¹ Therfor Ezechie bigan to regne, whanne he was of fyue and twenti yeer, and he regnede in Jerusalem nyne and twenti yeer; the name of his modir was Abia, the douytir of Zacharie.

² And he dide that, that was pleasaunt in the siyt of the Lord, bi alle thingis whiche Dauid, his fadir, hadde do.

³ In that yeer and the firste monethe of his rewme he openyde the yatis of the hows of the Lord, and restoride tho;

⁴ and he brouyte the preestis and dekenes, and gaderide hem in to the eest strete,

⁵ and seide to hem, Sones of Leuy, here ye me, and be ye halewid; clense ye the hows of the Lord God of youre fadris; do ye awei al vnclennesse fro the seyntuarie.

⁶ Oure fadris synneden, and diden yuel in the siyt of `oure Lord God, and forsoken hym; thei turneden awei her faces fro the tabernacle of `oure Lord God, and yauen the bak.

⁷ Thei closiden the doris that weren in the porche, and quenchiden the lanternes; and thei brenten not encense, and thei offriden not brent sacrifices in the seyntuarie of God of Israel.

⁸ Therfor the stronge veniaunce of the Lord was reisid on Juda and Jerusalem; and he yaf hem in to stiryng, and in to perischyng, and in to `hisshing, ether scornyng, as ye seen with youre iyen.

⁹ Lo! oure fadris felden doun bi swerdis; oure sones, and oure douytris, and wyues ben led prisouneris for this greet trespas.

¹⁰ Now therfor it plesith me, that we make a boond of pees with the Lord God of Israel, and that he turne fro vs the stronge veniaunce of his ire.

¹¹ My sones, nyle ye be reccheles; the Lord hath chose you, that ye stonde bifor hym, and serue hym, that ye herie hym, and brenne encense to hym.

¹² Therfor the dekenes risiden, Mahat, the sone of Amasie, and Johel, the sone of Azarie, of the sones of Caath; sotheli of the sones of Merarye, Cys, the sone of Abdai, and Azarie, the sone of Jelaleel; forsothe of the sones of Jerson, Joha, the sone of Zemma, and Hedem, the sone of Johaa;

¹³ and sotheli of the sones of Elisaphan, Samri, and Jahiel; and of the sones of Asaph, Zacharie, and Mathanye;

¹⁴ also of the sones of Heman, Jahiel, and Semei; but also of the sones of Iditum, Semei, and Oziel.

¹⁵ And thei gaderiden to gidere her britheren, and weren halewid; and thei entriden bi comaundement of the kyng, and bi comaundement of the Lord, for to clense the hows of the Lord.

¹⁶ Also preestis entriden in to the temple of the Lord, for to halewe it, and thei baren out al vnclennesse, which thei founden ther ynne in the porche, `ethir large place, of the hows of the Lord; which vnclennesse the dekenes token, and baren out to the stronde of Cedron with outforth.

¹⁷ Sotheli thei bigunnen to clense in the firste dai of the firste monethe, and in the eiyte dai of the same monethe thei entriden in to the porche of the hows of the Lord, and thei clensiden the temple eiyte daies; and in the sixtenthe dai of the same monethe thei filliden that, that thei hadden bigunne.

¹⁸ And thei entriden to Ezechie, the king, and seiden to hym, We han halewid al the hows of the Lord, and the auter of brent sacrifice therof, and the vessels therof, also and the boord of settyngforth with alle hise vessels,

¹⁹ and al the purtenaunce of the temple, `which purtenaunce king Achaz hadde defoulid in his rewme, aftir that he brak the lawe; and lo! alle thingis ben set forth bifor the auter of the Lord.

²⁰ And Ezechie, the kyng, roos in the morwetid, and gaderide togidere alle the princes of the citee, and stiede in to the hows of the Lord;

²¹ and thei offriden togidere seuene bolis, and seuene rammes, seuene lambren, and seuene buckis of geet, for synne, for the rewme, for the seyntuarye, and for Juda. And he seide to preestis, the sones of Aaron, that thei schulden offre on the auter of the Lord.

²² Therfor thei killiden bolis, and `the preestis tooken the blood, and schedden it on the auter; also thei killiden rammes, and `the preestis schedden the blood of tho on the auter; thei offriden lambren, and `the preestis schedden the blood on the auter.

²³ And thei brouyten buckis of geet `for synne bifor the kyng and al the multitude, and thei settiden her hondis on tho;

²⁴ and the preestis offriden tho, and spreynten the blood of tho bifor the auter, for the clensyng of al Israel. For the king comaundide, that brent sacrifice shulde be made for al Israel, and for synne.

²⁵ Also he ordeynede dekenes in the hows of the Lord, with cymbalis, and sawtrees, and harpis, bi the ordenaunce of `Dauid the kyng, and of Gad, the profete, and of Nathan, the profete; for it was the comaundement of the Lord bi the hond of hise prophetis.

²⁶ And the dekenes stoden, and helden the orguns of Dauid; and preestis helden trumpis.

²⁷ And Ezechie comaundide, that thei schulden offre brent sacrifices on the auter; and whanne brent sacrifices weren offrid, thei bigunnen to synge preisyngis to the Lord, and to sowne with trumpis, and in dyuerse orguns, whiche Dauid, the kyng of Israel, hadde maad redi for to sowne.

²⁸ Forsothe whanne al the cumpenye worschipide, syngeris and thei that helden trumpis weren in her office, til the brent sacrifice was fillid.

²⁹ And whanne the offryng was endid, the kyng was bowid, and alle that weren with hym, and thei worschipiden God.

³⁰ And Ezechie and the princes comaundiden to the dekenes, that thei schulden preise the Lord with the wordis of Dauith, and of Asaph, the profete; whiche preisiden hym with greet gladnesse, and kneliden, and worschipiden.

³¹ Sothely Ezechie addide also these thingis, Ye han fillid youre hondis to the Lord; neiye ye, and offre sacrifices and preisyngis in the hows of the Lord.

³² Therfor al the multitude offride with deuoute soule sacrifices, and preisyngis, and brent sacrifices. Sotheli this was the noumbre of brent sacrifices, whiche the multitude offride; seuenti bolis, and an hundrid rammes, two hundrid lambren.

³³ Also thei halewiden to the Lord sixe hundrid oxis, and thre thousynde sheep.

³⁴ Forsothe the preestis weren fewe, and myyten not suffice for to `drawe awei the skynnes of brent sacrifices; wherfor and the dekenes her britheren helpiden hem, til the werk was fillid, and the preestis weren halewid; for the dekenes ben halewid bi liytere custom than the preestis.

³⁵ Therfor there weren ful many brent sacrifices, ynnere fatnessis of pesible sacrifices, and the moyste sacrifices of brent sacrifices, and the worschip, `ethir ournyng, of the `Lordis hows was fillid.

³⁶ And Ezechie was glad, and al the puple, for the seruyce of the Lord was fillid; for it pleside, that this was doon sodeynly.