1   Thes ben the wordis that Moises spak to al Yrael, bi&yogh;onde Jordan, in the wijld feeldi wildernes, a&yogh;ens the reed see, bytwix Pharan and Tophel and Laban and Asseroth, where is mych thing of gold, 2   bi enleuen days fro Oreb bi the wey of the hil of Seyr, vnto Cades Barne. 3   The fourteenthe &yogh;eer, the enleuenth moneth, the first day of the moneth, Moyses spak to the sones of Yrael alle thingis that the Lord hadde comaundid to hym that he shulde seye to hem, 4   after that he smoot Seon, the kyng of Amorreis, that dwellid in Esebon, and Og, the kyng of Basan, that dwellid in Asseroth

and in Edray, 5   bi&yogh;onde Jordan, in the loond of Moab. And Moyses biganne to opne the lawe, 6   and seie, The Lord oure God hath spoke to vs in Oreb, seiynge, It suffisith to &yogh;ow that in this hil &yogh;e han dwelt; 7   turneth a&yogh;en, and cometh to the hil of Amorreis, and to other that there ben next, feeldi, and hilli, and the more lower places a&yogh;ens the south; and to the loond biside the brenk of the see of Chananees, and of Libany, vnto the greet flood of Eufraten. 8   Loo! he seith, I haue take it to &yogh;ow; goo &yogh;e yn, and weelde &yogh;e it, vpon the which the Lord hath sworn to &yogh;oure fadres Abraham, Ysaac, and Jacob, that he &yogh;yue it to hem, and to the seed of hem after hem. 9   And I haue seid to &yogh;ow in that tyme, 10   I may not aloone susteyne &yogh;ow, for the Lord &yogh;oure God hath multiplied &yogh;ow, and &yogh;e ben many as the sterres of heuene; 11   the Lord God of oure fadris adde to this noumbre many thowsandis, and blesse to &yogh;ow, as he hath spokun. 12   Y may not alone &yogh;oure nedis susteyn, and birthens, and stryues; 13   &yogh;yue &yogh;e of &yogh;ow wyse men, and herti, and whos conuersacioun be preued in &yogh;oure lynagis, that I putte hem to &yogh;ow princes. 14   Than &yogh;e answerden to me, A good thing it is that thou wolt doon. 15   And I took of &yogh;oure lynagis wise men, and noble; and I haue ordeynd hem princes, and tribunes, and centuriouns, and quynquagenaryes, and denes, that techen &yogh;ow alle thingis. 16   And I haue comaundide to hem, seiynge, Here &yogh;e hem, and that is ri&yogh;twi&yogh;e demeth, whether he be cyteseyn, or pilgrime. 17   Noon shal be distaunce of persones; so the litil &yogh;e shulen here as the more, ne &yogh;e shulen accept eny mannus persone, for the dome of God it is. And if eny thing hard to &yogh;ow were seen, tellith to me, and I shal here. 18   And I

