LXXVII.
[1]
Bihaldes mi lagh, mi folke, es kouth;
Heldes your eres in wordes of mi mouth.
2
.I. sal open mi mouth in forbiseninges;
Speke sal .i. fra biginninge forsettynges;
3
Hou fele we herd and knawen þa,
And our fadres talden vs swa—
4
Noght heled fra þair sones ere þai
In other getynge, night ne dai—;
5
Looffes of lauerd and his mightes telland,
And his wondres he dyd in land.
6
And he raised wittnes in Iacob wel,
And lagh he set in Irael,
7
Hou many sent he, so þai wore,
Til our fadres vs bifore,
To þar sones kouth to make þa;
Þat other strende knawe it swa.
8
Sones þat sal be borne and rise,
Salle telle þar sones on ilka wise;
9
Þat þai set þar hope in god ai,
And werkes of god noght forgete þai,
And bodes of him dai and night
Seke þai with alle þair might;
10
Þat þai ne be, als þar fadres fals,
Getynge wike and tenefulle als;
11
Strende þat noght righted hert his,
And noght leued with god his gaste it is.
12
Sones of Effrem, bendand and bowe sendand,
In dai of fight ere ogaynewendand.
13
Witeworde of god noght yhemed þa,
And in his lagh noght wald þai ga;
14
And ofe his godededes forgate þai,
And ofe his wondres, he schewed am ai.
15
Bifore þar fadres dyd he wondres mani an
In land ofe Egipt, in felde of Than.
16
He brake þe see, and forthlede am þare,
And set watres als in bit ware.
17
And he led am in kloude of dai brighte,
In lightinge ofe fire alle nighte.
18
He brake þe stane in more þat es,
And watred am als in mikel depenes.
19
And he outlede watre of þe stane,
And he led als stremes watres on-ane.
20
And þai set yhit to him to sinne;
In wrath hegh wakened þai drines inne.
21
And god in þair hertes fraisted þa,
Þat þai asked to þar saules metes ma,
22
And yuel of gode þai spake, saide worde:
“Wher god in wildernes mai graiþe borde?
23
For he smate þe stane and watres outran,
And þe welles vnwatred þai ilkan.
24
Whether and brede giue mai he,
Outhre graithe borde to his folke to be?”
25
For-þi god herd, and he forbare;
And fire kindeled ful brinnand þare
In Iacob, and ire somdele
Vpstegh þanne in Iraele;
26
For in god noght leued þai,
Ne hoped in his hele na dai.
27
And he sent to kloudes fra aboue ware,
And yhates of heuen opened he þare,
28
And manna to ete rained to þa,
And brede of heuen he gafe am swa.
29
Brede of aungels ete man þat wes;
He gafe þam metes in mightsomnes.
30
He forthbroght southenwind fra heuen,
And inled affryke in þar might euen,
31
And on am rained flesche als dust might be,
Fogheles fethered als sand of see;
32
And in mid þar kastelles fellen þai,
Obout þar teldes þar þai lai.
33
And þai ete, and filled þai are
Swithewele, þe lesse and mare;
And þar gerninge to þam he broght,
Biswyked ofe þar ȝhorninges ere þai noght.
34
And yhit þar metes in þar mouth ware
And wrake of god stegh ouer þam þare,
35
And he slogh þar fattes ilka del,
And he let þe chosen of Irael.
36
In alle þese, sinned [þai] yhit in thoght,
And in [his] wondres leued þai noght.
37
And þair daies waned in vnnaitnesse;
And þair yheres with haste ware lesse.
38
When he had am slaine, him soghten þai
And turned, and in þe grikynge come to him þat dai;
39
And þai ere mined for god þair helper es,
And god hegh þar ogainbier es to blis;
40
And in þar mouth him loued þo:
And in þair tunge þai lighed him to.
41
For þar hert noght right was with him þare,
Ne trewe in his witeworde had þai are.
42
[Bot] he es milderthede, neghsome made swa
To þair sinnes, and noght lese sal he þa;
43
And he mightsomed to torne his wreth,
And noght kindeled he alle his breth.
44
And he es mined þat þai ere flesche in land,
Gaste gaand and noght ogaintornand.
45
Hou oft þai gremed in wildernes,
In wreth þai wakened him in drines,
46
And þai ere turned and god fanded þa,
And hali Irael gremed þai swa!
47
Noght ere þai mined of his hand,
Dai þat he boghte am ofe hand of drouand,
48
Als he set in Egipte his taknes mani an,
And his fortaknes in felde of Than,
49
And turned in blode þar stremes ranke,
And þar raynes, þat þai ne dranke;
50
And sent in am hundeflegh and it ete þa;
Tade, and [it] forspilt þam swa;
51
And to lefeworme þar fruite gafe he,
And þar swynkes to gresshope to be;
52
And þar wineyherdes in haile he slogh,
And þar molberitrees in froste inogh;
53
And he gafe til hail meres of þa,
And þar aght to fire als-swa;
54
He sent in þam wreth ofe his mislikynge,
Mislikynge and wreth and drouynge,
In-sandes for euermare
Bi aungeles þat iuel ware;
55
Wai made he to stye of his wreth þare,
And fra dede noght he forbare
Ofe þar saules, and þar meres ma
In dede bilouked he als-swa,
56
And he smate doune with his hand
Alle firste getynge in Egipte land,
Þe firste sproutes als-so þe same
Of alle þar swinkes in teldes of Chame;
57
And he outbare als schepe his folke mare and lesse,
And led am als herde in wildernesse;
58
And he led am in hope and noght dred he,
And þar faas ouerhiled þe se.
59
And he inled am in hille of his halines,
Hille whilke wan his righthand es;
60
And fra þar face he threwe awai
Genge bath bi night and dai,
And with lote he delt am land
In a rape ofe to-delegiueand,
61
And he made to wone fulle wele
In þar teldes kinred of Iraele.
62
And þai fanded and gremed god on heghte,
And his wittenesses noght gate þai righte.
63
And þai turned þam and noght keped forwarde;
Als þar fadres, in ill bow er turned ogainewarde.
64
In wreth þai wakened him in þar knolles;
And in þar graues at nithe þai forthkalled him als.
65
God herd, and forsoke ilke dele,
And to noghte he thrange swythe Iraele.
66
And he awaiwarpe telde of Sylo,
His telde, in men þar he woned so.
67
And he gafe þar might in wreched-hede,
And in hend of faa þair fairehede.
68
And he vmlouked in swerd his folke to be,
And his eritage forsoke he.
69
Þair yhongemen ete fire and brente,
And þair maidenes ere noght mente.
70
Þair prestes in swerde fellen sare,
And þar widous noght weped þai ware.
71
And wakened es lauerd als slepand,
Als mased of wine mightand.
72
And he smate his faas in baft swa.
Vpbraidynge of ai he gafe to þa.
73
And þe telde of Iosep he warp fra him,
And noght he ches kinred of Effraim.
74
Bot he ches kinred of Iuda,
Hille of Syon, þat he loued swa.
75
And he bigged als ofe vnicornes his halines,
In land þat he grounded in werldes es.
76
And he ches Dauyd, hyne hisse,
And vpbare him alle with blisse
Of herdes of schepe þat be;
Ofe after blismed him name he:
77
To fede Iacob, his hyne, ful wele,
And his heritage of Irael.
78
And he fed am alle in querte
In vnderandenes of his herte,
And in vndrestandinges ma
Ofe his hend þan lede he þa.
