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

CAP. IV.

[verse 1] Moyses answerde, and seith, Thei shulen not leue me, ne here my voyce; but seyn [thei shullen seyn E pr. m.] , The Lord apeeryde not to thee. [verse 2] Thanne he seide vnto hym, What is that that thow holdist in thin hoond? He an|swerde, A ȝerde. [verse 3] And the Lord seide, Throw it into the erthe; he threwe it, and it was turned into a boske eddre, so that Moyses fleiȝ. [verse 4] And the Lord seide, Strecch out thin hoond, and tak his tayle; he strauȝte out, and helde, and it was turned into a ȝerde. [verse 5] That thei bi|leuen, he seith, that God of thi fadres aperide to thee God [the God E pr. m.] of Abraham, and God [the God E pr. m.] of Ysaac, and God [the God E pr. m.] of Jacob. [verse 6] And the Lord seide eftsones, Putte thin hoond into thi bosum; the which whanne he hadde putt into his bosum, he brouȝte it forth leprows, at liknes of snow. [verse 7] Drawe aȝen, he seith, the hoond into thi bosum:

he aȝen drewȝ, and brouȝte it forth eft|sones, and it was lijk vnto [to E.] the tother [that other D.] fleshe. [verse 8] If thei leuen not, he seith, to thee, ne here the word of the former signe, thei shulen leue to the word of the signe [verse 9] that folweth; and if forsothe they leuen not to thes twey signes, ne heren thi voys, tak water of the floode, and heeld it out vpon the drye loond, and what euere thow drawist [drawe BDEFH.] of the floode, it shal be turned into bloode. [verse 10] Moyses seith, Lord, Y biseche, I am not wel spekynge fro ȝisterday and fro the thridde dai hens; and sith thow spak to thi seruaunt, Y am of more latsum and of more slow tonge. [verse 11] The Lorde seide to hym, Who made the mouth of man [a man E.] , or who forgide the dowmbe and the deef, the seer and the blynde? whether not Y? [verse 12] Goo thanne, I shal be in thi mouth, and Y shal teche thee what thow shalt spek. [verse 13] And he, Y biseche, he seith, Lord, sende whom thow art to sende. [verse 14] The Lord wrooth aȝens Moyses, seith, Aaron, thi brother, Le|uyte [of the kynrede of Leuytes E pr. m.] , I [Om. AFH.] wote that he is a fayr speker; loo! he shal goo out into thin aȝen go|ynge, and seynge thee he shal `be glad [gladen E sec. m.] in herte. [verse 15] Spek to him, and put my wordis in his mouth, and Y shal be in thi mouth and `in his mouth [in the mouth of him B.] ; and Y shal shewe to ȝou what ȝe shulen do. [verse 16] He shal speke for thee [the A.] to the puple, and he shal be thi mouth; thow forsothe shal be to hym in thes thinges, that pertenen to God. [verse 17] And this ȝerde tak in thin hoond, in the which thow art to doon signes. [verse 18] Moyses ȝede, and turned aȝen to Jetro, his wyues fader, and he seide to hym, Y shal goo, and turn aȝen to my bretheren in to Egipte, that Y se if thei ȝit lyuen. To whom seide Jetro, Goo in pees. [verse 19] Thanne the Lord seide to Moyses in Madian, Goo, and turn aȝen into E|gipte;

forsothe alle thei ben deede, that souȝten thi lyf. [verse 20] Moyses tok his wyf, and his sones, and putte hem upon an asse, and he is turned aȝen into Egipte, berynge the ȝerde of God in his hoond. [verse 21] And the Lord seide to hym turnynge aȝen into Egipte, Looke, that alle the signes [syngne D.] wor|thi to be shewid thow do, the whiche Y have putte in thin hoond, before Pharao; Y shal hardun his herte, and he shal not [verse 22] leeue the puple; and thow shalt seye to hym, Thes thingis seith the Lord, My [verse 23] sone first getun Yrael; Y seide to thee, leeue my sone, that he serue to me; and thow woldist not leeue hym; loo! Y shal slee thi first gotun sone. [verse 24] And whanne he was in the weie, in the syde turnyng place to reste, the Lorde ȝede aȝens hym, and wold slee hym. [verse 25] Anoon Sephora tok a ful sharp stoon, and kitte al aboute the vttermore skynne of the ȝerde of hir sone, and it touchide his feet; and she seith, A spouse of blodis thow art to me. [verse 26] And she lafte hym, for the [that E.] circumsicioun, aftir that she hadde seid, A spouse of blodes thou art to me. [verse 27] The Lord forsothe seide to Aaron, Goo into the aȝen comyng to Moises, into desert; the which ȝede to mete with hym into the hil of God, and he kysside hym. [verse 28] And Moyses tolde Aaron alle the wordis of the Lord, for the whiche he sente hym, and the toknes that he comaundyde. [verse 29] And thei comen to|gidere, and thei gadereden togidere alle the alder men of the sones of Yrael. [verse 30] And Aaron spak alle the wordis, that the Lord hadde seyde to Moyses; and he [verse 31] dide the signes beforn the puple; and the puple bileuede [leeued BDEFH.] ; and thei herden that the Lord hadde visitid the sones of Yrael, and that he hadde biholdun the affliccioun of hem; and redi thei anourden.