Deuteronomy 9
1 Here thou, Israel; thou schalt passe Jordan to dai, that thou welde mooste naciouns, and strengere than thou; grete citees, and wallid `til to heuene;
“Listen, O Israel: You shall cross over the Jordan today, in order to possess nations, very great and stronger than yourself, cities vast and walled even to the sky,
2 a greet puple, and hiy; the sones of Enachym, whiche thi silf `siest, and herdist, whiche no man may ayenstonde in the contrarie part.
a people great and lofty, the sons of the Anakim, whom you yourselves have seen and heard, against whom no one is able to stand.
3 Therfor thou schalt wite to dai, that thi Lord God hym silf schal passe bifor thee; he is a fier deuourynge and wastynge, that schal al to breke hem, and schal do awei, and destrie bifor thi face swiftli, as he spak to thee.
Therefore, you shall know today that the Lord your God himself will pass over before you, like a devouring and consuming fire, to crush and to wipe away and to utterly ruin them before your face, quickly, just as he has spoken to you.
4 Seie thou not in thin herte, whanne thi Lord God hath do hem awey in thi siyt, For my riytfulnesse the Lord brouyte me yn, that Y schulde welde this lond; sithen these naciouns ben doon awey for her wickidnessis.
You should not say in your heart, when the Lord your God will have destroyed them in your sight: ‘It is because of my justice that the Lord led me in, so that I might possess this land, while these nations have been destroyed because of their impiety.’
5 For not for thi riytfulnessis, and equyte of thin herte thou schalt entre that thou welde the lond `of hem; but for thei diden wickidli, thei weren doon awey, whanne thou entridist, and that the Lord schulde fille his word which he bihiyte vndur an ooth to thi fadris, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
For it is not because of your justices or the uprightness of your heart that you will enter, so that you may possess their lands. Instead, it is because they have acted wickedly that they are destroyed upon your arrival, and so that the Lord may accomplish his word, which he promised under oath to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
6 Therfor wite thou that not for thi riytfulnesses thi Lord God yaf to thee this beste lond in to possessioun, sithen thou art a puple of hardeste nol.
Therefore, know that the Lord your God will not give you this excellent land as a possession due to your justices, for you are a very stiff-necked people.
7 Haue thou mynde, and foryete not, hou in the wildirnesse thou terridist thi Lord God to greet wraththe; fro that dai in which thou yedist out of Egipt `til to this place, thou striuedist euere ayens the Lord.
Remember, and never forget, how you provoked the Lord your God to anger in the wilderness. You have always contended against the Lord, from the day that you went forth from Egypt, even to this place.
8 For whi also in Oreb thou terridist hym, and he was wrooth, and wolde do thee awei, whanne Y stiede in to the hil,
For at Horeb also, you provoked him, and, becoming angry, he was willing to destroy you,
9 that Y schulde take two tablis of stoon, the tablis of couenaunt which the Lord made with you, and Y continuede in the hil fourti daies and nyytis, and Y eet not breed, and Y drank not watir.
when I ascended onto the mountain, so that I might receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord formed with you. And I persevered on the mountain for forty days and nights, neither eating bread, nor drinking water.
10 And the Lord yaf to me, twey tablis of stoon, euer either wrytun with Goddis fyngur, and conteynynge alle the wordis whiche he spak to you in the hil, fro the myddis of the fier, whanne the cumpany of puple was gaderid togidere.
And the Lord gave me two tablets of stone, written with the finger of God and containing all the words that he spoke to you on the mountain from the midst of fire, while the people, being stirred up, were assembled together.
11 And whanne fourti daies and so many nyytis hadden passid, the Lord yaf to me twei tablis of stoon, tablis of boond of pees;
And when forty days, and as many nights, had passed, the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.
12 and he seide to me, Rise thou, and go doun for hennys soone, for thi puple, which thou leddist out of Egipt, han forsake swiftli the weie which thou schewidist to hem, and thei han maad to hem a yotun calf.
And he said to me: ‘Rise up, and descend quickly from here. For your people, whom you led away from Egypt, have quickly abandoned the way that you have shown to them, and they have made a molten idol for themselves.’
13 And eft the Lord seide to me, `Y se that this puple is of hard nol;
And again, the Lord said to me: ‘I discern that this people is stiff-necked.
14 suffre thou me, that I alto breke hym, and do awey the name `of hym fro vndur heuene; and Y schal ordeyne thee on a folk which is grettere and strongere than this folk.
