The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And whanne Balaach hadde slayn scheep and oxun, he sente yiftis to Balaam and the princes that weren with hym.

Forsothe whanne the morewtid was maad, Balaach ledde Balaam to the hiye placis of Baal, and he bihelde the laste part of the puple, `that is, al the oost til to the laste part.

And Balaam seide to Balaach, Bilde thou here to me seuene auteris, and make redi so many caluys, and rammes of the same noumbre.

And whanne he hadde do bi the word of Balaam, thei puttiden a calf and a ram to gidere on the auter.

And Balaam seide to Balaach, Stond thou a litil while bisidis thi brent sacrifice, while Y go, if in hap the Lord meete me; and Y schal `speke to thee what euer thing he schal comaunde.

And whanne he hadde go swiftli, God cam to hym; and Balaam spak to hym, and seide, Y reiside seuene auteris, and Y puttide a calf and a ram aboue.

Forsothe the Lord `puttide a word in his mouth, and seide, Turne ayen to Balaach, and thou schalt speke these thingis.

He turnede ayen, and fond Balach stondynge bisidis his brent sacrifice, and alle the princes of Moabitis.

And whanne his parable `was takun, he seide, Balaach, the kyng of Moabitis, brouyte me fro Aran, fro the `hillis of the eest; and he seide, Come thou and curse Jacob; haaste thou, and greetli curse thou Israel.

How schal Y curse whom God cursid not? bi what resoun schal Y `haue abhomynable whom God `hath not abhomynable?

Fro the hiyeste flyntis Y schal se hym, and fro litle hillis Y schal biholde hym; the puple schal dwelle aloone, and it schal not be arettid among hethene men.

Who may noumbre the dust, that is, kynrede, of Jacob, and knowe the noumbre of the generacioun of Israel? My lijf die in the deeth of iust men, and my laste thingis be maad lijk hem!

And Balaach seide to Balaam, What is this that thou doist? Y clepide thee, that thou schuldist curse myn enemyes, and ayenward thou blessist hem.

To whom Balaam answeride, Whether Y may speke othir thing no but that that the Lord comaundith?

Therfor Balaach seide to Balaam, Come with me in to anothir place, fro whennus thou se a part of Israel, and mayst not se al; fro thennus curse thou hym.

And whanne he hadde led Balaam in to an hiy place, on the cop of the hil of Phasga, he bildide seuene auteris to Balaam, and whanne calues and rammes weren put aboue,

he seide to Balaach, Stonde here bisidis thi brent sacrifice, while Y go.

And whanne the Lord hadde `come to him, and hadde put `a word in his mouth, he seide, Turne ayen to Balach, and thou schalt seie these thingis to hym.

He turnyde ayen, and foond Balach stondynge bisidis his brent sacrifice, and the princis of Moabitis with hym. To whom Balach seide, What spak the Lord?

And whanne his parable `was takun, he seide, Stonde, Balach, and herkene; here, thou sone of Sephor. God is not `as a man,

that he lye, nethir he is as the sone of a man, that he be chaungid; therfor he seide, and schal he not do? he spak, and schal he not fulfille?

Y am brouyt to blesse, Y may not forbede blessyng.

Noon idol is in Jacob, nethir symylacre is seyn in Israel; his Lord God is with hym, and the sown of victorie of kyng is in hym.

The Lord God ledde hym out of Egipt, whos strengthe is lijk an vnicorn;

fals tellyng bi chiteryng of bryddis, `ethir idolatrie, is not in Jacob, nethir fals dyuynyng is in Israel. In his tymes it schal be seide to Jacob and Israel, What the Lord hath wrought!

Lo! the puple schal rise to gidere as a lionesse, and schal be reisid as a lioun; the lioun schal not reste, til he deuoure prey, and drynke the blood of hem that ben slayn.

And Balach seide to Balaam, Nether curse thou, nether blesse thou hym.

And he seide, Whether Y seide not to thee, that what euer thing that God comaundide to me, Y wolde do this?

And Balach seide to hym, Come, and Y schal lede thee to an other place, if in hap it plesith God that fro thennus thou curse hym.

And whanne Balaach hadde led hym out on the `cop of the hil of Phegor, that biholdith the wildirnesse,

Balaam seide to hym, Bilde here seuene auteris to me, and make redi so many caluys, and rammes of the same noumbre.

Balaach dide as Balaam seide, and he puttide caluys and rammes, bi alle auteris.

