Job 3

¹ Forsothe the Jewis resseyueden in to solempne custom alle thingis, whiche thei bigunnen to do in that tyme, and whiche thingis Mardochee hadde comaundid bi lettris to be doon. ² Sotheli Aaman, the sone of Amadathi, of the kynrede of Agag, the enemy and aduersarie of Jewis, thouyte yuel ayens hem, to sle hem and to do awei, and he sente phur, which is interpretid in oure langage in to lot. 3 And afterward Hester entride to the kyng, and bisouyte, that hise enforsyngis schulden be maad voide bi the lettris of the kyng, and that the yuel, which he hadde thouyt ayenus the Jewis, schulde turne ayen in to his heed. Forsothe thei hangiden on the cros bothe hym and hise sones. ⁴ And fro that tyme these daies weren clepid Phurym, that is, of lottis, for phur, that is, lot, was sent in to a vessel; and the Jewis resseyueden on hem silf, and on her seed, and on alle men that wolden be couplid to her religioun, alle thingis that weren doon, and ben conteyned in the volym of the pistle, that is, of this book, 5 and whiche thingis thei suffriden, and whiche thingis weren chaungid aftirward, that it be not leueful to ony man to passe with out solempnyte these daies, which the scripture witnessith, and certeyn tymes axen, while the yeeris comen contynuely oon aftir an other. ⁶ These ben the daies, whiche neuer ony foryetyng schal do awei, and bi alle generaciouns alle prouynces, that ben in al the world, schulen halewe; nether ony citee is, in which the daies of Phurym, that is, of lottis, schulen not be kept of Jewis, and of the generacioun of hem, which is bounden to these cerymonyes. 7 And Hester, the queen, the douyter of Abiahel, and Mardochee, the Jew, writiden also the secounde pistle, that this solempne dai schulde be halewid aftirward with al bisynesse. 8 And thei senten to tho Jewis, that dwelliden in an hundrid and seuene and twenti prouynces of kyng Assuerus, that thei schulden haue pees, and resseyue the trewthe, 9 and kepe the daies of lottis, and halewe with ioie in her tyme, as Mardochee and Hester hadden ordeyned; and thei resseiueden the fastyngis, and the cries, and the daies of lottis, to be kept of hem silf and of her seed, 10 and that thei schulden resseyue among hooli bookis alle thingis that ben conteyned in the storie of this book, which is clepid Hester. ¹² Forsothe kyng Assuerus made tributarye ech lond, and alle the ilis of the see; ¹³ whos strengthe and empire and dignyte and hiynesse, by which he enhaunside Mardochee, ben writun in the bookis of Medeis and of Persis; ¹⁴ and how Mardochee of the kyn of Jewis was the secounde fro king Assuerus, and was greet anentis Jewis, and acceptable to the puple of hise britheren, and he souyte goodis to his puple, and spak tho thingis, that perteyneden to the pees of his seed. ¹⁵ And Mardochee seide, These thingis ben doon of God. ¹⁶ Y haue mynde on the dreem, which Y siy, signifiynge these same thingis, and no thing of tho was voide. 17 A litil welle, that wexide in to a flood, and was turned in to the liyt and sunne, and turnede ayen in to ful many watris, is Hester, whom the kyng took in to wijf, and wolde that sche were his queen. 18 Sotheli twei dragouns, Y am and Aaman; 19 folkis that camen togidere, ben these, that enforsiden to do a wei the name of Jewis. 20 Sotheli my folk Israel it is, that criede to the Lord; and the Lord made saaf his puple, and delyueride vs fro alle yuels, and dide grete signes and wondris among hethene men; 21 and he comaundide twei lottis to be, oon of Goddis puple, and the tother of alle hethene men. 22 And euer either lot cam in to determynd dai thanne fro that tyme bifor God and alle folkis. ²³ And the Lord hadde mynde on his puple, and hadde merci on his eritage. ²⁴ And these daies schulen be kept in the monethe Adar, in the fourtenthe `and the fiftenthe dai of the same monethe, with al bisynesse and ioie of the puple gaderid in to o cumpenye, in to alle generaciouns of the puple of Israel aftirward. ²⁶ In the fourthe yeer, whanne Ptolome and Cleopatra regneden, Dositheus, that seide hym silf to be a prest and of the kyn of Leuy, and Ptolome, his sone, brouyten this pistle of lottis in to Jerusalem, which pistle thei seiden, that Lysimachus, the sone of Ptolome, translatide.