Joshua · Chapter 8

[ edit] Seyde forſoþe þe Lord vnto Joſue, Ne drede þow, ne be feerd; tak wiþ þee al þe multitude of fiȝters, and riſynge ſty vp into þe burgh toun of Hay; loo, Y haue taak into þin hoond his kyng, and puple, and cytee, and loond. And þou ſhalt do to þe citee of Hay and to his kyng, as þow didiſt to Jericho, and to þe kyng of it; þe pray forſoþe and alle þe lyuynge beeſtis ȝe ſhulen taak to ȝow; put buſſhementis to þe cyte bihynde it.

And Joſue roos, and al þe ooſt of fiȝters wiþ hym, for to ſtye vp into Hay; and he ſente þe nyȝt þretti þowſand choſen of ſtronge men; and he comaundide to hem, ſeiynge, Putte ȝe buſſhementis bihynde þe cytee, ne ferþer goo ȝe awey; and ȝe ſhulen be al redi; forſoþe Y and þat oþer multitude þat is wiþ me, fro forn aȝens we ſhulen come aȝens þe cite; and whanne þei weren gon out aȝens vs, as we diden before, we ſhulen flee, and turne backis, to þe tyme þat þei purſuwynge more along fro þe cyte ben drawen a ferre; forſoþe þei ſhulen wene vs to flee as before.

Vs þanne fleynge and hem purſuynge, ȝe ſhulen ryſe fro þe buſſhement, and ȝe ſhulen waaſt þe cytee; and þe Lord ȝoure God ſhal taak it into ȝoure hoondis. And whanne ȝe han taak it, ſette ȝe it a fier; ſo alle þingis ȝe ſhulen doo, as Y haue comaundide. And he lefte hem, and þei wenten to þe place of þe buſſhement, and þei ſeten betwixe Beþel and Hay, at þe weſt cooſt of þe cytee of Hay. Forſoþe Joſue þat nyȝt dwellide in þe mydil of þe puple. And ryſynge eerly he tolde felawis, and he ſtyede wiþ þe eldren in þe frownt of þe ooſt, biſet wiþ help of fiȝters.

And whanne þei weren comen, and hadden ſtyed vp fro aȝens of þe citee, and þei ſtoden at þe norþ cooſt of þe cytee, bitwix þe whiche and hem was a mydil valey. Forſoþe fyue þouſand men he chees, and putte in þe buſſhement bitwix Baþauen and Hay, fro þe weſt paart of þe ſame cyte. Forſoþe al þat oþer ooſt at þe norþ made redi þe poynt, ſo þat þe laſt of þe multitude atteyneden þe weſt cooſt of þe cytee. Joſue þanne wente þat nyȝt, and ſtood in þe mydil of þe valey; þat whanne þe kyng of Hay had ſeen, he hiede eerli, and wente out wiþ al þe ooſt of þe cyte, and he dreſſide þe poynt aȝens þe deſeert, vnknowynge þat bihynde þe bak weren hid buſſhementis.

Forſoþe Joſue and al þe multitude of Yrael ȝauen ſteede to þe place, feynynge dreed, and fleynge bi þe weie of wildirneſſe; and þei criynge out to gidre, and hem ſelf to gidre gladly clepynge purſueden hem. And whanne þei weren goo fro þe cytee, and not oon forſoþe in þe cytee of Hay and Beþauen was laft, þat purſuwede not Yrael, as þei breken out leeuynge þe borgh towns open, þe Lord ſeide to Joſue, Heue vp þe ſheeld þat is in þin hoond, aȝens þe cyte of Hay; for to þee Y ſhal taak it. And whanne he hadde houen vp þe ſheld fro aȝens þe citee, þe buſſhementis þat weren hid, ryſen anoon, and goynge to þe cytee token, and ſett it a fier.

Forſoþe þe men of þe citee, þat purſuweden Joſue, beholdynge and ſeynge þe ſmook of þe cite vnto heuene ſtie vp, þei myȝten no more hidir and þidir fleynge atwynne, namelich whanne þei þat feyneden fliȝt, and wenten to wildirneſſe, aȝens þe purſuwers mooſt myȝtili hadde wiþ ſtonden. And ſeynge Joſue and al Yrael, þat þe citee was takun, and ſmook of þe citee ſtiede vp, turned aȝen ſmoot þe men of Hay.

Forſoþe and þei þat token, and hadden ſett þe cytee a fier, goon out fro þe citee aȝens her mydlis of enemyes, þei bigunnen to ſmyit; and whanne on eiþir partye aduerſaries weren ſlayn, ſo þat no man of ſo myche a multitude were ſaaf, forſoþe þe kyng of Hay þei token lyuynge, and offerden to Joſue. Þanne alle ſlayn þat Yrael to deſeert goynge purſuweden, and in þe ſame place bi ſwerd fallynge, þe ſones of Yrael turneden aȝen ſmyten to þe cytee. Forſoþe þere weren þat in þe ſame dai dieden, fro man vnto womman, twelue þowſand of men, of al þe cyte of Hay. Forſoþe Joſue wiþdrewe not þe hoond, þat in hiȝþ he putte vp holdynge þe ſheeld, to þe tyme þat alle þe dwellers of Hay weren ſlayn.

Forſoþe þe beeſtis and þe praye of þe cytee þe ſones of Yrael dyuydeden to hem ſilf, as þe Lord hadde comaundid to Joſue; þe which brente þe cytee, and made it an euerlaſtynge toumbe. Forſoþe þe kyng of it he hongid in a gybet, vnto euen and þe ſunne goynge doun. And Joſue comaundide, and þei putten doun þe careyn of hym fro þe cros; and þei þrewen in þat entre of þe cytee, þrowen togidre vpon hym a greet heep of ſtonus, þe which abidiþ ſtil vnto þe day þat is nowe.

Þanne Joſue bilde vp an auter to þe Lord God of Yrael in þe hil of Hebal, as Moyſes, þe ſeruaunt of þe Lord, hadde comaundid to þe ſones of Irael, and it was wryten in þe volym of þe lawe of Moyſes, an auter of ſtonus vnhewid, þe whiche yren haþ not towchid. And he offerde vpon it brent ſacrifice to þe Lord, and he offrede peſible ſlayn ſacrifices; and wroot vpon þe ſtonus ſhort declaracioun of þe lawe of Moyſes, þat he tolde before þe ſones of Yrael.

Forſoþe al þe puple, and þe more þurȝ birþ, and duykis, and iugis ſtoden on eiþer paart of þe arke, in þe ſyȝt of preſtis and Leuytis, þat beren þe arke of þe boond of pees of þe Lord; as þe comlynge, ſo and þe wiþyn goten; þe half paart of hem biſide þe hil of Garyſym, and half biſide þe hil of Hebal, as Moyſes comaundide, þe ſeruaunt of þe Lord. And firſt forſoþe he bleſſede to þe puple of Yrael. After þes þingis he radde alle þe wordis of bleſſynge, and curſynge, and alle þat weren wryten in þe volym of þe lawe.

No þing of þes þingis, þat Moyſes comaundide, he left vntowchyd; but alle þingis he openyde before al þe multitude of Yrael, þe wymmen, and litil children, and comlyngis, þat among hem dwelliden.