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¹ Forsothe the sones of Ruben and of Gad hadden many beestis, and catel with out noumbre was to hem, in werk beestis. And whanne thei hadden seyn Jazer and Galaad, couenable londis to beestis to be fed,² thei camen to Moyses and Eleazar, preest, and to the princes of the multitude, and seiden,³ Astaroth, and Dibon, and Jacer, and Nemra, Esebon, and Eleale, and Sabam,⁴ and Nebo, and Beon, the lond which the Lord smoot in the siyt of the sones of Israel, is of moost plenteuous cuntrey to the pasture of beestis; and we thi seruauntis han ful many beestis;⁵ and we preyen, if we han founde grace bifor thee, that thou yyue to vs thi seruauntis that cuntrey in to possessioun, and make not vs to passe Jordan.⁶ To whiche Moises answeride, Whether youre britheren schulen go to batel, and ye schulen sitte here?⁷ Whi peruerten ye the soulis of Israel, that thei doren not passe in to the place, which the Lord schal yyue to hem?⁸ Whether youre fadris diden not so, whanne Y sente fro Cades Barne to aspie the lond,⁹ and whanne thei camen to the valey of Clustre, whanne al the cuntrey was cumpassid, thei peruertiden the herte of the sones of Israel, that thei entriden not in to the coostis, whiche the Lord yaf to hem.¹⁰ And the Lord was wrooth, and swoor,¹¹ seiynge, Thes men that stieden fro Egipt, fro twenti yeer and aboue, schulen not se the lond which Y bihiyte vndur an ooth to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and nolden sue me,¹² outakun Caleph, Cenezei, the sone of Jephone, and Josue, the sone of Nun; these tweyne filliden my wille.¹³ And the Lord was wrooth ayens Israel, and ledde hym aboute the deseert bi fourti yeer, til al the generacioun was wastid, that hadde do yuel in the `siyt of the Lord.<sup>14</sup> And Moyses seide, Lo! ye encressyngis, and nurreis, `ether nurschid children, of synful men, han ryse for youre fadris, that ye schulden encreesse the strong veniaunce of the Lord ayens Israel.¹⁵ That if ye nylen sue the Lord, in `the wildirnesse he schal forsake the puple, and ye schulen be cause of the deeth of alle men.

¹⁶ And thei neiyiden nyy, and seiden, We schulen make foldis of scheep, and the stablis of beestis, and we schulen make strengthid citees to oure litle children.¹⁷ Forsothe we vs silf schulen be armed `to defence, and schulen be gird `with armeris to asailyng, and schulen go to batel bifor the sones of Israel, til we bryngen hem in to her places; oure litle children and what euer thing we moun haue, schulen be in strengthid cytees, for the tresouns of the dwelleris.¹⁸ We schulen not turne ayen in to oure housis, til the sones of Israel welden her eritage;¹⁹ and we schulen not axe ony thing ouer Jordan, for we han now oure possessioun in the eest coost therof.²⁰ To whiche Moises seide, If ye doen that, that ye biheten, be ye maad redi, and go ye to batel bifor the Lord;²¹ and ech man fiytere be armed, and passe Jordan, til the Lord distrye hise enemyes,²² and al the lond be maad suget to hym; thanne ye schulen be giltles anentis God, and anentis Israel, and ye schulen holde the cuntreys, whiche ye wolen, bifor the Lord.²³ But if ye doon not that, that ye seien, it is not doute to ony man, that ne ye synnen ayens God; and wite ye, that youre synne schal take you.²⁴ Therfor bilde ye citees to youre litle children, and foldis and stablis to scheep, and to beestis; and fille ye that, that ye bihiyten.²⁵ And the sones of Gad and of Ruben seiden to Moises, We ben thi seruauntis; we schulen do that, that oure lord comaundith.²⁶ We schulen leeue oure litle children, and wymmen, and scheep, and beestis in the citees of Galaad;²⁷ forsothe alle we thi seruauntis schulen go redi to batel, as thou, lord, spekist.

²⁸ Therfor Moyses comaundide to Eleazar, preest, and to Josue, the sone of Nun, and to the princes of meynees, bi the lynagis of Israel, and seide to hem,²⁹ If the sones of Gad, and the sones of Ruben goen alle armed with you, to batel bifor the Lord, and the lond be maad suget to you, yyue ye to hem Galaad in to possessioun;³⁰ but if thei nylen passe with you in to the lond of Chanaan, take thei places to dwelle among you.³¹ And the sones of Gad and the sones of Ruben answeriden, As the Lord spak to hise seruauntis, so we schulen do;³² we schulen go armed bifor the Lord, in to the lond of Chanaan, and we knowlechen, that we han take now possessioun ouer Jordan.³³ And so Moises yaf to the sones of Gad and of Ruben, and to half the lynage of Manasses, sone of Joseph, the rewme of Seon, kyng of Ammorey, and the rewme of Og, kyng of Basan, and `the lond of hem, with her citees, bi cumpas.³⁴ Therfor the sones of Gad bildiden Dibon, and Astaroth, and Aroer,³⁵ and Roth-Sophan, and Jazer, and Jebaa,³⁶ and Beeth-Nemra, and Betharan, strengid citees; and foldis to her beestis.³⁷ Forsothe the sones of Ruben bildiden Esebon, and Eleale, and Cariathiarym, and Nabo,³⁸ and Balmeon, whanne the names weren turned, and thei bildiden Sabama; and puttiden names to the citees, whiche thei hadden bildid.³⁹ Forsothe the sones of Machir, sone of Manasses, yeden in to Galaad, and distrieden it, and killiden Ammorei, enhabitere therof.⁴⁰ Therfor Moises yaf the lond of Galaad to Machir, sone of Manasses, which Machir dwellide ther ynne.⁴¹ Forsothe Jair, the sone of Manasses, yede, and occupiede the townes therof, whiche he clepide Anochiair, that is, the townes of Jair.⁴² Also Nobe yede, and took Canath, with hise townes, and clepide it, bi his name, Nobe.