4 And whanne the `aungel of the Lord spak these wordis to alle the sones of Israel, thei reisiden her vois, and wepten; and the name of that place was clepid,
5 of weperis, ether of teeris; and thei offriden there sacrifices to the Lord.
6 Therfor Josue lefte the puple; and the sones of Israel wenten forth, ech man in to his possessioun, that thei schulden gete it.
7 And thei serueden the Lord in alle the daies of Josue, and of eldere men that lyueden aftir hym in long tyme, and knewen alle the grete werkis of the Lord, whiche he hadde do with Israel.
8 Forsothe Josue, sone of Nun, `seruaunt of the Lord, `was deed of an hundrid yeer and ten;
9 and thei birieden hym in the endis of his possessioun, in Thannath of Sare, in the hil of Effraym, at the north coost of the hil Gaas.
10 And al that generacioun was gaderid to her fadris; and othere men riseden, that knewen not the Lord, and the werkis whiche he `hadde do with Israel.
11 And the sones of Israel diden yuel in the siyt of the Lord, and thei serueden Baalym and Astaroth;
12 and forsoken the Lord God of her fadris, that ledden hem out of the lond of Egipt; and thei sueden alien goddis, the goddis of puplis, that dwelliden in `the cumpasse of hem, and worschipeden tho goddis, and excitiden the Lord to greet wraththe, and forsoken hym,
13 and serueden Baal and Astoroth.
14 And the Lord was wrooth ayens Israel, and bitook hem in to the hondis of rauyscheris, whiche rauyscheris token hem, and seelden to enemyes, that dwelliden `bi cumpas; and thei myyten not ayenstonde her aduersaries;
15 but whidir euer thei wolden go, the hond of the Lord was on hem, as he spak and swoor to hem; and thei weren turmentid greetli.
16 And the Lord reiside iugis, that `delyueriden hem fro the hondis of destrieris, but thei nolden here hem,
17 and thei diden fornycacioun, `that is, idolatrie, with alien goddis, and worschipiden hem. Soone thei forsoken the weie, bi which `the fadris of hem entriden; and thei herden the `comaundementis of the Lord, and diden alle thingis contrarie.
18 And whanne the Lord reiside iugis in `the daies of hem, he was bowid bi mercy, and he herde the weilyngis of hem turmentid, and he delyuerede hem fro the sleyng of wasteris.
19 Sotheli aftir that the iuge was deed, thei turneden ayen, and diden many thingis grettere `in yuel than her fadris diden; and thei sueden alien goddis, and serueden hem, and worschipiden hem; thei leften not her owne fyndyngis, and the hardeste weie `bi which thei weren wont to go.
20 And the strong veniaunce of the Lord was wrooth ayens Israel, and he seide, For this puple hath maad voide my couenaunt which Y couenauntide with her fadris, and dispiside to here my vois; also Y schal not do a wey folkis,
21 whiche Josue `lefte, and was deed;
22 that in hem Y asaie Israel, whether thei kepen the weie of the Lord, and goen ther ynne, as her fadris kepten, ether nay.
23 Therfor the Lord lefte alle these naciouns, and nolde destrie soone, nethir bitook in to the hondis of Josue.
Chapter 3
1 These ben the folkis whiche the Lord lefte, that in hem he schulde teche Israel, and alle men that knewen not the batels of Cananeis;
2 and that aftirward `the sones of hem schulden lerne to fiyte with enemyes,
3 and to haue custom of batel He lefte fyue princes of Filistees, and al Cananei, and the puple of Sidon, and Euey that dwelliden in the hil Liban, fro the hil Baal Hermon `til to the entryng of Emath.
4 And he lefte hem, that in hem he schulde asaie Israel, whethir thei wolden here the `heestis of the Lord, whiche he comaundide to her fadris bi the hond of Moises, ethir nai.
5 And so the sones of Israel dwelliden in the myddis of Cananei, of Ethei, and of Ammorrei, and of Feresei, and of Euey,
6 and of Jebusey, and weddiden wyues, the douytris of hem; and the sones of Israel yauen her douytris to `the sones of hem, and serueden `the goddis of hem.
7 And the sones of Israel diden yuel in the `siyt of the Lord, and foryaten her Lord God, and serueden Baalym, and Astaroth.
8 And the Lord was wrooth ayens Israel, and bitook hem in to the hondis of Cusanrasathaym, kyng of Mesopotanye, and thei serueden hym eiyte yeer.
9 And thei crieden to the Lord, and he reiside to hem a sauyour, and delyuerede hem, that is, Othonyel, sone of Ceneth, `the lesse brothir of Caleph.
10 And the spirit of the Lord was in hym, and he demyde Israel. And he yede out to batel, and the Lord bitook in to hise hondis Cusanrathaym, kyng of Sirie; and Othonyel oppresside hym.
11 And the lond restide fourti yeer; and Othonyel, sone of Ceneth, diede.
12 Forsothe the sones of Israel addiden to do yuel in the `siyt of the Lord; and he coumfortide ayens hem Eglon, the kyng of Moab, for `thei diden yuel in the `siyt of the Lord.
13 And the Lord couplide to hym the sones of Amon and Amalech; and he yede, and smoot Israel, and hadde in possessioun the citee of Palmes.
14 And the sones of Israel serueden Eglon, kyng of Moab, eiytene yeer.
15 And aftirward thei crieden to the Lord; and he reiside to hem a sauyour, Aioth bi name, the sone of Gera, sone of Gemyny, which Aioth vside euer either hond for the riyt hond. And the sones of Israel senten bi him yiftis, `that is, tribute, to Eglon, kyng of Moab;
16 which Aioth made to hym a swerd keruynge on euer either side, hauynge in the myddis a pomel of the lengthe of the pawm of an hond; and he was gird therwith vndir `the sai, `that is, a knyytis mentil, `in the riyt hipe.
17 And he brouyte yiftis to Eglon, the kyng of Moab; forsothe Eglon was ful fat.
18 And whanne he hadde youe yiftis to the kyng, he pursuede felowis that camen with hym; and he turnede ayen fro Galgalis,
19 where idolis weren, and he seide to the kyng, A kyng, Y haue a priuei word to thee. And he comaundide silence. And whanne alle men weren goon out, that weren aboute hym, Aioth entride to hym;
20 forsothe he sat aloone in a somer parlour. And Aioth seide, Y haue the word of God to thee.
21 Which roos anoon fro the trone. And Aioth helde forth the left hond, and took the swerd fro his riyt hype; and he
22 fastnede in to the `wombe of the kyng so strongli, that the pomel, `ether hilte, suede the yrun in the wounde, and was holdun streite `in the thickeste fatnesse with ynne; and he drow not out the swerd, but so as he hadde smyte, he lefte in the bodi; and anoon bi the priuetees of kynde the tordis of the wombe braste out.
23 Forsothe whanne the doris of the parlour weren closid moost diligentli, and fastned with lok,
24 Aioth yede out bi a posterne. And the `seruauntis of the king entriden, not in the parlour, but in the porche, and thei sien the doris of the parlour closid, and seiden, In hap he purgith the wombe in the somer parlour.
25 And thei abididen longe, til thei weren aschamed; and thei sien that no man openede, and thei token the keie, and thei openyden, and founden her lord liggynge deed in the erthe.
26 Sotheli