Study Desk

And the sones of Israel crieden to the Lord; for he hadde nyn hundrid yrone charis, keruynge as sithis, and twenti yeer he oppresside hem greetli.

And sche seyde to hym, Sotheli Y schal go with thee; but in this tyme the victorie schal not be arettide to thee; for Sisara schal be bitakun in the hond of a womman. Therfor Delbora roos, and yede with Barach in to Cedes.

And Delbora seide to Barach, Rise thou, for this is the day, in which the Lord bitook Sisara in to thin hondis; lo! the Lord is thi ledere. And so Barach cam doun fro the hil of Thabor, and ten thousynde of fyyteris with hym.

And he seide to hir, Y biseche, yyue `thou to me a litil of watir, for Y thirste greetli. And sche openyde a `botel of mylk, and yaf to hym to drynke, and hilide hym.

Curse ye the lond of Meroth, seide the `aungel of the Lord, curse ye `the dwelleris of hym, for thei camen not to the help of the Lord, `in to the help of the strongeste of hym.

For thei and alle her flockis camen with her tabernaclis, and at the licnesse of locustus thei filliden alle thingis, and a multitude of men and of camels was with out noumbre, and wastiden what euer thing thei touchiden.

And Gedeon siy that he was `an aungel of the Lord, and seide, Lord God, alas to me, for Y siy the aungel of the Lord face to face.

And thei seiden to Joas, Brynge forth thi sone hidur, that he die, for he distriede the auter of Baal, and kittide doun the wode.

To whiche he answeride, Whether ye ben the venieris of Baal, that ye fiyte for hym? he that is aduersarie of hym, die, bifor that the `liyt of the morew dai come; if he is God, venge he hym silf of hym that castide doun his auter.

Fro that dai Gedeon was clepid Gerobaal, for Joas hadde seid, Baal take veniaunce of hym that castide doun his auter.

And so whanne thei hadden take meetis and trumpis for the noumbre, he comaundide al the tothir multitude to go to her tabernaclis; and he, with thre hundrid men, yaf hym silf to batel. Sothely the tentis of Madian weren bynethe in the valey.

In the same nyyt the Lord seyde to hym, Ryse thou, and go doun in to `the castels of Madian, for Y haue bitake hem in thin hond;

That man answeride, to whom he spak, This is noon other thing, no but the swerd of Gedeon, `sone of Joas, a man of Israel; for the Lord hath bitake Madian and alle `tentis therof in to the hondis of Gedeon.

And whanne Gedeon had herd the dreem, and `the interpretyng therof, he worschypide the Lord, and turnede ayen to the tentis of Israel, and seide, Ryse ye; for the Lord hath bitake in to oure hondis the tentis of Madian.

And whanne Gedeon hadde come to Jordan, he passide it with thre hundrid men, that weren with hym; and for weerynesse thei myyten not pursue hem that fledden.

And he seide to the men of Socoth, Y biseche, yyue ye looues to the puple, which is with me; for thei failiden greetli, that we moun pursue Zebee and Salmana, kyngis of Madian.

Forsothe Zebee and Salmana restiden with al her oost; for fiftene thousynde men leften of alle the cumpenyes of the `puplis of the eest, whanne an hundrid and twenti thousynde of `fiyteris and of men drawynge out swerd weren slayn.

And he seide to Jepther, his firste gendrid sone, Rise thou, and sle hem. Which drow not swerd; for he dredde, for he was yit a child.

And Zebee and Salmana seiden, Ryse thou, and falle on vs; for thou art bi the age and strengthe of man. Gedeon roos, and killide Zebee and Salmana, and took the ournementis, and bellis, with whiche the neckis of kyngis camels ben wont to be maad fair.

And alle the men of Israel seiden to Gedeon, Be thou lord of vs, thou, and thi sone, and the sone of thi sone; for thou deliueridist vs fro the hond of Madian.