Acts · Chapter 7

[ edit] Forſoþ þe prince of preſtis ſeide to Sþeuene, If þes þingis han hem ſo? Þe which ſeiþ, Men breþeren, and fadris, heere ȝe. God of glorie apperide to oure fadir Abraham, whanne he was in Meſopotanye, bifore he dwelte in Carram, and ſeide to him, Go out of þi lond, and of þi cognacioun, or kynrede, and come into þe lond, þe which I ſchal ſchewe to þee. Þanne he wente out of þe lond of Caldeys, and dwelte in Carram. And þennis aftir þat his fadir was deed, he tranſlatide hym into þis lond, in which ȝe dwellen now. And he ȝaf not to him heritage in it, noþer a paas of foot, but he aȝenbihiȝte for to ȝyue to him it into poſſeſcioun, and to his ſeed aftir him, whanne he hadde not a ſone.

Forſoþ God ſpak to him, For his ſeed ſchal be cumelyng, or geſt, in an alien lond, and þei ſchulen ſugette hem to ſeruage, and ſchulen yuele trete hem, foure hundrid ȝeeris and þritty; and I ſchal iuge þe folk, to which þei ſchulen ſerue, ſeiþ þe Lord. And aftir þeſe þingis þei ſchulen go out, and þei ſchulen ſerue to me in þis place. And he ȝaf to him þe teſtament of circumciſioun; and ſo he gendride Yſaac, and circumcidide him in þe eiȝtiþ day. And Yſaac gendride Jacob, and Jacob þe twelue patriarkis. And þe patriarkis hauynge enuye to Joſeph, ſolden hym into Egipt.

And God was wiþ hym, and delyuerede him of alle his tribulaciouns, and ȝaf to him grace and wyſdom in þe ſiȝt of Pharao, kyng of Egipt. And he ordeynede him prepoſt, or ſouereyn, on Egipt, and on al his hous. Forſoþ hungir cam into al Egipt, and Canaan, and greet tribulacioun; and oure fadris founden not metis. Forſoþ whanne Jacob herde, whete for to be in Egipt, he ſente oure fadris firſt. And in þe ſecunde tyme Joſep was knowyn of his briþeren, and his kyn is maad knowun to Pharao. Forſoþe Joſep ſendynge clepide to Jacob, his fadir, and al his cognacioun, in ſoulis ſeuenty and fyue.

And Jacob deſſendide into Egipt, and is deed, he and oure fadris; and þei ben tranſlatid into Sichen, and ben putt in þe ſepulcre, þat Abraham bouȝte by priys of ſiluer of þe ſones of Emor, þe ſone of Sichen. Forſoþ whanne þe tyme of biheeſte cam nyȝ, þe which God hadde knowlechid to Abraham, þe peple waxe, and was multiplied in Egipt, til anoþer kyng roos in Egipt, þe which knew not Joſeph. Þis bigylinge oure peple, turmentide oure fadris, þat þei ſchulden putte out her ȝonge children, leſt þei were quykened. In þe ſame tyme Moyſes was born, and he was acceptid, or louyd, of God; and he was noriſchid þre moneþis in þe hous of his fadir.

Forſoþ him putt out, þe douȝtir of Pharao took him vp, and noriſchide him into a ſone to hir. And Moyſes was lernd in al þe wyſdom of Egipcians, and he was myȝty in his wordis and werkis. Forſoþ whanne þe tyme of twenti ȝeer was fulfillid to him, it ſtiȝede vp into his herte, þat he ſchulde viſite his breþeren, þe ſones of Iſrael. And whanne he ſyȝ ſum man ſuffringe wrong, he vengide him, and dide veniaunce to him þat ſuffride wrong; þe Egipcian ſlayn. Forſoþ he geſſide breþeren for to vndirſtonde, for God by þe hond of hym ſchulde ȝyue to hem heelþe; but þei vndirſtoden not.

Forſoþ in þe day ſuynge he apperide to hem chidinge, and recounſilide hem in pees, ſeyinge, Men, ȝe ben breþeren; wherto noyen ȝe ech oþir? Forſoþ he þat dide wrong to his neiȝebore, puttide him awey, ſeyinge, Who ordeynede þee prince and domeſman vpon vs? Wher þou wolt ſle me, as ȝiſtirday þou killidiſt þe Egipcian? Forſoþe in þis word Moyſes flyȝ, and was maad a comeling in þe lond of Madian, where he gendride twey ſones. And fourty ȝeer fulfillid, an aungel apperide to him in fyer of flame of a boiſch, in deſert of þe mount of Syna. Forſoþe Moyſes ſeynge wondride þe ſiȝt.

