An Abridgeme[n]t of all the Canonical books of the olde Testament ::

A rehersall first heer is made,
of things that were begun:
From Oreb hil, to Cades barn,
The acts that God had doon.
The charge that Moyses Iudges gaue
let rulers hear the same:
If they intend the Lord to please
and void rebuke and shame.

The ii. chapiter.

Begun as Moyses had tofore,
so foorth he dooth proceed:
From Cades barn vntil they came,
withouten fear or dreed.
And fought against Schon the king,
whiche Hesbon did possesse:
He was destroyd, and all his land
was taken more and lesse.

The iii. chapiter.

Cast down were all the Ammonites,
by Israels mightie hand:
Likewise was Og of Basan King
not able to withstand.
Iosue chosen captain was,
to stand in Moyses steed:

And Moyses bad him to be bolde,
and doo as God should bid.

The iiij. chapiter.

Decreed lawes by God almight
to Moyses did he tel:
Whiche if they would attend vnto,
then should they doo ful wel.
From thence to take ne ad therto,
nor Images to rear:
Three Citties pointed for refuge
all this appeereth there.

The v. Chapiter.

Euery law that God did make,
for people to obay:
Is closde within the ten preceptes
whiche there read all ye may.
For Images yet once again,
renued is the charge:
And if they heed the Lord his hestes
the land is theirs at large.

The vi. chapiter.

Folowe they must the Lord his wil,
euen earnestly with might:
Upon their doores and postes also,
they must them plainly write.

Not only so but also teache,
their children they are bod:
The Lords preceptes both all and some
that they may knowe their God.

The vii. chapiter.

God did forbid a league to make,
with gentiles in no wise:
They must destroy their Idols quite,
and all their Gods dispise.
He also saith that he wil blesse,
the keepers of his wil:
And curse the rest and charge he gaue,
Idolatrers to kil.

The viii. chapiter.

How maruaylously that God had delt,
with Israel fortie yeer:
In wildernes with benefits,
as plainly dooth appeere.
They are commaunded not to say
their might did them defend:
But that the Lord did bring them foorth,
and gaue their foes their end.

The ix. chapiter.

In any cace they are forbod,
to trust in their owne strength:

For who so dooth him wil betide,
a faule to haue at length.
Moyses then a rehearsall made,
ful breefly in a sum:
From time they had receiude the law
til they to lust begun.

The x. Chapiter.

Knowe heer ye may of Israels walke,
whiles they in iourney went:
And how the tables were renued,
when they were broke and rent.
Nothing the Lord did then require
for dooing them suche good:
But that they holde all his preceptes
and set theron their mood.

The xi. chapiter.

Loue they must now ye Lord his law
stil Moyses gaue them charge
With hart & minde they must him serue,
that had set them at large.
To talke therof when that they rise
or at their sitting down:
Or els in iourney as they walke
in feeld be it or town.

The xii. chapiter.

Moyses once more so gaue them charge
against Idolatrie:
It to suppresse and put it down,
and from the same to flee:
And blood to eat they are forbod,
in any manner wise:
And onely doo as God them bad,
and not what like their eyes.

The xiii. chapiter.

No Prophet false must bide on liue,
but must be made to die:
And wicked folke must not be heard,
though in thy brest they lie.
God for to trie the Israelites,
how strong they were in faith
Would suffer things to prooue them with
as Moyses plainly saith.

The xiiij. chapiter.

Omit they must the Gentiles trades,
and flee their dooings quite:
And onely serue almightie God,
with all their main and might:
Suche beastes as they might not then eat
are manifestly tolde:
And whiche were clean is there exprest
that eat they might be bolde.

The xv. chapiter.

Pardon their dets then are they bod
at euery seuenth yeers end:
When God his wil is serued and kept
no scarsenes he wil send.
Those that wil lend to suche as need,
the maner is tolde how
Deformitie in sacrifice,
the Lord dooth not alow.

The xvi. chapiter.

Quietly how to keep their feastes
the times are tolde them plain:
When that they should be vsde and kept
is written once again.
O that Iudges would mark and read,
and doo as God there bad:
To take no giftes in any cace,
but iustice to be had.

The xvii. chapiter.

Rewarded must Idolaters,
with death by law to die:
And doutful things must be referd
to those that be on hie.
Presumptuous men that doo rebel,
must die the law dooth minge:

The man and state that he must keep
that they would take to king.

Halfe this book is now tolde afore,
in seauenteen chapters iust:
And seauenteen more ye shall haue next,
in God put we our trust.

The xviij. chapiter.

