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And Jetro was glad on alle the goodis whiche the Lord hadde do to Israel, for he delyuerede Israel fro the hond of Egipcians.
And Jetro seide, Blessid be `the Lord, that delyuerede you fro the hond of Egipcians, and fro `the hond of Farao, which Lord delyuered his puple fro the hond of Egipt;
now Y knowe that the Lord is greet aboue alle goddis, for `thei diden proudli ayens hem.
Therfor Jetro, `alie of Moises, offride brent sacrifices and offryngis to God; and Aaron, and alle the eldere men of Israel, camen to ete breed with hym bifore God.
Forsothe in the tother dai Moises sat that he schulde deme the puple, that stood niy Moises, fro the morewtid til to euentid.
And whanne `his alie hadde seyn this, that is, alle thingis `whiche he dide in the puple, he seide, What is this that thou doist in the puple? whi sittist thou aloone, and al the puple abidith fro the morewtid til to euentid?
To whom Moises answeride, The puple cometh to me, and axith the sentence of God;
and whanne ony strijf bifallith to hem, thei comen to me, that Y deme bitwixe hem, and schewe `the comaundementis of God, and hise lawis.
And Jetro seide, Thou doist a thing not good,
thou art wastid with a fonned trauel, bothe thou and this puple which is with thee; the werk is a boue thi strengthis, thou aloone maist not suffre it.
But here thou my wordis and counseils, and the Lord schal be with thee; be thou to the puple in these thingis that perteynen to God, that thou telle the thingis that ben seid to the puple;
and schewe to the puple the cerymonyes, and custom of worschipyng, and the weie bi which `thei owen to go, and the werk which `thei owen to do.
Forsothe puruey thou of al the puple myyti men, and dredynge God, in whiche is treuthe, and whiche haten auarice; and ordeyne thou of hem tribunes, and centuriouns, and quinquagenaries, and deenys,
whiche schulen deme the puple in al tyme; sotheli what ever thing is grettere, telle thei to thee, and deme thei ooneli lesse thingis, and be it esiere to thee, whanne the burthun is departid in to othere men.
If thou schalt do this, thou schalt fille the comaundement of God, and thou schalt mowe bere hise comaundementis; and al this puple schal turne ayen with pees to her places.
And whanne these thingis weren herd, Moises dide alle thingis whiche Jetro counselide.
And whanne noble men of al Israel weren chosun Moises ordeynede hem princis of the puple, tribunes, and centuriouns, and quinquagenaries, and denes,
whiche demeden the puple in al tyme; forsothe, whateuer thing was hardere, thei telden to Moises, and thei demeden esiere thingis oneli.
And Moises lefte `his alie, which turnede ayen, and yede in to his lond.
In the thridde monethe of the goyng `of Israel out of the lond of Egipt, in this dai thei camen in to the wildirnesse of Synai;
for thei yeden forth fro Rafidym, and camen til in to deseert of Synai, and settiden tentis in the same place; and there Israel settide tentis, euen ayens the hil.
Forsothe Moises stiede in to the hil to God; and the Lord clepide hym fro the mount, and seide, Thou schalt seie these thingis to the hows of Jacob, and thou schalt telle to the sones of Israel,
Ye silf han seyn what thingis Y haue do to Egipcians, how Y bar you on the wengis of eglis, and took to me.
Therfor if ye schulen here my vois, and schulen kepe my couenaunt, ye schulen be to me in to a specialte of alle puplis; for al the lond is myn;
and ye schulen be to me in to a rewme of preesthod, and `ye schulen be an hooli folk; these ben the wordis whiche thou schalt speke to the sones of Israel.
Moyses cam, and whanne the gretter men in birthe of the puple weren clepid to gidere, he expownede alle the wordis whiche the Lord comaundide.
And alle the puple answeride to gidere, We schulen do alle thingis whiche the Lord spak. And whanne Moises hadde teld the wordis of the puple to the Lord,
the Lord seide to hym, Riyt now Y schal come to thee in a derknesse of a cloude, that the puple here me spekynge to thee, and bileue to thee withouten ende. Therfor Moises telde the wordis of the puple to the Lord,
which seide to Moises, Go thou to the puple, and make hem holi to dai and to morewe, and waische thei her clothis,
and be thei redi in to the thridde dai; for in the thridde dai the Lord schal come doun bifore al the puple on the hil of Synai.
