28 And there ye schulen serue to goddis, that ben maad bi `the hond of men, to a tre and a stoon, that `seen not, nether heren, nether eten, nether smellen.
29 And whanne thou hast souyt there [5] thi Lord God, thou schalt fynde hym; if netheles thou sekist with al the herte, and with al the tribulacioun of thi soule.
30 Aftir that alle thingis han founde thee, that ben biforseid [6] , forsothe in the laste tyme, thou schalt turne ayen to thi Lord God, and thou schalt here his vois.
31 For thi Lord God is merciful God; he schal not forsake thee, nethir he schal do awey outirli, nethir he schal foryete the couenaunt, in which he swoor to thi fadris.
32 Axe thou of elde daies that weren bifor thee, fro the day in which thi Lord God made of nouyt man on erthe, axe thou fro that oon ende of heuene `til to the tother ende therof [7] , if sich a thing was doon ony tyme, ether if it was euere knowun,
33 that a puple herde the vois of God spekynge fro the myddis of the fier, as thou herdist, and siest;
34 if God `dide, that he entride, and took to him silf a folc fro the middis of naciouns, bi temptaciouns, myraclis, and grete wondris, bi batel, and strong hond, and arm holdun forth, and orrible siytis, bi alle thingis whiche youre Lord God dide for you in Egipt, `while thin iyen sien;
35 that thou schuldist wite, that the Lord hym silf is God, and noon other is, outakun oon.
36 Fro heuene he made thee to here his vois, that he schulde teche thee; and in erthe he schewide to thee his grettiste fier, and thou herdist the wordis `of hym fro the myddis of the fier;
37 for he louyde thi fadris, and chees her seed aftir hem. And he ledde thee out of Egipt, and yede bifore in his greet vertu,
38 that he schulde do awei grettiste naciouns, and strongere than thou, in thin entryng, and that he schulde lede thee ynne, and schulde yyue to thee the lond `of hem in to possessioun, as thou seest in `present day.
39 Therfor wite thou to dai, and thenke in thin herte, that the Lord him silfe is God in heuene aboue, and in erthe bynethe, and noon other is.
40 Kepe thou hise heestis, and comaundementis [8] , whiche Y comaunde to thee, that it be wel to thee, and to thi sones after thee, and that thou dwelle mych tyme on the lond, which thi Lord God schal yyue to thee.
41 Thanne Moises departide thre citees biyende Jordan at the eest coost,
42 that he fle to tho, that sleeth his neighbore not wilfuli, and was not enemy bifore oon and `the tother dai, and that he mai fle to summe of these citees;
43 Bosor in the wildirnesse, which is set in the feeldi lond, of the lynage of Ruben; and Ramoth in Galaad, which is in the lynage of Gad; and Golan in Basan, which is in the lynage of Manasses.
44 This is the lawe which Moises `settide forth bifor the sones of Israel,
45 and these ben the witnessyngis, and cerymonyes, and domes, whiche he spak to the sones of Israel, whanne thei yeden out of Egipt,
46 biyende Jordan, in the valey ayens the temple of Phegor, in the lond of Seon, kyng of Ammorreis, that dwellide in Esebon, whom Moises killide. And the sones of Israel yeden out of Egipt, and weldiden `the lond of him,
47 and the lond of Og, kyng of Basan, twei kyngis of Ammoreis, that weren biyende Jordan, at the rysyng of the sunne;
48 fro Aroer which is set on the brenke of the stronde of Arnon, `til to the hil of Seon, which is Hermon;
49 thei weldiden al the pleyn biyende Jordan, at the eest coost, `til to the see of wildirnesse, and `til to the rootis of the hil of Phasga.
1 ↑ [Note: ye schulen not adde to the word etc. Here that adding is forbedun, that depraueth, ether peruertith the vndurstonding of the lawe; that adding, that declarith, ether makith cleer, is not forbedun, bi this that is writun in xxiiij. co. of Ecci. in the name of wisdom, ether of hooly scripture; Thei that declaren me, schulen haue euerlastynge liyf.]
2 ↑ [Note: wisdom, that is, saueri kunnyng, that bringith in to the loue of God. Sothely the wisdom of filosoforis brouyten more to hiynesse and pride.]
3 ↑ [Note: a puple of eritage, that is, cleuynge to him vnmouably; as eritage is possessioun vnmouable.]
4 ↑ [Note: fier wastinge, that is, punyschinge scharply, as fier among othere elementis worchith more.]
5 ↑ [Note: in the heestis, domes, and in cerymonies, paciently abidinge the Lord.]
6 ↑ [Note: that is, after alle these forseid thinges ben bifallen to thee.]
7 ↑ [Note: that is, take hede to alle thinges that euer weren do.]
8 ↑ [Note: preueili and appertli, in prosperitee and in aduersitee.]
Chapter 5
1 And Moises clepide al Israel, and seide to hym, Here, thou Israel, the cerymonyes and domes, whiche Y speke to dai in youre eeris; lerne ye tho, and `fille ye in werk.
2 Oure Lord God made a boond of pees with vs in Oreb;
3 he made not couenaunt, `that is, of lawe writun, with oure fadris, but with vs that ben present, and lyuen.
4 Face to face he spak to vs in the hil, fro the myddis of the fier.
5 Y was recouncelere and mediatour bitwixe God and you in that tyme, that Y schulde telle to you the wordis `of hym, for ye dredden the fier, and `stieden not in to the hil. And `the Lord seide,
6 Y am thi Lord God, that ladde thee out of the lond of Egipt, fro the hows of seruage.
7 Thou schalt not haue alien Goddis in my siyt.
8 Thou schalt not make to thee a grauun ymage, nether a licnesse of alle thingis [1] that ben in heuene aboue, and that ben in erthe bynethe, and that lyuen in watris vndur erthe;
9 thou schalt not herie tho, `and thou schalt not worschipe tho; for Y am thi Lord God, `God a feruent louyer; and Y yelde the wickidnesse of fadris, in to sones in to the thridde and the fourthe generacioun to hem that haten me,
10 and Y do mersy in to many thousyndis to hem that louen me, and kepen myn heestis.
11 Thou schalt not mystake the name of thi Lord God in veyn, for he schal not be vnpunyschid, that takith the name of God on a veyn thing.
12 Kepe thou the `day of sabat that thou halewe it, as thi Lord God comaundide to thee.
13 In sixe daies thou schalt worche, and thou schalt do alle thi werkis;
14 the seventhe day is `of sabat, that is the reste of thi Lord God. Thou schalt not do therynne ony thing of werk [2] ; thou, and thi sone, and douyter, seruaunt, and handmaide, and oxe,