And him comynge to þat he ſchulde biholde, þe vois of þe Lord is maad to him, ſeyinge, I am God of ȝoure fadris, God of Abraham, God of Yſaac, God of Jacob. Moyſes maad tremeling, durſte not biholde. Forſoþe God ſeide to him, Vnbynd þe ſchon of þi feet, for þe place in which þou ſtondiſt is hooli erþe. I ſeyng ſyȝ þe affliccioun, or turmentyng, of my peple þat is in Egipt, and I herde þe mornyng of hem, and I caam down for to delyuere hem. And now come þou, and I ſchal ſende þee into Egipt. Þis Moyſes, whom þei denyeden, ſeyinge, Who ordeyned þee prince and domeſman on vs? God ſente þis prince and aȝenbyer, wiþ þe hond of þe aungel, þat apperide to hym in þe boiſch.

Þis ledde hem out, doynge wondris and ſygnes in þe lond of Egipt, and in þe reede ſee, in deſert fourty ȝeeris. Þis is Moyſes, þat ſeide to þe ſones of Iſrael, God ſchal reiſe to ȝou a prophete of ȝoure breþeren, as me ȝe ſchulen heere him. Þis is, þat was in þe chirche in wildirneſſe, wiþ þe aungel þat ſpak to him in þe mount Syna, and wiþ oure fadris; þe which took wordis of lyf for to ȝyue to vs. To whom oure fadris wolden not obeye, but puttiden him awei, and ben turned awei in her hertis into Egipt, ſeiynge to Aaron, Make þou to vs goddis, þat ſchulen go bifore vs; forſoþe to þis Moyſes, þat ledde vs out of þe lond of Egipt, we witen not, what is don to him.

And þei maden a calf in þo dayes, and offriden an ooſt to þe ſymylacre; and þei gladiden in þe werkis of her hondis. Forſoþ God turnyde, and bitook hem for to ſerue to þe knyȝþod of heuene, as it is writun in þe book of prophetis, Where ȝe offriden to me ſlayn ſacrificis, or ooſtis, fourty ȝeeris in deſert, ȝe hous of Iſrael? And ȝe han takun þe tabernacle of Moloc, and þe ſterre of ȝoure god Rempham, figuris þat ȝe han maad for to worſhipe hem; and I ſchal tranſlate ȝou into Babiloyne. Þe tabernacle of witneſſing was wiþ oure fadris in deſert, as God diſpoſide to hem, ſpekinge to Moyſes, þat he ſchulde make it vp þe foorme þat he ſyȝ.

Þe which and oure fadris takinge wiþ Jheſu, brouȝten into poſſeſcioun of heþen men, þe which God puttide awey fro þe face of oure fadris, til in þe dayes of Dauiþ, þat fond grace anentis God, and axide þat he ſchulde fynde a tabernacle to God of Jacob. Salomon forſoþe bildide an hows to him. But þe hiȝe dwelliþ not in maade þingis by hond, as he ſeiþ by þe prophete, Heuene is a ſeete to me, þe erþe forſoþ þe ſtool of my feet; what hous ſchulen ȝe bylde to me, ſeiþ þe Lord, or what place of my reſting? Wher myn hond made not alle þes þingis? Wiþ hard nol, and vncircumſidid hertis and eeris ȝe wiþſtonden euermore þe Hooly Gooſt; as and ȝoure fadris, ſo and ȝe.

Whom of þe prophetis han not ȝoure fadris purſued, and han ſlayn hem þat bifore teelden of þe comynge of þe iuſt, whos traitours and manſleeris ȝe weren now? Þe whiche token þe lawe in ordynaunce of aungels, and han not kept. Forſoþe þei heeringe þes þingis, weren dyuerſly turmentid in her hertis, and gnaſtiden, or grennyden, into him. Forſoþe whanne Sþeuene was ful of þe Hooly Goſt, he biholdinge into heuene, ſyȝ þe glorie of God, and Jheſu ſtondinge on þe riȝþalf of þe vertu of God. And he ſeiþ, Lo! I ſee heuenes openyd, and þe ſone of man ſtondinge on þe riȝt half of þe vertu of God.

Forſoþ þei criynge wiþ grete voiſes, heelden to gidere her eeris, and maden to gidere aſauȝt, or feerſneſſe, in to him. And þei caſtinge him out of þe cytee ſtoonyden. And witneſſis diden of her cloþis, biſydis þe feet of a ȝong man, þat was clepid Saul. And þei ſtoonyden Steuene ynclepinge, and ſeyinge, Lord Jheſu, receyue my ſpirit. Forſoþ þe knees putt, he criede wiþ greet vois, ſeyinge, Lord, ſette not to hem þis ſynne; for þei witen not what þei don. And whanne he hadde ſeid þis þing, he ſlepte in þe Lord.