[The Pentateuch]

And when Moses heard the people weep in their households every man in the door of his tent / then the wrath of the Lord waxed hot exceedingly: and it grieved Moses also. And Moses said unto the Lord: wherefore dealest thou so cruelly with thy servant: wherefore do I not find favour in thy sight / seeing that thou puttest the weight of this people upon me? have I conceived all this people / or have I begot them / that thou shouldest say unto me / carry them in thy bosom (as a nurse beareth the sucking child) unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? where should I have flesh to give unto all this people? For they weep unto me saying: give us flesh that we may eat. I •• not able to bear all this people alone / for it is to heavy for me. Wherefore if thou deal thus with me / fill me / I pray the / if I have found favour in thy sight and let me not see my wretchedness.

And when Moses herde the people wepe in their housholdes euery man in the dore of his tent / then the wrath of the Lorde waxed whote excedyngly: and it greued Moses also. And Moses sayde vnto the Lorde: wherfore dealest thou so cruelly with thi seruaunte: wherfore doo I not fynde fauoure in thi syghte / seynge that thou puttest the weyght of this people apon me? haue I conceyued all this people / or haue I begote them / that thou shuldest saye vnto me / carye them in thi bosome (as a nurse beareth the suckynge childe) vnto the londe which thou swarest vnto their fathers? where shulde I haue flesh to geue vnto all this people? For they wepe vnto me sayenge: geue us flesh that we maye eate. I •• not able to bere all this people alone / for it is to heuy for me. Wherfore yf thou deale thus with me / fyll me / I praye the / yf I haue founde fauoure in thi syght and let me not se my wrechidnesse.

And the Lord said unto Moses: gather unto me .lxx. of the elders of Israel / which thou knowest that they are the elders of y• people ⟨image 270⟩and officers over them / and bring them unto the tabernacle of witness / and let them stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with the there / and take of y spirit which is upon thee and put upon them / and they shall bear with them the burden of the people / and so shalt thou not bear alone.