The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

Ruben lyue, and die not, and be he litil in noumbre.

This is the blessyng of Juda; Lord, here thou the vois of Juda, and brynge in hym to his puple; hise hondis schulen fiyte for hym, and the helpere of hym schal be ayens hise aduersaries.

Also he seide to Leuy, Thi perfeccioun and thi techyng is of an hooly man, whom thou preuedist in temptacioun, and demedist at the Watris of Ayenseiynge;

which Leuy seide to his fadir and to his modir, Y knowe not you, and to hise britheren, Y knowe not hem; and knewen not her sones. These kepten thi speche, and these kepten thi couenaunt; A!

Jacob, thei kepten thi domes, and `thou, Israel, thei kepten thi lawe; thei schulen putte encense in thi strong veniaunce, and brent sacrifice on thin auter.

Lord, blesse thou the strengthe of hym, and resseyue thou the werkis of his hondis; smyte thou the backis of hise enemyes, and thei that haten hym, rise not.

And he seide to Benjamyn, The moost loued of the Lord schal dwelle tristili in hym, `that is, in the Lord; he schal dwelle al day as in a chaumbur, and he schal reste bitwixe the schuldris of hym.

Also he seide to Joseph, `His lond is of the Lordis blessyng; of the applis of heuene, and of the dewe, and of watir liggynge bynethe;

of the applis of fruytis of the sunne and moone; of the coppe of elde munteyns,

and of the applis of euerlastynge litle hillis;

and of the fruytis of the lond, and of the fulnesse therof. The blessyng of hym that apperide in the busch come on the heed of Joseph, and on the cop of Nazarey, `that is, hooli, among hise britheren.

As the first gendrid of a bole is the feirnesse of hym; the hornes of an vnicorn ben the hornes of hym; in tho he schal wyndewe folkis, `til to the termes of erthe. These ben the multitudis of Effraym, and these ben the thousyndis of Manasses.

And he seide to Zabulon, Zabulon, be thou glad in thi goyng out, and, Ysacar, in thi tabernaclis.

Thei schulen clepe puplis to the hil, there thei schulen offre sacrifices of riytfulnesse; whiche schulen souke the flowing of the see as mylk, and hid tresours of grauel.

And he seide to Gad, Gad is blessid in broodnesse; he restide as a lioun, and he took the arm and the nol.

And he siy his prinshed, that `the techere was kept in his part; which Gad was with the princes of the puple, and dide the riytfulnesses of the Lord, and his doom with Israel.

Also he seide to Dan, Dan, a whelp of a lioun, schal flowe largeli fro Basan.

And he seide to Neptalym, Neptalym schal vse abundaunce, and he schal be ful with blessyngis of the Lord; and he schal welde the see and the south.

Also he seide to Aser, Aser, be blessid in sones, and plese he hise britheren; dippe he his foot in oile.

Yrun and bras the scho of hym; as the dai of thi youthe so and thin eelde.

Noon other god is as the God of the moost riytful, that is, `as the God `of the puple of Israel, gouerned bi moost riytful lawe; the stiere of heuene is thin helpere; cloudis rennen aboute bi the glorie of hym.

His dwellynge place is aboue, and armes euerlastynge ben bynethe; he schal caste out fro thi face the enemy, and he schal seie, Be thou al to-brokun.

Israel schal dwelle trustili and aloone; the iye of Jacob in the lond of whete, and of wyn; and heuenes schulen be derk with dew.

Blessed art thou, Israel; thou puple that art saued in the Lord, who is lijk thee? The scheld of thin help and the swerd of thi glorie is thi God; thin enemyes schulen denye thee, and thou schalt trede her neckis.

Therfor Moyses stiede fro the feeldi places of Moab on the hil of Nebo, in to the cop of Fasga, ayens Gerico. And the Lord schewide to hym al the lond of Galaad `til to Dan,

and al Neptalym, and the lond of Effraym and of Manasses, and al the lond of Juda, `til to the laste see; and the south part,

and the breede of the feeld of Jerico, of the citee of Palmes `til to Segor.

And the Lord seide to hym, This is the lond for which Y swoor to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and Y seide, Y schal yyue it to thi seed; thou hast seyn it with thin iyen, and thou schalt not passe `to it.

And Moyses, the seruaunt of the Lord, was deed there, in the lond of Moab, `for the Lord comaundide.

And the Lord biriede hym in a valey of the lond of Moab, ayens Fegor, and no man knewe his sepulcre `til in to present day.

