Ecclesiastes · Chapter 44

[ edit] Preiſen we glorious men, and oure fadris and modris in þer generacioun. Myche glorie þe Lord dide in his grete doyng. Fro þe world ben men lordſchipende in þer poweres, grete men in vertue, and bi þer prudence biforn oþere mad riche; tellende in profetes þe dignete of profetes, and comaundende in þe preſent puple, and bi vertue of prudence of þe puple, moſt hoely wrdis. In þer wiſdam ſechende þe muſyk manerys, and tellende þe dytes of ſcriptures. Riche men in vertue, hauende þe ſtudy of fairneſſe, pes makende in þer houſes. Alle þeſe in þe ieneraciouns of þeir folc han taken glorie; and in þer daȝes ben had in preiſyngus.

Who of hem ben born, laften þe name of telling þe preiſingus of hem. And þer ben, of whom is no mynde; þei perſheden as þat weren not, and ben born as not born; and þe ſonus of hem wiþ hem. But þey men of mercy ben, of whom þe pitouſtees faileden not; and wiþ þe ſeed of hem dwellide ſtille good eritage. And þe ſed of þe ſonus ſonus of hem ſtod in þe teſtament, and þe eritage of þe ſonus of hem for hem, in to wiþ oute ende dwelleþ; þe ſed of hem, and þe glorie of hem, ſhal not be forſaken. Þe bodies of hem in pes ben biried; and þe name of hem ſhal lyue in to ieneraciouns and ieneraciouns. Þe wyſdam of hem puples ſhul tellen; and þe preiſing of hem þe chirche ſhal ſhewen.

Enoc pleſede to God, and is tranſlatid in to paradis, þat he ȝyue wiſdam to folc of kynde. Noe is founde a parfit riȝtwis man, and in tyme of wraþe he is mad recounſylyng. Þerfore is laft þe remnaunt of þe erþe, whan þe flod was do. Þe teſtaments of þe world ben put anent hym, ne myȝte be do awey wiþ þe flod eche fleſh. Abraham þe grete fader of þe multitude of þe folc of kinde; and þer is not founde lijc to hym in glorie, þat kepte þe lawe of þe heȝeſt, and was in teſtament wiþ hym. In his fleſh he made to ſtonde þe teſtament; and in tempting he is founde feiþful.

Þerfore by oþ he ȝaf to hym glorie in his folc of kinde, to encreſen hym as an hilloc of erþe; and to enhauncen þe ſed of hym as þe ſterres, and to eritagen hym fro þe ſe vn to þe ſe, and fro þe flod vnto þe termes of þe erþe. And to Iſaac he dide þe ſame maner, for Abraham, his fader. Þe bliſſing of alle folc of kinde þe Lord ȝaf to hym; and his teſtament he confermede vp on þe hed of Jacob. He kneȝ hym in his bleſſingus, and ȝaf to hym þe eritage; and he deuydede to hym part in þe twelue lynagis. And he kepte to hym ſonus of mercy, findende grace in þe ſiȝt of al fleſh.