer, and eiytene thousynde talentis of bras, and an hundrid thousynde of talentis of irun.⁸ And at whom euere stoonys were foundun, thei yauen in to the tresour of the hows of the Lord, bi the hond of Jehiel Gersonyte.⁹ And the puple was glad, whanne thei bihiyten avowis bi her fre wille, for with al the herte thei offriden tho to the Lord. But also kyng Dauid was glad with greet ioye, and blesside the Lord bifor al the multitude,

¹⁰ and seide, Lord God of Israel, oure fadir, thou art blessid fro with outen bigynnyng in to with outen ende;¹¹ Lord, worthi doyng is thin, and power, and glorie, and victorie, and heriyng is to thee; for alle thingis that ben in heuene and in erthe ben thine; Lord, the rewme is thin, and thou art ouer alle princes; ritchessis ben thin, and glorie is thin;¹² thou art Lord of alle; in thin hond is vertu, and power, and in thin hond is greetnesse, and lordschipe of alle.¹³ Now therfor, oure God, we knoulechen to thee, and we herien thi noble name.¹⁴ Who am Y, and who is my puple, that we moun bihete alle these thingis to thee? Alle thingis ben thine, and we han youe to thee tho thingis, whiche we token of thin hond.¹⁵ For we ben pilgrimes and comelyngis bifor thee, as alle oure fadris; oure daies ben as schadewe on the erthe, and `no dwellyng is.<sup>16</sup> Oure Lord God, al this plentee which we han maad redi, that an hows schulde be byldid to thin hooli name, is of thin hond; and alle thingis ben thin.<sup>17</sup> My God, Y woot, that thou preuest hertis, and louest symplenesse of herte; wherfor and Y, in the symplenesse of myn herte, haue offrid gladli alle these thingis; and Y siy with greet ioye thi puple, which is foundun here, offre yiftis to thee.<sup>18</sup> Lord God of Abraham, and of Ysaac, and of Israel, oure fadris, kepe thou with outen ende this wille of her hertis; and this mynde dwelle euere in to the worschipyng of thee.<sup>19</sup> Also yyue thou to Salomon, my sone, a perfit herte, that he kepe thin heestis, and witnessyngis, and thi ceremonyes; and do alle thingis, and that he bilde the hows, whose costis Y haue maad redi.<sup>20</sup> Forsothe Dauid comaundide to al the chirche, Blesse ye `oure Lord God. And al the chirche blesside the Lord God of her fadris, and thei bowiden hem silf, and worschipiden God, aftirward the kyng.²¹ And thei offriden slayn sacrifices to the Lord, and thei offriden brent sacrifices in the dai suynge; a thousynde boolis, and a thousynde rammes, and a thousynde lambren, with her fletynge sacrifices, and al the custom, most plenteuously, in to al Israel.²² And thei eten and drunken bifor the Lord in that dai, with greet gladnesse. And thei anoyntiden the secounde tyme Salomon, the sone of Dauid; and thei anoyntiden hym in to prince to the Lord, and Sadoch in to bischop.

²³ And Salomon sat on the trone of the Lord in to kyng, for Dauid, his fadir; and it pleside alle men, and al Israel obeiede to hym.²⁴ But also alle princes, and myyti men, and alle the sones of kyng Dauid, yauen hond, and weren suget to `Salomon the kyng.²⁵ Therfor the Lord magnefiede Salomon on al Israel, and yaue to hym glorie of the rewme, what maner glorie no kyng of Israel hadde bifor hym.²⁶ Therfor Dauid, the sone of Ysai, regnede on al Israel;²⁷ and the daies in whiche he regnede on Israel weren fourti yeer; in Ebron he regnede seuene yeer, and in Jerusalem thre and thretti yeer.²⁸ And he diede in good eelde, and was ful of daies, and richessis, and glorie; and Salomon, his sone, regnede for hym.²⁹ Forsothe the formere and the laste dedis of Dauid ben writun in the book of Samuel, the prophete, and in the book of Nathan, prophete, and in the book of Gad, the prophete;³⁰ and of al his rewme, and strengthe, and tymes, that passiden vndur hym, ethir in Israel, ethir in alle rewmes of londis.