The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

Sotheli in the lynage of the sones of Aser the prince was Phegiel, the sone of Ochran.

And in the lynage of the sones of Neptalym the prince was Haira, the sone of Henan.

These ben the castels and the goinges forth of the sones of Israel, bi her cumpenyes, whanne thei yeden out.

And Moises seide to Heliab, the sone of Raguel, of Madian, his alie `ethir fadir of his wijf, We goon forth to the place which the Lord schal yyue to vs; come thou with vs, that we do wel to thee, for the Lord bihiyte goode thingis to Israel.

To whom he answeride, Y schal not go with thee, but Y schal turne ayen in to my lond, in which Y was borun.

And Moises seide, Nyle thou forsake vs, for thou knowist in whiche places we owen to sette tentis, and thou schalt be oure ledere;

and whanne thou schalt come with vs, what euer thing schal be the beste of the richessis whiche the Lord schal yyue to vs, we schulen yyue to thee.

And therfor thei yeden forth fro the hil of the Lord the weie of thre daies; and the arke of boond of pees of the Lord yede bifor hem, bi thre daies, and purueyde the place of tentis.

And the cloude of the Lord was on hem bi day, whanne thei yeden.

And whanne the arke was reisid, Moises seide, Ryse thou, Lord, and thin enemyes be scaterid, and thei that haten thee, fle fro thi face;

forsothe whanne the arke was put doun, he seide, Lord, turne ayen to the multitude of the oost of Israel.

Yn the meene tyme the grutchyng of the puple, as of men sorewynge for trauel, roos ayens the Lord. And whanne Moises hadde herd this thing, he was wrooth; and the fier of the Lord was kyndelid on hem, and deuouride the laste part of the tentis.

And whanne the puple hadde cried to Moises, Moises preiede the Lord, and the fier was quenchid.

And he clepid the name of that place Brennyng, for the fier of the Lord was kyndlid ayens hem.

And the comyn puple of `malis and femalis, that hadde stied with hem, brent with desire of fleischis, and sat, and wepte with the sones of Israel ioyned togidere to hem, and seide, Who schal yyue to vs fleischis to ete?

We thenken on the fischis whiche we eten in Egipt freli; gourdis, and melouns, and lekis, and oyniouns, and garlekis comen in to mynde `to vs;

oure soule is drie ; oure iyen byholden noon other thing `no but manna.

Forsothe manna was as the seed of coriaundre, of the colour of bdellyum, which is whijt and briyt as cristal.

And the puple yede aboute, and gaderide it, and brak with a queerne stoon, ether pownede in a morter, and sethide in a pot; and made therof litle cakis of the sauour, as of breed maad with oile.

And whanne dew cam doun in the niyt on the tentis, also manna cam doun togidere.

Therfor Moises herde the puple wepynge bi meynees, and `alle bi hem silf bi the doris of her tentis; and the woodnesse of the Lord was wrooth greetli, but also the thing was seyn vnsuffrable to Moises.

And he seide to the Lord, Whi hast thou turmentid thi seruaunt? whi fynde Y not grace bifor thee? and whi hast thou put on me the burthun of al this puple?

whethir Y conseyuede al this multitude, ethir gendride it, that thou seie to me, Bere thou hem in thi bosum as a nurise is wont to bere a litil yong child, and bere thou in to the lond for which thou hast swore to the fadris `of hem.

wherof ben fleischis to me, that Y `yyue to so greet multitude? Thei wepen bifore me, and seyn, `Yyue thou fleischis to vs that we ete;

I mai not aloone suffre al this puple, for it is greuouse to me.

If in other maner it semeth to thee, Y biseche that thou sle me, and that Y fynde grace in thin iyen, that Y be not punyschid bi so grete yuelis.

And the Lord seide to Moises, Gadere thou to me seuenti men of the eldre men of Israel, whiche thou knowist, `that thei ben the elde men and maistris of the puple; and thou schalt lede hem to the dore of the tabernacle of boond of pees, and thou schalt make to stonde there with thee,

that Y come doun, and speke to thee; and Y schal take awey of thi spirit, and Y schal yyue to hem, that thei susteyne with thee the birthun of the puple, and not thou aloone be greuyd.

And thou schalt seie to the puple, Be ye halewid; to morew ye schulen ete fleischis; for Y herde you seie, Who schal yyue to vs the metis of fleischis? it was wel to vs in Egipt; that the Lord yyue `fleischis to you,

and that ye ete not o dai, ethir tweyne, ethir fyue, ethir ten, sotheli nether twenti,

but `til to a monethe of daies, til it go out bi youre nosethirlis, and turne in to wlatyng; for ye han put awei the Lord, which is in the myddis of you, and ye wepten bifor hym, and seiden, Whi yeden we out of Egipt?

