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¹ Forsothe Elisee seide, Here ye the word of the Lord; the Lord seith these thingis, In this tyme to morewe a buschel of flour schal be for a stater, and twei buschels of barli for a stater, in the yate of Samarie.² And oon of the duykis, on whos hond the kyng lenyde, answeride to the man of God, and seide, Thouy `also the Lord make the goteris of heuene to be openyd, whether that, that thou spekist, mai be? Which Elisee seide, Thou schalt se with thin iyen, and thou schalt not ete therof.

³ Therfor foure leprouse men weren bisidis the entryng of the yate, whiche seiden togidere, What wolen we be here, til we dien?⁴ Whether we wolen entre in to the citee, we schulen die for hungur; whether we dwellen here, we schulen die. Therfor come ye, and fle we ouer to the castels of Sirie; if thei schulen spare vs, we schulen lyue; sotheli if thei wolen sle, netheles we schulen die.⁵ Therfor thei risiden in the euentide to come to the castels of Sirie; and whanne thei hadden come to the bigynnyng of the castels of Sirie, thei founden not ony man there.⁶ Forsothe the Lord hadde maad a sown of charis, and of horsis, and of ful myche oost to be herd in the castels of Sirie; and thei seiden togidere, Lo! the kyng of Israel hath hirid bi meede ayens vs the kyngis of Etheis and of Egipcians; and thei camen on vs.⁷ Therfor thei risiden, and fledden in derknessis, and leften her tentis, and horsis, and mulis, and assis, in the castels; and thei fledden, couetynge to saue her lyues oonli.⁸ Therfor whanne thilke leprouse men hadden come to the bigynnyng of the castels, thei entriden into o tabernacle, and eetun, and drunken; and thei token fro thennus siluer, and gold, and clothis; and yeden, and hidden; and eft thei turneden ayen to anothir tabernacle, and in lijk maner thei token awei fro thennus, and hidden.⁹ And thei seiden togidere, We doen not riytfuli, for this is a dai of good message; if we holden stille, and nylen telle til the morewtid, we schulen be repreued of trespassyng; come ye, go we, and telle in the `halle of the kyng.¹⁰ And whanne thei hadden come to the yate of the citee, thei telden to hem, and seiden, We yeden to the castels of Sirie, and we founden not ony man there, no but horsis and assis tied, and tentis fastned.¹¹ Therfor the porteris yeden, and telden in the paleis of the kyng with ynne.

¹² Which king roos bi niyt, and seide to hise seruauntis, Y seie to you, what the men of Sirie han do to vs; thei witen, that we trauelen with hungur, therfor thei yeden out of the castels, and ben hid in the feeldis, and seien, Whanne thei schulen go out of the citee, we schulen take hem quyk, and thanne we schulen mowe entre in to the citee.¹³ Forsothe oon of his seruauntis answeride, Take we fyue horsis, that leften in the citee; for tho ben oonli in al the multitude of Israel, for othere horsis ben wastid; and we sendynge moun aspie.¹⁴ Therfor thei brouyten forth twei horsis; and the kyng sente in to the castels of men of Sirie, and seide, Go ye, and se.¹⁵ Whiche yeden after hem `til to Jordan; lo! forsothe al the weie was ful of clothis, and of vessels, whiche the men of Sirie castiden forth, whanne thei weren disturblid. And the messangeris turneden ayen, and schewiden to the kyng.¹⁶ And the puple yede out, and rauyschide the castels of Sirie; and a buyschel of flour was maad for o stater, and twei buyschels of barli for o stater, bi the word of the Lord.¹⁷ Forsothe the kyng ordeynede at the yate that duyk, in whos hond the kyng lenyde; whom the cumpeny to-trad with her feet, and he was deed, bi the word, which the man of God spak, whanne the kyng cam doun to hym.¹⁸ And it was doon bi the word of the man of God, which he seide to the kyng, whanne he seide, Twei buyschels of barli shulen be for a statir, and a buyschel of wheete flour for a stater, in this same tyme to morewe in the yate of Samarie;¹⁹ whanne thilke duyk answeride to the man of God, and seide, Yhe, thouy the Lord schal make the goteris in heuene to be openyd, whether this that thou spekist may be? and the man of God seide, Thou schalt se with thin iyen, and thou schalt not ete therof.²⁰ Therfore it bifelde to hym, as it was biforseid; and the puple to-trad hym with feet in the yate, and he was deed.