Men bretheren, and fadris, heere &yogh;e. God of glorie apperide to oure fadir Abraham, whanne he was in Mesopotanye, bifore he dwelte in Carram, 3   and seide to him, Go out of thi lond, and of thi cognacioun, `or kynrede, and come into the lond, `the which I schal schewe to thee. 4   Thanne he wente out of the lond of Caldeys, and dwelte in Carram. And thennis aftir that his fadir was deed, he translatide hym into this lond, in which &yogh;e dwellen now. 5   And he &yogh;af not to him heritage in it, nother a paas of foot, but

he a&yogh;enbihi&yogh;te for to &yogh;yue to him it into possescioun, and to his seed aftir him, whanne he hadde not a sone. 6   Forsoth God spak to him, For his seed schal be cumelyng, `or gest, in an alien lond, and thei schulen `sugette hem to seruage, and schulen yuele trete hem, foure hundrid &yogh;eeris `and thritty; 7   and I schal iuge the folk, to which thei schulen serue, seith the Lord. And aftir these thingis thei schulen go out, and thei schulen serue to me in this place. 8   And he &yogh;af to him the testament of circumcisioun; and so he gendride Ysaac, and circumcidide him in the ei&yogh;tith day. And Ysaac gendride Jacob, and Jacob the twelue patriarkis. 9   And the patriarkis hauynge enuye to Joseph, solden hym into Egipt. And God was with hym, 10   and delyuerede him of alle his tribulaciouns, and &yogh;af to him grace and wysdom in the si&yogh;t of Pharao, kyng of Egipt. And he ordeynede him prepost, `or souereyn, on Egipt, and on al his hous. 11   Forsoth hungir cam into al Egipt, and Canaan, and greet tribulacioun; and oure fadris founden not metis. 12   Forsoth whanne Jacob herde, whete `for to be in Egipt, he sente oure fadris first. 13   And in the secunde tyme Josep was knowyn of his britheren, and his kyn is maad knowun to Pharao. 14   Forsothe Josep sendynge clepide to Jacob, his fadir, and al his cognacioun, in soulis seuenty and fyue. 15   And Jacob dessendide into Egipt, and is deed, he and oure fadris; 16   and thei ben translatid into Sichen, and ben putt in the sepulcre, that Abraham bou&yogh;te by priys of siluer of the sones of Emor, the sone of Sichen. 17   Forsoth whanne the tyme of biheeste cam ny&yogh;, the which God hadde knowlechid to Abraham, the peple waxe, and was multiplied

in Egipt, 18   til another kyng roos in Egipt, the which knew not Joseph. 19   This bigylinge oure peple, turmentide oure fadris, that thei schulden putte out her &yogh;onge children, lest thei were quykened. 20   In the same tyme Moyses was born, and he was acceptid, `or louyd, of God; and he was norischid thre monethis in the hous of his fadir. 21   Forsoth him putt out, the dou&yogh;tir of Pharao took him vp, and norischide him into a sone to hir. 22   And Moyses was lernd in al the wysdom of Egipcians, and he was my&yogh;ty in his wordis and werkis. 23   Forsoth whanne the tyme of twenti &yogh;eer was fulfillid to him, it sti&yogh;ede vp into his herte, that he schulde visite his bretheren, the sones of Israel. 24   And whanne he sy&yogh; sum man suffringe wrong, he vengide him, and dide veniaunce to him that suffride wrong; the Egipcian slayn. 25   Forsoth he gesside bretheren `for to vndirstonde, for God by the hond of hym schulde &yogh;yue to hem heelthe; but thei vndirstoden not. 26   Forsoth in the day suynge he apperide to hem chidinge, and recounsilide hem in pees, seyinge, Men, &yogh;e ben bretheren; wherto noyen &yogh;e ech othir? 27   Forsoth he that dide wrong to his nei&yogh;ebore, puttide him awey, seyinge, Who ordeynede thee prince and domesman vpon vs? 28   Wher thou wolt sle me, as &yogh;istirday thou killidist the Egipcian? 29   Forsothe in this word Moyses fly&yogh;, and was maad a comeling in the lond of Madian, where he gendride twey sones. 30   And fourty &yogh;eer fulfillid, an aungel apperide to him in fyer of flame of a boisch, in desert of the mount of Syna. 31   Forsothe Moyses seynge wondride

