Brought from the Folk Book (Latin Vulgate) over to Old English in 990, here made new.
Head 1[]
1 Since many thought to set forth an edbirth of those things which are soothly known by us,
2 even as they told them unto us from the frumth, saw them themselves and were thaners at the speaking;
3 It seemed to me, having earnestly written to you in endbirthness, best Theofilus,
4 that you know the soothfastness of those words in which you have been belored.
5 In the days of Herod, Jewland's king, there was some priest named Zachary, of Abia's town; and his wife was of Aaron's daughters, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 Soothly there were both rightwise before God, going in all his law-bodes and both wrought rightwisness.
7 And they had no bairn, for Elizabeth was unbearing, and they were both old.
8 Soothly it werthed that as he did the priest's brooking before God in the endbirthness of his way,
9 after the wont of the priesthood, his lot was to offer holysmoke, going into God's worship-stead.
10 And all the folk were outside beading in the time of offering.
11 There werthed to him Drightness' errand-ghost, standing on the glow-stead's swithe (right) half;
12 When Zachary saw him, we dreved and fear came on him.
13 Then quoth the errand-ghost to him, "Dread not, Zachary. For your bead is heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall cen a son, and you shall call his name John.
14 And he bid you to fain (glad) and to bliss. And many at his acennedness shall be fained.
15 Soothly He will be more before Drighten and He will neither drink wine nor beer. And he will be filled with the Holy Ghost yet in His mother's womb.
16 And many of the bairns of Israel He will chare to their Drighten's God.
17 And He will go before Him in the ghost and Elias' might, so that He will chare the father's hearts to their bairns. And the unbeliefful to rightwise glewship, to fully aready the folk for the Lord.
18 Then quoth Zachary to the errand-ghost, "How will I wit this? I am now old and my wife is late in her days."
19 Then the errand-ghost answered Him, "I am Gabriel that stands before God. And I am sent to speak. And to bode these (things).
20 And now you will swie and you will have no might to speak until the day that these things bewerthe. For that you my words did not believe. The bodes will be fulfilled in their time.
21 And the folk abode for Zachary and wondered that he was late to the worship stead.
22 When he went out he could not speak to them. And they inknew that he had seen some sight in the worship stead. And
he beckoned them and stayed dumb.
23 Then it werthed, when his thaning days were fulfilled, that he fared to his house.
24 Soothly after those days Elizabeth, his wife, be-eked (conceived) and she bedigheled herself five months and quoth,
25 "Soothly Drighten did to me thus: in the days that He saw, to aferry (take away) my shend among men.
26 Soothly on the sixth month was sent the errand-ghost Gabriel from Drighten to a chester of Galilea, whose name was Nazareth.
27 to a fem, betrothed to a man whose name was Josef, of David's house; and the fem's name was Mary.
28 Then quoth the errandg-ghost, ingoing, "Hail you who are filled with giveness. Drighten be with you; You ar blessed among women.
29 When she werthed at his speaking, she was dreved and thought what greating this was.
30 Then quoth the errand-ghost, "Do not dread, Mary; Soothly, God has found giveness with you.
31 Soothly, now you will eke in your womb, and will cen a son and you shall name His Name, Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be named the highest. And Drighten God will give Him His father, David's, seat.
33 And He will wield in everness over Jacob's house and His wield will not end.
34 Then quoth Mary to the boder, "How will this werthe, since I have not known a man?
35 Then the boder answered her, "The Holy Ghost will come upon you and the highest might will overshadow you. For the holy thing which is to be cenned will be named the God's Son.
36 And now Elizabeth, your kinswoman has eked a son in her oldness. She, who is named unbearing.
37 For with God can nothing be unmightilike.
38 Then quoth Mary, "Here is Drightness' thaner. May it werthe after your words." And the boder went from her.
39 Soothly in those days, Mary rose and fared to hilly lands with haste, to a Jewish chester
40 and went into Zachary's house and greated Elizabeth.
41 When it was werthed, then Elizabeth heard Mary's greating. Then the child frolicked in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.
