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¹ In that tyme Abia, sone of Jeroboam, was sijk.² And Jeroboam seide to his wijf, Rise thou, and chaunge clothing, that thou be not knowun, that thou art the wijf of Jeroboam; and go thou in to Silo, where Ahia, the prophete, is, which spak to me, that Y schulde regne on this puple.³ Also take thou in the hond ten looues, and a cake, and a vessil of hony, and go thou to hym; for he schal schewe to thee, what schal bifalle to this child.⁴ The wijf of Jeroboam dide as he seide, and sche roos, and yede in to Silo, and cam in to the hows of Ahia; and he miyte not se, for hise iyen dasewiden for eelde.⁵ Forsothe the Lord seide to Ahia, Lo! the wijf of Jeroboam entrith, that sche counsele thee on hir sone, which is sijk; thou schalt speke these and these thingis to hir. Therfor whanne sche hadde entrid, and hadde feyned hir silf to be that `womman which sche was not,⁶ Ahia herde the soune of the feet of hir entrynge bi the dore, and he seide, Entre thou, the wijf of Jeroboam; whi feynest thou thee to bee an other womman? Forsothe Y am sent an hard messanger to thee.

⁷ Go thou, and seie to Jeroboam, The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, For Y enhaunside thee fro the myddis of the puple, and Y yaf thee duyk on my puple Israel,⁸ and Y kittide the rewme of the hows of Dauid, and Y yaf it to thee, and thou were not as my seruaunt Dauid, that kepte myn heestis, and suede me in al his herte, and dide that that was plesaunt in my siyt;⁹ but thou wrouytist yuel, ouer alle men that weren bifore thee, and madist to thee alien goddis, and wellid to gidere, that thou schuldist excite me to wrathfulnesse, sotheli thou hast cast forth me bihyndis thi bak.¹⁰ Therfor lo! Y schal brynge in yuels on the hows of Jeroboam, and Y schal smyte of Jeroboam `til to a pissere to the wal, and prisoned, and the laste in Israel; and Y schal clense the relikis of the hows of Jeroboam, as dung is wont to be clensid `til to the purete, `ether clennesse;¹¹ sotheli doggis schulen ete hem, that schulen die of the hows of Jeroboam in citee; forsothe briddis of the eyr schulen deuoure hem, that schulen die in the feeld; for the Lord spak.¹² Therfor rise thou, and go in to thin hows; and in thilke entryng of thi feet in to the citee the child schal die.¹³ And al Israel schal biweile him, and schal birie; for this child aloone of Jeroboam schal be borun in to sepulcre, for a good word is foundun on hym of the Lord God of Israel, in the hows of Jeroboam.¹⁴ Forsothe the Lord schal ordeyne to hym a kyng on Israel, that schal smyte the hows of Jeroboam, in this dai and in this tyme;¹⁵ and the Lord God of Israel schal smyte, as a reed in the water is wont to be mouyd; and he schal drawe out Israel fro this good lond, which he yaf to her fadris, and he schal wyndewe hem ouer the flood, for thei maden to hem woodis, that thei schulden terre the Lord to ire.¹⁶ And the Lord God schal bitake Israel to hise enemyes, for the synnes of Jeroboam, that synnede, and made Israel to do synne.¹⁷ Therfor the wijf of Jeroboam roos, and yede, and cam in to Thersa; whanne sche entride in to the threschfold of the hows, the child was deed.¹⁸ And thei birieden hym; and al Israel biweilide hym, bi the word of the Lord, which he spak in the hoond of his seruaunt, Ahia the prophet.¹⁹ Forsothe, lo! the residue of wordis of Jeroboam, how he fauyt, and how he regnede, ben writun in the book of wordis of the daies of kyngis of Israel.²⁰ Forsothe the daies, in whiche Jeroboam regnede, ben two and twenti yeer; and Jeroboam slepte with hise fadris, and Nadab, his sone, regnede for hym.

²¹ Forsothe Roboam, the sone of Salomon, regnede in Juda; Roboam was of oon and fourti yeer, whanne he bigan to regne, and he regnede seuentene yeer in Jerusalem, the citee which the Lord chees of alle the lynagis of Israel, that he schulde sette his name there. Sotheli the name of his moder was Naama Amanyte.²² And Juda dide yuel bifor the Lord, and thei terriden hym to ire on alle thingis, whiche her fadris diden in her synnes, bi whiche thei synneden.²³ For also thei bildiden to hem silf auters, and ymagis, and wodis, on eche hiy hil, and vndur ech tree ful of bowis.²⁴ But also `men of wymmens condiciouns weren in the lond, and thei diden alle abhominaciouns of hethene men, whiche the Lord al to-brak bifor the face of the sones of Israel.<sup>25</sup> Forsothe in the fifthe yeer of the rewme of Roboam, Sesach, the kyng of Egipt, styede in to Jerusalem;<sup>26</sup> and he took the tresouris of the hows of the Lord, and the kyngis tresouris, and he rauischide alle thingis; also `he rauischide the goldun scheeldis, whiche Salomon made.²⁷ For whiche kyng Roboam made brasun scheeldis, and yaf tho in the hondis of duykis of scheeld makeris, and of hem that wakiden bifor the dore of the hows of the Lord.²⁸ And whanne the kyng entride in to the hows of the Lord, thei that hadden office to go bifore, baren tho, and baren ayen to the place of armer of scheeld makeris.²⁹ Forsothe, lo! the residue of wordis of Roboam, and alle thingis whiche he dide, ben writun in the book of wordis of daies of kyngis of Juda.³⁰ And batel was bitwixe Roboam and Jeroboam, in alle daies.³¹ And Roboam slepte with hise fadris, and was biried with hem in the citee of Dauid. Forsothe the name of his modir was Naama Amanyte; and Abia, his sone, regnede for hym.