And whanne Balaam siy that it pleside the Lord that he schulde blesse Israel, he yede not as he `hadde go bifore, `that he schulde seke fals dyuynyng `bi chiteryng of briddis, but he dresside his face ayens the desert,

and reiside iyen, and siy Israel dwellynge in tentis bi hise lynagis. And whanne the Spirit of God felde on hym, and whanne a parable was takun,

he seide, Balaam, the sone of Beor, seide, a man whois iye is stoppid seide,

the herere of Goddis wordis seide, which bihelde the reuelacioun of almyyti God, which fallith doun, and hise iyen ben openyd so, Hou faire ben thi tabernaclis,

Jacob, and thi tentis, Israel!

as valeys ful of woodis, and moiste gardyns bisidis floodis, as tabernaclis whiche the Lord hath set, as cedris bisidis watris;

watir schal flowe of his bokat, and his seed schal be in to many watris, `that is, puplis. The kyng of hym schal be takun a wei for Agag, and the rewme of hym schal be doon awai.

God ledde hym out of Egipt, whos strengthe is lijk an vnicorn; thei schulen deuoure hethene men, enemyes `of hym, that is, of Israel; and thei schulen breke the boonus of hem, and schulen perse with arowis.

He restide and slepte as a lyoun, and as a lionesse, whom no man schal dore reise. He that blessith thee, schal be blessid; he that cursith, schal

be arettid in to cursyng And Balaach was wrooth ayens Balaam, and seide, whanne the hondis weren wrungun to gidere, I clepide thee to curse myn enemyes, whiche ayenward thou hast blessid thries.

Turne ayen to thi place; forsothe Y demede to onoure thee greetli, but the Lord priuyde thee fro onour disposid.

Balaam answeride to Balaach, Whethir Y seide not to thi messangeris, whiche thou sentist to me,

Thouy Balaach schal yyue to me his hows ful of siluer and of gold, Y schal not mow passe the word of my Lord God, that Y brynge forth of myn herte ony thing, ethir of good ethir of yuel, but what euer thing the Lord schal seie, Y schal speke this?

Netheles Y schal go to my puple, and Y schal yyue counsel to thee, what thi puple schal do in the laste tyme to this puple.

Therfor whanne a parable was takun, he seide eft, Balaam, the sone of Beor seide, a man whos iye is stoppid,

seide, the herere of Goddis wordis seide, which knowith the doctrine of the hiyeste, and seeth the reuelacioun of almiyti God, which fallith doun and hath opyn iyen,

Y schal se hym, but not now; Y schal biholde hym, but not nyy; a sterre schal be borun of Jacob, and a yerde schal rise of Israel; and he schal smyte the duykis of Moab, and he schal waste alle the sones of Seth; and Ydumye schal be hys possessioun,

the eritage of Seir schal bifalle to his enemyes; forsothe Israel schal do strongli, of Jacob schal be he that schal be lord,

and schal leese the relikis of the citee.

And whanne he hadde seyn Amalech, he took a parable, and seide, Amalech is the bigynning of hethene men, whos laste thingis schulen be lost.

Also `he siy Cyney, and whanne a parable was takun, he seide, Forsothe thi dwellyng place is strong, but if thou schalt sette thi nest in a stoon,

and schalt be chosun of the generacioun of Cyn, hou longe schalt thou mow dwelle? forsothe Assur schal take thee.

And whanne a parable was takun, he spak eft, Alas! who schal lyue, whanne the Lord schal make thes thingis?

Thei schulen come in grete schippis fro Ytalie, thei schulen ouercome Assiries, and thei schulen distrie Ebrews, and at the last also thei hem silf schulen perische.

And Balaam roos, and turnide ayen in to his place; and Balaach yede ayen bi the weye in which he cam.

Forsothe in that tyme Israel dwellide in Sechym; and the puple dide fornycacioun with the douytris of Moab;

whiche douytris clepiden hem to her sacrifices, and thei eten, and worschipiden the goddis of tho douytris;

and Israel made sacrifice to Belphegor. And the Lord was wrooth,

and seide to Moises, Take thou alle the princes of the puple, and hange hem ayens the sunne in iebatis, that my wodnesse, `that is stronge veniaunce, be turned awai fro Israel.

And Moises seide to the iugis of Israel, Ech man sle his neiyboris, that maden sacrifice to Belphagor.

And, lo! oon of the sones of Israel entride bifor his britheren to `an hoore of Madian, in the siyt of Moises, and al the cumpeny of the sones of Israel, whiche wepten bifor the yatis of the tabernacle.