42 And she cleped with a loud steven and quoth, "You are blessed among women and blessed is your womb's wastom.
43 And how is it that my Drightness' mother would come to me?
44 For as soon as your greating steven was werthed in my ears, my child frolicked in my womb.
45 And eddy are you who believes that these things which are said by Drighten will be fulfilled.
46 Then Mary quoth, "My soul merses Drighten;
47 And my ghost blisses on God, my Healer;
48 For He has seen his thaner's meakness; Soothly now from henceforth all kindreds will call me eddy.
49 For He that is mighty has done to me mickel things and His Name is holy.
50 And His mildheartness is on them that dread Him from kindred to kindred.
51 He works maigen with His arm. He scatters the overmood in the mood of their hearts.
52 He warps the rich of seat and heaves up the meak.
53 He fills the hungry with good things and has forlorn the idel.
54 He fangs on Israel, His knight, and mans His mildheartness;
55 As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.
56 Soothly Mary abode with her about three months and went again to her own house.
57 Then was fulfilled Elizabeth's cenningtide, and she cenned a son.
58 And her neighbours and her kith that heard that Drighten had mersed her with His mildheartness, and they blissed with her.
59 Then on the 8th day they came to umbsnithe the child. And named him his father's name, Zachary.
60 Then His mother answered and naysaid, "No, he will be named John."
61 Then they quoth to her, "No one on your may is named with this name."
62 Then they beckoned his father how he would have him be called.
63 Then he wrote, bidding for writing stones, "John is his name." Then they all wondered.
64 Then his mouth was soon opened and his tung loosened and he spoke, blessing Drighten.
65 Then they werthed awed over all their neighbours, and over all the Jewlandish hillands, whereon the word was withermersed.
66 And all they that heard it in their heart set and quoth, "What manner child will this be?" Witedly, Drightness' hand was with him.
67 And Zachary, his Father, was filled with the Holy Ghost. And he soothsaid,
68 "Blessed be Drighten, Israel's God. For that he has neased and allayed His folk.
69 And he has reared up an horn of health unto us in David's house, His knight.
70 Even as He spoke thru His holy soothsayers' mouth, who have spoken since the world began.
71 And he allayed us of our fiends and from the hands of al that hate us.
72 To work mildheartness with our fathers, and to man His holy kithness.
73 To give us the oath that He swore to our father, Abraham,
74 that we, allayed out of the hands of our feinds, might thane him without awe (fear)
75 all our days in holiness before Him.
76 And the knape will be named the Soothsayer of the Highest, for You will go before Drightness' nebb to aready His ways.
77 To give wit of health unto His folk for the forgiveness of their sins,
78 through the inwardness of our God's mildheartness whereby the day will spring up from the eastern deal (part) has neased us.
79 To light on them that sit in thistering and death's shadow, to rich our feet into the way of sib."
80 Soothly the knape waxed (grew) and was strengthened in ghost and was in the wilderness until the daye of His atewedness on Israel.
Head 2[]
1 Soothly in those days it happened that there was a law-bode from the Caesar, Augustus, that all go back to be marked.
2 This markedness was first to happen from the deemer of Syria, Cyrinus.
3 And they all went. And sundry fared to their chester.
4 Then Joseph fared from Galilee, of the chester Nazareth, to the Jewish chester of David, which was named Bethlehem. For he was of David's house and herd.
5 Then he fared with Mary, with whom he was to be wed and was eked.
6 Soothly it happened that when they were there, her days were fulfilled that she kinned.
7 And she gave her first-born son. And wound Him with child-cloths. And laid him within. For they had no room in the coming-house (guest house).
8 And herders were in the ilk rich waching. And keeping night-watch over their herd.
9 Then stood the Drightness' errand-ghost with them and God's brightness shone around them. And they dreaded him with much awe.
10 And the angel quoth to him, "Dread not. Soothly now I you tell you much mirth, which bodes well for all folk:
11 For today to you is kinned an Healer, Who is Drighten Christ in David's chester;
12 And this will be a token to you; Ye will find a child wound in rail. And laid in a bin.
13 And there was suddenly with the angel a mickleness of heavenly guards of God praising and thus quothing,
14 "To God be wulder on high and on earth sib to men of good will.
