Read the Bible

¹ Forsothe Elisee, the prophete, clepide oon of the sones of prophetis, and seide to hym, Girde thi leendis, and take this vessel of oile in thin hond, and go in to Ramoth of Galaad.² And whanne thou schalt come thidur, thou schalt se Hieu, sone of Josephat, sone of Namsi; and thou schalt entre, and schalt reise hym fro the myddis of hise britheren, and thou schalt lede hym in to the ynnere closet.³ And thou schalt holde the vessel of oile, and schalt schede on his heed, and schalt seie, The Lord seith these thingis, I haue anoyntid thee in to kyng on Israel; and thou schalt opene the dore, and schalt flee, and schalt not abide there.⁴ Therfor the yong wexynge man, the child of the prophete, yede in to Ramoth of Galaad, and entride thidur.⁵ Lo! sotheli the princes of the oost saten; and he seide, A! prince, Y haue a word to thee. And Hieu seide, To whom of alle vs? And he seide, To thee, thou prince.⁶ And he roos, and entride into the closet. And thilk child schedde oile on the heed of hym, and seide, The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, Y haue anointid thee in to kyng on the puple of the Lord of Israel; and thou schalt smyte the hows of Achab,⁷ thi lord, that Y venge the blood of my seruauntis prophetis, and the blood of alle the seruauntis of the Lord, of the hond of Jezabel.⁸ And Y schal lese al the hows of Achab, and Y schal sle of the hows of Achab a pissere to the wal, and closid, and the laste in Israel.⁹ And Y schal yyue the hows of Achab as the hows of Jeroboam, sone of Nabat, and as the hous of Baasa, sone of Ahia.¹⁰ Also doggis schulen ete Jezabel in the feeld of Jezrael; and `noon schal be that schal birie hir. And `the child openyde the dore, and fledde.

¹¹ Forsothe Hieu yede out to the seruauntis of his lord, whiche seiden to hym, Whether alle thingis ben riytfuli? What cam this wood man to thee? Which seide to hem, Ye knowen the man, and what he spak.¹² And thei answeriden, It is fals; but more telle thou to vs. Which seide to hem, He spak these and these thingis to me, and seide, The Lord seith these thingis, Y haue anoyntid thee kyng on Israel.¹³ Therfor thei hastiden, and ech man took his mentil, and puttide vndir hise feet bi the licnesse of a trone. And thei sungen with a trumpe, and seiden, Hieu schal regne.¹⁴ Therfor Hieu, sone of Josephat, sone of Namsi, swoor to gidere ayens Joram. Forsothe Joram hadde bisegid Ramoth of Galaad, he and al Israel, ayens Azael, kyng of Sirie.¹⁵ And he turnede ayen to be heelid in Jezrael for woundis; for men of Sirie hadden smyte hym fiytynge ayens Azael, kyng of Sirie. And Hieu seide, If it plesith you, no man go out fleynge fro the citee, lest he go, and telle in Jezrael.

¹⁶ And he stiede, and yede forth in to Jezrael; for Joram was sijk there, and Ocozie, kyng of Juda, cam doun to visite Joram.¹⁷ Therfor a spiere, that stood aboue a tour of Jezrael, siy the multitude of Hieu comynge, and he seide, Y se a multitude. And Joram seide, Take thou a chare, and sende in to the metyng of hem; and seie the goere, Whether alle thingis ben riytfuli?¹⁸ Therfor he, that stiede on the chare, yede in to the meetyng of hym, and seide, The kyng seith these thingis, Whether alle thingis ben peesid? And Hieu seide to hym, What to thee and to pees? Passe thou, and sue me. And the aspiere telde, and seide, the messanger cam to hem, and he turneth not ayen.¹⁹ Also the kyng sente the secounde chare of horsis, and he cam to hem, and seide, The kyng seith these thingis, Whether pees is? And Hieu seide, What to thee and to pees? Passe thou, and sue me.²⁰ Sotheli the aspiere telde, and seide, He cam `til to hem, and he turneth not ayen; forsothe the goyng is as the goyng of Hieu, sone of Namsi; sothely he goith faste.<sup>21</sup> And Joram seide, Ioyn ye a chare. And thei ioyneden his chare. And Joram, kyng of Israel, yede out, and Ocozie, kyng of Juda, yede out, ech in his chare; and thei yeden out in to the meetyng of Hieu, and thei founden hym in the feeld of Naboth of Jezrael.<sup>22</sup> And whanne Joram hadde seyn Hieu, he seide, Hieu, `is pees? And he answeride, What pees? Yit the fornycaciouns of Jezabel, thi modir, and many poisenyngis of hir ben in strengthe.²³ Forsothe Joram turnede his hond, and fledde, and seide to Ocozie, Tresouns! tresouns!²⁴ Ocozie. Forsothe Hieu bente a bouwe with the hond, and smoot Joram bitwixe the schuldris, and the arowe yede out thoruy his herte; and anoon he felde doun in his chare.²⁵ And Hieu seide to Badacher duyk, Take thou awei, cast forth hym in the feeld of Naboth of Jezrael; for Y haue mynde, whanne Y and thou saten in the chare, and suede Achab, the fadir of hym, that the Lord reiside on hym this birthun, and seide, If not for the blood of Naboth,²⁶ and for the blood of hise sones, which Y siy yistirdai, seith the Lord, Y schal yeeld to thee in this feeld, seith the Lord. Now therfor do awei him, and cast forth him in the feeld, bi the word of the Lord.²⁷ Forsothe Ocozie, king of Juda, siy this, and fledde bi the weie of the hows of the gardyn; and Hieu pursuede hym, and seide, Also smyte ye this man in his chare. And thei smytiden hym in the stiyng of Gaber, which is bisidis Jeblaam; and he fledde into Mageddo, and was deed there.²⁸ And hise seruauntis puttiden hym on his chare, and brouyten hym in to Jerusalem; and thei birieden hym in a sepulcre with hise fadris, in the citee of Dauid.²⁹ In the eleuenthe yeer of Joram, sone of Achab, kyng of Israel, Ocozie regnede on Juda.

³⁰ And Hieu cam in to Jezrael. Forsothe whanne his entryng was herd, Jezabel peyntide hir iyen with oynement of wymmen, and ournede hir heed;³¹ and sche bihelde bi a wyndow Hieu entrynge bi the yate, and sche seide, Whether pees may be to Zamri, that kyllide his lord?³² And Hieu reiside his face to the wyndow, and seide, What womman is this? And tweyne ether thre chaumbirleyns bowiden hem silf to hym, and seiden to hym, This is thilke Jezabel.³³ And he seide to hem, Caste ye hir doun. And thei `castiden doun hir; and the wal was bispreynt with blood, and the howues of horsis, that `to tredden hir.³⁴ And whanne he hadde entrid to ete and drynke, he seide, Go ye, and se thilke cursid womman, and birie ye hir, for sche is a kyngis douyter.³⁵ And whanne thei hadden go to birie hir, thei founden not, no but the sculle, and the feet, and the endis of hondis;³⁶ and thei turneden ayen, and telden to hym. And Hieu seide, It is the word of the Lord, which he spak bi his seruaunt, Elie `of Thesbi, and seide, Doggis schulen ete the fleisch of Jezabel in the feeld of Jezrael;<sup>37</sup> and the fleischis of Jezabel schulen be as `a toord on the face of erthe in the feeld of Jezrael, so that men passynge forth seie, Lo! this is thilke Jezabel.