And whanne Phynees, the sone of Eleazar, sone of Aaron, preest, hadde seyn this, he roos fro the myddis of the multitude; and whanne he hadde take a swerd,

he entride aftir the man of Israel in to the `hoore hows, and stikide thorou both togidere, that is, the man and the womman, in the places of gendryng. And the veniaunce ceesside fro the sones of Israel,

and foure and twenti thousand of men weren slayn.

And the Lord seide to Moises,

Fynees, the sone of Eleazar, sone of Aaron, preest, turnede away myn yre fro the sones of Israel; for he was stirid ayens hem bi my feruent loue, that Y my silf schulde not do awai the sones of Israel in my greet hete, `ether strong veniaunce.

Therfor speke thou to hym, Lo! Y yyue to hym the pees of my couenaunt,

and it schal be an euerlastynge couenaunt of preesthod, as wel to hym silf as to his seed; for he louyde feruentli for his God, and he clenside the greet trespas of the sones of Israel.

Forsothe the name of the man of Israel, that was slayn with the womman of Madian, was Zambri, the sone of Salu, duyk of the kynrede and lynage of Symeon.

Forsothe the womman of Madian that was slayn togidere, was clepid Cobri, the douyter of Sur, the nobleste prince of Madianytis.

And the Lord spak to Moises and seide,

`Madianytis feele you enemyes, and smyte ye hem;

for also thei diden enemyliche ayens you, and disseyueden thorow tresouns, bi the idol of Phegor, and bi `the douyter of Corbri, duyk of Madian, her sister, which douyter was sleyn in the dai of veniaunce, for the sacrilege of Phegor.

Aftir that the blood of gilti men was sched out, the Lord seide to Moises and to Eleasar,

preest, sone of Aaron, Noumbre ye al the summe of the sones of Israel, fro twenti yeer and aboue, bi her housis, and kynredis, alle men that mowen go forth to batels.

And so Moises and Eleasar, preest, spaken in the feeldi places of Moab, ouer Jordan, ayens Jerico, to hem that weren of twenti yeer and aboue,

as the Lord comaundide; of whiche this is the noumbre.

Ruben, the firste gendrid of Israel; the sone of hym was Enoch, of whom was the meynee of Enochitis; and Phallu, of whom the meynee of Phalluytis; and Esrom,

of whom the meynee of Esromytis; and Charmy, of whom the meynee of Charmytis.

Thes weren the meynees of the generacioun of Ruben, of whiche meynees the noumbre was foundun thre and fourti thousand seuene hundrid and thretti.

The sone of Phallu was Heliab;

the sones of hym weren Namuel, and Dathan and Abiron. `These weren Dathan and Abiron, prynces of the puple, that riseden ayens Moises and Aaron, in the rebelte of Chore, whanne thei rebelliden ayens the Lord;

and the erthe openyde his mouth, and deuouride Chore, while ful many men dieden, whanne the fier brente two hundrid men and fifti; and a greet myracle was maad,

that whanne Chore perischide, hise sones perischiden not.

The sones of Symeon bi her kynredis; Namuel, of hym was the meynee of Namuelitis; Jamyn, of hym was the meynee of Jamynytis; Jachin, of hym was the meynee of Jachynytis;

Zare, of hym the meynee of Zarenytis; Saul, of hym the meynee of Saulitis.

These weren the meynees of Symeon, of whiche all the noumbre was two and twenti thousynde and two hundrid.

The sones of Gad bi her kynredis; Sephon, of hym the meynee of Sephonytis; Aggi, of hym the meynee of Aggitis; Sumy, of hym the meynee of Sumytis;

Ozny, of hym the meynee of Oznytis; Heri, of hym the meynee of Hereytis;

Arod, of hym the meynee of Aroditis; Ariel, of hym the meynee of Arielitis.

These weren the meynees of Gad, of whiche al the noumbre was fourti thousynde and fyue hundrid.

The sones of Juda weren Her and Onan, whiche bothe weren deed in the lond of Canaan.

And the sones of Juda weren bi her kynredis; Sela, of whom the meynee of Selaitis; Phares, of whom the meynee of Pharesitis; Zare, of whom the meynee of Zareitis.

Sotheli the sones of Phares weren Esrom, of whom the meynee of Esromytis; and Amul, of whom the meynee of Amulitis.

These weren the meynees of Juda, of whiche al the noumbre was seuenty thousynde and fyue hundrid.

The sones of Isachar bi her kynredis; Thola, of whom the meynee of Tholaitis; Phua, of whom the meynee of Phuitis;

Jasub, of whom the meynee of Jasubitis; Semran, of whom the meynee of Semranytis.

These weren the kynredis of Isachar, of whiche the noumbre was foure and sixti thousynd and three hundrid.