the Fourth Week of Advent
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Wycliffe Bible
2 Kings 4
1 Forsothe sum womman of the wyues of prophetys criede to Elisee, and seide, Thi seruaunt, myn hosebonde, is deed, and thou knowist that thi seruaunt dredde God; and lo! the creaunser, `that is, he to whom the dette is owid, cometh to take my two sones to serue hym.2 To whom Elisee seide, What wolt thou that Y do to thee? seie thou to me, what hast thou in thin hows? And she answeride, Y thin handmayde haue not ony thing in myn hows, no but a litil of oile, bi which Y schal be anoyntid.3 To whom he seide, Go thou, and axe bi borewyng of alle thi neiyboris voide vessels not fewe.4 And entre, and close thi dore, whanne thou art with ynne, thou and thi sones; and putte ye therof in to alle these vessels; and whanne tho schulen be ful, thou schalt take awei.5 Therfor the womman yede, and closide the dore on hir silf and on hir sones, thei brouyten vessels, and sche `heldide in.6 And whanne the vessels weren fulle, sche seide to hir sone, Brynge thou yit a vessel to me. And he answeride, Y haue not. And the oyle stood.7 Forsothe sche cam, and schewide to the man of God; and he seide, Go thou, sil thou the oile, and yelde to thi creauncer; forsothe thou and thi children lyue of the residue.
8 Forsothe sum day was maad, and Elisee passide bi a citee, Sunam; sotheli a greet womman was there, which helde hym, that he schulde ete breed. And whanne he passide ofte therbi, `he turnede to hir, that he schulde ete breed.9 `Which womman seide to hir hosebonde, Y perseyue that this is an hooli man of God, that passith ofte bi vs;10 therfor make we a litil soler to hym, and putte we therynne a litil bed to hym, and a boord, and a chaier, and a candilstike; that whanne he cometh to vs, he dwelle there.11 Therfor sum dai was maad, and he cam, and turnede in to the soler, and restide there.12 And he seide to Giezi, his child, Clepe thou this Sunamyte. And whanne he hadde clepid hir, and sche hadde stonde13 bifor hym, he seide to his child, Speke thou to hir, Lo! thou hast mynystride to vs bisili in alle thingis; what wolt thou that Y do to thee? Whether thou hast a cause, and wolt that Y speke to the kyng, ether to the prince of the chyualrye? And sche answeride, I dwelle in the myddis of my puple.14 And he seide, What therfor wole sche that Y do to hir? Giezi seide to hym, Axe thou not, for she hath no sone, and hir hosebonde is eeld.15 Therfor Elisee comaundide, that he schulde clepe hir. And whanne sche was clepid, and stood bifor the dore,16 he seide to hir, In this tyme and in this same our, if lijf schal be felow, thou schalt haue a sone in the wombe. And sche answeride, Nyle thou, my lord, the man of God, Y biseche, nyle thou lye to thin hondmaide.17 And the womman conseyuede, and childide a sone in the tyme, and in the same our, in which Elisee hadde seid.
18 Sotheli the child encreeside; and whanne sum day was, and the child was goon out, and yede to his fadir,19 and to the repers, he seide to his fadir, Myn heed akith, myn heed akith. And he seide to a child, Take, and lede hym to his modir.20 And whanne he hadde take, and hadde brouyt hym to his modir, sche settide hym on hir knees `til to myddai, and he was deed.21 Sotheli she stiede, and leide hym on the litil bed of the man of God, and closide the dore.22 And sche yede out, and clepide hir hosebonde, and seide, Y biseche, sende thou with me oon of the children, and an asse, and Y schal renne out `til to the man of God, and Y schal turne ayen.23 And he seide to hir, For what cause goist thou to hym? to dai ben not calendis, nether sabat. And she answeride, Y schal go.24 And sche sadlide the asse, and comaundide to the child, Dryue thou, and haaste; make thou not tariyng to me in goyng, and do thou this thing which Y comaunde to thee.25 Therfor sche yede forth, and cam to the man of God, in to the hil of Carmele. And whanne the man of God hadde seyn hir euene ayen, he seide to Giezi, his child, Lo! thilke Sunamyte; go thou therfor in to the metyng of hir,26 and seie thou to hir, Whether it is doon riytfuli aboute thee, and aboute thin hosebonde, and aboute thi sone? And sche answeride, Riytfuli.27 And whanne sche hadde come to the man of God, in to the hil, sche took his feet; and Giezi neiyede, that he schulde remoue hir. And the man of God seide, Suffre thou hir; for hir soule is in bitternesse, and the Lord helde priuy fro me, and schewide not to me.28 And sche seide to hym, Whether I axide my sone of my lord? Whether Y seide not to thee, Scorne thou not me?29 And he seide to Giezi, Girde thi leendis, and take my staf in thin hond, and go; if a man metith thee, grete thou not hym; and if ony man gretith thee, answere thou not hym; and putte thou my staf on the face of the child.30 Forsothe the `modir of the child seide, The Lord lyueth and thi soule lyueth, Y schal not leeue, `ether forsake, thee. Therfor he roos, and suede hir.31 Sotheli Giezi yede bifor hem, and puttide the staaf on the face of the child; and `vois was not, nether wit. And Giezi turnede ayen to the meetyng of hym; and telde to him, and seyde, The child `roos not.32 Therfor Elisee entride in to the hows, and, lo! the deed child lai in his bed.33 And he entride, and closide the dore on hym silf, and on the child; and preiede to the Lord.34 And he stiede, and lay on the child; and he puttide his mouth on the mouth of the child, and hise iyen on the iyen of the child, and hise hondis on the hondis of the child. And he bouwide hym silf on the child; and the fleisch of the child was maad hoot.35 And he turnede ayen, and walkide in the hows onys hidur and thidur; and Elisee stiede, and lai on the child, and the child yoxide seuene sithis, and openyde the iyen.36 And he clepide Giezi, and seide to hym, Clepe thou this Sunamyte. And sche was clepid, and entride to hym. And he seide, Take thi sone.37 She cam, and felde doun to his feet, and worschipide on erthe; and sche took hir sone, and yede out.
38 And Elisee turnede ayen in to Galgala. Forsothe hungur was in the lond, and the sones of prophetis dwelliden bifor hym. And Elisee seide to oon of his children, Set thou a greet pot, and sethe thou potage to the sones of prophetis.39 And oon yede out in to the feeld to gadere eerbis of the feeld; and he foond as a wilde vyne, and he gaderide therof gourdis of the feeld. And he fillide his mentil, and he turnede ayen, and schredde in to the pot of potage; for he wiste not what it was.40 Therfor thei helden yn to felowis to ete; and whanne thei hadden taastid of the sething, thei crieden out, and seiden, Deth in the pot! deeth in the pot! thou man of God. And thei miyten not ete. And he seide, Brynge ye meele.41 And whanne thei hadden brouyt, he puttide in to the pot, and seide, Helde ye to the cumpany, that thei ete; and ony thing of bitternesse was nomore in the pot.42 Forsothe sum man cam fro the pleyn of Salisa, and bar to the man of God looues of the firste fruytis, ten looues of barli, and newe wheete, in his scrippe. And the man of God seide, Yyue thou to the puple, that it ete.43 And his mynystre answeride to hym, `Hou myche is this, that Y sette bifor an hundrid men? Eft Elisee seide, Yyue thou to the puple, that it ete; for the Lord seith these thingis, Thei schulen ete, and it shal leeue.44 Therfor he puttide bifor hem, whiche eeten; and it lefte, bi the word of the Lord.
