Liber Numeri 17

1 Et locutus est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

And the Lord spak to Moises, `and seide, Speke thou to the sones of Israel,

2 Loquere ad filios Israël, et accipe ab eis virgas singulas per cognationes suas, a cunctis principibus tribuum, virgas duodecim, et uniuscujusque nomen superscribes virgæ suæ.

and take thou yerdis, bi her kynredis, bi ech kynrede o yeerde, take thou of alle the princes of the lynagis twelue yerdis; and thou schalt write the name of each lynage aboue his yerde;

3 Nomen autem Aaron erit in tribu Levi, et una virga cunctas seorsum familias continebit:

forsothe the name of Aaron schal be in the lynage of Leuy, and o yerde schal conteyne alle the meynees of hem.

4 ponesque eas in tabernaculo fœderis coram testimonio, ubi loquar ad te.

And thou schalt putte tho yerdis in the tabernacle of boond of pees, bifor the witnessyng, where Y schal speke to thee; the yerde of hym schal buriowne, whom Y schal chese of hem;

5 Quem ex his elegero, germinabit virga ejus: et cohibebo a me querimonias filiorum Israël, quibus contra vos murmurant.

and Y schal refreyne fro me the playnyngis of the sones of Israel, bi whiche thei grutchen ayens you.

6 Locutusque est Moyses ad filios Israël: et dederunt ei omnes principes virgas per singulas tribus: fueruntque virgæ duodecim absque virga Aaron.

And Moyses spak to the sones of Israel; and alle princes yauen to hym yerdis, bi alle lynagis; and the yerdis weren twelue, without the yerde of Aaron.

7 Quas cum posuisset Moyses coram Domino in tabernaculo testimonii,

And whanne Moises hadde put tho yerdis bifor the Lord, in the tabernacle of witnessyng, he yede ayen in the day suynge,

8 sequenti die regressus invenit germinasse virgam Aaron in domo Levi: et turgentibus gemmis eruperant flores, qui, foliis dilatatis, in amygdalas deformati sunt.

and founde that the yerde of Aaron, `in the hows of Leuy, buriounnede; and whanne knoppis weren greet, the blossoms `hadden broke out, whiche weren alargid in leeuys, and weren fourmed in to alemaundis.

9 Protulit ergo Moyses omnes virgas de conspectu Domini ad cunctos filios Israël: videruntque, et receperunt singuli virgas suas.

Therfor Moyses brouyte forth alle the yerdis fro the siyt of the Lord to al the sones of Israel; and thei sien, and resseyueden ech his yerde.

10 Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Refer virgam Aaron in tabernaculum testimonii, ut servetur ibi in signum rebellium filiorum Israël, et quiescant querelæ eorum a me, ne moriantur.

And the Lord seide to Moises, Bere ayen the yerde of Aaron in to the tabernacle of witnessyng, that it be kept there in to `the signe of the rebel sones of Israel, and that her `playntis reste fro me, lest thei dien.

11 Fecitque Moyses sicut præceperat Dominus.

And Moises dide, as the Lord comaundide.

12 Dixerunt autem filii Israël ad Moysen: Ecce consumpti sumus, omnes perivimus.

Forsothe the sones of Israel seiden to Moises, Lo! we ben wastid, alle we perischiden;

13 Quicumque accedit ad tabernaculum Domini, moritur. Num usque ad internecionem cuncti delendi sumus?

who euer neiyeth to the tabernacle of the Lord, he dieth; whethir we schulen be doon awei alle `til to deeth?