the si&yogh;t. And `him comynge to that he schulde biholde, the vois of the Lord is maad to him, 32   seyinge, I am God of &yogh;oure fadris, God of Abraham, God of Ysaac, God of Jacob. Moyses maad tremeling, durste not biholde. 33   Forsothe God seide to him, Vnbynd the schon of thi feet, for the place in which thou stondist is hooli erthe. 34   I seyng sy&yogh; the affliccioun, `or turmentyng, of my peple that is in Egipt, and I herde the mornyng of hem, and I caam down for to delyuere hem. And now come thou, and I schal sende thee into Egipt. 35   This Moyses, whom thei denyeden, seyinge, Who ordeyned thee prince and domesman on vs? God sente this prince and a&yogh;enbyer, with the hond of the aungel, that apperide to hym in the boisch. 36   This ledde hem out, doynge wondris and sygnes in the lond of Egipt, and in the reede see, in desert fourty &yogh;eeris. 37   This is Moyses, that seide to the sones of Israel, God schal reise to &yogh;ou a prophete of &yogh;oure bretheren, as me &yogh;e schulen heere him. 38   This is, that was in the chirche in wildirnesse, with the aungel that spak to him in the mount Syna, and with oure fadris; the which took wordis of lyf for to &yogh;yue to vs. 39   To whom oure fadris wolden not obeye, but puttiden him awei, and ben turned awei in her hertis into Egipt, 40   seiynge to Aaron, Make thou to vs goddis, that schulen go bifore vs; forsothe to this Moyses, that ledde vs out of the lond of Egipt, we witen not, what is don to him. 41   And thei maden a calf in tho dayes, and offriden `an oost to the symylacre; and thei gladiden in the werkis of her hondis. 42   Forsoth God turnyde, and bitook hem `for to serue to the kny&yogh;thod of heuene, as it is writun in the

book of prophetis, Where &yogh;e offriden to me slayn sacrificis, `or oostis, fourty &yogh;eeris in desert, &yogh;e `hous of Israel? 43   And &yogh;e han takun the tabernacle of Moloc, and the sterre of &yogh;oure god Rempham, figuris that &yogh;e han maad for to worshipe hem; and I schal translate &yogh;ou into Babiloyne. 44   The tabernacle of witnessing was with oure fadris in desert, as God disposide to hem, spekinge to Moyses, that he schulde make it vp the foorme that he sy&yogh;. 45   The which and oure fadris takinge `with Jhesu, brou&yogh;ten into possescioun of hethen men, the which God puttide awey fro the face of oure fadris, til in the dayes of Dauith, 46   that fond grace anentis God, and axide that he schulde fynde a tabernacle to God of Jacob. 47   Salomon forsothe bildide an hows to him. 48   But the hi&yogh;e dwellith not in maade thingis by hond, 49   as he seith by the prophete, Heuene is a seete to me, the erthe forsoth the stool of my feet; what hous schulen &yogh;e bylde to me, seith the Lord, or what place of my resting? 50   Wher myn hond made not alle thes thingis? 51   With hard nol, and vncircumsidid hertis and eeris &yogh;e withstonden euermore the Hooly Goost; as and &yogh;oure fadris, so and &yogh;e. 52   Whom of the prophetis han not &yogh;oure fadris pursued, and han slayn hem that bifore teelden of the comynge of the iust, whos traitours and mansleeris &yogh;e weren now? 53   The whiche token the lawe in ordynaunce of aungels, and han not kept. 54   Forsothe thei heeringe thes thingis, weren dyuersly turmentid in her hertis, and gnastiden, `or grennyden, into him.

55   Forsothe whanne Stheuene was ful of the Hooly Gost, he biholdinge into heuene, sy&yogh; the glorie of God, and Jhesu stondinge on the ri&yogh;thalf of the vertu of God. And he seith, Lo! I see heuenes openyd, and the sone of man stondinge on the ri&yogh;t half of the vertu of God. 56   Forsoth thei criynge with grete voises, heelden to gidere her eeris, and maden `to gidere asau&yogh;t, `or feersnesse, in to him. 57   And thei castinge him out of the cytee stoonyden. And witnessis diden of her clothis, bisydis the feet of a &yogh;ong man, that was clepid Saul. 58   And thei stoonyden Steuene ynclepinge, and seyinge, Lord Jhesu, receyue my spirit. 59   Forsoth `the knees putt, he criede with greet vois, seyinge, Lord, sette not to hem this synne; `for thei witen not what thei don. And whanne he hadde seid this thing, he slepte in the Lord. Forsoth Saul was consentynge to his deeth.

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