Moises was of an hundrid and twenti yeer whanne he diede; his iye dasewide not, nethir hise teeth weren stirid.

And the sones of Israel biwepten hym thretti daies in the feeldi places of Moab; and the daies of weilyng of men `bymorenynge Moises weren fillid.

Forsothe Josue, the sone of Nun, was fillid with `the spyrit of wisdom, for Moises settide hise hondis on hym; and the sones of Israel obeieden to Josue, and diden as the Lord comaundide to Moises.

And `a profete roos no more in Israel `as Moises, whom the Lord knewe face to face,

in alle myraclis, and grete wondris, whiche the Lord sente bi hym, that he schulde do in the lond of Egipt to Farao, and alle hise seruauntis, and to al the lond `of hym,

and al strong hond, and the `grete merueylis, whiche Moyses dide bifor al Israel.

The book of the generacioun of Jhesu Crist, the sone of Dauid, the sone of Abraham.

Abraham bigat Isaac. Isaac bigat Jacob. Jacob bigat Judas and hise britheren.

Judas bigat Fares and Zaram, of Tamar. Fares bigat Esrom.

Salmon bigat Booz, of Raab. Booz bigat Obeth, of Ruth. Obeth bigat Jesse. Jesse bigat Dauid the king.

Dauid the king bigat Salamon, of hir that was Vries wijf.

Salomon bigat Roboam. Roboam bigat Abias.

Abias bigat Asa. Asa bigat Josaphath. Josaphath bigat Joram. Joram bigat

Osias. Osias bigat Joathan. Joathan bigat Achaz. Achaz bigat Ezechie.

Ezechie bigat Manasses. Manasses bigat Amon.

Amon bigat Josias. Josias bigat Jeconyas and his britheren, in to the transmygracioun of Babiloyne.

And aftir the transmygracioun of Babiloyne, Jeconyas bigat Salatiel. Salatiel bigat Zorobabel.

Zorobabel bigat Abyut. Abyut bigat Eliachym. Eliachym bigat Asor.

Asor bigat Sadoc. Sadoc bigat Achym.

Achym bigat Elyut. Elyut bigat Eleasar. Eleasar bigat Mathan.

Mathan bigat Jacob. Jacob bigat Joseph, the hosebonde of Marye, of whom Jhesus was borun, that is clepid Christ.

And so alle generaciouns fro Abraham to Dauid ben fourtene generacions, and fro Dauid to the transmygracioun of Babiloyne ben fourtene generaciouns, and fro the transmygracioun of Babiloyne to Crist ben fourtene generaciouns.

But the generacioun of Crist was thus. Whanne Marie, the modir of Jhesu, was spousid to Joseph, bifore thei camen togidere, she was foundun hauynge of the Hooli Goost in the wombe.

And Joseph, hir hosebonde, for he was riytful, and wolde not puplische hir, he wolde priueli haue left hir.

But while he thouyte thes thingis, lo! the aungel of the Lord apperide `in sleep to hym, and seide, Joseph, the sone of Dauid, nyle thou drede to take Marie, thi wijf; for that thing that is borun in hir is of the Hooli Goost.

And she shal bere a sone, and thou shalt clepe his name Jhesus; for he schal make his puple saaf fro her synnes.

For al this thing was don, that it schulde be fulfillid, that was seid of the Lord bi a prophete, seiynge, Lo!

a virgyn shal haue in wombe, and she schal bere a sone, and thei schulen clepe his name Emanuel, that is to seie, God with vs.

And Joseph roos fro sleepe, and dide as the aungel of the Lord comaundide hym, and took Marie, his wijf;

and he knew her not, til she hadde borun her firste bigete sone, and clepide his name Jhesus.

Therfor whanne Jhesus was borun in Bethleem of Juda, in the daies of king Eroude, lo! astromyenes camen fro the eest to Jerusalem,

and seiden, Where is he, that is borun king of Jewis? for we han seyn his sterre in the eest, and we comen to worschipe him.

But king Eroude herde, and was trublid, and al Jerusalem with hym.

And he gaderide to gidre alle the prynces of prestis, and scribis of the puple, and enqueride of hem, where Crist shulde be borun.

And thei seiden to hym, In Bethleem of Juda; for so it is writun bi a profete,

And thou, Bethleem, the lond of Juda, art not the leest among the prynces of Juda; for of thee a duyk schal go out, that schal gouerne my puple of Israel.

Thanne Eroude clepide pryueli the astromyens, and lernyde bisili of hem the tyme of the sterre that apperide to hem.

