III.

OLD TESTAMENT PIECES.

Æfter þǣm sōþlīce ealle męnn sprǣcon āne sprǣċe. Þā

þā hīe fērdon fram Ēast-dǣle, hīe fundon ānne feld on

Sennaār-lande, and wunodon þǣr-on.

Þā cwǣdon hīe him be·twēonan: 'Uton wyrċan ūs tiġelan,

and ǣlan hīe on fȳre!' Witodlīce hīe hæfdon tiġelan for

stān and tierwan for weal-līm. And hīe cwǣdon: 'Uton

timbrian ūs ċeastre, and stīepel oþ heofon hēanne! uton

weorþian ūrne naman, ǣr þ[æ]m þe wē sīen tō·dǣlde ġeond

ealle eorþan!'

Witodlīce Dryhten ā·stāg niþer, tō þǣm þæt hē ġe·sāwe

þā burg and þone stīepel, þe Adāmes bearn ġe·timbrodon.

And hē cwæþ: 'þis is ān folc, and ealle hīe sprecaþ ān

læden, and hīe be·gunnon þis tō wyrċenne: ne ġe·swīcaþ hīe

ǣr þǣm þe hit ġearu sīe; sōþlīce uton cuman and tō·dǣlan

hiera sprǣċe!'

Swā Dryhten hīe tō·dǣlde of þǣre stōwe ġeond ealle eorþan.

And for þǣm man nęmnde þā stōwe Babēl for þǣm þe þǣr

wǣron tō·dǣlde ealle sprǣċa.

II.

God wolde pā fandian Abrahāmes ġe·hīersumnesse, and

clipode his naman, and cwæþ him þus tō: 'Nim þīnne

ān-cęnnedan sunu Isaāc, þe þū lufast, and far tō þǣm

lande Visionis hraþe, and ġe·offra hine þǣr uppan ānre

dūne.'

Abrahām þā ā·rās on þǣre ilcan nihte, and fērde mid

twǣm cnapum tō þǣm fierlenum lande, and Isaāc samod,

on assum rīdende.

Þā on þǣm þriddan dæġe, þā hīe þā dūne ġe·sāwon, þǣr

þǣr hīe tō scoldon tō of·slēanne Isaāc, þā cwæþ Abrahām

tō þǣm twǣm cnapum þus: 'Andbīdiaþ ēow hēr mid þǣm

assum sume hwīle! ic and þǣt ċild gāþ unc tō ġe·biddenne,

and wit siþþan cumaþ sōna eft tō ēow.'

Abrahām þā hēt Isaāc beran þone wudu tō þǣre stōwe,

and hē self bær his sweord and fȳr. Isaāc þa āscode Abrahām

his fæder: 'Fæder mīn, ic āsciġe hwǣr sēo offrung sīe;

hēr is wudu and fȳr.' Him andwyrde se fæder: 'God foresċēawaþ,

mīn sunu, him self þā offrunge.'

Hīe cōmon þā tō þǣre stōwe þe him ġe·sweotolode God;

and hē þǣr weofod ā·rǣrde on þā ealdan wīsan, and þone

wudu ġe·lōgode swā swā hē hit wolde habban tō his suna

bærnette, siþþan hē of·slæġen wurde. Hē ġe·band þā his

sunu, and his sweord ā·tēah, þæt hē hine ġe·offrode on þā

ealdan wīsan.

Mid þǣm þe hē wolde þǣt weorc be·ġinnan, þā clipode

Godes ęnġel arodlīce of heofonum: 'Abrahām!' Hē andwyrde

sōna. Se ęnġel him cwæþ tō: 'Ne ā·cwęle þū

þæt ċild, ne þīne hand ne ā·stręċe ofer his swēoran! Nū ic

on·cnēow sōþlīce þæt pū on·drǣtst swīþe God, nū pū pīnne

ān-cęnnedan sunu woldest of·slēan for him.'

Þā be·seah Abrahām sōna under bæc, and ġe·seah þǣr

ānne ramm be·twix þǣm brēmlum be þǣm hornum ġe·hæftne,

and hē hæfde þone ramm tō þǣre offrunge, and hine þǣr

of·snāþ Gode tō lāce for his sunu Isaāc. Hē hēt þā stōwe

Dominus videt, þæt is 'God ġe·sihþ,' and ġiet is ġe·sæġd

swā, In monte Dominus videbit, þæt is, 'God ġe·sihþ on dūne.'

Eft clipode se ęnġel Abrahām, and cwæþ: 'Ic sæġde

þurh mē selfne, sæġde se Ælmihtiga, nū þū noldest ārian

þīnum āncęnnedum suna, ac þē wæs mīn ęġe māre þonne

his līf, ic þē nū blētsiġe, and þīnne of-spring ge·maniġ-fielde

swā swā steorran on heofonum, and swā swā sand-ċeosol

on sǣ; þīn ofspring sċeal āgan hiera fēonda ġeatu. And on

þīnum sǣde bēoþ ealle þēoda ġe·blētsode, for þǣm þe þū

ġe·hīersumodest mīnre hǣse þus.'

