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1 And the sones of Israel and al the multitude camen in to the deseert of Syn, in the firste monethe.* And the puple dwellide in Cades; and Marie was deed there, and biried in the same place. 2 And whanne the puple hadde nede to watir, thei yeden togidere ayens Moises and Aaron; and thei weren turned in to dissensioun,† 3 and seiden, We wolden that we hadden perischid among oure britheren bifor the Lord. 4 Whi han ye led out the chirche of the Lord in to wildirnesse, that bothe we and oure beestis die? 5 Whi han ye maad vs to stie from Egipt, and han brouyt vs in to this werste place, which may not be sowun, which nether bryngith forth fige tre, nether vineris, nether pumgranatis, ferthermore and hath not watir to drynke? 6 And whanne the multitude was left, Moises and Aaron entriden in to the tabernacle of boond of pees, and felden lowe to erthe, and crieden to God, and seiden, Lord God, here the cry of this puple, and opene to hem thi tresour, a welle of quyk watir, that whanne thei ben fillid, the grutchyng of hem ceesse. And the glorie of the Lord apperide on hem; 7 and the Lord spak to Moises, 8 and seide, Take the yerde,‡ and gadere the puple, thou, and Aaron thi brother; and speke ye to the stoon bifore hem, and it schal yyue watris. And whanne thou hast led watir out of the stoon, al the multitude schal drynke, and the beestis therof `schulden drynke. 9 Therfor Moises took the yerde that was in the `siyt of the Lord, as the Lord comaundide to hym, 10 whanne the multitude was gaderid bifor the stoon; and he seide to hem, Here ye, rebel and vnbileueful; whether we moun brynge out of this stoon watir to you? 11 And whanne Moises hadde reisid the hond, and hadde smyte the flynt twies with the yerde, largeste watris yeden out, so that the puple drank, and the beestis drunken. 12 And the Lord seide to Moises and to Aaron, For ye bileueden not to me, that ye schulden halewe me § bifor the sones of Israel, ye schulen not lede these puples in to the lond which Y schal yyue to hem. 13 This is the watir of ayenseiyng; there the sones of Israel stryueden ayens the Lord, and he was halewid in hem. 14 In the meene tyme Moises sente messangeres fro Cades to the kyng of Edom, whiche seiden, Israel thi brother sendith these thinges. Thou knowist al the trauel that took vs, 15 hou oure fadris yeden doun in to Egipt, and we dwelliden there myche tyme, and Egipcians turmentiden vs and oure fadris; and hou we crieden to the Lord, 16 and he herde vs, and sente an aungel that ledde vs out of Egipt. And lo! we ben set in the citee of Cades, which is in thi laste coostis, 17 and we bisechen that it be leueful to vs to passe thorou thi lond; we schulen not go bi feeldis, nether bi vyneris, nether we schulen drynke watris of thi pittis; but we schulen go in the comyn weie, and we schulen not bowe to the riyt side, nether to the left side, til we passen thi termes. 18 To whom Edom answeride, Ye schulen not passe bi me, ellis Y schal be armed, and come ayens thee. 19 And the sones of Israel seiden, We schulen go bi the weie comynli vsid, and if we and oure beestis drynken thi watris, we schulen yyue that that is iust; noon hardnesse schal be in prijs, onely passe we swiftli. 20 And he answeride, Ye schulen not passe. And anoon he yede out ayens Israel, with a multitude without noumbre, and `strong hond, 21 nether he wolde assente to Israel bisechynge, that he schulde graunte passage bi hise coostis. Wherfor Israel turnede awey fro hym. 22 And whanne thei hadden moued tentis fro Cades, thei camen in to the hil of Hor, which is in the endis of the lond of Edom; 23 where the Lord spak to Moyses and seide, Aaron go to his puples; 24 for he schal not entre in to the lond which Y yaf to the sones of Israel, for he was vnbileueful to my mouth, at the watris of ayenseiyng. 25 Take thou Aaron, and his sone with hym, and thou schalt lede hem in to the hil of Hor; 26 and whanne thou hast maad nakid the fadir of his cloth,* thou schalt clothe `with it Eleazar, his sone, and Aaron schal be gederid, and schal die there. 27 Moises dide as the Lord comaundide; and thei stieden in to the hil of Hor, bifor al the multitude. 28 And whanne he hadde maad nakid Aaron of hise clothis, he clothide with tho Eleazar, his sone. 29 Sotheli whanne Aaron was deed in the `cop of the hil, Moises cam doun with Eleazar. Sotheli al the multitude siy that Aaron was deed, and wepte on hym thretti daies, bi alle her meyness.
* 20:1 in the firste monethe of the xl. yeer fro the going out of Egipt. † 20:2 in to dissencioun, that is, rebelte and stryuyng. ‡ 20:8 the yerde, this was the yerde of Aaron. § 20:12 that ye schulden halewe me, that is, in bileuynge with out doute myn hoolynesse thorou filling of my biheest, and in pronounsinge youre feith with out doute bifor the puple, but ye diden the contrarie, therfor ye schulen not lede, and so forth. * 20:26 cloth, that is, the bischops coote.