And thou schalt sette termes to the puple, bi cumpas; and thou schalt seie to hem, Be ye war, that ye `stie not in to the hil, nether touche ye the endis therof; ech man that schal touche the hil, schal die bi deeth.
Hondis schulen not touche hym, but he schal be oppressid with stoonus, ethir he shall be persid with dartis; whether it schal be a beest, ethir a man, it schal not lyue; whanne a clarioun schal bigynne to sowne, thanne `stie thei in to the hil.
And Moises cam doun fro the hil to the puple, and halewide it; and whanne thei hadden waischun her clothis,
he seide to hem, Be ye redi in to the thridde dai, neiye ye not to youre wyues.
And now the thridde day was comun, and the morewetid was cleer; and, lo! thundris bigunnen to be herd, and leitis to schyne, and a moost thicke cloude to hile the mounteyn; and `the sownyng of a clarioun made noise ful greetli, and the puple dredde, that was in the castels.
And whanne Moises hadde led hem out in to the comyng of God, fro the place of castels, thei stoden at the rootis of the hil.
Forsothe al the hil of Synai smokide, for the Lord hadde come doun theronne in fier; and smoke stiede therof as of a furneis, and al the hil was ferdful;
and the `sown of a clarioun encreesside litil and litil, and was holdun forth lengere. Moises spak, and the Lord answeride to hym,
and the Lord cam doun on the hil of Synay, in thilke cop of the hil, and clepide Moises to the cop therof. And whanne he hadde stied thidur,
the Lord seide to hym, Go thou doun, and witnesse thou to the puple, lest perauenture it wole passe the termes to se the Lord, and ful greet multitude therof perische;
also preestis, that neiyen to the Lord, be halewid, lest Y smyte hem.
And Moises seide to the Lord, The comyn puple may not stie in to the hil of Synai; for thou hast witnessid, and hast comaundid, seiyinge, Sette thou termes aboute the hil, and halewe it.
To whom the Lord seide, Go thou doun, and thou schalt stie, and Aaron with thee; forsothe the preestis and the puple passe not the termes, nethir stie thei to the Lord, lest perauenture he sle hem.
Moises yede doun to the puple, and telde alle thingis to hem.
And the Lord spak alle these wordis, Y am thi Lord God,
that ladde thee out of the lond of Egipt, fro the hous of seruage.
Thou schalt not haue alien goddis bifore me.
Thou schalt not make to thee a grauun ymage, nethir ony licnesse of thing which is in heuene aboue, and which is in erthe bynethe, nether of tho thingis, that ben in watris vndur erthe; thou schalt not `herie tho,
nether `thou schalt worschipe; for Y am thi Lord God, a stronge gelouse louyere; and Y visite the wickidnesse of fadris in to the thridde and the fourthe generacioun of hem that haten me,
and Y do mercy in to `a thousynde, to hem that louen me, and kepen myn heestis.
Thou schalt not take in veyn the name of thi Lord God, for the Lord schal not haue hym giltles, that takith in veyn the name of his Lord God.
Haue thou mynde, that thou halowe the `dai of the sabat;
in sixe daies thou schalt worche and schalt do alle thi werkis;
forsothe in the seuenthe day is the sabat of thi Lord God; thou schalt not do ony werk, thou, and thi sone, and thi douytir, and thi seruaunt, and thin handmaide, thi werk beeste, and the comelyng which is withynne thi yatis;
for in sixe dayes God made heuene and erthe, the see, and alle thingis that ben in tho, and restide in the seuenthe dai; herfor the Lord blesside the `dai of the sabat, and halewide it.
Onoure thi fadir and thi moder, that thou be long lyuyng on the lond, which thi Lord God schal yyue to thee.
Thou schalt not sle.
Thou schalt `do no letcherie.
Thou schalt `do no theft.
Thou schalt not speke fals witnessyng ayens thi neiybore.
Thou schalt not coueyte `the hous of thi neiybore, nether thou schalt desyre his wijf, not seruaunt, not handmaide, not oxe, not asse, nether alle thingis that ben hise.
Forsothe al the puple herde voices, and siy laumpis, and the sowne of a clarioun, and the hil smokynge; and thei weren afeerd, and schakun with inward drede, and stoden afer,
and seiden to Moises, Speke thou to vs, and we schulen here; the Lord speke not to vs, lest perauenture we dien.
And Moises seide to the puple, Nyle ye drede, for God cam to proue you, and that his drede schulde be in you, and that ye schulden not do synne.
And the puple stood afer; forsothe Moises neiyede to the derknesse, wherynne God was.
