Numbers 14:6-37

⁶And sotheli Josue, the sone of Nun, and Caleph, the sone of Jephone, whiche also cumpassiden the lond, to renten her clothis,

⁷and spaken to al the multitude of the sones of Israel, The lond which we cumpassiden is ful good;

⁸if the Lord is merciful to vs, he schal lede vs in to it, and schal yyue `to vs the lond flowynge with mylk and hony.

⁹Nyle ye be rebel ayens the Lord, nether drede ye the puple of this lond, for we moun deuoure hem so as breed; al her help passide awei fro hem, the Lord is with vs, nyle ye drede.

¹⁰And whanne al the multitude criede, and wolde oppresse hem with stonys, the glorie of the Lord apperide on the roof of the boond of pees, while alle the sones of Israel sien.

¹¹And the Lord seide to Moises, Hou long schal this puple bacbite me? Hou longe schulen thei not bileue to me in alle `signes, whiche Y haue do bifor hem?

¹²Therfor Y schal smyte hem with pestilence, and Y schal waste hem; forsothe Y schal make thee prince on a greet folk, and strongere than is this.

¹³And Moises seide to the Lord, Egipcians `here not, fro whos myddil thou leddist out this puple,

¹⁴and the dwelleris of this loond, whiche herden that thou, Lord, art in this puple, and art seyn face to face, and that thi cloude defendith hem, and that thou goist bifore hem in a pilere of cloude bi dai,

¹⁵and in a piler of fier bi nyyt, that thou hast slayn so greet a multitude as o man,

¹⁶and seie thei, He myyte not brynge this puple in to the lond for whiche he swoor, therfor he killide hem in wildirnesse;

¹⁷therfor the strengthe of the Lord be magnified, as thou hast swore. And Moises seide,

¹⁸Lord pacient, and of myche mercy, doynge awei wickidnesse and trespassis, and leeuynge no man vngilti, which visitist the synnes of fadris in to sones in to the thridde and fourthe generacioun, Y biseche,

¹⁹foryyue thou the synne of this thi puple, aftir the greetnesse of thi merci, as thou were merciful to men goynge out of Egipt `til to this place.

²⁰And the Lord seide, Y haue foryouun to hem, bi thi word.

²¹Y lyue; and the glorie of the Lord schal be fillid in al erthe;

²²netheles alle men that sien my mageste, and my signes, whiche Y dide in Egipt and in the wildirnesse, and temptiden me now bi ten sithis, and obeieden not to my vois,

²³schulen not se the lond for which Y swore to her fadris, nethir ony of hem that bacbitide me, schal se it.

²⁴Y schal lede my seruaunt Caleph, that was ful of anothir spirit, and suede me, in to this lond, which he cumpasside, and his seed schal welde it.

²⁵For Amalech and Cananei dwellen in the valeis, to morewe moue ye tentis, and turne ye ayen in to wildirnesse bi the weie of the reed see.

²⁶And the Lord spak to Moises and to Aaron, and seide,

²⁷Hou long grutchith this werste multitude ayens me? Y haue herd the pleyntis of the sones of Israel.

²⁸Therfor seie thou to hem, Y lyue, seith the Lord; as ye spaken while Y herde, so Y schal do to you;

²⁹youre careyns schulen ligge in this wildirnesse. Alle ye that ben noumbrid, fro twenti yeer and aboue, and grutchiden ayens me,

³⁰schulen not entre in to the lond, on which Y reiside myn hond, that Y schulde make you to dwelle outakun Caleph, the sone of Jephone, and Josue, the sone of Nun.

³¹Forsothe Y schal lede in youre litle children, of whiche ye seiden that thei schulden be preyes `ethir raueyns to enemyes, that thei se the lond which displeside you.

³²Forsothe youre careyns schulen ligge in the wildirnesse;

³³youre sones schulen be walkeris aboute in the deseert bi fourti yeer, and thei schulen bere youre fornycacioun, til the careyns of the fadris ben wastid in the deseert,

³⁴by the noumbre of fourti daies, in whiche ye bihelden the loond; a yeer schal be arettid for a dai, and bi fourti yeer ye schulen resseyue youre wickidnesse, and ye schulen knowe my veniaunce.

³⁵For as Y spak, so Y schal do to al this werste multitude, that roos to gidere ayens me; it schal faile, and schal die in this wildirnesse.

³⁶Therfor alle the men whyche Moises hadde sent to see the lond, and whiche turniden ayen, and maden al the multitude to grutche ayens hym, and depraueden the lond, that it was yuel,

³⁷weren deed, and smytun in the siyt of the Lord.