comaundide alle thingis that &yogh;e shulden doo. 19   And goon forth fro Oreb, we passiden bi feerful deseert and moost wildernes, that &yogh;e han seen, bi the weye of the hil of Amorrei, as the Lord &yogh;oure God hath comaundide to &yogh;ow. And whanne &yogh;e weren comen into Cades Barne, 20   Y seide to &yogh;ow, &yogh;e ben comen to the hil of Amorrei, that the Lord oure God is to &yogh;yuynge to vs; 21   looke the loond that the Lord thi God shal &yogh;yue to thee; and sty vp, and weelde it, as the Lord oure God hath spoken to thi fadris; nyl thow drede, ne eny thing be agast. 22   And &yogh;e comen to me alle, and seiden, Sende we men, that biholden the loond, and tellen to vs bi what weie we shulden stye vp, and to what cytees goon. 23   And whanne to me the word pleside, Y sente of &yogh;ow twelue men, eche by her lynagis. 24   The whiche whanne thei weren goon, and hadden stied vp into the hillis, thei camen into the valeye of Clustre; and the loond biholdid, 25   takynge of the fruytis of it, that thei my&yogh;ten shewe the plenteuouste, thei brou&yogh;ten to vs, and seiden, Good is the loond that the Lord oure God is to &yogh;yuynge to vs. 26   And &yogh;e wolden not stye vp, but mysbileuynge to the word of the Lord oure God, 27   &yogh;e grutchiden in &yogh;oure tabernaclis, and seiden, The Lord hatith vs, and therfore he hath ladde vs out of the loond of Egipte, that he take vs in the hoond of Amorrei, and doo awey. 28   Whether shulen we stie vp? the messangeris han feerde oure hertis, seiynge, The moost multitude is, and in stature more shapplych than we; greet citees, and in to heuene wallid; the sones of Enachym we han seen there. 29   And I seide to &yogh;ow, Wole &yogh;e not be feryde, ne drede &yogh;e; 30   the

Lord God, that is oure ledere, for vs he shal fi&yogh;te, as he hath doo in Egipte, alle men seynge. 31   And in wildernes, &yogh;e han seen, the Lord thi God hath born thee, as a man is wonyd to bere a litil child, his sone, in alle weie bi the which &yogh;e han goo, to the tyme that &yogh;e comen to this place. 32   And &yogh;it not thus forsothe &yogh;e leeueden to the Lord &yogh;oure God, 33   that wente before &yogh;ou in the weie, and hath set the place in the whiche &yogh;e shulden picche tentis, the ny&yogh;t shewynge the weie to &yogh;ow bi fier, and the dai bi piler of a clowde. 34   And whanne the Lord hadde herde the voyce of &yogh;oure wordis, wrooth he swore, 35   and seith, There shal not se eny man of the men of this worst generacioun the good loond, that vndur ooth Y haue bihoot to &yogh;oure fadris, 36   saue Caleph, the sone of Jephone; he forsothe shal se it, and to hym I shal &yogh;yue the loond that he hath troden, and to his sones, for he hath folwid the Lord. 37   Ne the indignacioun a&yogh;en the puple is to be meruelid, sith to me forsothe the Lord wrooth for &yogh;ow, seide, Ne thow shalt go in thidir, 38   but Josue, the sone of Nun, thi seruaunt, he shal goo yn for thee; this enfourme thow, and strengthe, that he the loond bi lot dyuyde to Yrael. 39   &YOGH;oure litil children, of the whiche &yogh;e han seid, that cheytif thei shulen be lad, and the sones that to day of good and yuel vnknown the distaunce, thei shulen goon yn; and to hem Y shal &yogh;yue the loond, and thei shulen weeld it. 40   &YOGH;e forsothe turneth a&yogh;en, and goth thens into wildernes, bi the weie of the Reed See. 41   And &yogh;e answerden to me, We han synned to the Lord; we shulen stie vp, and fi&yogh;ten, as the Lord oure God hath comaundid.

And whanne &yogh;e, tau&yogh;t in armes, wolden goo into the hil, 42   the Lord seith to me, Sey thou to hem, Wole &yogh;e not stie vp, ne fi&yogh;te; forsothe Y am not with &yogh;ow, lest &yogh;e fallen before &yogh;oure enemyes. 43   I spak, and &yogh;e herden not, but contrariynge to the heest of the Lord, and bolnynge bi pride, &yogh;e stieden vp into the hil. 44   And so Amorre gon out, that dwelt in the hillis, and a&yogh;en comynge pursuede vs, as been ben wont to be pursued, and slewen doun fro Seyr vnto Horma. 45   And whanne turned a&yogh;en &yogh;e wepten before the Lord, he herde &yogh;ow not, ne to &yogh;our voys wolde assent; 46   &yogh;e seeten therfor in Cades Barne myche tyme.

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