Deuteronomy · Chapter 32

[ edit] Here ȝe, heuens, þingis þat Y ſpeke; here þe erþe þe wordis of my mouþ. To gidre ſprynge in reyn my loore; flowe as dewe my ſpeche, as wedre vpon erbe, and as dropes vpon cornes. For þe name of þe Lord I ſhal inwardly cleep; ȝeueþ huge doynge to oure God. Of God perfit ben þe werkys, and alle his weyes domes; a trewe God, and wiþ outen eny wickidnes, ryȝtwis and euen. Þei han ſynned to hym, and not his ſones in filþis; ſhrewid kynred, and myſturnyd. Þes þingis aȝenward ȝeeldiſt þow not to þe Lord, O fole puple and vnwiſe? Wheþer is he not þi fader, þat haþ weeldid þee, and maad, and fourmed þee of nouȝt?

Haue mynde of olde days, and þenk eche generaciouns; aſke þi fader, and he ſhal telle to þee, þi more, and þei ſhulen ſeie to þee. Whanne deuydide þe hiȝeſt folkis of kynde, whanne he ſeuerde þe ſones of Adam, he ſette þe teermys of puplis after þe noumbre of þe ſones of Yrael. Part forſoþe of þe Lord þe puple of hym; Jacob þe litil corde of his herytage. He foond hym in a deſeert loond, in place of orrour, and of waaſt wildernes; he ladde hym aboute, and tauȝte, and kept as þe apple of his eye. As an egle forþclepynge his bryddis to flee, and on hem houynge, he ſprade out his weengis, and took to hym, and beer in his ſhuldres.

Þe Lord alone was þe leder of hym, and was not wiþ hym an alien God. He ſette hym on an hiȝe erþe, þat he myȝte ete þe fruytis of feeldes, þat he myȝte ſowke hony of þe ſtoon, and oyle of þe mooſt hard ſtone; butre of þe droue, and mylk of ſheep, wiþ þe talwȝ of loombs and of weþers, of þe ſones of Baſan; and goot wiþ margh of whete, and blood of grapis myȝte drynk mooſt cleer. Ful fat maad is þe loued, and aȝen wynſed; fulfattid, fulgreſid, outlargid; he laft God his maker, and ȝeed abak fro God, his ȝyuer of heelþ. Þei eggiden him in alyen goddis, and in abomynaciouns to wraþþe arereden.

Þei offriden to deuels, and not to God, to goddis þe whiche þei knewen not; newe and freſſhe camen, þe whiche heryeden not þe faders of hem. God þat þee gat þow haſt forſaak, and haſt forȝet þe Lord þi ſhaper. Þe Lord ſawȝ, and to wraþþe was rerid; for eggiden hym his ſones and douȝtres. And he ſeiþ, Y ſchal hyde my face fro hem, and I ſhal behold þe laſt þinges of hem; generacioun forſoþe myſturned it is, and vntrewe ſones. Þei han eggid me in hym þat was not God, and han terred in her vanytees; and I ſhal egge hem in hym þat is no puple, and in fole folk of kynde I ſhal terre hem.

Fier is vndurtent in my woodnes, and it ſhal brenne vnto þe laſt þingis of helle; and it ſhal deuowre þe loond wiþ his buriownynge, and of hillis þe foundementis ſhulen brenne. I ſhal gedre vpon hem yuels, and myn arewis I ſhal fulfil in hem. Þei ſhulen be waſtid wiþ hungir, and briddis ſhulen deuour hem in biting mooſt bitter; teeþ of beſtis I ſhal ſende in hem, wiþ woodnes of hem drawinge on erþe, and crepinge. Wiþ out forþ ſhal waaſt hem ſwerd, and wiþ yn forþ dreed; þe ȝong togidre and mayden, þe ſowkynge wiþ þe old man. And I ſeide, Where forſoþe ben þei? to ceeſe Y ſhal maak fro men þe mynde of hem.

