Ecclesiastes · Chapter 45

[ edit] Moiſes looued of God and of men; whos mynde is in bleſſyng. Lic he made hym in þe glorie of ſeyntes, and he magnefiede hym in þe drede of enemys; and in his wrdis he ceſede hidous wondris. He glorefiede hym in þe ſiȝt of kyngus, and he comaundide to hym biforn al his puple, and he ſhewede to hym his glorie. In feiþ and ſofteneſſe of hym he made hym hoely; and he chees hym of alle fleſh. Forſoþe he herde hym, and þe vois of hym; and he ladde hym in a cloude. And he ȝaff hym an herte to þe heſtes, and to þe lawe of lif, and of diſciplyne; to techen Jacob þe teſtament, and Irael his domes. Heeȝ he made Aaron, his broþer, and a lic to hym of þe lynage of Leuy.

He ſette to hym an euere laſtende teſtament, and he ȝaf to hym þe preſþod of þe folc of kinde; and he made hym blisful in glorie. And he girde hym aboute wiþ þe girdil of riȝtwiſneſſe, and he cloþide hym þe ſtoele of glorie, and crounede hym in veſſelis off vertue. Shon, and breches, and coepe he putte to hym, and girde hym aboute wiþ manye litle goldene belles in cumpas; to ȝyue ſoun in his goyng in, and to make þe ſoun herd in þe temple, in to mynde to þe ſonus of hys folc.

An hoely ſtoele, wiþ gold, and blyu vyolet ſilc, and ſanguyn ſilc, þe werk wouen, þurȝ þe dom of þe wiſe man, and þurȝ þe treuþe of þe enourned; wiþ fyr red ſilc foldun aȝeen, þe werk of þe craftis, wiþ precious iemmes figured in binding of gold, and wiþ werk of þe lapidarie grauen, in to þe mynde, after þe noumbre of þe lynagis of Irael. A goldene croune vp on þe mytre of hym, expreſſid wiþ þe tocne of hoelyneſſe, þe glorie of wrſhipe, and þe werc of vertue, to þe deſir of eȝen enourned. So faire bifor hym weren not ſuche þingus, vnto þe eſt. Þer is nott clad wiþ it any alyen, but only alone þe ſonus of hym, and þe coſynes of hym, bi alle tyme.

Þe ſacrifices of hym ben ful endid wiþ fyr eche day. Moiſes fulfilde þe hondis of hym, and enoyntede hym wiþ his hoely oile. It is mad to hym an euerelaſtende teſtament, and to his ſed as þe daȝes of heuene, to vſen þe offis of preſþed, and to han preyſyng, and his puple to be glorified in his name. Hym he chees of alle lyuende, to offre ſacrifice to God, encens, and good ſmell, in to mynde, to make pes for his puple. And he ȝaf to hym power in his heſtes, in teſtamentes of domes, to teche Jacob witneſſingus, and in his lawe liȝt to ȝyue to Irael.

For aȝen hym ſtoden alienus, and for enuye þer cumpaſſeden hym men in deſert, þat weren wiþ Daþan and Abiron, and þe congregacioun of Chore, in to ful wraþe. Þe Lord ſaȝ, and it pleſede not to hym; and þei ben waſtid in þe bure of ful wraþe. He made to hem hidous veniaunces, and he waſtede þem in þe flaume of fyr. And he eechede to Aron glorie, and he ȝaf to hym eritage; and þe chef of þe frutes of þe erþe he deuydide to hym. Þe bred of hym in þe firſte, in to fulneſſe he greiþede; for whi and þe ſacrifiſe of þe Lord þei ſhul ete, þe whiche he ȝaf to hym, and to þe ſed of hym.

For whi in þel ond he ſhal not eritagen Jentiles, and part is not to hym in þe folc; he is forſoþe þe part of hym, he is and þe eritage. Fynees, þe ſone of Eleaſar, þe þridde is in glorie, folowende hym in þe drede of God, and to ſtonde in reuerence of þe folc; in goodneſſe and gladneſſe of his ſoule he pleſide to God of Irael. Þerfore he ſette to hym a teſtament of pes, and a prince of ſeyntes, and of his folc; þat þer be to hym and to his ſed dignete of preſþed, in to wiþ oute ende.

And þe teſtament of Dauid, þe king, ſone of Jeſſe, of þe lynage of Juda, eritage to hym, and to þe ſed of hym; þat he ſchuld ȝyue wiſdam in to oure herte, to demen his folc in riȝtwiſneſſe, leſt were don awei þe goodis of hem; and þe glorie of hem, in to þe folc of hem, he maade euere laſtende.