Ælfric

“ This David was a prophet and a wonderful king,
and pleased God to his life's end,
and ever obeyed Him with all his heart.
He was therefore exalted to great honours,
because he ever sought how he might please God.
After him reigned over the kingdom of Israel
many kings, diversely disposed;
Some believed in the living God,
some in idols to their own destruction,
and those who worshipped God were exalted
and were always victorious in fight;
as for those who turned from God to shameful idolatry,
they were put to shame, and were ever unsuccessful. ”

“ Then fell down all the people, terrified, in prayer,
and cried with faith to the living God,
'The Lord Himself is God, the Lord Himself is God.'
Then Elijah said to them, ' Seize the prophets
who have served Baal, that none of them escape.'
So they were seized and brought to Elijah,
and he slew them, that none of them remained alive. ”

“ He sent to the idol-god, to enquire of him,
and Elijah met the men whom he sent,
and straightway said to them even as God's angel had told him,
'What, then! is not the Almighty God in the nation of Israel,
and ye go to an idol-god, to seek your healing?
Now therefore saith the Almighty, that the king shall not arise
from the bed whereon he lieth, but shall die.'
Then the messengers returned again to the king,
and showed him what the prophet had said to them by the way.
Then the king straightway sent fifty men
to the prophet of God, desiring to call him. ”

“ Then sent the king yet a third time to him
fifty of his servants; these all fell on their knees,
entreating the prophet with trembling hearts
that he would not consume them, though they announced their errand,
like the others who had come to him before.
Then God's angel bade him go
forth with the men, fearlessly to the king.
Then Elijah went to the sick king,
and told [the king] himself that he should die,
because he had sent to the shameful idol
to enquire concerning his healing, as if God were not in Israel. ”

“ Lo! then Jezebel went joyously
to the unrighteous king, and said thus to him :
'Arise now and take to thee Naboth's vineyard,
though he granted it not to thee; he is now lifeless.'
Then the impious man arose, and sent
to Naboth's vineyard, desiring to take it.
Then came, meeting him, God's prophet Elijah,
sent from God, and said to him these words,
' Thus spake the Almighty God, " thou hast slain and taken possession;
even as dogs lapped Naboth's blood,
so shall they lap and lick thy blood ”

“ So then after some time Ahab the king marched
against the king of Syria with a very great army,
desiring by conquest to diminish his kingdom.
Then the king of Syria straightway bade his men take heed
that he [Ahab] alone should fall of all his people. ”

“ One of these was Ahab the wicked king
who despised his Creator, and chose to him Baal,
the god of the heathen, who had no goodness,
but was a cruel devil, detected in heresy.
This king's queen was the most infamous of women,
called Jezebel, fiercely minded.
She incited her husband to every cruelty,
and they provoked God with hostile works.
In those days was Elijah, a holy prophet of God,
who besought God that He would withdraw rain-showers
from the evil king, for his cruelty ”

“ Then Jehu looked up to the shameful one,
and immediately commanded men to push her over from behind;
so she was thrown down before the horses,
and the horses trod her ignominiously under their feet. ”

“ On þam dagum ƿæs helias halig godes ƿitega ·⁠053
se abæd æt gode  he ðam yfelan cynincge
rén-scuras oftuge · for his reðnysse ·
Eode þa forð feorðe healfgear⁠056
butan rén-scurum ⁊ reocendum deaƿe ·
⁊ se ƿitega helias geƿende of ðam lande ·
⁊ god hine afedde þurh fugela ðenunga ·
oð he hine asende to sumere ƿydeƿan
on sidoniscum earde · ⁊ hire sæde se ƿitega · ”

“ Þa asende gezabel ongean to helian ·⁠156
⁊ sƿor þurh hire godas mid syrƿigendum mode ·
 helias sceolde ðæs on mergen sƿeltan ·
⁊ beon anum gelíc hire leasra ƿitegena.
Þa for-fleah helias  fracode ƿif⁠160
út to anum ƿestene ⁊ ƿearð ðær on slæpe ·
ac hine aƿrehte sona anscinende godes encgel ·
het hine arísan ⁊ hine gereordian · ”

