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

CAP. XXXII.

[verse 1] The sones forsothe of Ruben and Gad hadden many beestis, `and ther was to hem in bestis [Om. A.] substaunce with outen noumbre. And whanne thei hadden seen Jaser and Galaad, able loondis to beestis [verse 2] to be fedd, thei camen to Moyses and Eleazar, the preest, and prynces of the [verse 3] multitude, `and seyden [Om. A.] , Astaroth, and Dibbon, and Jaser, and Nemra, Esebon, and Eleale, and Sabam, and Nebo, and [verse 4] Beon, the loond that the Lord smoot in the siȝt of the sones of Yrael, is of a re|gioun moost plenteuous to the food of beestis; and we thi seruauntis han many [verse 5] beestis; and we preyen, if we han foundun grace before thee, that thow

ȝyue to vs thi seruauntis it into posses|sioun, ne maak thow vs passe [to passe C.] ouer Jor|dan. [verse 6] To whom answerde Moyses, Whe|ther ȝoure britheren shulen go to the fiȝt, and ȝe here shulen sitte? [verse 7] Whi mysturnen ȝe the thouȝtes of the sones of Irael, that thei doren [dur CD. der E.] not passe into the place that the Lord is to ȝyuynge [ȝiue C.] to hem? [verse 8] Whe|ther diden not so ȝoure fadres, whanne Y sente fro Cades Barne to aspie the [verse 9] loond, and whanne thei camen to the valey of Cluster [Clustrue A.] , al the regioun about passid, thei mysturneden [mystorden BH.] the herte of the sones of Yrael, that thei wenten not in to the coostis, that the Lord ȝaf to hem. [verse 10] The which wrooth, swaar, seiynge, [verse 11] Thes men shulen not seen, that stieden vp fro Egipte, fro twenti ȝeer and aboue, the loond that `under ooth [Om. A.] Y bihiȝte to Abraham, Ysaac, and Jacob, and thei [verse 12] wolden not sue me, saue Caleph, the sone of [Om. BDF sec. m.] Jephone, Ceneze, and Josue, the sone of Nun; thes fulfilden my wille. [verse 13] And the Lord wrooth aȝens Yrael, ladde hym about by deseert fourti ȝeer, to the tyme that were endyd al the generacioun that dide the yuel in the siȝt of hym. [verse 14] And, Loo! he seith, ȝe han rysen for ȝoure fadres the waxyngis [wexyng C.] and the norshid of synful men, that ȝe encresen the woodnes of the Lord aȝens Yrael. [verse 15] And if ȝe wolen not folwe hym, in wildirnes the puple he shal forsaak, and ȝe the enchesoun shulen be of the deeth of alle. [verse 16] And thei nyȝ comynge to, seiden, We shulen make vs fooldis of sheep, and stablis of beestis, to oure litil children forsothe waardid cytees. [verse 17] Forsothe we oure [vs CE.] silf armed and gyrd, we shulen goo to batayl before the sones of Irael, to the tyme that we leden hem into her places; oure children, and what euer thing we mowen han, shulen be in

the waardid citees, for the aspies of the dwellers. [verse 18] We shulen not turnen aȝen into oure howsis, into the tyme that the [verse 19] sones of Yrael welden her herytage; ne eny thing we shulen seche biȝonde Jor|dan, for nowe we han oure possessioun in the eest coost of it. [verse 20] To whom seith Moises, If ȝe doon that ȝe bihooten, ful|spede goo ȝe before the Lord into fiȝt [the fiȝt E.] ; [verse 21] and eche fiȝtynge man armed passe he ouer Jordan, to the tyme that the Lord [verse 22] turne doun his enemyes, and al the loond be suget to hym; thanne ȝe shulen be vnculpable [vncoupable BCDEFH.] anentis God, and anentis Irael, and ȝe shulen weeld the regiouns, `the whiche [that C.] ȝe wolen, before the Lord. [verse 23] If forsothe that ȝe seyn, ȝe doon not, to no man dowt is, that ne ȝe synnen aȝens God; and wite ȝe, that ȝour synne shal catche ȝow. [verse 24] Bilde ȝe thanne cytees to ȝoure children, and fooldis and stablis to sheep and beestis; and that ȝe han bi|hoot, fulfillith. [verse 25] And the sones of Gad and Ruben [of Ruben CE.] seiden to Moyses, Thi ser|uauntis we ben; we shulen doo that the [oure CE.] Lord comaundith. [verse 26] Oure litil children, and wymmen, and feeldbeestis, and hows|beestis we shulen leeue in the cytees of [verse 27] Galaad; forsothe we thi seruauntis alle fulspede shulen goo to batayl, as thow, lord, shalt speek. [verse 28] Thanne Moyses co|maundide to Eleazar, the preest, and to Josue, the sone of Nun, and to the prynces of the meynees, bi the lynagis [verse 29] of Irael, and he seide to hem, If the sones of Gad and the sones of Ruben with ȝow passen ouer Jordan alle armed, to bateil before the Lord, and to ȝow were the loond suget, ȝyue ȝe to hem Ga|laad [verse 30] into possessioun; if forsothe thei wolen not passe with ȝow into the loond of Chanaan, among ȝow take thei places of dwellynge. [verse 31] And the sones of Gad and the sones of Ruben answerden, As the

Lord hath spoken to his seruauntis, so [verse 32] we shulen doon; we armed shulen goo before the Lord, into the loond of Cha|naan, and we knowlechen, that we han take now possessioun biȝonde Jordan. [verse 33] And so Moyses ȝaf to the sones of Gad and of [Om. CE.] Ruben, and to the half lynage of Manasse, the [Om. C. of the F.] sone of Joseph, the kyng|dam of Seon, kyng [the kyng E pr. m.] of Amorrei, and the kyngdam of Og, kyng [the kyng E pr. m.] of Basan, and the loond of hem, with her cytees, bi enuy|roun. [verse 34] Thanne the sones of Gad maden [verse 35] out Dibon, and Astaroth, and Aroer, and [verse 36] Roth-Sophan, and Jazer, and Jeebaa, and Beth-Neura, and Betharan, waardid ci|tees; and fooldis to her beestis. [verse 37] The sones forsothe of Ruben edifieden Ese|bon, [verse 38] and Eleale, and Cariathiarym, and Nabo, and Balmyon, turned the names, Sabama forsothe; puttynge names to the cytes that thei maden out. [verse 39] Forsothe the sones of Machir, sone of Manasse, wenten forth into Galaad, and wastiden it, A|morre slayn, the dweller of it. [verse 40] Than Moyses ȝaf the loond of Galaad to Ma|chir, sone of Manasse, that dwellide in it. [verse 41] Forsothe Jair, the sone of Manasse, wente, and ocupiede the stretis of it, the whiche he clepide Anochiair, that is, the townes of Jayr. [verse 42] Forsothe Nobe wente, and cauȝte Canath, with his litil townes, and he clepide it, of his name, Nobe.