Joshua · Chapter 24

[ edit] And Joſue gedride al þe lynages of Yrael in Sechym; and clepide þe more þurȝ birþ, and princes, and iugis, and mayſtris; and ſtoden in þe ſiȝt of þe Lord. And to þe puple þus he ſpak, Þes þingis ſeiþ þe Lord God of Yrael, Biȝond þe flood dwelten oure fadres fro þe bigynnynge, Thare, þe fader of Abraham, and Nachor, and ſerueden to alien goddis. I haue taak ȝoure fader Abraham fro þe eendis of Meſopotanye, and haue brouȝt hym in to þe loond of Chanaan; Y haue multiplied his ſeed, and ȝaf to hym Yſaac; and to hym eft I ȝaf Jacob and Eſau; of þe whiche to Eſau Y ȝaf þe hil of Seyr to weeld; Jacob forſoþe and his ſones deſcendiden into Egipt.

And Y ſente Moyſes and Aaron, and ſmoot Egipt bi manye ſignes and wondris, and ladde out ȝou and ȝoure fadres fro Egipt. And ȝe camen to þe ſee, and Egipciens purſueden ȝoure fadris wiþ charis, and rydynge, vnto þe Reed See. And þe ſones of Yrael cryeden to þe Lord, þe which putte derknes bitwix ȝow and þe Egipciens, and brouȝte vpon hem þe ſee, and couerde hem. Ȝoure eyen han ſeen alle þingis, þat Y haue doo in Egipt. And ȝe han dwelt in wildirnes myche tyme. And I haue brouȝt ȝow in to þe loond of Amorrey, þat dwellid byȝond Jordan; and whanne þei ſhulden fyȝt aȝens ȝou, Y took hem into ȝoure hoondis, and ȝe weldiden þe loond of hem, and ſlewen hem.

Forſoþe Balac, þe ſone of Sephor, þe kyng of Moab, roos, and fauȝt aȝens Irael; and he ſente, and clepide Balaam, þe ſone of Beor, for he ſhulde curſe to ȝou. And I wolde not here hym, but aȝenward bi hym I bleſſide to ȝou, and delyuerde ȝow fro his hoondis. And ȝe paſſiden ouer Jordan, and camen to Jericho; and men of þat citee fauȝten aȝens ȝow, Amorre, and Phereze, and Chanane, Eþee, and Gergeſe, and Euee, and Jebuſe; and I took hem into ȝoure hoondis. And I ſente before ȝou hors fleeȝis, and I keſte hem out fro her placis, þe two kyngis of Amorreis, not in ſwerd and in þi bowe.

And Y haue ȝyue to ȝou þe loond, in þe which ȝe han not trauayld, and citees þe whiche ȝe han not bild, þat ȝe ſhulen dwelle in hem, vynes and olyues, þe whiche ȝe han not plauntid. Nowe þanne drede ȝe þe Lord, and ſerue ȝe to him wiþ perfit herte and mooſt trewe; and doþ awey goddis, to þe whiche ȝoure faders ſerueden in Meſopotanye and in Egipt; and ſerue ȝe to þe Lord.

Forſoþe if yuel it ſemeþ to ȝou, þat ȝe ſeruen to þe Lord, choys is ȝouun to ȝou; cheſe ȝe to day to ȝou, þat pleſiþ, to whom mooſt cheefly ȝe owen to ſerue; wheþer to goddis, to þe whiche han ſerued ȝoure faders in Meſopotanye, or to þe goddis of Amorreys, in whos loond ȝe dwellen; forſoþe I and myn hows ſhulen ſerue to þe Lord. And al þe puple anſweriþ and ſeiþ, Awey be fro vs þat we forſaken þe Lord, and ſeruen to alien goddis.

Þe Lord oure God he ladde vs out and oure fadris fro þe loond of Egipt, fro þe hows of ſeruage, and vs ſeynge dide greet toknes; and kepte vs in al þe weie, bi þe which we wenten, and in alle puplis, bi þe whiche we paſſiden; and keſte out alle gentils, Amorre, þe dweller of þe loond, þat we ben comen yn. We ſhulen þerfor ſerue to þe Lord, for he is þe Lord oure God. And Joſue ſeide to þe puple, Ȝe ſhulen not mowe ſerue to þe Lord; God forſoþe is holi, and a ſtrong louer, ne forȝyueþ to ȝoure hidows ſynnes and giltis. If ȝe leue þe Lord, and ſeruen to alien goddis, he ſhal turne hymſelf, and tourment ȝou, and turne vpſedoun, after þat he haþ ȝeue to ȝow good þingis.

And þe puple ſeide to Joſue, It ſhal not be ſo, as þou ſpekiſt, but to þe Lord we ſhulen ſerue. And Joſue to þe puple, Witneſſis, he ſeiþ, ȝe ben, þat ȝou ſelf han chooſun to ȝou þe Lord, þat ȝe ſeruen to hym. And þei anſwerden, Witneſſis. Now þanne, he ſeiþ, do ȝe awey alien goddis fro þe myddil of ȝou, and bowe ȝoure hertis to þe Lord God of Yrael. And þe puple ſeide to Joſue, To þe Lord oure God we ſhulen ſerue, and obeiſhynge we ſhulen be to þe heeſtis of hym. Þanne Joſue ſmoot boond of pees in þat day, and purpoſide to þe puple heeſtis and domys in Sichem. And he wroot alle þes wordis in þe volym of þe lawe of God.

And he took a ful greet ſtoon, and putte it vndur an ook, þat was in þe ſeyntuarye of þe Lord. And he ſeide to al þe puple, Loo! þis ſtoon ſhal be to ȝow into witneſſynge, þat ȝe han herd alle þe wordis of þe Lord, þe whiche he haþ ſpokun to ȝou, leſt perauenture afterward ȝe wolden denye, and leiȝe to þe Lord ȝoure God. And he lefte þe puple, eche into his poſſeſſioun. And after þes þingis dyede Joſue, þe ſone of Nun, þe ſeruaunt of þe Lord, of an hundryd and of ten ȝeer. And þei biryeden him in þe eendis of his poſſeſſioun, in Thanaþſare, þat is ſet in þe hil of Effraym, fro þe norþ part of þe hil of Gaas.

And Yrael ſeruede to þe Lord alle þe days of Joſue, and of þe eldren, þat long tyme lyueden after Joſue, and þe which knewe alle þe werkis of þe Lord, þat he dide in Irael. Forſoþe þe boones of Joſeph, þe whiche þe ſones of Yrael token fro Egipt, þei birieden in Sichem, in a paart of þe feeld þat Jacob bouȝte of þe ſones of Emor, fader of Sychem, for an hundrid ȝonge ſheep; and it was into poſſeſſioun of þe ſones of Joſeph. Forſoþe Eleazar, þe ſone of Aaron, preeſt, diede; and Phynees and his ſones birieden him in Gabaa, þat is ȝyue to hym in þe mount of Effraym.