“ Mannases ƿæs gecyged ezechias sunu ·⁠434
⁊ se feng to rice æfter his fæder geendunge ·
⁊ mid manegum yfelum dædū þone ælmihtigan god gegremode ·
þa asende him god to sƿyðlice steore ·
sƿa  him comon to ða chaldeiscan leoda
| ⁊ hine gebundenne geleddon to babiloniscre byrig ·
⁊ on cƿearterne bescufon to sceame his kyne-scipe ·
Þa behreoƿsode mannases mycclum his synna ·⁠441
⁊ mid eallre heortan to þam ælmihtigan clypode ·
biddende miltsunge ealra his man-dæda ·
⁊ behet gesƿicennysse ⁊ hit eac sƿa gelæste · ”

“ Ða geƿearð his þegnum  hi hine acƿealdon⁠457
⁊ Iosias his sunu sona feng to rice ·
on iunglicre ylde ⁊ ge-efenlæhte dauide
on ealre godnysse · ⁊ godes ƿyllan gefremode ·
He aƿearp yfelnysse ⁊ ða unrihtan biggengas⁠461
ðæra leasra goda þe his fæder on gelyfde ·
⁊ geedniƿode godes ǽ · mid eallum biggencgum ·
⁊ ƿiccan fordyde · ⁊ ƿigleras afligde ·
⁊ drycræft toƿearp his drihtne to gecƿemednysse ·
Næs soðlice nan cynincg þe gecyrde sƿa geornlice⁠466
mid ealre heortan to ðam ælmihtigan gode
beforan iosian · ne eac siððan ne cō
nan his gelica ðe sƿa gelyfde on god · ”

“ Þa asende se cynincg gyt ðriddan siðe him to⁠256
fiftig his ðegna · ða feollan ealle on cneoƿum
biddende þone ƿitegan mid bifigendre heortan ·
 hé hí ne forbærnde ðeahðe hi heora ærende abudon ·
sƿa sƿa ða oþre ðe him ær tocomon ·
Ða het godes engel  he gán sceolde⁠261
forð mid ðam mannum · unforht to ðam cynincge ·
Elias ða eode to þam adlian cyninge ·⁠263
⁊ him sylfum sæde  he sƿeltan sceolde ·
forðan þe he asende to þam sceandlican hæðengilde ·
to befrinenne his hæle sƿylce god nære on israhel · ”

“ Þa geƿende ioram aƿæg sona · ⁊ cƿæð ·⁠334
Ðis synd syrƿunga · ⁊ hieu hine scét⁠335
bæftan his bæce ·  him to-bærst seo heorte ·
Het hine ða ƿurpan of þam ƿege sƿa deadne ·⁠337
Þa fleah iudea cyning þe com mid ðam oþrum ·⁠338
ac hieu hine offerde ⁊ him his feorh benam ·
ƿende þa to gezabel þe ƿæs on þære byrig ·
⁊ stód uppon anre upflora ænlice geglencged ·
⁊ gehiƿode hire eagan ⁊ hire neb mid rude
togeanes hieu · ⁊ beheold his to-cyme ·
Þa beseah hieu to þære sceande up ·⁠344
⁊ het hi asceofon (sic) sona under-bæc · ”

“ Forðan þe þu geƿorhtest minne ƿillan geornlice⁠382
on achabes ofsprincge · ⁊ hí ealle adilogodest ·
þine suna gesittað  cyne-setl on israhel
oð ða feorþan mægðe · mid fæderlicre æfter-gengnysse ·
Manega cynegas ƿæron myslice geƿorhte⁠386
æfter þysum rixiende on israhela rice ·
⁊ eac on iudea lande · oð se geleaffulla cynincg
ezechias gehaten mid ealre heortan gebeah
to ðam ælmihtigan gode · ⁊ his biggengas arærde ·
⁊ toƿearp þa deofolgild þe dƿollice oþ 
ƿæron geƿurðode mid ƿolicum biggencgum · ”

“ Betƿux ðysum ƿearð se ƿitega helias⁠273
up to heofonum ahafen hál butan deaðe ·
⁊ lyfað git on licha|man mid langsumre strangunge ·
Heliseus his gingra eode mid him on ǽr ·⁠276
ða cƿ̅ se lareoƿ helias to his leorning-cnihte · ”