Judges · Chapter 1

[ edit] Aftir þe deeþ of Joſue þe ſones of Irael counſeilden þe Lord, ſeyynge, Who ſhal ſtye vp bifore vs aȝens Chanane, and be duk of bateil? And þe Lord ſeide, Judas ſhal ſtie vp; loo! I haue taak þe loond in his hoond. And Juda ſeiþ to Symeon, his broþir, Sty vp wiþ me in my lot, and fiȝt aȝens Chanane, þat I goo wiþ þee in þi lot. And Symeon wente wiþ hym; and Juda ſtiede vp. And þe Lord took Chanane and Phereze in to þe hoondis of hem, and þei ſmyten in Bezech ten þouſand of men. And þei foonden Adonybezech in Beſech, and þei fouȝten aȝens hym, and ſmyten Chanane, and Phereze.

Adonybezech forſoþe fleiȝ, whom purſuynge þei, token, kit of þe ouermoſt partis of þe hoondis of hym, and of feet. And Adonybezech ſeide, Seuenti kyngis, kut of þe ouermore paartis of hoondis and of feet, gedreden vndur my bord relyues of meetis; as I haue doo, ſo þe Lord haþ doo to me. And þei brouȝten hym into Jeruſalem, and þere he died. Þanne þe ſones of Juda ouercomynge Jeruſalem token it, and ſmyten in mouþ of ſwerd, takynge al þe citee to brennynge. And afterward deſcendynge þei fouȝten aȝens Chanane, þat dwellyd in þe mounteyns, and at þe ſouþ, in þe wijld feeldis.

And Judas goynge aȝens Chanane, þat dwellid in Ebron, whos name was bi old tyme Caryaþarbe, ſmoot Siſay, and Achyman, and Tholomay. And þens goon, wenten to þe dwellers of Dabir, whos name was old Cariaþſepher, þat is, þe citee of lettris. And Caleph ſeide, Who ſmytiþ Caryþſepher, and waſtiþ it, I ſhal ȝyue to hym a wijf, Axam, my douȝter. And whanne Oþonyel, þe ſone of Senech, þe laſſe broþer of Caleph, hadde taak it, he ȝaf to hym a wijf, Axam, hys douȝter. Þe which goynge in þe weie, hir man moneſtide, þat ſhe ſhulde axe hir fader a feeld; þe which whanne ſhe hadde ſiȝid, ſittynge in an aſſe, Caleph ſeide to hir, What haſt þou?

And ſhe anſwerde, Ȝif to me a bleſſynge, for a dry erþe þou haſt ȝyue to me; ȝif and a moyſt wiþ watris. And Caleph ȝaf to hir moyſt aboue, and moyſt byneþe. Forſoþe þe ſones of Cyney, coſyn to Moiſes, ſtieden vp fro þe citee of palmes wiþ þe ſones of Juda, into þe deſeert of his lot, þat is at þe ſouþ of Arach; and þei dwelliden wiþ him. And Judas wente wiþ Symeon, his broþer; and þei ſmyten to gidre Chananee, þat dwellid in Sephat, and þei ſlewen hym; and þe name of þe cytee was clepid Horma, þat is, curſynge. And Judas took Gazam wiþ his eendis, and Aſcalonem, and Accharon wiþ his teermys.

And þe Lord was wiþ Judas, and þe mounteyns he weeldide; and he myȝte not doo awey þe dwellers of þe valei, for þei aboundiden in chaarys ful of weepnes in maner of ſiþis. And þei ȝyuen to Caleph Ebron, as Moiſes ſeide, þe which dide awey fro it þre ſones of Enach. Jebuſe forſoþe, þe dweller of Jeruſalem, þe ſones of Beniamyn, diden not awey; and Jebuſe dwelt wiþ þe ſones of Beniamyn in Jeruſalem vnto þe day þat is nowe. Forſoþe þe hows of Joſeph ſtiede in to Beþel, and þe Lord was wiþ hem. For whanne þei ſegedyn þe cite, þat before was clepid Luza, þei ſeeyȝin a man goynge out of þe cytee, and þei ſeiden to hym, Shewe to vs þe entre of þe cytee, and we ſhulen do wiþ þee merci.

Þe which whanne he hadde ſhewid to hem, þei ſmyten þe citee in mouþ of þe ſwerd; forſoþe þilk man and al his kynrede þei leften. Þe which left wente into þe loond of Sechym, and bilde þere a citee, and clepide it Luzam; þe which is clepid ſo vnto þe day þat is nowe. Forſoþe Manaſſes dide not awey Beþſan, and Thanael wiþ his lytyl touns, and þe dwellers of Endor, and Geblaam, and Magedo wiþ his litil touns; and Chanane bigan to dwel wiþ hem. Forſoþe after þat Yrael is comfourtyd, he made hem tributaryes, and doon a wey wold he not. Forſoþe Effraym ſlewe not Cananee þat dwellid in Gazer, but dwellid wiþ hym.

Zabulon dide not a wey þe dwellers of Ceþron and of Naalon; but Chananee dwelt in þe mydil of hym, and is maad to hym tributarie. Forſoþe Aſer dide not aweye þe dwellers of Cho, and of Sidon, Alab, and Azenbus, and Alba, and Aphe, Chaaloa, and Pha, and Roab; and he dwellid in þe mydil of Chananei, þe dweller of þe lond, ne he ſlewȝ him. Neptalim dide not awei þe dwellers of Beþſames, and of Beþanach; and he dwellide among Chanane, þe dweller of þe lond; and Beþſamytes and Beþanites weren to him tributaries.

And Amorre artide þe ſones of Dan in þe hil, ne he ȝaf to hem place þat to þe pleyner þei myȝten deſcende; and he dwelte in þe hil of Hares, þat is to ſeye, Witneſſinge, in Hailon, and Salabym. And þe hond of þe hous of Joſeph is agreggid aȝens Amorre, and he is maad to hym tributarie. Forſoþe þe terme of Amorre was fro þe ſtiynge vp of Scorpioun, and Petra, and þe heiȝer places.