2 Chronicles · Chapter 35

[ edit] Forſoþe Jozias maad in Jeruſalem paſch to þe Lord, þat was offred þe fourtenþe day of þe firſt moneþ; and he ſette preſtis in þeir offices; and he meuede hem louely, þat þei ſchulden mynyſtren in þe hous of þe Lord. Alſo to þe Leuytis, at whos techinge al Irael was halowed to þe Lord, he ſpak, Puttiþ þe ark in þe ſeyntuarie of þe temple, þat Salomon, þe ſone of Dauid, kyng of Irael, bilde up; forſoþe ȝe ſchul bern it namore.

Nowe forſoþe mynyſtreþ to þe Lord oure God and to his puple Irael, and makiþ ȝou redy by houſes and ȝoure kynredis in þe deuyſiouns of eche oon, as Dauid, king of Irael, comaundide, and Salomon, his ſone, diſcriuede; and mynyſtreþ in þe ſeyntuarie bi ȝour meynees and Leuytis companyes, and, halowed, offreþ paſch; alſo ȝoure breþeren, þat þei mowen aftir þe wordis þat þe Lord ſpac in þe hond of Moyſes don, makiþ redy before. Forþermore Jozias ȝaue to al þe puple, þat was founden in to þe ſolempnyte of paſch, lombis, and kides of þe flockes, and of oþer feeld beeſtis þritty þouſand, of oxen forſoþe, þre þouſand; þes þingus of al þe ſubſtaunce of þe kyng.

Alſo his duykis wilfully þat þei voweden offreden, boþe to þe puple and preſtis and Leuytis. Bot Elchias, and Zacharias, and Jehiel, princis of þe hous of þe Lord, ȝeuen to þe preſtis, to don paſch, feeld beſtis mengyngly, two þouſand and ſexe hundriþ, and oxen þre hundriþ. Choneyas forſoþe, and Semeyas, alſo Naþanael and his breþeren, alſo Azabias, Jahiel, and Joſabas, princis of Leuytis, ȝeuen to oþer Leuytis, to halowen þe paſch, fyue þouſand of feeld beeſtis, and oxen fyue hundriþ. And þe ſeruyſe is maad redy beforn; and þe preſtis ſtoden in þeir office, alſo Leuytis in companyes, after þe kingis comaundement; and offred is paſch.

And þe preſtis ſprengeden þeir hondis wiþ blood, and Leuytis drewen of ſkynnes of brent ſacrifices, and ſeuerden hem, þat þei ſchulden ȝeuen by houſes and meynees of echon, and þei ſchulden ben offred to þe Lord, as it is writen in þe boke of Moyſes; and of oxen þei diden lijc maner. And þei rooſteden paſch vpon þe fijr, after þat it is wrijten in þe lawe. Forſoþe peſible hooſtis þei ſeeþeden in poſnettis, and cawdrones, and pottis, and haſtily þei deleden to al þe puple; to hem ſelue forſoþe, and to þe preſtis aftirward þei maden redy; for in þe offrynge of brent ſacrifices and talewis, vnto þe nyȝt þe preſtis weren ocupied.

Wherfore þe Leuytis to hem ſilf and to þe preſtis, ſonus of Aaron, greiþeden laſt. Bot þe ſyngers, ſonus of Aſaph, ſtoden in þeir ordre, aftir þe heſte of Dauid, and Aſaph, and Eman, and Ydytym, of þe prophetis of þe kyng; þe porters forſoþe bi alle þe ȝatis keptyn al about, ſo þat in no poynt forſoþe þei wenten fro þe ſeruyſe; wherfore and þe breþeren of hem, Leuytis, greiþeden to hem metis. Þanne al þe heryinge of þe Lord lawfuly is fulfild in þat day, þat þei do paſch, and offren brent ſacrifice vpon þe auter of þe Lord, aftir þe heſte of þe kyng Jozie. And þe ſonus of Irael, þat weren founden, diden þer paſch in þat tyme, and þe ſolempnyte of þerf looues ſeuen days.

Þer was not a paſch lijc to þis in Irael, fro þe days of Samuel, prophete; bot ne eny of þe kingus of Irael maad paſch as Jozias, to þe preſtis and Leuytis, and to al Jude and Irael, þat was founden, and to þe dwellers of Jeruſalem. Þe eiȝtenþe ȝeer of þe kyngdam of Jozie þis paſch is halewed. After þat Jozias hadde enſtored þe temple, Nechao, kyng of Egipt, ſteiȝede up to fiȝten in Charchamys beſide Eufraten; and Jozias wente forþ in to aȝein commynge of hym. And he, meſſagers ſent to hym, ſeiþ, What to me and to þee, kyng of Juda?

To day not aȝeinus þee I comme, bot aȝeinus an oþer hous I fyȝte, to whom God comaundide me haſtely to gon; leue aȝeinus God to don, þat is wiþ me, leſt he ſlee þee. Jozias wolde not ben turned aȝein, bot greiþede aȝein hym bataile; and he aſſentide not to þe wordis of Nechao, of þe mouþ of God, bot wente for to fiȝten in þe feeld of Magedo. And þere woundid of þe ſcheters, ſeide to his childre, Lediþ me out of þe bataile, for gretely I am woundid. Þe whiche beeren hym ouer fro oon chaar to an oþer, þat folowede hym, in kingus maner, and beeren hym awey in to Jeruſalem; and he is deed, and beried in þe coſteuous toumbe of his fadirs.

And al Juda and Jeruſalem weileden hym, Jeremyas moſt, whos alle þe ſyngers and ſyngereſſes in to þe preſent day lamentaciouns vpon Jozie replyen; and as lawe it is hadde in Irael, Loo! it is told writen in þe Lamentaciouns. Þe remnaunt forſoþe of þe wordis of Jozie, and of his mercyes, þe whiche in þe lawe of þe Lord ben comaundide, alſo þe werkis of hym, þe firſt and þe laſt, ben writen in þe bok of þe kyngus of Irael and of Juda.