And Moises seide to the Lord, Sixe hundrid thousynde of foot men ben of this puple, and thou seist, Y schal yyue to hem `mete of fleischis an hool monethe.

Whether the multitude of scheep and of oxun schal be slayn, that it may suffice to mete, ethir alle the fischis of the see schulen be gaderid to gidere, that tho fille hem?

To whom the Lord answeride, Whether the `hond of the Lord is vnmyyti? riyt now thou schalt se, wher my word schal be fillid in werk.

Therfor Moises cam, and telde to the puple the wordis of the Lord; and he gaderide seuenti men of the eldere of Israel, whiche he made stonde aboute the tabernacle.

And the Lord cam doun bi a cloude, and spak to Moises, and took a weye of the spirit that was in Moises, and yaf to the seuenti men; and whanne the spirit hadde restid in hem, thei profesieden, and ceessiden not `aftirward.

Forsothe twei men dwelliden stille in the tentis, of whiche men oon was clepid Heldad, and the tothir Medad, on whiche the spirit restide; for also thei weren descryued, and thei yeden not out to the tabernacle.

And whanne thei profesieden in the tentis, a child ran, and teld to Moises, and seide, Heldad and Medad profecien in the tentis.

Anoon Josue, the sone of Nun, the `mynystre of Moises, and chosun of manye, seide, My lord Moises, forbede thou hem.

And he seide, What hast thou enuye for me? who yyueth that al the puple profesie, and that God yyue his spirit to hem?

And Moises turnede ayen, and the eldre men in birthe of Israel in to the tentis.

Forsothe a wynde yede forth fro the Lord, and took curlewis, and bar ouer the see, and lefte in to the tentis, in the iurney, as myche as mai be parformed in o day, bi ech part of the tentis bi cumpas; and tho flowen in the eir bi twei cubitis in `hiynesse ouer the erthe.

Therfor the puple roos in al that dai and nyyt and in to the tothir dai, and gaderide the multitude of curlewis; he that gaderide litil, gaderide ten `mesuris clepid chorus; `and o chorus conteyneth ten buschels; and thei drieden tho curlewis bi the cumpas of the tentis.

Yit `fleischis weren in the teeth `of hem, and siche mete failide not; and lo! the woodnesse of the Lord was reisid ayens the puple, and smoot it with a ful greet veniaunce.

And thilke place was clepid The sepulcris of coueitise, for there thei birieden the puple that desiride fleischis.

And Marie spak and Aaron ayens Moises, for his wijf a womman of Ethiope,

and seiden, Whethir God spak oneli by Moises? whethir he spak not also to vs in lijk maner? And whanne the Lord hadde herd this, he was wrooth greetli;

for Moises was the myldest man, ouer alle men that dwelliden in erthe.

And anoon the Lord spak to Moises and to Aaron and to Marye, Go out ye thre aloone to the tabernacle of boond of pees. And whanne thei weren gon yn,

the Lord cam doun in a piler of cloude, and he stood in the entryng of the tabernacle, and clepide Aaron and Marie.

And whanne thei hadden go, he seide to hem, Here ye my wordis; if ony among you is a profete of the Lord, Y schal appere to hym in reuelacioun, ethir Y schal speke to hym bi `a dreem.

And he seide, And my seruaunt Moises is not siche, which is moost feithful in al myn hows;

for Y speke to hym mouth to mouth, and he seeth God opynli, and not bi derke spechis and figuris. Why therfor dredden ye not to bacbite `ether depraue my seruaunt Moises?

And the Lord was wrooth ayens hem, and he wente a wei.

And the cloude yede awei, that was on the tabernacle and lo! Marie apperide whijt with lepre as snow. And whanne Aaron biheelde hir, and siy hir bispreynd with lepre,

he seide to Moises, My lord, Y beseche, putte thou not this synne on vs,

which we diden folili, that this womman be not maad as deed, and as a deed borun thing which is cast out of the `wombe of his modir; lo! now the half of hir fleisch is deuourid with lepre.

And Moises criede to the Lord, and seide, Lord, Y biseche, heele thou hir.

To whom the Lord answerid, If hir fadir hadde spet in to hir face, where sche ouyte not to be fillid with schame, nameli in seuene daies? Therfor be sche departid out of the tentis bi seuen daies, and aftirward sche schal be clepid ayen.

And so Marie was excludid out of the tentis bi seuene daies; and the puple was not mouyd fro that place, til Marie was clepid ayen.

And the puple yede forth fro Asseroth, whanne the tentis weren set in the deseert of Pharan.