Abrahām þā ġe·ċierde sōna tō his cnapum, and fērdon him

hām sōna mid heofonlicre blētsunge.

III.

Sum cwēn wæs on sūþ-dǣle, Saba ġe·hāten, snotor and

wīs. Þā ġe·hīerde hēo Salomones hlīsan, and cōm fram

þǣm sūþernum ġe·mǣrum to Salomone binnan Hierusalēm

mid miċelre fare, and hiere olfendas bǣron sūþerne wyrta,

and dēor-wierþe ġimm-stānas, and un-ġerīm gold. Sēo cwēn

þā hæfde sprǣċe wiþ Salomon, and sæġde him swā hwæt

swā hēo on hiere heortan ġe·þōhte. Salomon þā hīe lǣrde,

and hiere sæġde ealra þāra worda andġiet þe hēo hine āscode.

Þā ġe·seah sēo cwēn Salomones wīsdōm, and þæt mǣre

tempel þe hē ġe·timbrod hæfde, and þā lāc þe man Gode

offrode, and þæs cyninges maniġ-fealde þeġnunga, and wæs

tō þǣm swīþe of·wundrod þæt hēo næfde furþor nānne gāst,

for þǣm þe hēo ne mihte nā furþor smēan. Hēo cwæþ þā

tō þǣm cyninge: 'Sōþ is þæt word þe ic ġe·hīerde on

mīnum earde be þē and be þīnum wīsdōme, ac ic nolde

ġe·līefan ǣr þǣm þe ic self hit ġe·sāwe. Nū hæbbe ic ā·fandod

þæt mē næs be healfum dǣle þīn mǣrþo ġe·cȳped. Māre

is þīn wīsdōm and þīn weorc þonne se hlīsa wǣre þe ic

ġe·hīerde. Ēadige sind þīne þeġnas and þīne þēowas, þe

simle æt·foran þē standaþ, and þīnne wīsdōm ġe·hīeraþ.

Ġe·blētsod sīe se ælmihtiga God, þe þē ġe·ċēas and ġe·sętte

ofer Israhēla rīċe, þæt þū dōmas sętte and riht-wīsnesse,'

Hēo for·ġeaf þǣem cyninge þā hund·twęlftiġ punda goldes,

and unġerīm dēorwierþra wyrta and dēorwierþra ġimmstāna.

Salomon ēac for·ġeaf þǣre cwēne swā hwæs swā hēo ġiernde

æt him; and hēo ġe·węnde on·ġeān tō hiere ēþle mid hiere

þeġnum. Salomon þā wæs ġe·mǣrsod ofer eallum eorþlicum

cyningum, and ealle þēoda ġe·wilnodon þæt hīe hine ġe·sāwen,

and his wīsdōm ġe·hīerden, and hīe him maniġfeald lāc

brōhton.

Sēo cwēn hæfde ġe·tācnunge þǣre hālgan ġe·laþunge ealles

crīstenes folces, þe cōm tō þǣm ġe·sibbsuman Crīste tō

ġe·hīerenne his wīsdōm and þā god-spellican lāre þa hē

ā·stealde, and be on·liehtunge þæs sōþan ġe·lēafan, and be

þǣm tōweardan dōme, be ūrre sāwle un-dēadlicnesse, and be

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hyhte and wuldre þæs ġe·mǣnelican ǣristes.

Sēo cwēn cōm tō Salomone mid miċlum lācum on golde

and on dēorwierþum ġimmstānum and wyrt-brǣþum; and

þæt bǣron olfendas. Sēo ġe·lēaffulle ġe·laþung, þe cymþ

of ǣlcum earde tō Crīste, bringþ him þās fore-sæġdan lāc

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æfter gāstlicum andġiete. Hēo offraþ him gold þurh sōþne

ġe·lēafan, and wyrtbrǣþas þurh ġe·bedu, and dēorwierþe

ġimmas þurh fæġernesse gōdra þēawa and hāliġra mæġna.

Be þisse ġe·laþunge cwæþ se wītega tō Gode: Adstitit

regina a dextris tuis, in vestitu deaurato, circumdata varietate,

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þæt is, 'sēo cwēn stęnt æt þīnre swīþran, on ofergyldum

ġierlan, ymb·scrȳdd mid maniġfealdre fāgnesse.' Sēo gāstlice

cwēn, Godes ġe·laþung, is ġe·glęnġed mid dēorwierþre

frætwunge and maniġfealdum blēo gōdra drohtnunga and

mihta.

