Deuteronomy · Chapter 4

[ edit] And nowe, Irael, here þe heeſtis and domys, þat Y teche þee; þat doynge þem þow lyue, and goynge yn þow weelde þe loond þat þe Lord God of ȝoure fadres is to ȝeue to ȝow. Ȝe ſhulen not adde to þe word þat Y ſpeke to ȝow, ne take awey from it; kepe ȝe þe heeſtis of þe Lord ȝoure God, þe whiche Y comaunde to ȝow. Ȝoure eyen han ſeen alle þingis þat þe Lord dide aȝens Belphegor; what maner wiſe he haþ bruſid down al þe heriers of it, fro þe myddil of ȝou.

Forſoþe ȝe þat cleuen to þe Lord ȝoure God, lyuen alle, to þe day þat is nowe. Ȝe witen þat I tauȝt ȝow heeſtis, and riȝtwiſneſſes, as haþ comaundid to me þe Lord my God; ſo ȝe ſhulen doo hem in þe loond þat ȝe ben to weeldynge, and kepe and fulfille in dede. Forſoþe þis is ȝoure wiſdam, and vndirſtondynge before þe puplys, þat þei alle, herynge þes heeſtis, ſeyn, Loo! a wiſe puple and an vndirſtondynge! a greet folk of kynde! Ne þere is oþer nation ſo greet, þat haþ goddis neiȝynge to hem, as oure God is nyȝ to alle oure holi preiers. What is forſoþe oþer folk of kynde ſo noble, þat haþ ceremoyns, and ryȝtwis domys, and al þe lawe, þat I purpoſe to day before ȝoure eyen?

Keep þerfor þi ſilf, and þi ſoule biſilich; ne forȝeet þow þe wordis þat þin eyen han ſeen, and ne falle þei out of þin herte, alle þe dayes of þi lijf. Þow ſhalt teche hem þi ſones, and þi ſone ſones; þe day þe which þow ſtodiſt before þe Lord þi God in Oreb, whanne to me ſpak þe Lord, ſeiynge, Gedre to me þe puple, þat he here my wordis, and lerne to drede me al tyme þat he lyueþ in erþe, and teche he his ſones. And ȝe neiȝeden to þe root of þe hyl, þat brent vnto heuene; and þere weren in it derkneſſis, and clowde, and myſtynes. And þe Lord ſpak to ȝow fro þe myddil of þe fier; þe voyce of þe wordis of hym ȝe herden, and þe forme out ryȝt ſawȝ ȝe not.

And he ſhewide to ȝow his couenaunt, þat he comaundide þat ȝe ſhulden doo, and þe ten wordis, þat he wroot in þe two ſtonen tablis. And to me he comaundide in þat tyme, þat I ſhulde teche ȝow cerymoyns, and domes, þat ȝe owen to doo in þe loond þat ȝe ben to weelden.

Kepe ȝe þerfor biſiliche ȝoure ſoulis; ȝe han not ſeen eny lickenes, in þe day þat þe Lord ſpak to ȝou in Oreb, fro þe myddil of fier; leſt perauenture diſſeyued ȝe maken to ȝow a graued liknes, oþer ymage of maal, or of femaal; liknes of alle beeſtis þat ben vpon erþe, or of briddis vndur heuene fleynge, and of crepynge beeſtis þat meuen in þe erþe, oþer of fiſſhis þat vndir þe erþe dwellen in watrys; leſt perauenture þe eyen reryd to heuene, þou ſe þe ſunne, and þe mone, and alle þe ſterris of heuene, and by errour diſſeyued þow honoure hem, and herye, þe whiche of nouȝt maad þe Lord þi God, into ſeruyce to al folk of kynde, þat ben vndur heuene.

Forſoþe þe Lord took ȝow, and ladde ȝow oute fro þe yren forneys of Egipte, þat he haue a puple bi herytage, as it is in þe day þat is nowe. And þe Lord was wrooþ aȝens me, for ȝoure wordis, and ſwore þat I ſhulde not paſſe Jordan, ne goo into þe beſt loond, þat he is to ȝyuynge to ȝow. Loo! I dye in þis erþe; I ſhal not paſſe Jordan; ȝe ſhulen paſſe, and weelde þe noble loond. Be war, leſt eny tyme þow forȝeete þe couenaunt of þe Lord þi God, þat I made couenaunt wiþ þee, and make to þee a graued liknes of hem þat þe Lord defendide to make. For þe Lord þi God fier waſtynge is; a God gelows.

