| GOdes bliſcing be wið vs, | |
| Her nu bi-ginned exodus. | Here beginneth Exodus. |
Pharao kinges rigte name
2540
Vephres, be dede ðe ebriſ frame;
And bi oðere ſeuene kinges ſel, | Under Pharaoh, and the seven kings who succeeded him, |
| Wexen he ðore & ðogen wel. | the Israelites increased and prospered. |
ðe egtenede king amonaphis,
2544
Agenes ðis folc hatel is; | The eighth king treated them harshly, |
And egipte folc adden nið,
for ebriſ adden ſeli ſið.
Quuað ðis ging wið hem ſtille in red,
2548
“ðis ebris waxen michil ſped, | and the Egyptians became jealous of them. |
Bute if we eraflike hem for-don,
Ne ſulen he non eige ſen uſ on.” | [Fol. 50.] |
Ðo ſette ſundri hem to waken
2552
His tigel and lim, and walles maken,
burges feten; and rameſen
ðurge here ſwinc it walled ben; | They made slaves of them, and set them to build walls. |
Summe he deden in vn-ðewed ſwinc,
2556
for it was fugel and ful o ſtinc, | Some they made to do foul work, |
Muc and fen ut of burgeſ beren,
ðuſ bitterlike he gun hem deren;
ðe ðridde ſwinc was eui and ſtron[g], | to carry “muck and fen out of the city,” |
2560
He deden hem crepen dikes long,
And wide a-buten burges gon, | and to creep along dikes. |
And cumen ðer ear waſ non;
And if ðat folc hem wulde deren,
2564
ðe dikeſ comb hem ſulde weren.
for al ðat ſwinc heui & ſor, | The comb of the dike serves them as protection against their enemies. |
Ay wex ðat kinde, mor & mor,
And ðhogen, & ſpredden in londe ðor,
2568
ðat made ðe kinges herte ful ſor. | For all that labour, the folk increased and spread. |
Ðo bad monophis pharaun
wimmen ben ſet in euerilc tun, | Then bad Pharaoh, |
And ðat he weren redi bi-foren,
2572
Quan ebru child ſuld be boren, | that every Hebrew male child should be put to death as soon as it was born. |