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¹ Josie was of eiyte yeer, whanne he bigan to regne, and he regnede in Jerusalem oon and thritti yeer.² And he dide that, that was riytful in the siyt of the Lord; and yede in the waies of Dauid, his fadir, and bowide not to the riyt side nether to the left side.³ Forsothe in the eiytethe yeer of the rewme of his empire, whanne he was yit a child, he bigan to seke God of his fadir Dauid; and in the tweluethe yeer after that he bigan, he clenside Juda and Jerusalem fro hiy places, and wodis, and similacris, and grauun ymagis.⁴ And thei destrieden bifor hym the auteris of Baalym, and thei destrieden the symylacris, that weren put aboue. Also he hewide doun the wodis, and grauun ymagis, and brak to smale gobetis; and scateride abrood `the smale gobetis on the birielis of hem, that weren wont to offre `to tho.⁵ Ferthermore he brente the boonys of preestis in the auteris of idols, and he clenside Juda and Jerusalem.⁶ But also he destriede alle idols in the citees of Manasses, and of Effraym, and of Symeon, `til to Neptalym.⁷ And whanne he hadde scateride the auteris, and hadde al to-broke in to gobetis the wodis, and grauun ymagis, and hadde destried alle templis of ydols fro al the lond of Israel, he turnede ayen in to Jerusalem.

⁸ Therfor in the eiytenthe yeer of his rewme, whanne the lond and temple `of the Lord was clensid nowe, he sente Saphan, the sone of Helchie, and Masie, the prince of the citee, and Joa, the sone of Joachaz, chaunceler, that thei schulden reparele the hous `of his Lord God.⁹ Whiche camen to Helchie, the grete preest; and whanne thei hadden take of hym the money, which was brouyt in to the hows of the Lord; and which monei the dekenes and porteris hadden gaderid of Manasses, and of Effraym, and of alle the residue men of Israel, and of al Juda and Beniamyn, and of the dwelleris of Jerusalem,¹⁰ thei yauen it in the hondis of hem that weren souereyns of the werk men in the hows of the Lord, that thei schulden restore the temple, and reparele alle feble thingis.¹¹ And thei yauen that monei to the crafti men and masouns, for to bie stoonys hewid out of the `delues, ether quarreris, and trees to the ioynyngis of the bildyng, and to the coupling of housis, whiche the kingis of Juda hadden destried.¹² Whiche men diden feithfuli alle thingis. Sotheli the souereyns of worcheris weren Jabath, and Abdie, of the sones of Merari; Zacarie, and Mosallam, of the sones of Caath; whiche hastiden the werk; alle weren dekenes, kunnynge to synge with orguns.¹³ Sotheli ouer them that baren birthuns to dyuerse vsis weren the scribis, and maistris of the dekenes, and porteris.

¹⁴ And whanne thei baren out the monei, that was borun in to the temple of the Lord, Helchie, `the preest, foond the book of the lawe of the Lord bi the hond of Moises.¹⁵ And he seide to Saphan, the writere, Y haue founde the book of the lawe in the hows of the Lord.¹⁶ And Helchie took to Saphan, and he bar in the book to the king; and telde to hym, and seide, Lo! alle thingis ben fillid, whiche thou hast youe in to the hondis of thi seruauntis.¹⁷ Thei han wellyd togidere the siluere, which is foundun in the hous of the Lord; and it is youun to the souereyns of the crafti men, and makynge dyuerse werkis;¹⁸ ferthermore Helchie, the preest, took to me this book. And whanne he hadde rehersid this book in the presence of the kyng,¹⁹ and he hadde herd the wordis of the lawe, he to-rente hise clothis; and he comaundide to Helchie,²⁰ and to Aichan, the sone of Saphan, and to Abdon, the sone of Mycha, and to Saphan, the scryuen, and to Asaie, the seruaunt of the kyng,²¹ and seide, Go ye, and preie the Lord for me, and for the resydue men of Israel and of Juda, on alle the wordis of this book, which is foundun. For greet veniaunce of the Lord hath droppid on vs, for oure fadris kepten not the wordis of the Lord, to do alle thingis that ben writun in this book.²² Therfor Helchie yede, and thei that weren sent togidere of the king, to Olda, the prophetesse, the wijf of Sellum, sone of Thecuath, sone of Asra, kepere of clothis, which Olda dwellide in Jerusalem in the secounde warde; and thei spaken to hir the wordis, whiche we telden bifore.²³ And sche answeride to hem, The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, Seie ye to the man, that sente you to me,²⁴ The Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal brynge ynne yuels on this place, and on the dwelleris therof, and alle the cursyngis that ben writun in this book, which thei redden bifor the kyng of Juda.²⁵ For thei han forsake me, and han sacrified to alien goddis, for to terre me to wrathfulnesse in alle the werkis of her hondis; therfor my strong veniaunce schal droppe on this place, and it schal not be quenchid.²⁶ But speke ye thus to the kyng of Juda, that sente you to preye the Lord, The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, For thou herdist the wordis of the book,²⁷ and thin herte is maad neisch, and thou art mekid in the siyt of the Lord of these thingis that ben seide ayens this place and the dwelleris of Jerusalem, and thou hast reuerensid my face, and hast to-rente thi clothis, and hast wepte bifor me; also Y haue herd thee, seith the Lord.²⁸ For now Y schal gadere thee to thi fadris, and thou schalt be borun in to thi sepulcre in pees; and thin iyen schulen not se al yuel, which Y schal brynge yn on this place, and on the dwelleris therof. Therfor thei telden to the king alle thingis, whiche Olda hadde seid.

²⁹ And aftir that he hadde clepid togidere alle the eldere men of Juda and of Jerusalem,³⁰ he stiede in to the hows of the Lord, and togidere alle the men of Juda, `and the dwelleris of Jerusalem, preestis, and dekenes, and al the puple, fro the leeste `til to the moste; to whiche herynge in the hows of the Lord, the kyng redde alle the wordis of the book.³¹ And he stood in his trone, and smoot a boond of pees bifor the Lord, for to `go aftir hym, and to kepe the comaundementis, and witnessyngis, and iustifiyngis of hym, in al his herte and in al his soule; and to do tho thingis that weren writun in that book, which he hadde red.³² And he chargide greetli on this thing alle men, that weren foundun in Jerusalem and Beniamyn; and the dwellers of Jerusalem diden aftir the couenaunt of the Lord God of her fadris.³³ Therfor Josie dide awei alle abhomynaciouns fro alle the cuntreis of the sones of Israel; and he made alle men, that weren residue in Israel, to serue her Lord God; in alle the daies of his lijf thei yeden not awei fro the Lord God of her fadris.