← The Story of Genesis and Exodus: An Early English Song, about 1250 A.D.
Chapter 100
The Institution of the Passover
And let her hen boden er[f] & ſep,
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ic wile ðor-on nimen kep."
Quad moyſes, "la! god it wot,
to leave their flocks and herds behind.
ſal ðe[r]-of bi-leuen non fot,
Al we ſulen iſ wið vs hauen;
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'Wold,' quad god, 'wile ðor-of crauen.'"
Quað pharaon to moyſen,
Moses will not consent to this arrangement.
"Nu ic rede ðat ge flen;
for ſe ic gu more-ouer nu,
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dead ſal be wreken ouer gu."
Moses and Aaron are driven out from the presence of Pharaoh.
MOyſes fleg to lond gerſen,
ðor wuneden hiſ kinnes men.
[Fol. 61.]
Quað god, "get ic ſal pharaon,
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Or ge gon vt, don an wreche on,
(Nu ſal ic in-to egipte gon,)
Swilc wreche waſ ear neuere non;
God tells Moses of his final vengeance upon the Egyptians.
Deigen ðor ſal ilc firme bigeten
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Of men and erf, non forgeten;
Oc among gu, dredeð gu nogt,
to gu ne ſal non iuel ben ſogt,
Ne ſal ic gu nog[t] loten
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Of ðat ic haue gu bi-hoten."
Each first-born shall be destroyed.
Siðen quað god to moyſen,
"ðiſ ſal gure firmeſt moneð ben,
ðoo gune men ðe mone ſen
The year shall begin,
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In april Reke-fille ben."
ðanne he lereden hem newe wunen;
when in April the new moon is seen.
"Euerilc ger, more to munen,
Euerilc huſ-folc ðe mai it ðauen
The institution of the Passover.
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On ger ſep oðer on kide hauen;
ðe tende dai it ſulde ben lagt,
And ho[l]den in ðe tende nagt,
And [slagen] on ðe fowrtende dai;
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So mikil hird ſo it noten mai,
Ben at euen folc ſum to ſamen,
A lamb or kid of the first year is to be taken and slain by each household on the fourteenth day of the month,
And ilc folc iſ to fode framen,
and to be roasted whole.
MS. dor-on.
MS. me.
MS. moned.