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Hēo sæġde Salomone ealle hiere dīegolnessa, and sēo

ġe·laþung ġe·openaþ Crīste hiere inn-ġehyġd and þa dīeglan

ġe·þōhtas on sōþre andetnesse.

Olfendas bǣron þā dēorwierþan lāc mid þǣre cwēne

intō Hierusalēm; for þǣm þe þā hǣþnan, þe ǣr wǣron

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ġe·hoferode þurh ġītsunge and atollice þurh leahtras, bǣron,

þurh hiera ġe·ċierrednesse and ġe·lēafan, þā gāstlican lāc

tō Crīstes handum.

Sēo cwēn wundrode Salomones wīsdōmes, and his ġe·timbrunga,

and þeġnunga; and sēo ġe·laþung wundraþ Crīstes

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wīsdōmes, for þǣm þe hē is sōþ wīsdōm, and eall wīsdōm is

of him. Hē ġe·timbrode þā hēalican heofonas and ealne

middanġeard, and ealle ġe·sceafta ġe·sętte on þrim þingum,

in mensura, et pondere, et numero, þæt is, on ġe·mete, and

on hęfe, and on ġe·tele. Crīstes þeġnung is ūre hǣlo and

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folca ā·līesednes, and þā sind ġe·sǣliġe þe him þeġniaþ tō

ġe·cwēmednesse on þǣm gāstlicum ġe·rȳnum.

Sēo cwēn sæġde þæt hiere nǣre be healfum dǣle ġe·sæġd

be Salomones mǣrþo, and sēo gāstlice cwēn, Godes ġe·laþung,

oþþe ġe·hwelc hāliġ sāwol, þonne hēo cymþ tō þǣre heofonlican

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Hierusalēm, þonne ġe·sihþ hēo miċle māran mǣrþo

and wuldor þonne hiere ǣr on līfe þurh wītegan oþþe apostolas

ġe·cȳdd wǣre. Ne mæġ nān ēage on þissum līfe

ġe·sēon, ne nān ēare ġe·hīeran, ne nānes mannes heorte

ā·smēan þā þing þe God ġearcaþ þǣm þe hine lufiaþ. Þā

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þing wē magon be·ġietan, ac wē ne magon hīe ā·smēan,

ne ūs nǣfre ne ā·þrīett þāra gōda ġe·nyhtsumnes.

Crīst is ealra cyninga cyning, and swā swā ealle þēoda

woldon ġe·sēon þone ġe·sibbsuman Salomon, and his wīsdōm

ġe·hīeran, and him mislicu lāc brōhton, swā ēac nū of eallum

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þēodum ġe·wilniaþ męnn tō ġe·sēonne þone ġe-sibbsuman

Crīst þurh ġe·lēafan, and þone godspellican wīsdōm ġe·hīeran,

and hīe him dæġ-hwǣmlīce þā gāstlican lāc ġe·offriaþ on

maniġfealdum ġe·metum.

IV.

On Cȳres dagum cyninges wrēġdon þā Babilōniscan þone

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wītegan Daniēl, for þǣm þe hē tō·wearp hiera dēofol-ġield,

and cwǣdon ān-mōdlīce tō þǣm fore-sæġdan cyninge Cȳrum:

'Betǣċ ūs Daniēl, þe ūrne god Bēl tō·wearp, and þone dracan

ā·cwealde þe wē on be·līefdon; ġif þū hine for·stęntst, wē

for·dilgiaþ þē and þīnne hīred.'

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Þā ġe·seah se cyning þæt hīe ān-mōde wǣron, and nīedunga

þone wītegan him tō handum ā·sċēaf. Hīe þā hine

ā·wurpon intō ānum sēaþe, on þǣm wǣron seofon lēon, þǣm

man sealde dæġhwǣmlīce twā hrīþeru and twā sċēap, ac him

wæs þā of·togen ǣlces fōdan siex dagas, þæt hīe þone Godes

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mann ā·bītan scolden.

On þǣre tīde wæs sum ōþer wītega on Jūdēa-lande, his

nama waes Abacuc, sē bær his rifterum męte tō æcere. Þā

cōm him tō Godes ęnġel, and cwæþ: 'Abacuc, ber þone

męte tō Babilōne, and sęle Daniēle, sē þe sitt on þāra lēona

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sēaþe.' Abacuc andwyrde þǣm ęnġle: 'Lā lēof, ne ġe·seah

ic nǣfre þā burg, ne ic þone sēaþ nāt.'