Depart from me, so that I may crush them, and abolish their name from under heaven, and appoint you over a nation, which will be greater and stronger than this one.’
15 And whanne Y cam doun fro the hil brennynge, and helde with euer either hond twei tablis of boond of pees, and Y seiy,
And as I was descending from the burning mountain, and I held the two tablets of the covenant with both hands,
16 that ye hadde synned to youre Lord God, and hadden maad to you a yotun calf, and hadden forsake swiftli the weie of God which he schewide to you,
and I had seen that you had sinned against the Lord your God, and had made a molten calf for yourselves, and had quickly abandoned his way, which he had revealed to you,
17 Y castide doun the tablis fro myn hondis, and brak tho tablis in youre siyt.
I threw down the tablets from my hands, and I broke them in your sight.
18 And Y felde doun bifor the Lord as `biforto, in fourti daies and fourti nyytis, and Y eet not breed, `and drank not watir, for alle youre synnes whiche ye diden ayens the Lord, and terriden hym to `greet wraththe;
And I fell prostrate before the Lord, just as before, for forty days and nights, not eating bread, and not drinking water, because of all your sins, which you had committed against the Lord, and because you provoked him to anger.
19 for Y dredde the indignacioun and yre of hym, by which he was stirid ayens you, and wolde do you awey. And the Lord herde me also in this tyme.
For I feared his indignation and wrath, which had been stirred up against you, so that he was willing to destroy you. And the Lord heeded me at this time also.
20 Also the Lord was wrooth greteli ayens Aaron, and wolde alto breke hym, and Y preiede in lijk maner for hym.
Likewise, he became vehemently angry against Aaron, and he was willing to destroy him, and I prayed for him similarly.
21 `Forsothe Y took youre synne which ye maden, that is, the calf, and brente it in fier, and Y alto brak in gobetis, and droof outerli in to dust, and castide forth in to the stronde, that cam doun fro the hil.
But as for your sin which you committed, that is, the calf, taking hold of it, I burned it with fire. And breaking it into pieces, and reducing it entirely to dust, I threw it into the torrent that descends from the mountain.
22 Also in the brennyng, and in the temptacioun at the watris of ayenseiyng, and in the Sepulcris of Coueytise, ye terriden the Lord;
Likewise, at the Burning, and at the Temptation, and at the Graves of Lust, you provoked the Lord.
23 and whanne Y sente you fro Cades Barne, and seide, `Stye ye, and welde the lond which Y yaf to you, and ye dispisiden the comaundement of youre Lord God, and ye bileueden not to him, nether ye wolden here his vois;
And when he sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘Ascend and possess the land, which I have given to you,’ even so, you spurned the command of the Lord your God, and you did not believe him, nor were you willing to listen to his voice.
24 but euere ye weren rebel, fro the day in which Y bigan to knowe you.
Instead, you were ever rebellious, from the day when I first began to know you.
25 And Y lay byfore the Lord fourti daies and fourti nyytis, in whiche Y bisouyte hym mekeli, that he schulde not `do awey you, as he manaasside.
And so, I lay prostrate before the Lord for forty days and nights, as I humbly begged him, lest he destroy you, just as he had threatened to do.
26 And Y preiede, and seide, Lord God, distrye not thi puple, and thin eritage, which thou `ayen bouytist in thi greetnesse, which thou leddist out of Egipt in strong hond.
And praying, I said: ‘O Lord God, do not destroy your people and your inheritance, whom you have redeemed in your greatness, whom you have led away from Egypt with a strong hand.
27 Haue thou mynde of thi seruauntis, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; biholde thou not the hardnesse of this puple, and the wickidnesse, and the synne therof,
Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not look upon the stubbornness of this people, nor upon their wickedness and sinfulness.
28 lest perauenture the dwelleris of the lond, out of which thou leddist vs, seien, The Lord myyte not bryng hem in to the lond which he bihiyte to hem, and he hatide hem; therfor he ledde hem out that he schulde sle hem in wildirnesse;
Otherwise, perhaps the inhabitants of the land, out of which you have led us, may say: “The Lord was not able to lead them into the land, which he promised to them. And he hated them; therefore, he led them out, so that he might put them to death in the wilderness.”
29 and thei ben thi puple and thin eritage, which thou leddist out in thi greet strengthe, and in thin arm holdun forth.
These are your people and your inheritance, whom you have led out by your great strength, and with your outstretched arm.’”