And he sente hem in to Bethleem, and seide, Go ye, and axe ye bisili of the child, and whanne yee han foundun, telle ye it to me, that Y also come, and worschipe hym.

And whanne thei hadden herd the kyng, thei wenten forth. And lo! the sterre, that thei siyen in the eest, wente bifore hem, til it cam, and stood aboue, where the child was.

And thei siyen the sterre, and ioyeden with a ful greet ioye.

And thei entriden in to the hous, and founden the child with Marie, his modir; and thei felden doun, and worschipiden him. And whanne thei hadden openyd her tresouris, thei offryden to hym yiftis, gold, encense, and myrre.

And whanne thei hadden take an aunswere in sleep, that thei schulden not turne ayen to Eroude, thei turneden ayen bi anothir weie in to her cuntrey.

And whanne thei weren goon, lo! the aungel of the Lord apperide to Joseph in sleep, and seide, Rise vp, and take the child and his modir, and fle in to Egipt, and be thou there, til that I seie to thee; for it is to come, that Eroude seke the child, to destrie hym.

And Joseph roos, and took the child and his modir bi nyyt, and wente in to Egipt,

and he was there to the deeth of Eroude; that it schulde be fulfillid, that was seid of the Lord bi the profete, seiynge, Fro Egipt Y haue clepid my sone.

Thanne Eroude seynge that he was disseyued of the astromyens, was ful wrooth; and he sente, and slowe alle the children, that weren in Bethleem, and in alle the coostis therof, fro two yeer age and with inne, aftir the tyme that he had enquerid of the astromyens.

Thanne `it was fulfillid, that was seid bi Jeremye, the profete,

seiynge, A vois was herd an hiy, wepynge and moche weilyng, Rachel biwepynge hir sones, and she wolde not be coumfortid, for thei ben noyt.

But whanne Eroude was deed, loo! the aungel of the Lord apperide to Joseph in sleep in Egipt,

and seide, Ryse vp, and take the child and his modir, and go in to the lond of Israel; for thei that souyten the lijf of the chijld ben deed.

Joseph roos, and took the child and his modir, and cam in to the loond of Israel.

And he herde that Archilaus regnede in Judee for Eroude, his fadir, and dredde to go thidir. And he was warned in sleep, and wente in to the parties of Galilee;

and cam, and dwelte in a citee, that ys clepid Nazareth, that it shulde be fulfillid, that was seid bi profetis, For he shal be clepid a Nazarey.

In tho daies Joon Baptist cam, and prechide in the desert of Judee,

and seide, Do ye penaunce, for the kyngdom of heuenes shal neiye.

For this is he, of whom it is seid bi Ysaie, the prophete, seyinge, A vois of a crier in desert, Make ye redi the weies of the Lord; make ye riyt the pathis of hym.

And this Joon hadde clothing of camels heeris, and a girdil of skynne aboute hise leendis; and his mete was honysoukis, and hony of the wode.

Thanne Jerusalem wente out to hym, and al Judee, and al the cuntre aboute Jordan;

and thei weren waischun of hym in Jordan, `and knowlechiden her synnes.

But he siy manye of the Farysees and of Saduceis comynge to his baptym, and seide to hem, Generaciouns of eddris, who shewide to you to fle fro the wraththe that is to come?

Therfor do ye worthi fruyte of penaunce,

and nyle ye seie with ynne you, We han Abraham to fadir; for Y seie to you, that God is myyti to reise vp of these stoones the sones of Abraham.

And now the ax is put to the roote of the tree; therfore euery tree that makith not good fruyt, shal be kit doun, and shal be cast in to the fier.

Y waische you in water, in to penaunce; but he that shal come after me is strongere than Y, whos schoon Y am not worthi to bere; he shal baptise you in the Hooli Goost and fier.

Whos wynewing cloth is in his hoond, and he shal fulli clense his corn flore, and shal gadere his whete in to his berne; but the chaffe he shal brenne with fier that mai not be quenchid.

Thanne Jhesus cam fro Galilee in to Jordan to Joon, to be baptised of hym.

And Joon forbede him, and seide, Y owe to be baptisid of thee, and thou comest to me?

But Jhesus answeride, and seide to hym, Suffre nowe, for thus it fallith to vs to fulfille al riytfulnesse.

Thanne Joon suffride hym. And whanne Jhesus was baptisid, anoon he wente up fro the watir; and lo! heuenes weren openyd to hym, and he saie the Spirit of God comynge doun as a dowue, and comynge on hym; and loo!