If ȝe geten ſones, and ſones ſones, and dwelliden in þe loond, and deſſeyued make to ȝow eny liknes, doynge yuel before þe Lord ȝoure God, þat ȝe terren hym to wraþþe, witneſſes Y inwardly clepe to day heuene and erþe, þat ſoone ȝe ben to periſhen fro þe loond, þat, Jordan ouerpaſſid, ȝe ben to weelden; ȝe ſhulen not dwelle in it long tyme, but þe Lord ȝou ſhal doo awey, and ſcater into alle folkis of kynde, and ȝe ſhulen dwelle fewe in þe naciouns, to whiche þe Lord is to lede ȝou. And þere ȝe ſhulen ſerue to goddis, þe whiche bi hoond of men ben forgid of tree, and ſtoon, þat ſeen not, ne heren, ne eten, ne ſmellen.

And whanne þou ſechiſt þere þe Lord þi God, þow ſhalt fynde hym; ſo neuerþelater þat wiþ al þin herte þow ſeche, and wiþ al þe tribulacioun of þi ſoule. After þat þee han foundun alle þingis þat ben before ſeid, forſoþe þe laſt tyme þow ſhalt turne aȝen to þe Lord þi God, and þow ſhalt here þe voyce of hym. For a mercyable God þe Lord þi God is; he ſhal not leeue þee, ne vtterlich doo awey, ne he ſhal forȝete þe couenaunt in þe which he ſwore to þi fadris.

Aſk þow of þe oold dayes þat weren before þee, fro þe daye þat þe Lord þi God fourmede man vpon erþe, fro þe hiȝeſt of heuene vnto þe hiȝeſt of it, if þere is doon eny tyme ſiche a maner þing, or euer is knowun, þat þe puple herde þe voyce of þe God ſpekynge fro þe myddil of fier, as þow herdiſt, and ſawȝ; if God dide, þat he ȝede in, and took to hym a folk of kynde fro þe myddil of naciouns, bi temptaciouns, ſignes, and wondres, bi fiȝt, and ſtrong hoond, and ſtreiȝt out þe arme, and orrible ſiȝtes, after alle þingis þat dide for ȝow þe Lord ȝoure God, in Egipte, ſeynge þin eyen; þat þow knewe for þe Lord he a God, and þere is noon oþer but oon.

Fro heuene he made þee to here his voyce, þat he teche þee; and in þe loond he haþ ſhewid to þee his mooſt fier, and þow haſt herde þe wordis of hym fro þe myddil of fier; for he haþ loued þi fadres, and choſun þe ſeed of hem after hem. And he ladde out þee, goynge before in his greet vertue, fro Egipte, þat he doo awey mooſt naciouns, and þe ſtrengere, in þin entree, and in lede þee, and ȝeue to þee þe loond of hem into poſſeſſioun, as þow biholdiſt in þe day þat is now. Know þow þerfor to day, and þenk in þin herte, þat þe Lord he is a God in heuene aboue, and in erþe beneþe, and þere is noon oþer.

Kepe þow þe heeſtis of hym, and maundements, þat I comaunde to þee, þat wel it be to þee, and þi ſones after þee, and dwelle þow myche tyme vpon þe erþe, þat þe Lord þi God is to ȝyue to þee. Þanne Moyſes ſeuerde þre citees, biȝonde Jordan, at þe eſt plage, þat to hem fleeȝ þe which ſleeþ a neiȝbour, not wilnynge, ne were enemy before oon and oþer day, and to oon of þeſe citees myȝte aſcape; Boſor, in wilderneſſe, þat is ſet in þe wijlde feeldi loond, of þe lynage of Ruben; and Ramoþ, in Galaad, þat is in þe lynage of Gad; and Golan, in Baſan, þat is in þe lynage of Manaſſe.

Þis is þe lawe þat Moyſes purpoſide before þe ſones of Yrael, and þeſe þe witneſſyngis, and cerymoyns, þat he ſpak to þe ſones of Yrael, whanne þei wenten out of Egipte, ouer Jordan, in þe valey aȝens þe mawmet temple of Phegor, in þe loond of Seon, kyng of Amorrei, þat dwellid in Eſebon, whom ſmoot Moyſes.

Forſoþe þe ſones of Irael goon out of Egipte, weeldiden þe loond of hym, and þe loond of Og, kyng of Baſan, of þe two kyngis of Amorreis, þat weren biȝonde Jordan, at þe ryſynge of þe ſunne; fro Aroer, þat is ſet vpon þe brenk of þe ſtreme of Arnon, vnto þe hil of Seon, þat is in Hermon; al þe pleyn biȝonde þe Jordan, to þe eeſt plage, vnto þe ſee of widernes, and into þe rotis of þe hil of Phaſga.