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

CAP. XVIII.

[verse 1] And whanne Jethro, the preest of Ma|dian, cosyn [the alye E pr. m.] to Moyses, hadde herd alle thingis that God dide to Moyses, and to Yrael his puple, forthi that the Lord [verse 2] hadde ladde Yrael out of Egipte, he tok Sephoram, the wijf of Moyses, whom he [verse 3] sente aȝen, and the two sones of hym, of whom oon was clepid Gersan, seiynge the fader, a comlyng Y was in an alien loond, [verse 4] the tother forsothe Eliezar, God forsothe, seith, myn helper of my fader, and he hath delyuered me fro the swerd of Pha|rao. [verse 5] Thanne cam Jetro, cosyne to Moyses,

and the sones of hym and his wijf, to Moyses in desert, where he hadde sett tentis biside the hil of God. [verse 6] And he sente to Moyses, seiynge, I, thi cosyn Jethro, come to thee, and thi wijf, and thi two children [sones D.] with hir. [verse 7] The which, goon out into the aȝencomyng of his cosyn, lowtide, and kisside hym, and thei salutiden hem silf togidris with pesible wordis. [verse 8] And whanne he was goon into the tabernacle, Moyses tolde to his cosyn alle thingis that God hadde doon to Pha|rao, and to the Egipciens, for Yrael, and al the traueyle that hadde fallun to hem in the weye, fro the which the Lord hadde delyuered hem. [verse 9] And Gethro was glad vpon alle the goodis that the Lord dide to Yrael, forthi that he hadde dely|uered hym fro the hoondis [honde E.] of the Egip|ciens; [verse 10] and seith, Blissid be the Lord God [Om. BDEFH.] that hath delyuered ȝou [VS E pr. m.] fro `the hondes [honde BE.] of [Om. A.] the Egipciens, and fro the hoond of Pharao, that hath drawun out [verse 11] his puple fro the hoond of Egipte; now I haue knowun for greet is the Lord aboue alle goddis, forthi that thei prowdli diden aȝens hem. [verse 12] Thanne Jethro, the cosyn to Moyses, offrede to God brent sacrifices [sacrifice A.] , and oostes [sacrifises to brynn and to slaa E pr. m.] ; and Aaron, and alle the aldren of Yrael, camen, that thei myȝten eete breed with hym before God. [verse 13] Another forsothe day Moyses sat for to deme the puple, the which stood niȝ to Moyses, fro morwe to euen. [verse 14] The which thing whanne his cosyn hadde seen, that is, alle thingis that he dide in the puple, seith, What is this that thow dost [dist BDFH.] in the puple? whi alone sittist thow, and al the puple abidith fro morwetide vnto euen? [verse 15] To whom answerde Moyses, To me cometh the puple, sechynge the sentence [verse 16] of God; and whanne there fallith to hem

eny strijf [disputisoun E pr. m.] , thei comen [comith D.] to me, that Y deme betwix hem, that Y shewe the heestis of God, and his lawe [lawes DEH.] . [verse 17] And he, Not good thing, he seith, thow dost [dest BDEFH.] , [verse 18] thow art consumyd with foli labour, and thow and thi [this BDEH.] puple that is with thee; ouer thi strengthes is this doyng of causis, alone `that thow shalt not mowe susteyne [all thy self thou mayst not susteyne it E pr. m.] . [verse 19] But here my wordis and coun|sels, and the Lord shal be with thee; be thow to the puple in thes thingis that perteynen to God, that thow telle to hem [verse 20] that ben seyd; and thow [that thow E pr. m. to H.] shewe to the puple the serymonyes, and the ryte of heriyng, and the weie bi the whych thei owen to goon yn, and the werk that thei owen to doon. [verse 21] And puruey of al the puple men myȝti, and dredinge God, in whom be trewthe, and the whiche haten aueryse; and ordeyne of hem rewlers vpon thowsaundes, and rewlers vpon hun|drethes, and rewlers vpon fifti, and rewlers [verse 22] vpon ten, that mowen deme the puple al tyme; and what euer `shal be [wer E pr. m.] more, telle thei it to thee, and deme thei the lasse thingis oonli, that liȝter it be to thee, the charge partid vnto othere. [verse 23] And if thow dost thus, thow shalt fulfil the comaunde|ment of God, and his heestis thow may [mayt D.] susteyne [kepe E pr. m.] ; and al this puple shal [may E pr. m.] turne with pees to her places. [verse 24] The whiche thingis herd, Moyses dide alle thingis that he meuyde to. [verse 25] And dowȝti men, chosun of al Yrael, he ordeyned hem princes of the puple, rewlers vpon thow|sandes, and rewlers vpon hundrethis, and rewlers upon fifti, and rewlers vpon ten, [verse 26] that demeden the puple al tyme; what euer forsothe were harder, thei tolden to hym, oonli the liȝter thingis demynge. [verse 27] And he lafte his cosyn, the which turnyd aȝen, ȝede into his loond.