1   And the Lord spak to Moyses, seiynge, 2   Venge first the sones of Yrael of the Madianytis, and so thow shalt be gedryd to thi puple. 3   And anoon Moyses, Arme &yogh;e, he seith, of &yogh;ow men to the fi&yogh;t, that mowen the veniaunce of the Lord out take of the Madianytis. 4   A thowsand men of ech lynagis ben chosun of Yrael, that ben sent to batayl. 5   And thei &yogh;euen thowsandis of eche lynagis, that is, twelue thowsandis of men, redy to the fi&yogh;t; whom Moyses sente with Fynees, 6   the sone of Eleazar, the preest. Forsothe the hooli vessels, and the trumpes to crye, he took to hem. 7   And whanne thei hadden fou&yogh;t a&yogh;ens Madianytes, and hadden ouercomen, alle the maalis thei slewen, and the kyngis of hem, 8   Euy, and Reem, and Sur, and Hur, and Rebe, fyue princes of the folk of hem. Balaam forsothe, the sone of Beor, thei slewen with swerd. 9   And thei token the wymmen of hem, and children, and alle the beestis, and al purtenaunce; what thing euer thei my&yogh;ten haue, thei destruyden; 10   as wel cytees as litil towns and castels bi flawme he brent. 11   And thei token praye, and alle that thei token, 12   as wel of men as of beestis, and brou&yogh;ten to Moises, and Eleazar, the preest, and to al the multitude of the sones of Yrael. Forsothe other vsable thingis thei beren to the tentis, in the wijld feeldis of Moab, biside Jordan, a&yogh;en Jericho. 13   And Moyses and Eleazar, the preest, wenten out, and alle the prynces of the synagoge, into a&yogh;encomynge of hem, out of the tentis. 14   And Moyses wrooth to the prynces of the oost, leders of thousandis, and gouernours of hundredis, that camen fro the batayl, 15   seith,

Whi han &yogh;e kept the wymmen? 16   ben not thes that han deseyued the sones of Yrael, at the suggestioun of Balaam, and han maad &yogh;ow trespasse in the Lord, vpon the synne of Phegor, wherfor and the puple was smytun? 17   Therfor al slee &yogh;e what euer thing is of maal kynde, and litil children; and wymmen that han knowun men in goynge togidre, kytte &yogh;e the throotis; 18   mayde children, and alle wymmen maydens kepe &yogh;e to &yogh;ow, 19   and dwellith out of the tentes seuen days. Who sleeth a man, or a man sleyn touchith, shal be passid about the thridde day, and the seuenthe; 20   and of al the praye, whether clothing it were, other vessel, and eny thing into vsable thingis maad redi, of the skynnes of gootis, and heerys, and tree, it shal be purgid. 21   Eleazar forsothe, the preest, to the men of the oost that hadden fow&yogh;t, thus spak, This is the maundement of the lawe, that the Lord comaundide to Moyses, 22   Gold, and siluer, and brasse, and yren, and tynne, and leed, and al that may passe bi flawmes, shal be purgid thur&yogh; fier; 23   forsothe what euer thing fier shal not mowe susteyn, with water of clensynge shal be halowid. 24   And &yogh;e shulen wasshe &yogh;oure clothis the seuenthe day; and puryfied afterward &yogh;e shulen goo into the tentes. 25   And the Lord seide to Moyses, 26   Take the summe of hem that ben takun, fro man vnto beest, thow, and Eleazar, the preest, and alle the prynces of the comoun. 27   And thow shalt dyuyde euen the praye among hem that fau&yogh;ten and wenten out to the batayl, and among al the laft multitude. 28   And thow shalt seuer a part to the Lord, of hem that han fou&yogh;ten, and weren in the batayl, o soule of fyue hundrid, as wel of men, as of oxen, and assis, and

sheep. 29   And thow shalt &yogh;yue it to Eleazar, the preest, for the cheef fruytis of the Lord thei ben. 30   Of the half forsothe part of the sones of Irael, thow shalt taak the fiftith heed of men, and of oxen, and of asses, and of sheep, and of al hauynge soule; and thow shalt &yogh;yue hem to the Leuytes, that waken in the waardis of the tabernacle of the Lord. 31   And Moyses and Eleazar diden as the Lord comaundide. 32   Forsothe the pray was that the oost took, of sheep six hundrid fyue and seuenti thowsand, 33   of oxen two and seuenti thowsand, 34   of assis sexti thowsand and o thowsand; 35   the soules of men of wymmen kynde, that knowen no men, two and thretti thowsand. 36   And the half part is &yogh;euen to hem that weren in the batayl, of sheep thre hundrid seuen and thretti thowsand and fyue hundrid; 37   of the whiche into the part of the Lord ben noumbred sheep six hundryd and seuenti and fyue; 38   and of oxen six and thretti thowsand, 39   oxen seuenti and two, of assis thretti thowsand and fyue hundrid, assis sexti and oon; 40   of the soules of men sixtene thowsand, fellen into the part of the Lord, two and thretti soulis. 41   And Moyses took the noumbre of the chefe fruytis of the Lord to Eleazar, the preest, as it was comaundid, 42   of the half part of the sones of Irael, that he seuerde to hem that in the batayl weren. 43   Of the half part forsothe that felle to that other multitude, that is, of sheep thre hundryd seuen and thretti thousand and fyue hundrid, and of oxen six and thretti thousand, 44    45   and of thretti thowsand assis and fyue hundrid, 46   and of sixtene thowsand men, 47   Moyses took the fiftith heed, and &yogh;af to the Leuytis, that wakiden in the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord comaundide. 48   And whanne the prynces of

the oost weren goon to Moyses, and the leders of thowsandis, and rewlers of hundredis, 49   seiden, We thi seruantis han tolde the noumbre of fi&yogh;ters, the which we hadden vndre oure hoond, and not oon forsothe faylid; 50   for what cause we offren in the places of the free &yogh;iftis of the Lord, eche, that in the praye of gold we my&yogh;ten fynde, wymmens ournementis about her reynes, and ournementis about her shuldres, and rynges, and ournementis about her armes, and ournementis about her neckis, that thow preye the Lord for vs. 51   And Moyses and Eleazar the preest, token al the gold in dyuers spices, 52   bi peyse of the seyntuarye, sixtene thousand seuen hundrid and fifti siclis, of the leders of thowsandis, and rewlers of hundredis. 53   Forsothe echon that he cau&yogh;te in the praye, was his; 54   and the taken thei brou&yogh;ten into the tabernacle of witnessynge, into mynde of the sones of Irael, before the Lord.

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