2 Kings 6
1 And the sons of the prophets said to Eliseus: Behold the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.
Forsothe the sones of prophetis seiden to Elisee, Lo! the place in which we dwellen bifor thee, is streiyt to vs;
2 Let us go as far as the Jordan and take out of the wood every man a piece of timber, that we may build us there a place to dwell in. And he said: Go.
go we `til to Jordan, and ech man take of the wode `a mater for hym silf, that we bild to vs here a place to dwelle.
3 And one of them said: But come thou also with thy servants. He answered: I will come.
Which Elisee seide, Go ye. And oon of hem seide, Therfor `and thou come with thi seruauntis. He answeride, Y schal come. And he yede with hem.
4 So he went with them. And when they were come to the Jordan they cut down wood.
And whanne thei `hadden come to Jordan, thei hewiden trees.
5 And it happened, as one was felling some timber, that the head of the axe fell into the water: and he cried out, and said: Alas, alas, alas, my lord, for this same was borrowed.
Sotheli it bifelde, that whanne `o man hadde kit doun mater, the yrun of the axe felde in to the watir; and he criede, and seide, Alas! alas! alas! my lord, and Y hadde take this same thing bi borewing.
6 And the man of God said: Where did it fall? and he shewed him the place. Then he cut off a piece of wood, and cast it in thither: and the iron swam.
Sotheli the man of God seide, Where felde it? And he schewide to hym the place. Therfor he kittide doun a tree, and sente thidur; and the yrun fletide.
7 And he said: Take it up. And he put out his hand and took it.
And he seide, Take thou. Which helde forth the hond, and took it.
8 And the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying: In such and such a place let us lay ambushes.
Forsothe the kyng of Syrie fauyte ayens Israel; and he took counseil with hise seruauntis, and seide, Sette we buschementis in this place and that.
9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying: Beware that thou pass not to such a place: for the Syrians are there in ambush.
Therfor the man of God sente to the kyng of Israel, and seide, Be war, lest thou passe to that place, for men of Sirie ben there in buschementis.
10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God had told him, and prevented him, and looked well to himself there not once nor twice.
Therfor the kyng of Israel sente to the place, which the man of God hadde seid to him, and bifor ocupiede it, and kepte hym silf there not onys, nether twies.
11 And the heart of the king of Syria was troubled for this thing. And calling together his servants, he said: Why do you not tell me who it is that betrays me to the king of Israel?
And the herte of the kyng of Sirie was disturblid for this thing; and whanne hise seruauntis weren clepide togidere, he seide, Whi schewen ye not to me, who is my tretour anentis the kyng of Israel?
12 And one of his servants said: No one, my lord O king: but Eliseus the prophet, that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel all the words, that thou speakest in thy privy chamber.
And oon of hise seruauntis seide, Nay, my lord the kyng, but Elisee, the prophete, which is in Israel, schewith to the kyng of Israel alle thingis, what euer thingis thou spekist in thi closet.
13 And he said to them: Go, and see where he is: that I may send, and take him. And they told him, saying: Behold he is in Dothan.
And the kyng seide to hem, `Go ye, and se, where he is, that Y sende, and take hym. And thei telden to him, and seiden, Lo! he dwellith in Dothaym.
14 Therefore he sent thither horses and chariots, and the strength of an army: and they came by night, and beset the city.
And the kyng sente thidur horsis, and charis, and the strengthe of the oost; whiche, whanne thei hadden come bi nyyt, cumpassiden the citee.
15 And the servant of the man of God rising early, went out, and saw an army round about the city, and horses and chariots: and he told him, saying: Alas, alas, alas, my lord, what shall we do?
Sotheli the mynystre of the man of God roos eerli, and yede out, and he siy an oost in the cumpas of the citee, and horsis, and charis. And he telde to the man of God, and seide, Alas! alas! alas! my lord, what schulen we do?
16 But he answered: Fear not: for there are more with us than with them.
And he answeride, Nile thou drede; for mo ben with vs than with hem.
17 And Eliseus prayed, and said: Lord, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw: and behold the mountain was full of horses, and chariots of fire round about Eliseus.
And whanne Elisee hadde preied, he seide, Lord, opene thou the iyen of this child, that he se. And the Lord openyde the iyen of the child, and he siy. And, lo! the hil ful of horsis, and of charis of fier, in the cumpas of Elisee.
18 And the enemies came down to him, but Eliseus prayed to the Lord, saying: Strike, I beseech thee, this people with blindness. And the Lord struck them with blindness, according to the word of Eliseus.