And there the Lord spak to Moises,

and seide, Sende thou men that schulen biholde the lond of Canaan, which Y schal yyue to the sones of Israel, of ech lynage o man of the princes.

Moises dide that that the Lord comaundide, and sente fro the deseert of Pharan princes, men of whiche these ben the names.

Of the lynage of Ruben, Semmya, the sone of Zectur.

Of the lynage of Symeon, Saphat, the sone of Hury.

Of the lynage of Juda, Caleph, the sone of Jephone.

Of the lynage of Isachar, Igal, the sone of Joseph.

Of the lynage of Effraym, Osee, the sone of Nun.

Of the lynage of Beniamyn, Phalti, the sone of Raphu.

Of the lynage of Zabulon, Gediel, the sone of Sodi.

Of the lynage of Joseph, of the gouernaunce of Manasses, Gaddi, the sone of Susy.

Of the lynage of Dan, Amyel, the sone of Gemalli.

Of the lynage of Aser, Sur, the sone of Mychael.

Of the lynage of Neptalym, Nabdi, the sone of Napsi.

Of the lynage of Gad, Guel, the sone of Machi.

These ben the names of men, which Moises sente to biholde the lond of Canaan; and he clepide Osee, the sone of Nun, Josue.

Therfor Moises sente hem to biholde the lond of Canaan, and seide to hem, `Stie ye bi the south coost; and whanne ye comen to the hillis,

biholde ye the lond, what maner lond it is; and biholde ye the puple which is the dwellere therof, whether it is strong, ethir feble, `whether thei ben fewe in noumbre, ether manye;

whether that lond is good, ethir yuel; what maner citees ben, wallid, ether without wallis;

whether the lond is fat, ether bareyn, `whether it is ful of woodis, ethir without trees. Be ye coumfortid, and `brynge ye to vs of the fruytis of that lond. Sotheli the tyme was, whanne grapis first ripe myyten be etun thanne.

And whanne thei hadden stied, thei aspieden the lond, fro the deseert of Syn `til to Rohob, as men entryth to Emath.

And thei stieden to the south, and camen in to Ebron, where Achyman, and Sisai, and Tholmai, the sones of Enach, weren; for Hebron was maad bi seuen yeer bifor Thamnys, the citee of Egipt.

And thei yeden til to the stronde of clustre, and kittiden doun a sioun with his grape, which twei men baren in a barre; also thei token of pumgarnadis, and of the figis of that place which is clepid Nehelescol,

that is, the stronde of grape, for the sones of Israel baren a clustre fro thennus.

And the aspieris of the lond, whanne thei hadden cumpassid al the cuntrey, after fourti daies camen to Moises and Aaron,

and to al the cumpany of the sones of Israel, in to the deseert of Pharan which is in Cades. And `the aspieris spaken to hem, and schewiden the fruytis of the lond to al the multitude, and telden,

and seiden, We camen to the lond, to which thou sentest vs, which lond treuli flowith with mylk and hony, as it may be knowun bi these fruytis;

but it hath strongeste inhabiteris, and grete cytees, and wallid; we sien there the kynrede of Anachym; Amalech dwellith in the south;

Ethei, and Jebusei, and Amorey dwellen in the hilli placis; forsothe Cananey dwellith bisidis the see, and bisidis the floodis of Jordan.

Among thes thingis Caleph peeside the grutchyng of the puple, that was maad ayens Moises, and seide, `Stie we, and welde we the lond, for we moun gete it.

Forsothe other aspieris, that weren with hym, seiden, We moun not stie to this puple, for it is strongere than we.

And thei deprauyden the lond which thei hadden biholde, anentis the sones of Israel, and seiden, The lond which we cumpassiden deuourith hise dwelleris; the puple which we bihelden is of large stature; there we syen summe wondris ayens kynde, of the sones of Enach, of the kynde of geauntis, to whiche we weren comparisound, and weren seien as locustis.

Therfor al the cumpeny criede, and wepte in that nyyt,

and alle the sones of Israel grutchiden ayens Moises and Aaron, and seiden,

We wolden that we hadden be deed in Egipt, and not in this waast wildirnesse ; we wolden that we perischen, and that the Lord lede vs not in to this lond, lest we fallen bi swerd, and oure wyues and fre children ben led prisoneris; whether it is not betere to turne ayen in to Egipt?

And thei seiden oon to another, Ordeyne we a duyk to vs, and turne we ayen in to Egipt.

And whanne this was herd, Moises and Aaron felden lowe to erthe, bifor al the multitude of the sones of Israel.

And sotheli Josue, the sone of Nun, and Caleph, the sone of Jephone, whiche also cumpassiden the lond, to renten her clothis,