Þā se ęnġel ġe·lǣhte hine be þǣm feaxe, and hine bær

tō Babilōne, and hine sętte bufan þǣm sēaþe. Þā clipode se

Abacuc: 'þū Godes þēow, Daniēl, nim þās lāc þe þē God

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sęnde!' Daniēl cwæþ: 'Mīn Dryhten Hǣlend, sīe þē lof

and weorþ-mynd þæt þū mē ġe·mundest.' And hē þā þǣre

sande brēac. Witodlīce Godes ęnġel þǣr-rihte mid swiftum

flyhte ġe·brōhte þone disc-þeġn, Abacuc, þǣr hē hine

ǣr ġe·nam.

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Se cyning þā Cȳrus on þǣm seofoþan dæġe ēode drēoriġ

tō þāra lēona sēaþe, and inn be·seah, and efne þā Daniēl

sittende wæs ġe·sundfull on·middan þǣm lēonum. Þā clipode

se cyning mid miċelre stefne: 'Mǣre is se God þe Daniēl

on be·līefþ.' And hē þā mid þǣm worde hine ā·tēah of þǣm

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scræfe, and hēt inn weorpan þā þe hine ǣr for·dōn woldon.

Þæs cyninges hǣs wearþ hrædlīce ġe·fręmmed, and þæs

wītegan ēhteras wurdon ā·scofene be·twix þā lēon, and hīe

þǣr-rihte mid grǣdigum ċeaflum hīe ealle tō·tǣron. Þā

cwæþ se cyning: 'Forhtien and on·drǣden ealle eorþ-būend

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Daniēles God, for þǣm þe hē is Ā·līesend and Hǣlend,

wyrċende tācnu and wundru on heofonan and on eorþan.'

Nabochodonosor, se hǣþena cyning, ġe·hęrgode on Godes

folce, on Jūdēa-lande, and for hiera mān-dǣdum God þæt

ġe·þafode. Þā ġe·nam hē þā māþm-fatu, gyldenu and silfrenu,

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binnan Godes temple, and tō his lande mid him

ġe·lǣdde. Hit ġe·lamp eft siþþan þæt hē on swefne āne

ġe·sihþe be him selfum ġe·seah, swā swā him siþþan ā·ēode.

Æfter þissum ymb twelf mōnaþ, ēode se cyning binnan

his healle mid ormǣtre ūp-āhafennesse, hęriende his weorc

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and his miht, and cwæþ: 'Hū, ne is þis sēo miċle Babilōn,

þe ic self ġe·timbrode tō cyne-stōle and tō þrymme, mē

selfum to wlite and wuldre, mid mīnum āgnum mæġne

and stręnġþo?' Ac him clipode þǣrrihte tō swīþe ęġeslic

stefn of heofonum, þus cweþende: 'Þū Nabochodonosor,

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þīn rīċe ġe·wītt fram þē, and þū bist fram mannum ā·worpen,

and þīn wunung biþ mid wildēorum, and þū itst gærs, swā

swā oxa, seofon ġēar, oþ þæt þū wite þæt se hēalica

God ġe·wielt manna rīċa, and þæt hē for·ġiefþ rīċe þǣm

þe hē wile.'

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Witodlīce on þǣre ilcan tīde wæs þēos sprǣċ ġe·fylled

ofer Nabochodonosor, and hē arn tō wuda, and wunode mid

wildēorum, leofode be gærse, swā swā nīeten, oþ þæt his

feax wēox swā swā wīf-manna, and his næġlas swā swā

earnes clawa.

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Eft siþþan him for·ġeaf se ælmihtiga Wealdend his ġe·witt,

and hē cwæþ: 'Ic Nabochodonosor ā·hōf mīn ēagan ūp tō

heofonum, and mīn andġiet mē wearþ for·ġiefen, and ic þā

blētsode þone hīehstan God, and ic hęrede and wuldrode

þone þe leofaþ on ēċnesse, for þǣm þe his miht is ēċe, and

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his rīċe stęnt on mǣġþe and on mǣġþe. Ealle eorþ-būend

sind tō nāhte ġe·tealde on his wiþ·metennesse. Æfter his

willan hē dēþ ǣġþer ġe on heofone ġe on eorþan, and nis

nān þing þe his mihte wiþ·stande, oþþe him tō cweþe 'hwȳ

dēst þū swā?' On þǣre tīde mīn andġiet ġe·węnde tō mē,

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and ic be·cōm tō weorþ-mynde mīnes cyne-rīċes, and mīn

męnnisce hīw mē be·cōm. Mīne witan mē sōhton, and mīn

mǣrþo wearþ ġe·ēacnod. Nū eornostlīce ic mǣrsiġe and

wuldriġe þone heofonlican cyning, for þǣm þe eall his weorc

sind sōþ, and his wegas riht-wīse, and hē mæġ ġe·ēaþ-mēdan

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þā þe on mōdiġnesse faraþ.'

Þus ġe·ēaþmēdde se ælmihtiga God þone mōdigan cyning

Nabochodonosor.