1   The sones forsothe of Ruben and Gad hadden many beestis, `and ther was to hem in bestis substaunce with outen noumbre. And whanne thei hadden seen Jaser and Galaad, able loondis to beestis to be fedd, 2   thei camen to Moyses and Eleazar, the preest, and prynces of the multitude, 3   `and seyden, Astaroth, and Dibbon, and Jaser, and Nemra, Esebon, and Eleale, and Sabam, and Nebo, and Beon, 4   the loond that the Lord smoot in the si&yogh;t of the sones of Yrael, is of a regioun moost plenteuous to the food of beestis; and we thi seruauntis han many beestis; 5   and we preyen, if we han foundun grace before thee, that thow

&yogh;yue to vs thi seruauntis it into possessioun, ne maak thow vs passe ouer Jordan. 6   To whom answerde Moyses, Whether &yogh;oure britheren shulen go to the fi&yogh;t, and &yogh;e here shulen sitte? 7   Whi mysturnen &yogh;e the thou&yogh;tes of the sones of Irael, that thei doren not passe into the place that the Lord is to &yogh;yuynge to hem? 8   Whether diden not so &yogh;oure fadres, whanne Y sente fro Cades Barne to aspie the loond, 9   and whanne thei camen to the valey of Cluster, al the regioun about passid, thei mysturneden the herte of the sones of Yrael, that thei wenten not in to the coostis, that the Lord &yogh;af to hem. 10   The which wrooth, swaar, seiynge, Thes men shulen not seen, 11   that stieden vp fro Egipte, fro twenti &yogh;eer and aboue, the loond that `under ooth Y bihi&yogh;te to Abraham, Ysaac, and Jacob, and thei wolden not sue me, 12   saue Caleph, the sone of Jephone, Ceneze, and Josue, the sone of Nun; thes fulfilden my wille. 13   And the Lord wrooth a&yogh;ens Yrael, ladde hym about by deseert fourti &yogh;eer, to the tyme that were endyd al the generacioun that dide the yuel in the si&yogh;t of hym. 14   And, Loo! he seith, &yogh;e han rysen for &yogh;oure fadres the waxyngis and the norshid of synful men, that &yogh;e encresen the woodnes of the Lord a&yogh;ens Yrael. 15   And if &yogh;e wolen not folwe hym, in wildirnes the puple he shal forsaak, and &yogh;e the enchesoun shulen be of the deeth of alle. 16   And thei ny&yogh; comynge to, seiden, We shulen make vs fooldis of sheep, and stablis of beestis, to oure litil children forsothe waardid cytees. 17   Forsothe we oure silf armed and gyrd, we shulen goo to batayl before the sones of Irael, to the tyme that we leden hem into her places; oure children, and what euer thing we mowen han, shulen be in

the waardid citees, for the aspies of the dwellers. 18   We shulen not turnen a&yogh;en into oure howsis, into the tyme that the sones of Yrael welden her herytage; 19   ne eny thing we shulen seche bi&yogh;onde Jordan, for nowe we han oure possessioun in the eest coost of it. 20   To whom seith Moises, If &yogh;e doon that &yogh;e bihooten, fulspede goo &yogh;e before the Lord into fi&yogh;t; 21   and eche fi&yogh;tynge man armed passe he ouer Jordan, to the tyme that the Lord turne doun his enemyes, 22   and al the loond be suget to hym; thanne &yogh;e shulen be vnculpable anentis God, and anentis Irael, and &yogh;e shulen weeld the regiouns, `the whiche &yogh;e wolen, before the Lord. 23   If forsothe that &yogh;e seyn, &yogh;e doon not, to no man dowt is, that ne &yogh;e synnen a&yogh;ens God; and wite &yogh;e, that &yogh;our synne shal catche &yogh;ow. 24   Bilde &yogh;e thanne cytees to &yogh;oure children, and fooldis and stablis to sheep and beestis; and that &yogh;e han bihoot, fulfillith. 25   And the sones of Gad and Ruben seiden to Moyses, Thi seruauntis we ben; we shulen doo that the Lord comaundith. 26   Oure litil children, and wymmen, and feeldbeestis, and howsbeestis we shulen leeue in the cytees of Galaad; 27   forsothe we thi seruauntis alle fulspede shulen goo to batayl, as thow, lord, shalt speek. 28   Thanne Moyses comaundide to Eleazar, the preest, and to Josue, the sone of Nun, and to the prynces of the meynees, bi the lynagis of Irael, 29   and he seide to hem, If the sones of Gad and the sones of Ruben with &yogh;ow passen ouer Jordan alle armed, to bateil before the Lord, and to &yogh;ow were the loond suget, &yogh;yue &yogh;e to hem Galaad into possessioun; 30   if forsothe thei wolen not passe with &yogh;ow into the loond of Chanaan, among &yogh;ow take thei places of dwellynge. 31   And the sones of Gad and the sones of Ruben answerden, As the

Lord hath spoken to his seruauntis, so we shulen doon; 32   we armed shulen goo before the Lord, into the loond of Chanaan, and we knowlechen, that we han take now possessioun bi&yogh;onde Jordan. 33   And so Moyses &yogh;af to the sones of Gad and of Ruben, and to the half lynage of Manasse, the sone of Joseph, the kyngdam of Seon, kyng of Amorrei, and the kyngdam of Og, kyng of Basan, and the loond of hem, with her cytees, bi enuyroun. 34   Thanne the sones of Gad maden out Dibon, 35   and Astaroth, and Aroer, and Roth-Sophan, 36   and Jazer, and Jeebaa, and Beth-Neura, and Betharan, waardid citees; and fooldis to her beestis. 37   The sones forsothe of Ruben edifieden Esebon, and Eleale, 38   and Cariathiarym, and Nabo, and Balmyon, turned the names, Sabama forsothe; puttynge names to the cytes that thei maden out. 39   Forsothe the sones of Machir, sone of Manasse, wenten forth into Galaad, and wastiden it, Amorre slayn, the dweller of it. 40   Than Moyses &yogh;af the loond of Galaad to Machir, sone of Manasse, that dwellide in it. 41   Forsothe Jair, the sone of Manasse, wente, and ocupiede the stretis of it, the whiche he clepide Anochiair, that is, the townes of Jayr. 42   Forsothe Nobe wente, and cau&yogh;te Canath, with his litil townes, and he clepide it, of his name, Nobe.

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