16 Whi dwellist thou bitwixe `tweyne endis, that thou here the hissyngis of flockis? While Ruben was departid ayens hym silf, the strijf of greet hertid men was foundun.
17 Gad restide biyendis Jordan, and Dan yaf tent to schippis. Aser dwellide in the `brenke of the see, and dwellide in hauenes.
18 Forsothe Zabulon and Neptalym offriden her lyues to deeth, in the cuntre of Morema, `that is interpretid, hiy.
19 Kyngis camen, and fouyten; kyngis of Canaan fouyten in Thanath, bisidis the watris of Magedon; and netheles thei token no thing bi prey.
20 Fro heuene `me fauyt ayens hem; sterris dwelliden in her ordre and cours, and fouyten ayens Sisara.
21 The stronde of Cyson drow `the deed bodies of hem, the stronde of Cadymyn, the stronde of Cyson. My soule, to-trede thou stronge men.
22 The hors howis felden, while the strongeste of enemyes fledden with bire, and felden heedli.
23 Curse ye the lond of Meroth, seide the `aungel of the Lord, curse ye `the dwelleris of hym, for thei camen not to the help of the Lord, `in to the help of the strongeste of hym.
24 Blessyd among wymmen be Jahel, the wijf of Aber Cyney; blessid be sche in hir tabernacle.
25 To Sisara axynge watir sche yaf mylk, and in a viol of princes sche yaf botere.
26 Sche puttide the left hond to a nail, and the riyt hond to the `hameris of smyythis; and sche smoot Sisara, and souyte in the heed a place of wounde, and perside strongli the temple.
27 He felde bitwixe `the feet of hir, he failide, and diede; he was waltryd bifor hir feet, and he lay with out soule, and wretchidful.
28 His modir bihelde bi a wyndow, and yellide; and sche spak fro the soler, Whi tarieth his chaar to come ayen? Whi tarieden the feet of his foure horsid cartis?
29 Oon wisere than `othere wyues of hym answeride these wordis to the modir of hir hosebonde,
30 In hap now he departith spuylis, and the faireste of wymmen is chosun to hym; clothis of dyuerse colouris ben youun to Sisara in to prey, and dyuerse aray of houshold is gaderid to ourne neckis.
31 Lord, alle thin enemyes perische so; sotheli, thei that louen thee, schyne so, as the sunne schyneth in his risyng.
32 And the lond restide fourti yeer.
Chapter 6
1 Forsothe the sones of Israel diden yuel in the `siyt of the Lord, and he bitook hem in the hond of Madian seuene yeer.
2 And thei weren oppressid of hem greetly; and `thei maden dichis, and dennes to hem silf in hillis, and strongeste places to fiyte ayen.
3 And whanne Israel hadde sowe, Madian stiede, and Amalech, and othere of the `naciouns of the eest;
4 and thei settiden tentis at the sones of Israel, and wastiden alle thingis `as tho weren in eerbis, ethir grene corn, `til to the entryng of Gaza, and outirli thei leften not in Israel ony thing perteynynge to lijf, not scheep, not oxun, not assis.
5 For thei and alle her flockis camen with her tabernaclis, and at the licnesse of locustus thei filliden alle thingis, and a multitude of men and of camels was with out noumbre, and wastiden what euer thing thei touchiden.
6 And Israel was `maad low greetli in the siyt of Madian.
7 And Israel criede to the Lord, `and axyde help ayens Madianytis; and he sente to hem a man,
8 a profete, and he spak, The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, Y made you to stie fro Egipt, and Y ledde you out of the hows of seruage,
9 and Y delyueride you fro the hond of Egipcians, and of alle enemyes that turmentiden you; and Y castide hem out at youre entryng, and Y yaf to you `the lond of hem;
10 and Y seide, Y am `youre Lord God; drede ye not the goddis of Ammorreis, in whose lond ye dwellen; and ye nolden here my vois.
11 Forsothe an aungel of the Lord cam, and sat undur an ook, that was in Effra, and perteynede to Joas, fadir of the meinee of Ezri. And whanne Gedeon, `his sone, threischide out, and purgide wheetis in a pressour,
12 that he schulde fle Madian, an aungel of the Lord apperide to hym, and seide, The Lord be with thee, thou strongeste of men.
13 And Gedeon seide to hym, My lord, Y biseche, if the Lord is with vs, whi therfor han alle these yuels take vs? Where ben the merueils of hym, whiche oure fadris telden, and seiden, The Lord ledde vs out of Egipt? `Now forsothe he hath forsake vs, and hath bitake vs in the hond of Madian.
14 And the Lord bihelde to hym, and seide, Go thou in this strengthe of thee, and thou schalt delyuere Israel fro the hond of Madian; wite thou, that Y sente thee.
15 Which Gedeon answeride, and seide, My lord, Y biseche, in what thing schal Y delyuere Israel? Lo! my meynee is the loweste in Manasses, and Y am the leeste in the hows of my fadir.
16 And the Lord seide to hym, Y schal be with thee, and thou schalt smyte Madian as o man.
17 And Gedeon seide, If Y haue foundun grace bifor thee, yyue to me a signe, that thou, that spekist to me, art sente of Goddis part;
18 go thou not `awei fro hennus, til Y turne ayen to thee, and brynge sacrifice, and offre to thee. Whiche answeride, Y schal abide thi comyng.
19 And so Gedeon entride, and sethide a kide, and took therf looues of a buyschel of mell, and fleischis in a panyere; and he sente the broth of fleischis in a pot, and bar alle thingis vndur an ook, and offride to hym.
20 To whom the aungel of the Lord seide, Take thou the fleischis, and therf looues, and putte on that stoon, and schede the broth aboue. And whanne he hadde do so,
21 the aungel of the Lord helde forth the `ende of the yerde which he helde in the hond, and he touchide the fleischis, and the therf looues; and fier stiede fro the stoon, and wastide the fleischis, and therf looues. Forsothe the aungel of the Lord vanyschide fro hise iyen.
22 And Gedeon siy that he was `an aungel of the Lord, and seide, Lord God, alas to me, for Y siy the aungel of the Lord face to face.
23 And the Lord seide to hym, Pees be with thee; drede thou not, thou schalt not die.
24 Therfor Gedeon bildide there an auter to the Lord, and he clepide it the Pees of the Lord, `til in to present dai. And whanne he was yit in Effra, which is of the meynee of Ezri, the Lord seide to hym in that nyyt,
25 Take thou `the bole of thy fadir, and anothir bole of seuene yeer, and thou schalt distrie the auter of Baal, which is thi fadris, and kitte thou doun the wode, which is aboute the auter;
26 and thou schalt bilde an auter to thi Lord God in the hiynesse of this stoon, on which thou puttidist sacrifice bifore; and thou schalt take the secounde bole, and thou schalt offre brent sacrifice on the heep of trees, whiche thou kittidist doun of the wode.
27 Therfore Gedeon took ten men of hise seruauntis, and dide as the Lord comaundide to hym. Sotheli Gedeon dredde the hows of his fadir, and the men of that citee, and nolde do bi dai, but fillide alle thingis bi nyyt.
28 And whanne men of that citee hadde rise eerly, thei sien the auter of Baal distried, and the wode kit doun, and the tothir bole put on the auter, that was bildid thanne.