2 Chronicles · Chapter 2

[ edit] Forſoþe Salomon demed to bilden up an hous to þe name of þe Lord, and a paleys to hym ſilf. And he noumbrede ſeuenty þouſand of men berynge in ſchulderis, and eiȝti þouſand þat ſchulden hewen ſtones in hillis; and þe prouoſtes of hem þre þouſand and ſixe hundriþ.

Alſo he ſente to Yram, kyng of Tiry, ſeyinge, As þou haſt don wiþ my fadir Dauid, and haſt ſente to hym cedre trees, þat he bilde to hym an hous, in þe whiche and he dwellide; ſo do wiþ me, þat I bilde an hous to þe name of þe Lord my God, and þat I ſacre it, to brennen encenſe beforn hym, and to ſwote þingis to ben out ſmokid, and to þe euermore propocicioun of looues, and to þe brent ſacrifices erly and at euen, alſo to þe ſabotis, and to þe newe mones, and ſolempnytes of þe Lord oure God in to euermore, þat ben comaundid to Yrael. Þe hous forſoþe, þat I coueite to bilden up, is greet; forſoþe þe Lord oure God is grete vpon alle goddis.

Who þan ſchal mowen ben myȝty, þat he bilde up to hym an worþi hous? Ȝif forſoþe heuen and heuens of heuens mown not taken hym, how myche am I, þat I may to hym bilden up an hous, bot to þes þingis al oonly, þat encenſe be brent beforn hym? Sende þann to me an tauȝt man, þat kann wirchen in gold, and ſiluer, braſſe, and yren, purpur, cocco, and iacynte; and þat kanne grauen in craft of grauyng wiþ þeſe craftiſe men, þe whiche I haue wiþ me in Jewrie and Jeruſalem, þe whiche Dauid, my fadir, made redy before.

Bot and cedre trees ſenden to me, and tyne trees, and pyne trees of Lyban; I knowe forſoþe, þat þi ſeruauntis kunnen hewen trees of þe wode; and my ſeruauntis ſchuln ben wiþ þi ſeruauntis, þat þer ben made redy to me many trees; þe hous forſoþe þat I coueite to bilden up is ful myche grete, and ful glorious. Forþermore to werk men, þat ben to hewen trees, to þi ſeruauntis, I ſchal ȝeuen in to metis choris of whete twenty þouſand, and choris of barly as fele, and of oyle twenty þouſand meſures, as of twelue galouns. Forſoþe Iram, kyng of Tyry, ſeide bi þe lettres þat he ſente to Salomon, For þe Lord haþ louede his puple, þerfore þee he maad regnen vpon it.

And he addid, ſeyinge, Bleſſid þe Lord God of Yrael, þat made heuen and erþ, þat ȝaue to kyng Dauid a wijs ſone, and tauȝt, and witty, and ſleeȝ, þat he bilde up an hous to þe Lord, and a paleis to hym ſilf. Þerfore I haue ſente to þee a ſleeiȝ man and moſt kunnyng, Yram, my fadir, ſone of a womman of þe lynage of Dan, whos fadir was Tyrus; þe whiche kouþe wirchen in gold, and in ſiluer, braſſe, and yren, and marbil, and trees, in purpur alſo, and iacynct, and bijſe, and cocko; and þat kanne grauen al grauynge, and fynde ſleeȝly what euer þing is nedeful in werk wiþ þi craftiſe men, and wiþ þe craftiſe men of my lord Dauid, þi fadir.

Þanne þe whete, and þe barly, and þe oyle, and þe wijne, þe whiche, my lord, þou haſt behoten, ſende to þi ſeruauntis. We forſoþe hewen þe trees from þe wode, as fele as þou ſchalt han need; and we ſchulen applyen hem in names bi þe ſe in to Joppe; þin forſoþe ſchal ben to leeden hem ouer in to Jeruſalem. Þan Salomon noumbride alle þe men comlyngis, þat weren in þe lond of Yrael, aftir þe noumbrynge þat Dauid, his fadir, noumbred; and þer ben founden an hundriþ and fyfty þouſand and þre þouſand and ſixe hundriþ.

And he maad of hem ſeuenty þouſand, þat ſchulde beren birþens wiþ ſchuldirs, and eiȝty þouſand, þat ſtoonys in hillis ſchulden hewen; þre forſoþe þouſand and ſex hundriþ prouoſtis of þe werkis of þe puple.