And the Lord seide ferthermore to Moises, Thou schalt seie these thingis to the sones of Israel, Ye seiyen that fro heuene Y spak to you;
ye schulen not make goddis of silver, nethir ye schulen make to you goddis of gold.
Ye schulen make an auter of erthe to me, and ye schulen offre theronne youre brent sacrifices, and pesible sacrifices, youre scheep, and oxun, in ech place in which the mynde of my name schal be; Y schal come to thee, and Y schal blesse thee.
That if thou schalt make an auter of stoon to me, thou schalt not bilde it of stoonys hewun; for if thou schalt reise thi knyif theronne, it schal be `polluted, ether defoulid.
Thou schalt not stye bi grees to myn auter, lest thi filthe be schewid.
These ben the domes, whiche thou schalt sette forth to hem.
If thou biest an Ebrew seruaunt, he schal serue thee sixe yeer; in the seuenthe yeer he schal go out fre,
with out prijs; with what maner clooth he entride, with siche clooth go he out; if he entride hauynge a wijf, and the wijf schal go out to gidere.
But if the lord of the servaunt yaf a wijf to hym, and sche childide sones and douytris, the womman and hir children schulen be hir lordis; sotheli the seruaunt schal go out with his owne clooth.
That if the seruaunt seith, Y loue my lord, and wijf, and children, Y schal not go out fre;
the lord brynge hym to goddis, that is, iugis; and he schal be set to the dore, and postis; and the lord schal perse his eere with a nal, and he schal be seruaunt to hym til in to the world.
If ony man sillith his douyter in to seruauntesse, sche schal not go out as handmaidis weren wont to go out;
if sche displesith in the iyen of hir lord, to whom sche was bitakun, he schal delyuere hir; sotheli he schal not haue power to sille hir to an alien puple, if he forsakith hir.
Forsothe if he weddith hir to his sonne, he schal do to hir `bi the custom of douytris;
that if he takith another womman to hym, he schal puruey to the damysele weddingis, and clothis, and he schal not denye the prijs of chastite.
If he doith not these thre, sche schal go out freli without money.
He that smytith a man, and wole sle, die bi deeth;
forsothe if a man settide not aspies, but God `bitook hym in to hise hondis, Y schal ordeyne a place to thee, whidur he owith to fle.
If ony man sleeth his neiybore bi biforecastyng, and bi aspies, drawe thou hym awey fro myn auter, that he die.
He that smytith his fadir, ether modir, die by deeth.
He that cursith his fadir, ether modir, die bi deeth.
He that stelith a man, and sillith hym, if he is conuyt of the gilt, die bi deeth.
If men chiden, and the tother smyte his neiybore with a stoon, ether with the fist, and he is not deed, but liggith in the bed,
if he risith, and goith forth on his staf, he that smoot schal be innocent; so netheles that he restore hise trauelis, and costis in lechis.
He that smytith his seruaunt, ether handmayde, with a yerde, and thei ben deed in hise hondis, schal be gilti of cryme.
Sotheli if the seruaunt ouerlyueth o dai, ether tweyne, he schal not be suget to peyne, `that is of deeth, for the seruaunt is his catel.
If men chiden, and a man smytith a womman with childe, and sotheli makith the child deed borun, but the womman ouerlyueth, he schal be suget to the harm, as myche as the `hosebonde of the womman axith, and the iugis demen.
But if the deeth of hir sueth,
he schal yelde lijf for lijf, iye for iye, tooth for tooth, hond for hond, foot for foot,
brennyng for brennyng, wounde `with schedyng of blood for wounde `with schedyng of blood, `a wan wounde for a wan wounde.
If a man smytith the iye of his seruaunt, ethir of handmaide, and makith hem oon iyed, he schal delyuere hem fre for `the iye which he puttide out.
Also if he smytith out a tooth fro his seruaunt, ethir handmaide, in lijk maner he schal delyuere hem fre.
If an oxe smytith with horn a man, ether a womman, and thei ben deed, the oxe schal be oppressid with stoonus, and hise fleischis schulen not be etun, and the lord of the oxe schal be innocent.
That if the oxe was `a pultere with horn fro yisterdai and the thridde dai ago, and men warneden `the lord of hym, nether the lord closide hym, and he sleeth a man, ethir womman, bothe the oxe schal be oppressid with stoonus, and thei schulen sle `the lord of hym;
that if prijs is put to the lord, he schal yyue for his lijf what euer he is axide.