15 And it happened then that the angels fared to heaven. The herders spoke between themselves and quoth, "Let's fare to Bethlehem. And see that thing that has happened. That Drighten has shown to us.
16 And they hastened to come. And they met Mary and Joseph and the Child laid in a bin.
17 Then they who saw inknew the words that to them were said about the Child.
18 And all that heard wondered about them that were said by the herders.
19 Mary beheld all these words and smayed them in her heart.
20 Then went the herders wuldering God and praising all that they had heard. And seen; just as it was quoth to them.
21 After the eight days were fulfilled, wherein that the child was to be umsnithed. His name was Jesus; He was from the errand-ghost named, ere he in the womb was forseeded.
22 After that, their cleansing dayes were fullfilled, after Moses' Law. They brought Him to Jerusalem, to set Him before God.
23 (even as it is awritten on Drightness' law, that each weaponed one that opened the womb will be named (called) Drightness' holy one.
24 And that he should be offered, (after it is quoth in Drightness' law), two turtle-doves or two young culvers.
25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon and this man was righteous (right-wise) and was abiding for the frofor of Israel. And the Holy Ghost was in him.
26 And he an answer from the Holy Ghost onfanged, that he would not see death, until ere he saw Drighten's Christ.
27 And he came by the Ghost into the worship-stead. And when his father and mother led the Healer to do for Him after the wont of the law.
28 He fanged him up with his hands and blessed God and quoth:
29 Drighten, now Thou lettest Thy thaner after Thy Word in sib;
30 For mine eyes have seen Thine health.
31 Which thou hast areadied before the nebb of all folkdom.
32 A light of onwryness to the theeds and to Thy folk's wulder, Israel.
33 Then His father and His mother wondered at the things which were said of Him.
34 And Simeon blessed them and quoth to Marian, His mother, "Look, now this (Child) shall be the ryre and rising of many in Israel. And a token that will be witherquoth.
35 And his sword shall throughfare your soul; the thoughts of many hearts will be awryned.
36 And Anna was soothsayer, Fanuel's daughter of Asser's may, and had lived many days. And she had lived with her wer seven years from her femhood.
37 And she was widowed four and eighty years, during which she did not wend from the worship-stead, but day and night was thaning in fasting and halsing.
38 And the same tide she was coming to andett Drighten and spoke of Him to all in Jerusalem who abode aleasedness;
39 And when they fulfilled all things after Drightness' law, they went back to Galilee in their chester of Nazareth.
40 Soothly the child waxed and was strengthened and was filled with wisdom and God's gift was on Him.
41 And his elders fared each year to Jerusalem on Easter Day's free-tide.
42 And when he was twelve winters old, they fared to Jerusalem to the Easterly free-tide after their wont.
43 And they fulfilled the days as they went back again, they left the Healer in Jerusalem. And His elders wist this not.
44 For they weened (believed) that He had fared with them, and so they came a day's fare and sought Him between his kith and kin.
45 When they found Him not they went back to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
46 Then after three days they found Him in the worship-stead, sitting in the midst of the the learned, listening and asking them.
47 All that heard Him wondered at his glewship and answers.
48 Then quoth His mother to him, "Son, why did you do this to us two? Your father and I sought You, sorrowing."
49 Then quoth He to them, "How is it that you sought me? Wist you not that I must go about my Father's things?"
50 Then they didn't get His word that He spoke to them.
51 Then fared He with them and came to Nazareth and was hearsome to them. But His mother held all these things in her heart, smaying.
52 And the Healer grew in wisdom and in eld, and with giveness with God and man.
Head 3[]
1 Soothly in the fifteenth year of Caesar Tiberius' wielding, Pontius Pilate being the ruler the Jewish theed, Herod being the richer of the Galilean deal, Filip, his brother richer in Iturea, and Traconites and Lysanias the richers of Abilene,
2 under the elder-priests, Anna and Caifas. God's word was werthed over Zachary's son in the wilderness.
3 And he came into all Jordan's riches, boding the fulwaying of forthinking for the forgiveness of sins.
4 as it is writien in Isaiah's book, to wit, "A clipping steven in the wilderness, 'Arready Drightness' way. Make His right.'
