CHAPTER 19
1 Forsooth ire [or wrath] without mercy came on wicked men [or the unpious] till into the last, that is, till to the drowning of them; for why God before-knew also the things to coming [or to come] of them.
2 For when they were turned, and had suffered, that they should lead out them, and had before-sent them with great busyness, the deeds of repenting pursued them.
3 For they having yet mourning betwixt the hands, and they be-weeping at the sepulchres of dead men [or weeping at the monuments of the dead], took to them another thought of unknowing; and they pursued those Hebrews, as fleers away, which they praying had sent forth.
4 For why worthy need [or necessity] led them to this end, and they lost remembering of these things, that had befallen, that punishing should [ful] fill those things, that failed [or lacked] of torments,
5 and that soothly thy people should pass wonderfully; forsooth that they should find a new death.
6 For why each creature serving to thine behests, was reformed to his kind at [or from] the beginning, that thy children should be kept unhurt.
7 For why a cloud beshadowed the castles [or the tents] of them, and dry earth appeared in water that was before, and a way without hindering appeared in the Reed Sea, and a field burgeoning from full great depth; [For a cloud shadowed the tents of them, and in the water that was before, the earth appeared dry; and in the Red Sea way without hindrance, and a burgeoning field of full great depth;]
8 by which field all the nation passed, that was covered with thine hand; forsooth they saw thy marvels and wonders.
9 For they as horses devoured [or gnawed] meat, that is, took the armours of Egyptians, which they saw dead on the brink of the sea, and as lambs they made full out joy, magnifying thee, Lord, that [or for thou] deliveredest them.
10 For they were mindful yet of those things, that were done in the dwelling of them among Egyptians; how the land brought forth flies, for the nation of beasts, and the flood brought forth multitude of paddocks [or frogs] for fishes.
11 Forsooth at the last they saw a new creature of birds, when they were led by covetousness [or lust], and asked meats of feast [or of delicious eating].
12 For in the speaking to, that is, at the asking of them, of their desire, a curlew ascended [or went up] to them from the sea;
13 and dis-eases [or travails] came on sinners, and not without provings [or evidences] of those things, that were done before by the fierceness [or the force] of floods. For they suffered justly, by [or after] their wickednesses; for they ordained more abominable unhospitality.
14 Soothly some received not unknown comelings; soothly others took good men harboured into thralldom [or good guests into servage].
15 And not only they did these things, but soothly also another beholding [or respect] of them was, that they against their will received strangers.
16 Forsooth they that used the same ordinances, tormented with cruelest sorrows them, that received with gladness. [Who forsooth with gladness received them, that had used the same informings, with most cruel sorrows they tormented.]
17 Forsooth they were smitten with blindness, as they in the gates of the just man [or the rightwise], when they were covered with sudden darknesses; each man sought the passing of his door.
18 Forsooth while elements be turned into themselves, as the sound of manner [or of quality] is changed in organ, and all things keep their sound; wherefore it may be guessed of that certain sight.
19 Beasts of the field were turned into beasts of water; whatever were swimming things, went in the land.
20 Fire in water had power above [or strength over] his virtue; and water forgot the kind quenching [or his quenching kind].
21 Again-ward flames of corruptible beasts dis-eased not the fleshes of Hebrews going together; neither departed that good meat, that was departed lightly as ice. [Flames again-ward travailed not the flesh of the corruptible beasts going together; nor dissolved it, that lightly was dissolved as ice, good meat.]
22 Forsooth, Lord, thou magnifiedest thy people in all things, and honouredest; and despisedest not, and helpedest them in each time and in each place [or in all place standing nigh to them].