1 Samuel 2

¹ The Lord makith pore, and makith riche; he makith low, and reisith. ² He reisith a nedi man fro poudur, and he reisith a pore man fro dryt, that he sitte with princes, and holde the seete of glorie; for the endis of erthe ben of the Lord, and he hath set the world on tho. 3 He schal kepe the feet of hise seyntis, and wickid men schulen be stille to gidere in derknessis; for a man schal not be maad strong in his owne strengthe. ⁴ Aduersaries of the Lord schulen drede hym, and in heuenes he schal thundre on hem; the Lord schal deme the endis of erthe, and he schal yyue lordschip to his kyng, and he schal enhaunse the horn, that is, power, of his Crist. 5 And Helcana yede in to Ramatha, in to his hows; forsothe the child was seruaunt in the siyt of the Lord bifor the face of Ely the preest. 6 Forsothe the sones of Hely weren sones of Belial, 7 and knewen not the Lord, nether the office of preestis to the puple; but who euer hadde offrid sacrifice, the child of the preest cam, while the fleischis weren in sething, and he hadde a fleischhook with thre teeth in his hond; 8 and he sente it in to the grete vessel of stoon, ethir in to the caudrun, ethir in to the pot, ethir in to the panne; and what euer thing the fleischhook reiside, the preest took to hym silf; so thei diden to al Israel of men comynge in to Silo. ⁹ Yhe bifor that the sones of Hely brenten the ynnere fatnesse, the child of the preest cam, and seyde to the offerere, Yyue thou fleisch to me, that Y sethe to the preest; for Y schal not take of thee sodun fleisch, but raw. 10 And the offrere seide to hym, The ynnere fatnesse be brent first to day bi the custom, and take thou to thee hou myche euer thi soule desirith. Whiche answeride, and seide to hym, Nay, for thou schalt yyue now; ellis Y schal take bi violence. ¹¹ Therfor the synne of the children was ful greuouse bifor the Lord; for thei withdrowen men fro the sacrifice of the Lord. 12 Forsothe Samuel, a child gird with a lynnun clooth, mynystride bifor the face of the Lord. ¹³ And his moder made to hym a litil coote, which sche brouyte in daies ordeyned, and stiede with hir hosebonde, that he schulde offre a solempne offryng, and his auow. ¹⁴ And Heli blesside Helcana and his wijf; and Heli seide to hym, The Lord yelde to thee seed of this womman, for the yifte which thou hast youe to the Lord. And thei yeden in to her place. 15 Therfor the Lord visitide Anna, and sche conseyuede, and childide thre sones and twei douytris. And the child Samuel was magnyfied at the Lord. ¹⁶ Forsothe Hely was ful eld, and he herde alle thingis whiche hise sones diden in al Israel, and hou thei slepten with wymmen, that awaitiden at the dore of the tabernacle. 17 And he seide to hem, Whi doen ye siche thingis, the worste thingis whiche Y here of al the puple? 18 Nyle ye, my sones; it is not good fame, which Y here, that ye make the puple of the Lord to do trespas. ¹⁹ If a man synneth ayens a man, God may be plesid to him; forsothe if a man synneth ayens the Lord, who schal preye for hym? And thei herden not the vois of her fadir, for God wolde sle hem. ²⁰ Forsothe the child Samuel profitide, and encreessyde, and pleside bothe God and men. ²¹ Sotheli a man of God cam to Hely, and seide to hym, The Lord seith these thingis, Whether Y was not schewid apertli to the hows of thi fadir, whanne he was in Egipt, in the hows of Farao? ²² And Y chees hym of alle lynagis of Israel in to preest to me, that he schulde stie to myn auter, and schulde brenne encense to me, and that he schulde bere bifor me preestis cloth; and Y yaf to the hows of thi fadir alle thingis of the sacrifices of the sones of Israel. ²³ Whi hast thou cast awey with the heele my sacrifice, and my yiftis, whiche Y comaundide to be offrid in the temple; and thou onouridst more thi sones than me, that ye eeten the principal partis of ech sacrifice of Israel, my puple? 24 Therfor the Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, Y spekynge spak, that thin hows and the hows of thi fadir schulde mynystre in my siyt til in to with outen ende; now forsothe the Lord seith, Fer be this fro me; but who euere onourith me, Y schal glorifie hym; forsothe thei that dispisen me, schulen be vnnoble. 25 Lo! daies comen, and Y schal kitte awei thin arm, and the arm of the hows of thi fadir, that an eld man be not in thin hows. 26 And thou schalt se thin enemy in the temple, in alle prosperitees of Israel; and an eld man schal not be in thin hows in alle daies. 27 Netheles Y schal not outerli take awei of thee a man fro myn auter, but that thin iyen faile, and thi soule faile; and greet part of thin hows schal die, whanne it schal come to mannus age. 28 Forsothe this schal be signe, that schal come to thi twei sones Ophym and Fynees, bothe schulen die in o dai. 29 And Y schal reise to me a feithful preest, that schal do bi myn herte and my soule; and Y schal bilde to hym a feithful hows, and he schal go bifore my Crist in alle daies. 30 Forsothe it schal come, that who euer dwellith in thin hows, he come that me preie for him, and that he offre a peny of siluer, and a cake of breed, and seie, Y biseche, suffre thou me to o part of the preest, that Y ete a mussel of breed. 32 Forsothe the child Samuel mynystride to the Lord bifor Heli, and the word of the Lord was preciouse; in tho daies was noon opyn reuelacioun. ³³ Therfor it was doon in a dai, Heli lay in his bed, and hise iyen dasewiden, and he myyte not se the lanterne of God, bifor that it was quenchid. ³⁴ Forsothe Samuel slepte in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. ³⁵ And the Lord clepide Samuel; and he answeride and seide, Lo! ³⁶ Y. And he ran to Hely, and seide to hym, Lo! Y; for thou clepidist me. Which Hely seide, Y clepide not thee; turne thou ayen and slepe.