¹ In the same tyme Josue clepide men of Ruben, and men of Gad, and half the lynage of Manasses,

² and seide to hem, Ye han do alle thingis whiche Moises, `seruaunt of the Lord, comaundide to you, also ye obeieden to me in alle thingis;

³ nether ye han lefte youre britheren in mych tyme til in to present dai, and ye kepten the comaundement of youre Lord God.

⁴ Therfor for youre Lord God yaf reste and pees to youre britheren, as he bihiyte, turne ye ayen, and go ye in to youre tabernaclis, and in to the loond of youre possessioun, which lond Moyses, the `seruaunt of the Lord, yaf to you biyende Jordan;

⁵ so onely that ye kepe bisili, and fille in werk the comaundement and lawe, `which lawe Moises, the `seruaunt of the Lord, comaundide to you; that ye loue youre Lord God, and go in alle hise weies, and kepe hise heestis, and cleue to hym and serue him in al youre herte, and in al youre soule.

⁶ And Josue blesside hem, and lefte hem, whiche turneden ayen in to her tabernaclis.

⁷ Sotheli Moyses hadde youe possessioun in Basan to the half lynage of Manasses; and therfor to the half lynage that lefte Josue yaf part among her othere britheren biyendis Jordan, at the west coost therof. And whanne Josue leet hem go in to her tabernaclis, and hadde blessid hem,

⁸ he seyde to hem, With myche catel and richessis turne ye ayen to youre seetis; with siluer and gold, and bras, and yrun, and myche clothing; departe ye the prey of enemyes with youre britheren.

⁹ And the sones of Ruben, and the sones of Gad, and `half the lynage of Manasses turneden ayen, and yeden fro the sones of Israel fro Silo, which is set in the lond of Canaan, that thei schulden entre in to Galaad, the lond of her possessioun, which thei gaten bi `comaundement of the Lord in the hond of Moises.

¹⁰ And whanne thei hadden come to the litle hillis of Jordan, in to the lond of Canaan, thei bildiden bisidis Jordan an auter of greetnesse ouer comyn mesure.

¹¹ And whanne the sones of Israel hadden herd this, and certeyn messangeris hadden teld to hem, that the sones of Ruben, and of Gad, and the half lynage of Manasses hadden bildid an auter in the lond of Canaan, on the heepis of Jordan, ayens the sones of Israel,

¹² alle camen togidir in Silo, that thei schulden stie, and fiyte ayens hem.

¹³ And in the meene tyme thei senten to hem in to the lond of Galaad, Fynees, preest,

¹⁴ the sone of Eleazar, and ten princes with hym; of ech lynage o prince.

¹⁵ Whiche camen to the sones of Ruben, and of Gad, and of the half lynage of Manasses, in to the lond of Galaad, and seiden to hem,

¹⁶ Al the puple of the Lord sendith these thingis; What is this trespassyng? Whi han ye forsake the Lord God of Israel, and han bildid a cursid auter, and han go awei fro the worschiping of hym?

¹⁷ Whether it is litil to you that ye synneden in Belfegor, and the wem of this trespas dwellith in you til in to present dai, and many of the puple felden doun?

¹⁸ And to day ye han forsake the Lord, and to morewe, that is, in tyme to comynge, the ire of hym schal be feers ayens al Israel.

¹⁹ That if ye gessen, that the lond of youre possessioun is vncleene, passe to the lond, `in which the tabernacle of the Lord is, and dwelle ye among vs, oneli that ye go not awei fro the Lord, and fro oure felouschipe, bi an auter bildid outakun the auter of oure Lord God.

²⁰ Whether not Achar, the sone of Zare, passide the comaundement of the Lord, and his ire felde on al the puple of Israel? And he was o man; and we wolden that he aloone hadde perischid in his trespas.

²¹ And the sones of Ruben, and of Gad, and of half the lynage of Manasses, answeriden to the princes of the message of Israel,

²² The strongeste Lord God hym silf of Israel knowith, and Israel schal vndirstonde togidere; if we bildiden this auter for entent of trespassyng, `that is, of ydolatrye, he kepe not vs, but punysche in present time;

²³ and if we diden bi that mynde, that we schulden putte theronne brent sacrifice, and sacrifice, and pesible sacrifices, he seke, and deme;

²⁴ and not more `bi that thouyt and tretyng that we seiden, Youre sones schulen seie `to morew to oure sones, What is to you and to the Lord God of Israel? Ye sones of Ruben,

²⁵ and ye sones of Gad, the Lord hath set a terme, the flood Jordan, bitwixe vs and you; and therfor ye han not part in the Lord; and bi this occasioun youre sones schulen turne awei oure sones fro the drede of the Lord. Therfor we gessiden betere,

²⁶ and seiden, Bilde we an auter to vs, not in to brent sacrifices, nethir to sacrifices to be offrid,

²⁷ but in to witnessyng bitwixe vs and you, and bitwixe oure children and youre generacioun, that we serue the Lord, and that it be of oure riyt to offre brent sacrifices, and sacrifices, and pesible sacrifices; and that youre sones seie not to morewe to oure sones, No part in the Lord is to you.

²⁸ And if `youre sones wolen seie this, `oure sones schulen answere hem, Lo! the auter of the Lord, which oure fadris maden, not in to brent sacrifices, nether in to sacrifice, but in to oure and your witnessing euerlastinge.

²⁹ Fer be this trespas fro vs, that we go awei fro the Lord, and forsake hise steppis, bi an auter bildid to brent sacrifices, and sacrifices, and sacrifices of preisyng to be offrid, outakun the auter of oure `Lord God, which is bildid bifore his tabernacle.

³⁰ And whanne these thingis weren herd, Fynees, preest, and the princes of message of Israel, that weren with hym, weren plesyd; and thei resseyueden gladli the wordis of the sones of Ruben, and of Gad, and of the half lynage of Manasses.

³¹ And Finees, preest, the sone of Eleazar, seide to hem, Now we wyten, that the Lord is with you; for ye ben alien fro this trespassyng, and ye han delyuered the sones of Israel fro the hond, `that is, punyschyng, of the Lord.

³² And Fynees turnede ayen with the princes fro the sones of Ruben and of Gad, fro the lond of Galaad to the coost of Canaan, to the sones of Israel; and he telde to hem.