Gegn skyli herr, sem hugnar,
hjaldrvitjaðar sitja,
dolgstœranda dýrum,
dróttinvandr ok standa.
Lýtr folkstara feiti
(fátt es til, nema játta
þat, sem þá vill gotnum)
þjóð ǫll (konungr bjóða).
Gegn herr hjaldrvitjaðar skyli sitja ok standa dróttinvandr, sem hugnar dýrum dolgstœranda. Ǫll þjóð lýtr feiti folkstara; fátt es til, nema játta þat, sem konungr vill þá bjóða gotnum.
The worthy troop of the battle-frequenter [WARRIOR] must sit and stand lord-loyal, as it pleases the excellent war-sweller [WARRIOR]. The whole people bends to the fattener of the war-starling [RAVEN > WARRIOR]; there is little option except to agree to what the king wants to command men at the time.
[6] játta: so 39, F, H(47r), Hr(33vb), FskBˣ, FskAˣ, játa Kˣ, E, J2ˣ
[6-7] játta þat, sem ‘to agree to what’: Játta normally takes the dat. case, but acc. is also possible (the ÍF 28 note gives an example). Only the Hr scribe seems to have been uneasy enough to write dat. því. The forms játta and játa represented in the mss are both acceptable.