The Covenant in Moab

1These are ye wordes of the couenaunt, which the LORDE comaunded Moses to make wt the children of Israel in the londe of the Moabites, besyde ye couenaunt which he made with them in Horeb.

2And Moses called all Israel, and sayde vnto them: Ye haue sene all that the LORDE dyd before youre eyes in the londe of Egipte, vnto Pharao with all his seruautes, and all his londe, 3the greate tentacions which thine eyes haue sene, that they were greate tokes and wonders. 4And yet vnto this daye hath not the LORDE geuen you an hert that vnderstondeth, eyes that se, & eares that heare. 5He hath caused you to walke fortye yeares in the wyldernesse. Youre clothes are not waxed olde vpon you, nether is thy shue waxed olde on thy fote. 6Ye haue eaten no bred, and dronken no wyne, ner stronge drynke, that ye mighte knowe, that he is ye LORDE youre God. 7And whan ye came vnto this place, Sihon the kynge of Hesbon, and Og ye kynge of Basan, came out agaynst vs vnto battayll, and we smote them, 8and toke their londe, and gaue it to enheritaunce vnto ye Rubenites and Gaddites, and to the halfe trybe of the Manassites. 9Kepe now therfore the wordes of this couenaunt, and do therafter, that ye maye haue vnderstondinge in all that ye do.

10Ye stonde this daye all before the LORDE youre God, the chefe rulers of youre trybes, youre Elders, youre officers, euery man in Israel, 11youre children, youre wyues, ye straungers that are in thine hoost, from the hewer of yi wodd vnto ye drawer of yi water: 12that thou shuldest enter in to the couenaunt of the LORDE thy God, and in to the ooth which the LORDE thy God maketh with the this daye, 13that he mighte set the vp this daye to be a people vnto himself, and that he mighte be thy God, as he hath sayde vnto the, and as he sware vnto yi fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Iacob.

14For I make not this couenaunt and this ooth with you onely, 15but both with you yt are here this daye, and stonde with vs before the LORDE oure God, and also with them that are not here with vs this daye. 16For ye knowe how we haue dwelt in the londe of Egipte, and how we came thorow the myddes of the Heythen, whom ye passed by, 17and sawe their abhominacions and their Idols, wodd and stone, syluer and golde, which were with them: 18Lest there be amoge you man or woman, or an housholde, or a trybe, which turneth awaye his hert this daye from the LORDE oure God, to go and to serue ye goddes of these nacions: and lest there be amonge you some rote, that beareth gall & wormwodd: 19so that though he heare the wordes of this curse, he blesse him selfe yet in his hert, and saye: Tush, it shal not be so euell. I wil walke after the meanynge of myne awne hert, that the dronken maye perishe with the thyrstie. 20Then shall not the LORDE be mercifull vnto him, but his wrath and gelousy shall smoke ouer soch a man, and all the curses that are wrytten in this boke, shall lighte vpon him: and the LORDE shal put out his name from vnder heauen, 21and shall separate him vnto euell out of all the trybes of Israel, acordinge vnto all the curses of the couenaunt, that is wrytten in the boke of this lawe.

22So the posterities of youre childre which shal ryse vp after you, and the straungers that come out of farre countrees, shall saye (whan they se the plages of this londe, and the diseases wherwith the LORDE hath smytten it) 23that he hath brent vp all their londe with brymstone and salt, so yt it cannot be sowne, ner is frutefull, nether groweth there eny grasse therin, Like as Sodom, Gomor, Adama and Zeboim are ouerthrowne, which the LORDE ouerthrewe in his wrath and anger. 24Then shall all nacions saye: Wherfore hath the LORDE done thus vnto this londe? What greate wrothfull displeasure is this? 25Then shalt it be sayde: Euen because they haue forsaken the couenaunt of ye LORDE God of their fathers (which he made with them whan he broughte them out of the londe of Egipte) 26and they wete, and serued other goddes, and worshipped the, euen soch goddes as they knewe not, and whom he had not deuyded vnto them. 27Therfore the wrath of the LORDE waxed whote ouer this londe, to brynge vpon it all the curses that are wrytten in this boke. 28And the LORDE thrust them out of their londe wt greate wrath, indignacion & displeasoure & hath cast them into another londe, as it is come to passe this daye.

29These are the secretes of the LORDE oure God, which are opened vnto vs and oure children for euer, yt we shulde do all the wordes of this lawe.