5 Each dene will be filled and each hill and borg will be lowered and therrow things will be rightened, and the rough ways will be smoothened.
6 And all flesh will see God's health."
7 Soothly he quoth to the many that had fared to be fullwayed by him, "Alas, O brood of adders! Who atewed to you to flee from the ire to werthe?
8 Bear wastoms worthy of forthinking and do not begin to quethe, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I say to you that God is so mighty that He may of this stone raise Abraham's bairns.
9 Now is the axe aset to the tree's wortroots. Witedly, each tree that does not bring forth good wastom will be forcarved (cut down) and thrown into fire."
10 Then the many asked him and said, "What do we?"
11 Then quoth He to them, "All that have two tunick should give to those that have not. And all that have meat do likewise."
12 Then came there misdoers to be fulwayed quoth to him, "Lorer, what do we?"
13 Then he quoth to them, "Do naught more than what is beset you."
14 The the warriors asked him and quoth, "And what do we?" Then he said to them, "Slay no one, neither by tale or deed, and be happy with your living (pay).
15 Soothly the folk hoped and all were thinking in their hearts of John, whether He might be Christ.
16 Then John answered them all saying, "Witedly, I fullwayed you with water; soothly comes one stronger than I, Whose shoe I am not worthy to untie; He will fullway you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.
17 And His fan is in his hand and he will clear his barn's floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn in an unquenchly fire."
18 He lored many other things to the folk in his bidding.
19 But Herod the 4th deal's richer- who was adreaded by him for Herodias, his brother's wife and for all the evil that Herod had done-
20 eked this over all and beclosed (locked up) John in the clink.
21 Soothly it was werthen that all the folk were fullwayed and when Jesus was fullwayed and was bidding, heaven was opened
22 and the Holy Ghost downfared in a bodilike shape, like a culver. And a steven was werthed from heaven and thus quoth, "Thou art my achosen (approved) Son. On Thee do I glee."
23 And Jesus was thirty winters old, that men thought He was Josef's Son, who was the son of Heli.
24 who was the son of Mathat, who was the son of Levi, who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Yannai, who was the son of Josef,
25 who was the son of Matathias, who was the son of Amos, who was the son of Nahum, who was the son of Esli, who was the son of Naggai,
26 who was the son of Mahath, who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Semei, who was the son of Yosef, who was the son of Yuda,
27 who was the son of Yohanna, who was the son of Rhesa, who was the son of Zerubbabel, who was the son of Sheathiel, who was the son of Neri,
28 who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Addi, who was the son of Cosam, who was the son of Helmadam, who was the son of Her,
29 who was the son of Yeshua, who was the son of Heliezer, who was the son of Yorim, who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi,
30 who was the son of Simeon, who was the son of Yudah, who was the son of Yosef, who was the son of Yonam, who was the son of Heliakim,
31 who was the son of Melea, who was the son of Menna, who was the son of Mattaha, who was the son of Nathan, who was the son of David,
32 who was the son of Yesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son of Boaz, who was the son of Sala, who was the son of Nahashon,
33 who was the son of Amminadab, who was the son of Aram, who was the son of Hezron, who was the son of Ferez, who was the son of Yudah,
34 who was the son of Yakob, who was the son of Yitzahak, who was the son of Abraham, who was the son of Thara, who was the son of Nahor,
35 who was the son of Sarug, who was the son of Reu, who was the son of Feleg, who was the son of Heber, who was the son of Shela,
36 who was the son of Cainan, who was the son of Arfaxad, who was the son of Shem, who was the son of Noah, who was the son of Lamech,
37 who was the son of Methuselah, who was the son of Enoch, who was the son of Yared, who was the son of Mahalaleel, who was the son of Cainan,
38 who was the son of Henos, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the son of God.
Head 4[]
1 Soothly Jesus was full of the Holy Ghost and fared from Jordan and He was led by the Holy Ghost into the wilderness
2 forty days, and was costed by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing. And when those days were fulfilled, He was hungry.