Sotheli the enemyes camen doun to hym; forsothe Elisee preiede to the Lord, and seide, Y biseche, smyte thou this folc with blyndenesse. And the Lord smoot hem, that thei sien not, bi the word of Elisee.
19 And Eliseus said to them: This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will shew you the man whom you seek. So he led them into Samaria.
Forsothe Elisee seide to hem, This is not the weie, nether this is the citee; sue ye me, and Y schal schewe to you the man, whom ye seken. And he ledde hem into Samarie.
20 And when they were come into Samaria, Eliseus said: Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw themselves to be in the midst of Samaria.
And whanne thei hadden entrid into Samarie, Elisee seide, Lord, opene thou the iyen of these men, that thei see. And the Lord openyde her iyen, and thei siyen, that thei weren in the myddis of Samarie.
21 And the king of Israel said to Eliseus, when he saw them: My father, shall I kill them?
And the kyng of Israel, whanne he hadde seyn hem, seide to Elisee, My fadir, whether Y schal smyte hem?
22 And he said: Thou shalt not kill them: for thou didst not take them with thy sword, or thy bow, that thou mayst kill them: but set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
And he seide, Thou schalt not smyte hem, for thou hast not take hem bi thi swerd and bouwe, that thou smyte hem; but sette thou breed and watir bifor hem, that thei ete and drynke, and go to her lord.
23 And a great provision of meats was set before them, and they ate and drank, and he let them go, and they went away to their master, and the robbers of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
And `greet makyng redi of metis was set forth to hem; and thei eten, and drunken. And the kyng lefte hem, and thei yeden to her lord; and theues of Sirie camen no more in to the lond of Israel.
24 And it came to pass after these things, that Benadad king of Syria gathered together all his army, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
Forsothe it was don after these thingis, Benadab, king of Sirie, gaderide alle his oost, and stiede, and bisegide Samarie.
25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and so long did the siege continue, till the head of an ass was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cabe of pigeon’s dung, for five pieces of silver.
And greet hungur was maad in Samarie; and so long it was bisegid, til the heed of an asse were seeld for fourescore platis of siluer, and the fourthe part of a mesure clepid cabus of the crawe of culueris was seeld for fyue platis of siluer.
26 And as the king of Israel was passing by the wall, a certain woman cried out to him, saying: Save me, my lord O king.
And whanne the kyng of Israel passide bi the wal, sum womman criede to hym, and seide, My lord the kyng, saue thou me.
27 And he said: If the Lord doth not save thee, how can I save thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? And the king said to her: What aileth thee? And she answered:
Which seide, Nai, the Lord saue thee; wherof may Y saue thee? of cornfloor, ethir of pressour? And the kyng seide to hir, What wolt thou to thee?
28 This woman said to me: Give thy son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.
And sche answeride, This womman seide to me, Yyue thi sone, that we ete hym to dai, and we schulen ete my sone to morewe.
29 So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day: Give thy son that we may eat him. And she hath hid her son.
Therfor we setheden my sone, and eten him. And Y seide to hir in the tother day, Yyue thi sone, that we ete hym; and she hidde hir sone.
30 When the king heard this, he rent his garments, and passed by upon the wall. And all the people saw the haircloth which he wore within next to his flesh.
And whanne the kyng hadde herd this, he to-rente hise clothis, and passide bi the wal; and al the puple siy the heire, `with which the kyng was clothid at the fleisch with ynne.
31 And the king said: May God do so and so to me, and may he add more, if the head of Eliseus the son of Saphat shall stand on him this day.
And the kyng seide, God do to me these thingis, and adde these thingis, if the heed of Elise, sone of Saphat, schal stonde on hym to dai.
32 But Eliseus sat in his house, and the ancients sat with him. So he sent a man before: and before that messenger came, he said to the ancients: Do you know that this son of a murderer hath sent to cut off my head? Look then, when the messenger shall come, shut the door, and suffer him not to come in: for behold the sound of his master’s feet is behind him.
Sotheli Elisee sat in his hows, and elde men saten with hym; `therfor he biforsente a man, and bifor that thilke messanger cam, Elisee seide to the elde men, Whether ye witen, that the sone of manquellere sente hidur, that myn heed be gird of? Therfor se ye, whanne the messanger cometh, close ye the dore, and `suffre ye not hym to entre; for, lo! the sown of the feet of his lord is bihynde hym.
33 While he was yet speaking to them, the messenger appeared who was coming to him. And he said: Behold, so great an evil is from the Lord: what shall I look for more from the Lord?
And yit `while he spak to hem, the messanger that cam to hym apperide; and the kyng seide, Lo! so greet yuel is of the Lord; sotheli what more schal Y abide of the Lord?
