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

CAP. XXIII.

[verse 1] Thow shalt not tak the voys of lees|ynge, ne ligge to thin hoond, that for the vnpyteuows thow seye fals witnes. [verse 2] Thow shalt not folwe the puple to doon yuel, ne in dome of many thow shalt assente to the sentence, that thow goo out of the weye of [fro the BDEF.] trewthe. [verse 3] Of the pore forsothe thou shalt not haue merci in cause [the dome E pr. m.] of strijf. [verse 4] If thou aȝen come to the ox of thin enemy, or to the errynge asse, lede aȝen to hym. [verse 5] If thow se an asse of hym that hatith thee lye vnder the charge, thow shalt not ouerpasse, but thow shalt vnderheue with hym. [verse 6] Thow shalt not bowe awey in the dome of the pore. Lesyng thow shalt flee. [verse 7] The innocent and the ryȝtwis thow shalt not slee, for Y am aduersarye aȝens the unpiteuows. [verse 8] Ne tak thou ȝiftes, that also blynden wise men, and turnen vpsedoun the wordis of riȝtwys men. [verse 9] To the pilgrime thow shalt not be greuous; ȝe knowen forsothe the lyues of comlyngis, for and ȝe ȝoure silf weren pylgrimys in the loond of Egipte. [verse 10] Sixe ȝeer thow shalt sowe thi loond, and thow shalt gedere togidere the fruytis of [verse 11] it; the seuenthe forsothe ȝeer thow shalt

leeue it, and thow shalt mak reste, that pore men of thi puple eeten, and what euer `shal be [wern E pr. m.] relif, eete the beestis of the feeld; so thow shalt doon in thi vyne ȝeerd, and in thin oliue ȝeerd. [verse 12] Sixe dayes thow shalt worche, the seuenthe day thow shalt ceese, that the oxe reste, and thin asse, and the sone of thin handmayden be refreshid, and the comlyng. [verse 13] Alle thingis that Y haue seyd to ȝow, kepith; and bi the name of straunge goddis thow shalt not sweer, ne shal not be herd of ȝoure mouth. [verse 14] Thre sithes thurȝ eche ȝeer feeste dayes thow shalt halowe to me. [verse 15] The so|lempne [solempnite E.] of therf looues thow shalt kepe; seuen dayes thow shalt eete therf looues, as Y haue comaundid to thee, in the tyme of the moneth of new fruytis, whanne thow ȝedist out of Egipte; thow [verse 16] shalt not apere in my siȝt voyde; and [Om. A.] the solempnete of the moneth of the cheef fruytes of thi werk, what euer thingis thow shalt sowe in thi feelde; and the solempnete in the goyng out of the ȝeer, when thow hast gedered togidere alle thi [the D.] fruytis fro the feeld. [verse 17] Thries aȝeer shal apere al thi maal child [children D.] before the Lord thi God. [verse 18] Thow shalt not offer vpon `sour dowȝ [whete E pr. m.] the blood of thi sacri|fice; ne there shal not leeue the talowȝ [talwȝs BDFH. fatte E pr. m.] of my solempnete vnto the morwen. [verse 19] The cheef fruytis of the tilthe of thin erthe thow shalt bere into [in D.] the hows of the Lord thi God. Thow shalt not seethe a kydde in the mylk of his moder. [verse 20] Loo! Y shal seende myn aungel, that he goo before thee, and kepe in the weye, and lede into the place that Y haue greithid. [verse 21] Wayt hym, and here his voys, ne wene thow hym to be dispisid, for he shal not for|ȝyue, whanne thou synnest, and my name is in hym. [verse 22] That [and E pr. m.] if thow here hys vois, and dost alle thingis that Y speke, Y shal

be enemy to thin enemyes, and Y shal [verse 23] turmente hem that turmenten thee; and myn aungel shal goo before thee, and he shal lede thee into Amorre, and Ethe, and Phereze, Chanane, and Eue, and Je|buze, whom Y shal totreede. [verse 24] Thou shalt not anowre the goddis of hem, ne thou shalt not herye hem; thow shalt not do the werkis of hem, but destrye hem, and al to breek the ymagis of hem. [verse 25] And ȝe shulen serue to the Lord ȝoure God, that Y blesse [schulen blesse E pr. m.] to thi looues, and watris, and Y shal take awey wickidnes fro the myddil [verse 26] of thee; ne [Om. E.] thi loond shal be vnfructuous [schall not be vnf. E.] , ne bareyn; the noumbre of thi dayes Y shal fulfille. [verse 27] My feerde Y shal seende into thi before comyng, and Y shal slee al the puple, to whom thow shalt goon yn [aȝeynst E pr. m.] , and of alle thin enemyes before thee Y shal [verse 28] turne the backis; sendynge out before stynggynge flies, that ben sprungun of deed bodies, hauynge the stonges enue|nymd, the which shulen make flee Eue, and Chanane, and Ethe, er thow goon yn. [verse 29] Y shal not throwe hem out fro thi face o ȝeer, lest the loond be turned into wildernes, and beestis growen aȝens thee; [verse 30] litil meele Y shal putte hem out fro thi siȝt, to the tyme thow be encreesid, and weelde the loond [erth E pr. m.] . [verse 31] Forsothe Y shal sette thi termes fro the reed see vnto the see of Palestynes, and fro the desert vnto the flood. Y shal take to ȝoure hoondes the dwellers of the loond, and Y shal throwe [verse 32] hem out fro ȝoure siȝt; thow shalt not goon with hem into couenaunt of pees, ne with the goddis of hem. [verse 33] Dwelle thei not in thi loond, lest perauentur thei maken thee synne aȝens me, if [that if A pr. m.] thow seruest to the goddis of hem, that certis shal be to thee into sclaundre.