3 Then quoth the devil to Him, "If You be God's son, say to this stone that he be werthed bread."
4 And Jesus answered Him, "It is awritten that man does not live on bread only, but by every word of God.
5 And then the devil lead Him up a burg and atewed Him all the riches of the earth in the twinkling of an eye
6 And quoth to Him, "All this wield I will give You, their wulder. For to me it is has been given and I will give it as I will.
7 Witedly, all of it will be Yours if you worship me."
8 Then Jesus answered Him, "It is awritten, 'Worship Drighten, Your God, and Him only thane."
9 Then he led Him to Jerusalem and set him over the temple's ridge and quoth to him, "If You be God's Son, asend Yourself nether,
10 soothly it is awritten, 'He will bid His errand-ghosts that they hold you,'
11 and, 'With their hands they will nim you, lest you spurn your foot on a stone.'"
12 Then quoth Jesus to him, answering "It is bequethed, 'Do not cost Drighten, your God.'"
13 And all the costing being fulfilled, the devil went from Him for a while.
14 Then Jesus fared on the may of the Ghost to Galilee and His HLISA/FAME fared through all the rich.
15 and He lored by their besamenings (synegogues) and was mersed by all.
16 Then came He to Nazareth, where he was afed (nursed). And he went in to the besamening on Restday after His wont and He arose to read.
17 And He was given the book of Isaiah, the soothsayer, and as soon as unfolded the book, he found where it was awritten,
18 Drightness' Ghost is over me, for He has smeared me. He sends me bode to the needy, aleasedness to the forfanged, sight to the blind, to heal the broken of heart,
19 and bode Drightness' onfanged year and the day of edloan.
20 And when he had folded the book, he agave it to the thaner and sat, and all eyes were fixed on Him.
21 Then he went on to quethe to them, "Soothly today this Writ is fullfilled in your hearing."
22 And all gave witness to Him, and wondered at the words that came from his mouth and quoth this, "Isn't this Josef's son?"
23 Then quoth He, "Witedly you say to Me this belikeness, "Leech, heal Yourself. Do here in Your own land as many wonders as we have heard done in Capernaum."
24 Then quoth He, "Soothly I say to you that no soothsayer is onfanged in his homeland.
25 Soothly I say to you, 'Many widows were in Eliyah's day in Israel when in the sky was locked for three years and six months, when there was a mickel hunger on all earth.'
26 And to none of them was Eliyah send, but to a widow in Zarefath of Sidon.
27 And many bodyruffs were in Israel during Eliyah the Soothsayer, and none of them were cleansed but Naaman the Syrer."
28 Then all of them in the besamening were filled with ire, hearing these things.
29 And they arose and shoved Him from the chester and led Him over to the edge of the hill, whereon their burrow was betimbered, to shove Him nether.
30 But He fared through the middle of them,
31 and fared to Capernaum, a Galileeish chester. And He lored them on the Restdays.
32 And they wondered at His lore, for His speaking was with onwield.
33 And in the besamening there was an unclean man having a devil, and he screamed with a mickel steven
34 and quoth, "Leave me alone, Jesus of Nazareth. What do You have to do with us? Have You come to fordo us? I wot that You are God's Holy One."
35 And then Jesus chided him and quoth, "Be dumb and get out of him!" and when he drove him out into their midst and, he went from him and did not dere him.
36 Then fear werthed on them all and they spoke among themselves and quoth, "What is this thing, that with might and elderdom be bebids the ghosts and they go out?"
37 And his stardom withmersed to every stow of the rich.
38 Soothly He arose from the besamening and fared to Simon's house. And Simon's mother-in-law was swunk with a mickel fever and they bade Him for her.
39 And standing over her, He bebid the fever and it forlet her and she arose right then and thaned them.
40 Soothly when the sun set, all that were sick with mislike (sundry) sickness were led to Him and He set His hand on each of them and healed them.
41 Then fared the devils from many, screaming and quething, "Soothly You are God's Son." And He didn't let them speak anything, for they wist that He was Christ.
42 Then when it werthed day, Jesus, going out, fared to a waste-stow, and the many sought Him and came to Him and kept Him back so He would not leave from them.
