The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XXIV.

[verse 1] Fro the Almyȝti ben not hid the times; thei forsothe that knewen hym, vnknow|en his daȝis. [verse 2] Othere men translateden termes, breeken atwynne the flockis,

and fedden hem. [verse 3] Thei dryuen awei the asse [assis AH.] of moderles childer, and token awei for a wed the oxe of the widewe. [verse 4] Thei turneden vp so doun the weie of pore men, and opresseden togidere the debonere men of erthe [the erthe AEFH.] . [verse 5] Othere men as assis in desert gon out to ther werc; and wakende at the prey, greithe bred to fre childer. [verse 6] The feld not thers thei de|stroȝen, and his vine, whom bi violence thei opresseden, thei kutte the grapis. [verse 7] Nakid thei leue men, takende awei clothis, [verse 8] to whom is no koueryng in cold; whom wederes of hillis moisten, and not hauende wrielys [wriels or coueryngis A.] clippe stones. [verse 9] Fors thei diden robbende moderles childer; and the comun of pore men thei spoileden. [verse 10] To the nakide, and to the goende withoute cloth|ing, and to the hungri thei token awei eris. [verse 11] Among the hipilis of hem thei resteden in mydday, the whiche thresten, the pressoures tredid. [verse 12] They maden men of citees to weilen, and the liues of woundid men shul crien; and God suf|freth not vnuengid to gon awey. [verse 13] Thei weren rebel to liȝt; thei knewen not his weies, ne thei be turned aȝeen bi his sties. [verse 14] Erli first riseth [ariseth AEFH.] the mansleere, and he sleth the nedy, and the pore; bi the nyȝt forsothe he shal ben as a thef [dai thef E pr. m.] . [verse 15] The eȝe of the auoutrer waiteth derk|nesse, seiende, The eȝe shal not see me; and he shal coueren his chere. [verse 16] Thei breeken thurȝ housis in dercnesses, as in the dai thei hadde seid togidere to them|self; and thei vnknewe liȝt. [verse 17] If feerli apere the morutid, thei deme the shadewe of deth; and so in dercnessis thei gon as in liȝt. [verse 18] Liȝt he is vp on the face of the water; cursid be his part in the erthe, ne go he bi the weie of vines. [verse 19] To [At E pr. m.] ful myche hete he shal passen fro the watris of

snowis, and vnto helle the synne of hym. [verse 20] His mercy be forȝeten; his swetnesse a werm; be he not in recording, but be to|trede as a tree vnfructuous. [verse 21] Forsothe he fedde the barein, that [and that AH.] bar not child, and to the widewe he dide not wel [welthe A.] . [verse 22] He [And H.] droȝ doun the stronge men in ther strengthe; and whan he shulde stonde, he shall not trowe to his lif. [verse 23] God to hym a place of penaunce ȝaf, and he mysuseth it in to pride; forsothe the eȝen of hym ben in his weies. [verse 24] Thei ben rerid at a litil, and thei shul not stonde stille; and thei shul be mekid as alle thinges, and be do awey; and as the oouermostis of corn eris thei shul ben to-broosid. [verse 25] That if it is not so, who may me vndernyme to han lowen, and to putte beforn God my woordys?