But for þe wraþ of enemyes I lafte for a while, leſt perauenture wolden wexe prowde þe enemyes of hem, and ſeye, Oure hiȝe hoond, and not þe Lord, haþ doon alle þes þingis. Folk wiþ out counſeil it is, and wiþ out wiſdom; wolde God þei ſauerden, and vndurſtoden, and laſt þingis purueyden. What maner wiſe oon purſuede a þowſand, and two myȝten dryue ten þowſand? Wheþer not þerfore for her God ſolde hem, and þe Lord cloſide hem? Forſoþe oure God is not as þe goddis of hem, and oure enemyes ben iugis. Of þe vyn of Sodoms þe vyn of hem, and of þe ſubaarbis of Gomor; þe graap of hem graap of gal, and þe cluſter mooſt bittre. Gal of dragouns þe wyne of hem, and venym of eddres vncurable.

Wheþer ben not þes þingis hid anentis me, and merkid in my treſours? Myn is veniaunce, and Y ſhal ȝeeld to hem in tyme, þat þe foot of hem ſlyde; nyȝ is þe day of perdicioun, and to be nyȝ hiȝen þe tymes. Þe Lord ſhal deme his puple, and in his ſeruauntis he ſhal haue mercy; he ſhal ſe þat feble be þe hoond, and cloſid forſoþe han faylid, and þe lafte ben waſtid. And þei ſhulen ſeye, Where ben þe goddis of hem, in whiche þei hadden truſt? Of whos ſlayn ſacrifice þei eten þe fatneſſe, and drunken þe wyn of þe offryngis of licours, ariſe, and helpe þei to ȝow, and in nede ȝow defende.

Seeþ þat Y am alone, and þere is noon oþer God ſaue me; I ſhal ſlee, and I ſhal maak to lyue; Y ſhal ſmyte, and I ſhal heel; and þere is not þat fro myn hoond may delyuer. I ſhal heue vp to heuene myn hoond, and Y ſhal ſeye, I lyue wiþ outen eende. If I whette as leit my ſwerd, and myn hoond taak doom, Y ſhal ȝeeld vengynge to myn enemyes, and to hem þat hatiden me, I ſhal quite. I ſhal drenche myn arewis in blood, and my ſwerd ſhal deuour fleſh of þe blood of ſlayn, and of þe chaytifte of þe nakid heed of enemyes.

Preyſe ȝe, gentils, þe puple of hym, for þe blood of his ſeruauntis he ſhal wreek, and veniaunce he ſhal quyte into þe enemyes of hem; and he ſhal be merciful to þe erþe of his puple. Þanne Moyſes cam, and ſpak alle þe wordis of þis ſonge in þe eris of þe puple; and he and Joſue, þe ſone of Nun.

And he fulfillide alle þes wordis, ſpekynge to al Yrael; and ſeide to hem, Put ȝe ȝoure hertis into alle þe wordys þat I witneſſe to ȝow to day, þat ȝe comaunden hem to ȝoure ſones to keep, and to doo, and to fulfille alle þingis þat ben wryten of þis lawe; for not in veyn þei ben comaundid to ȝow, but þat echon in hem ſhulde lyue; þe which doynge long tyme ȝe abiden in þe loond, to þe which to be weeldid, Jordan ouerput, ȝe ſhulen goon yn.

And þe Lord ſpak to Moiſes in þe ſame day, ſeiynge, Sty vp into þis hil Abarym, þat is, paſſynge, into þe hil Nebo, þat is in þe loond of Moab, aȝens Jeryco; and ſe þe loond of Chanaan, þat to be hold I ſhal taak to þe ſones of Yrael, and dye þow in þe hil. Þe which ſtiynge vp, þow ſhalt be ioyned to þi puplis, as died Aaron, þi broþer, in þe hil of Hor, and was put to his puples. For ȝe han treſpaſſid aȝens me, in þe myddil of þe ſones of Yrael, at þe Watris of Aȝenſeiynge, in Cades of þe deſeert of Syn; and ȝe halwide not me amonge þe ſones of Yrael. Aȝenward þow ſhalt ſe þe loond, and ſhalt not goon into it, þat I ſhal ȝyue to þe ſones of Irael.