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hond of Farao, which Lord delyuered his puple fro the hond of Egipt;

      11 now Y knowe that the Lord is greet aboue alle goddis, for `thei diden proudli ayens hem.

      12 Therfor Jetro, `alie of Moises, offride brent sacrifices and offryngis to God; and Aaron, and alle the eldere men of Israel, camen to ete breed with hym bifore God.

      13 Forsothe in the tother dai Moises sat that he schulde deme the puple, that stood niy Moises, fro the morewtid til to euentid.

      14 And whanne `his alie hadde seyn this, that is, alle thingis `whiche he dide in the puple, he seide, What is this that thou doist in the puple? whi sittist thou aloone, and al the puple abidith fro the morewtid til to euentid?

      15 To whom Moises answeride, The puple cometh to me, and axith the sentence of God;

      16 and whanne ony strijf bifallith to hem, thei comen to me, that Y deme bitwixe hem, and schewe `the comaundementis of God, and hise lawis.

      17 And Jetro seide, Thou doist a thing not good,

      18 thou art wastid with a fonned trauel, bothe thou and this puple which is with thee; the werk is a boue thi strengthis, thou aloone maist not suffre it.

      19 But here thou my wordis and counseils, and the Lord schal be with thee; be thou to the puple in these thingis that perteynen to God, that thou telle the thingis that ben seid to the puple;

      20 and schewe to the puple the cerymonyes, and custom of worschipyng, and the weie bi which `thei owen to go, and the werk which `thei owen to do.

      22 whiche schulen deme the puple in al tyme; sotheli what ever thing is grettere, telle thei to thee, and deme thei ooneli lesse thingis, and be it esiere to thee, whanne the burthun is departid in to othere men.

      23 If thou schalt do this, thou schalt fille the comaundement of God, and thou schalt mowe bere hise comaundementis; and al this puple schal turne ayen with pees to her places.

      24 And whanne these thingis weren herd, Moises dide alle thingis whiche Jetro counselide.

      25 And whanne noble men of al Israel weren chosun Moises ordeynede hem princis of the puple, tribunes, and centuriouns, and quinquagenaries, and denes,

      26 whiche demeden the puple in al tyme; forsothe, whateuer thing was hardere, thei telden to Moises, and thei demeden esiere thingis oneli.

      27 And Moises lefte `his alie, which turnede ayen, and yede in to his lond.

      1  [Note: the alie of Moises, in Ebreu it is, fadir of the wiyf of Moises.]

      2  [Note: Another translacioun hath wise men, wher we han miyti men.]

      3  [Note: a tribune is he that is souereyn of a thousinde men, centurioun of an hundrid, quinquagenarie of fifty, a deen of ten.]

      Chapter 19

       Table of Contents

      2 for thei yeden forth fro Rafidym, and camen til in to deseert of Synai, and settiden tentis in the same place; and there Israel settide tentis, euen ayens the hil.

      3 Forsothe Moises stiede in to the hil to God; and the Lord clepide hym fro the mount, and seide, Thou schalt seie these thingis to the hows of Jacob, and thou schalt telle to the sones of Israel,

      4 Ye silf han seyn what thingis Y haue do to Egipcians, how Y bar you on the wengis of eglis, and took to me.

      6 and ye schulen be to me in to a rewme of preesthod, and `ye schulen be an hooli folk; these ben the wordis whiche thou schalt speke to the sones of Israel.

      7 Moyses cam, and whanne the gretter men in birthe of the puple weren clepid to gidere, he expownede alle the wordis whiche the Lord comaundide.

      8 And alle the puple answeride to gidere, We schulen do alle thingis whiche the Lord spak. And whanne Moises hadde teld the wordis of the puple to the Lord,

      9 the Lord seide to hym, Riyt now Y schal come to thee in a derknesse of a cloude, that the puple here me spekynge to thee, and bileue to thee withouten ende. Therfor Moises telde the wordis of the puple to the Lord,

      11 and be thei redi in to the thridde dai; for in the thridde dai the Lord schal come doun bifore al the puple on the hil of Synai.

      12 And thou schalt sette termes to the puple, bi cumpas; and thou schalt seie to hem, Be ye war, that ye `stie not in to the hil, nether touche ye the endis therof; ech man that schal touche the hil, schal die bi deeth.

      13 Hondis schulen not touche hym, but he schal be oppressid with stoonus, ethir he shall be persid with dartis; whether it schal be a beest, ethir a man, it schal not lyue; whanne a clarioun schal bigynne to sowne, thanne `stie thei in to the hil.

      14 And Moises cam doun fro the hil to the puple, and halewide it; and whanne thei hadden waischun her clothis,

      15 he seide to hem, Be ye redi in to the thridde dai, neiye ye not to youre wyues.

      16 And now the thridde day was comun, and the morewetid was cleer; and, lo! thundris bigunnen to be herd, and leitis to schyne, and a moost thicke cloude to hile the mounteyn; and `the sownyng of a clarioun made noise ful greetli, and the puple dredde, that was in the castels.

      17 And whanne Moises hadde led hem out in to the comyng of God, fro the place of castels, thei stoden at the rootis of the hil.

      18 Forsothe al the hil of Synai smokide, for the Lord hadde come doun theronne in fier; and smoke stiede therof as of a furneis, and al the hil was ferdful;

      19 and the `sown of a clarioun encreesside litil and litil, and was holdun forth lengere. Moises spak, and the Lord answeride to hym,

      20 and the Lord cam doun on the hil of Synay, in thilke cop of the hil, and clepide Moises to the cop therof. And whanne he hadde stied thidur,

      21 the Lord seide to hym, Go thou doun, and witnesse thou to the puple, lest perauenture it wole passe the termes to se the Lord, and ful greet multitude therof perische;

      22 also preestis, that neiyen to the Lord, be halewid, lest Y smyte hem.

      23 And Moises seide to the Lord, The comyn puple may not stie in to the hil of Synai; for thou hast witnessid, and hast comaundid, seiyinge, Sette thou termes aboute the hil, and halewe it.

      24 To whom the Lord seide, Go thou doun, and thou schalt stie, and Aaron with thee; forsothe the preestis and the puple passe not the termes, nethir stie thei to the Lord, lest perauenture he sle hem.

      25 Moises yede doun

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