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¹ Sedechie was a sone of oon and twenti yeer, whanne he bigan to regne, and he regnede enleuene yeer in Jerusalem; and the name of his modir was Amychal, the douyter of Jeremye of Lobna.² And he dide yuels bifore the iyen of the Lord, bi alle thingis whiche Joachym hadde do.³ For the stronge veniaunce of the Lord was in Jerusalem, and in Juda, til he castide hem awey fro his face. And Sedechie yede awei fro the kyng of Babiloyne.⁴ Forsothe it was don in the nynthe yeer of his rewme, in the tenthe monethe, in the tenthe dai of the monethe, Nabugodonosor, the kyng of Babiloyne, cam, he and al his oost, ayens Jerusalem; and thei bisegiden it, and bildiden ayens it strengthis in cumpas.⁵ And the citee was bisegid, til to the enleuenthe yeer of the rewme of Sedechie.⁶ Forsothe in the fourthe monethe, in the nynthe dai of the monethe, hungur helde the citee; and foodis weren not to the puple of the lond.⁷ And the citee was brokun, and alle men werriouris therof fledden; and thei yeden out of the citee in the niyt, bi the weie of the yate, which is bitwixe twei wallis, and ledith to the gardyn of the kyng, while Caldeis bisegiden the citee in cumpas; and thei yeden forth bi the weie that ledith in to desert.⁸ Sotheli the oost of Caldeis pursuede the kyng; and thei token Sedechie in desert, which is bisidis Jerico, and al his felouschipe fledde awei fro hym.⁹ And whanne thei hadden take the kyng, thei brouyten hym to the kyng of Babiloyne in Reblatha, which is in the lond of Emath; and the kyng of Babiloyne spak domes to hym.¹⁰ And the kyng of Babiloyne stranglide the sones of Sedechie bifore hise iyen; but also he killide alle the princes of Juda in Rablatha.¹¹ And he puttide out the iyen of Sedechie, and boond hym in stockis; and the kyng of Babiloyne brouyte hym in to Babiloyne, and puttide hym in the hous of prisoun, til to the dai of his deth.

¹² Forsothe in the nynthe monethe, in the tenthe dai of the monethe, thilke is the nyntenthe yeer of the kyng of Babiloyne, Nabusardan, the prince of chyualrie, that stood bifore the kyng of Babiloyne, cam in to Jerusalem.¹³ And he brente the hous of the Lord, and the hous of the kyng, and alle the housis of Jerusalem; and he brente with fier ech greet hous.¹⁴ And al the ost of Caldeis, that was with the maistir of chyualrie, distriede al the wal of Jerusalem bi cumpas.¹⁵ Sotheli Nabusardan, the prince of chyualrie, translatide of the pore men of the puple, and of the residue comyn puple, that was left in the citee, and of the fleeris ouer, that fledden ouer to the kyng of Babiloyne; and he translatide other men of the multitude.¹⁶ But Nabusardan, the prince of chyualrie, lefte of the pore men of the lond vyne tilers, and erthe tilers.¹⁷ Also Caldeis brakun the brasun pilers, that weren in the hous of the Lord, and the foundementis, and the brasun waischyng vessel, that was in the hous of the Lord; and thei token al the metal of tho in to Babiloyne.¹⁸ And thei tokun cawdruns, and fleischokis, and sautrees, and violis, and morteris, and alle brasun vessels, that weren in seruyce;¹⁹ thei token also `watir pottis, and vessels of encense, and pottis, and basyns, and candilstikis, and morters, and litle cuppis; hou manye euere goldun, goldun, and hou manye euere siluerne, siluerne.<sup>20</sup> The maister of chyualrie took twei pilers, and o waischyng vessel, and twelue brasun caluys, that weren vndur the foundementis, whiche kyng Salomon hadde maad in the hous of the Lord. No weiyte was of the metal of alle these vessels.<sup>21</sup> Forsothe of the pilers, eiytene cubitis of heiythe weren in o piler, and a roop of twelue cubitis cumpasside it; certis the thickenesse therof was of foure fyngris, and was holowe withynne.<sup>22</sup> And brasun pomels weren on euer either; and the heiythe of a pomel was of fyue cubitis; and werkis lijk nettis and pumgranatis weren on the coroun `in cumpas.²³ And the pumgranatis weren nynti and sixe hangynge doun, and alle pumgranatis weren cumpassid with an hundred werkis lijk nettis.

²⁴ And the maister of the chyualrie took Saraie, the firste preest, and Sophonye, the secounde preest, and three keperis of the vestiarie.²⁵ And of the citee he took o chast seruaunt and onest, that was souereyn on the men werriours; and seuene men of hem that sien the face of the kyng, whiche weren foundun in the citees; and a scryuen, prince of knyytis, that preuyde yonge knyytis; and sixti men of the puple of the lond, that weren foundun in the myddis of the citee.²⁶ Forsothe Nabusardan, the maistir of chyualrie, took hem, and brouyte hem to the kyng of Babiloyne in Reblatha.²⁷ And the kyng of Babiloyne smoot hem, and killide hem in Reblatha, in the lond of Emath; and Juda was translatid fro his lond.²⁸ This is the puple, whom Nabugodonosor translatide in the seuenthe yeer; Jewis, thre thousynde and thre and twenti.²⁹ In the eiytenthe yeer, Nabugodonosor translatide fro Jerusalem eiyte hundrid and two and thritti persoones.³⁰ In the thre and twentithe yeer of Nabugodonosor, Nabusardan, the maister of chyualrie, translatide seuene hundrid and fyue and fourti persoones of Jewis. Therfor alle the persoones weren foure thousynde and sixe hundrid.

³¹ And it was doon, in the seuene and threttithe yeer of the passyng ouer of Joachym, kyng of Juda, in the tweluethe monethe, in the fyue and twentithe dai of the monethe, Euylmerodach, kyng of Babiloyne, reiside in that yeer of his rewme the heed of Joachym, kyng of Juda; and ledde hym out of the hous of the prisoun,³² and spak good thingis with hym. And he settide the trone of him aboue the trones of kyngis, that weren after hym in Babiloyne,³³ and chaungide the clothis of his prisoun. And Joachym eet breed bifore hym euere, in alle the daies of his lijf;³⁴ and hise metis, euerlastynge metis weren youun to hym of the kyng of Babiloyne, ordeyned bi ech dai, til to the dai of his deth, in alle the daies of his lijf. And it was don, aftir that Israel was led in to caitiftee, and Jerusalem was distried, Jeremye, the profete, sat wepinge, and biweilide Jerusalem with this lamentacioun; and he siyyide, and weilide with bitter soule, and seide.