All the Leuites the whiche were preestes,
might no possessions haue:
All sorcery they must auoid,
their liues to keep and saue.
Moyses tolde then of Christe to come,
and bad them him to hear:
The Prophet false they must not way,
nor all his dooings fear.

The xix. chapiter.

Because that murther might be dooth,
against the dooers minde:
For refuge, Citties were set out,
and there vnto assignd.
The false witnes must haue the stone,
return to his owne brow:
An eye for eye, and tooth for tooth,
the law did them alow.

The xx. chapiter.

Chuse out for warres what men they should
this chapter dooth expresse:
The law of armes to them is tolde,
to vse in war or peace.
The Cananites, the Pheresites,
the Iebusites also:
With Heuites eke they must destroy
not letting one to go.

The xxj. chapiter.

Decree did God a goodly law,
for him that was found dead:
And how the Iew should him behaue,
a gentile for to wed.
The first borne sonne he must possesse,
the heritage and land:
The childe that parentes dooth not fear,
must die euen out of hand.

The xxii. chapiter.

Eche man must help his neighbours Asse
although he be vnknowne:
The man denied the womans tire,
shee to go in her owne.
Linste wolste might not be worn,
the adulterer must die:
And order taken for that man,
that with a maid did lie.

The xxiii. chapiter.

Forbidden was the gelded man
in Christes churche to dwel:
The harlots bird dooth God commaund,
that they should quite expel.
There might no whore among thē bide,
the Lord did so decree:
The lone of things is there denide,
so lend on vsury.

The xxiiii. chapiter.

Giue leaue did Moyses to deuorce,
for causes that were light:
The newly spousd they might not force
in battaile for to fight.
For money lent and seruantes hire,
a goodly lesson tolde:
Some leysing left in feeld and town,
for poore folke yung and olde.

The xxv. chapiter.

How many stripes the trespasser,
should haue for wicked life:
A man that died without a sonne,
his brother should wed his wife:
That weightes & mesures should be iust,
read ye the chapters end:

Who so dooth vse the contrary,
shall come to wicked end.

The xxvi. chapiter.

Iustly must they now pay their frutes,
that first to them did fall
The tithes they were commaunded to,
they should then pay them all,
Unto the preestes, the fatherles,
the straunger and widowe:
Such goods were then the poores of right
how so they vse them now.

The xxvii. Chapiter.

Knowledge was had the people then
an aulter vp to rear:
Afore that Iordane they did passe,
or came the land so neer.
The curses then that Leuy was
commaunded for to speak:
Against all those that did delight,
Gods wil to burst or break.

The xxviii. Chapiter.

Louingly the Lord did blesse,
the keepers of his wil:
To stablishe them in their good mindes
to keep them in it stil.

And curse dooth hee the contrary,
with cursings very great:
Those that him looue he dooth them blesse
his haters hee dooth threat.

The xxix. chapiter.

Moyses then went and thus he spake,
vnto the people all:
Saying to suche as feareth God,
the Lord defends them all.
But they that not regard his wil,
suche plagues on them shall come:
As like hath not been seen on earth,
from rising of the sonne.

The xxx. chapiter.

Not far from them that doo it seek
is Gods almightie woord:
Those that it loue and it obay,
are saued from the swoord.
Within our mouthes and in our hartes
the woord is alway prest:
Those that it keep are sure at length,
for it they shalbe blest.

The xxxi. chapiter.

Olde was Moyses and so did chuse,
then Iosue in his steed:

To whom he said see thou be strong,
and haue no fear or dread.
This book he wrote and did it giue,
into the Leuites hand:
And chargde that they the same should read,
when they came to the land.

The xxxii. chapiter.

Plesantly then did Moyses sing
a goodly long of praise:
Unto the Lord for all the acts,
that he had wrought alwaies,
And vp he went vnto a hil,
to look on Canaan:
God had him there to run the race,
that all his fathers ran.

The xxxiii. chapiter.

Quietly Moyses did prepare,
to sleep his fathers sleep
But this he said before he went,
that God his saints dooth keep.
Also he blessed all the tribes,
afore his dying day:
And tolde how they should rule & reign,
if they did God obay.

The xxxiiii. chapiter.

Rest from his woork did Moyses then
and so gaue vp the ghoste:
At his departing they did weep
euen throughout all the hoste.
And Iosue did his roum possesse
as Moyses had it wild:
And ruled all the Israelites,
in Cittie and in feeld.

Of Moyses books heer is the last,
as he did them all write:
Vnto the Lord giue ye the praise,
whiche is the God of might.

University of Virginia Library

Deuteronomium.

The first Chapiter.