43 Then said He to them, "Soothly I bedave to bode to other chesters Goddisrich (God's rich). That's why I am asent.
44 And He was boding in the besamenings of Galilee.
Head 5[]
1 Soothly it worthed that the many came to Him to hear God's Word. He stood by the lake of Genezareth.
2 And he saw two ships standing by the lakeside; the fishers had gone out and were washing their nets.
3 He then got up into one ship that was Simon's and bade him to tug away a little from land. And sitting on the ship, He lored the many.
4 When he had swacked speaking to them He quoth to Simon, "Put it into the deep and let your net down on the fish for a catch."
5 Then quoth Simon and answered Him, "Bebidder of all, we were swinking all night and have not taken anything. But soothly on Your Word, I will let out my net."
6 And when they did, they enclosed a mickel many fish and their net was broken.
7 And they beckoned to their feres that were on the other ship to come and filst them. Then they came and filled both the ships, so that they were nigh to sinking.
8 When Peter saw, he fell down to Jesus' knees and quoth, "Drighten, get from me for I am a sinful man."
9 And he wondered- and all that were with him- on the fish that they had taken.
10 Alike were James and John, Zebedee's sons, who were Simon's feres. Then quoth Jesus to Simon, "Dread not. Henceforth you will catch men."
11 And having tugged their ships to land and forletting them, they followed Him.
12 When he was in a chester there was a roughling (leper) and when he saw Jesus stretched out and bade him, queathing, "Drighten, if You will, You can cleanse me."
13 And athening His hand, he felt his finger and quoth, "I will: be cleansed." And right then the roughness fared from him.
14 And he bade him, "Say it to no one, but go and atew yourself to the priest and bring for your cleansing like Moses bebade to them, as a witness.
15 Witedly the speak about him fared all the more and mickel manies came to hear and werthe healed from their untrumnesses.
16 He then fared to the wasteland and bade.
17 Then was a day werthed when He sat and loring them and there were Awefastishers and lawyers sitting by, who came from every town in Galilee and Jedea and Jerusalem; and Drighten's may was to heal them.
18 And then men bore a man on bed; he was lame.
19 And when the could not bring him in to allay him from the many, they went upon the roof where Jesus was and sent him down through the wattles before Jesus.
20 When He saw his belief, He quoth, "Dear man, your sins are forgiven you."
21 The the bookers and Awefastishers began to think and quoth, "What is this, that He speaks as if He were the LORD?! Who may forgive sins, but God alone?"
22 Then Jesus knew their thoughts, answering he quoth to them, "What think you in your hearts:
23 Whether it is easier to quoth, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or 'Arise and go?'"
24 So you can wit that the Son of Man on earth has onweald, to forgive sins- and He said to the lame man- I say to you, "Arise, nim your bed, and go on to your house."
25 And right then he arose before them and nam what he had laid on, and fared to his house, wuldering God.
26 and they all wondered and mersed and were filled with awe and quoth, "Soothly we today have seen wonders."
27 Then after that, He went out and saw a toller who was named Levi, sitting at the toll-booth. And he quoth to him, "Follow Me."
28 And all his things he forlet and followed Him.
29 And Levi did Him a mickel neighborship in his house. And there was a mickel many of tollers and of others that sat with him.
30 Then the Awefastishers and bookers murmered, qeathing to his learning-knights, "Why do y'all eat and drink with tollers and sinners?"
31 Then Jesus answered and quoth to them, "They have no tharve of a leech who are whole, but the unhealthy do."
32 I came not to clepe the rightwise, but the sinful to forthinking.
33 Then quoth they to Him, "Why do John's learning-knights fast often and make biddings, and also the Awefastishers, yet Yours eat and drink.
34 Then quoth He, "Could you make the bairns of the bridgroom fast so long as the bridgroom is with them?
35 Soothly the days are coming when the bridegroom will be farried from Him. Then they will fast in those days.
36 Then to told them a by-spell, "No one puts a ship (patch) of new rob on an old robe. Otherwise the new is slit and the new ship does not help the old.
37 No one puts new wind in old flasks; otherwise the new wine will break the flask and the wine will be lost and the flask forwerthen.
38 But new wine is put into new flasks; then both are held.
39 And no one that drinks old wine will want the new, for he quoth, 'The old is better.'"