Dixit Iesus discipulis suis, Ego sum pastor bonus: et reliqua.
This godspel, the n['u] geraed waes, cwydh, thaet se Haelend cwaede be him
sylfum, "Ic eom g['o]d hyrde: se g['o]da hyrde syldh his agen l['i]f for
his sceapum. Se hyra, sedhe nis riht hyrde, he gesihdh thone wulf cuman,
and he forlaet dha sc['e]p and flyhdh; and se wulf sum gelaecdh and dha
odhre tostencdh," et reliqua.
Crist is go['o]d gecyndelice, and sodhlice nis nan dhing g['o]d butan Gode
anum. Gif aenig gesceaft is g['o]d, thonne is seo g['o]dnys of dham
Scyppende, sedhe is healice g['o]d. He cwaedh, "Se g['o]da hyrde syldh his
agen l['i]f for his sceapum." Ure Alysend is se g['o]da hyrde, and we
cristene men sind his sc['e]p, and he sealde his agen l['i]f for ure
alysednysse. He dyde swa swa he manede, and mid tham he geswutelode hwaet
he bebead. G['o]d hyrde waes Petrus, and g['o]d waes Paulus, and g['o]de
waeron dha apostoli, dhe hyra l['i]f sealdon for Godes folce and for rihtum
geleafan; ac heora g['o]dnys waes of dham heafde, thaet is Crist, dhe is
heora heafod, and h['i] sind his lima.
Aelc bisceop and aelc l['a]reow is to hyrde gesett Godes folce, thaet h['i]
sceolon thaet folc widh dhone wulf gescyldan. Se wulf {240} is deofol, the
syrwdh ymbe Godes geladhunge, and cepdh hu he mage cristenra manna sawla
mid leahtrum ford['o]n. Thonne sceal se hyrde, thaet is se bisceop odhdhe
odher l['a]reow, widhstandan tham redhan wulfe mid l['a]re and mid gebedum.
Mid lare he sceal him taecan, thaet hi cunnon hwaet deofol taechdh mannum
to forwyrde, and hwaet God beb['y]t to gehealdenne, for begeate thaes ecan
lifes. He sceal him fore-gebiddan, thaet God gehealde tha str['a]ngan, and
gehaele dha untruman. Se bidh to str['a]ngum geteald, sethe widhstent
deofles lare; se bidh untrum, sedhe on leahtrum fyldh. Ac se l['a]reow bidh
unscyldig, gif he thaet folc mid lare gewissadh, and him widh God
gedhingadh. Tha twa dhing he sceal dham folce d['o]n, and eac mid his
agenum odhrum gehelpan; and gif hit swa get['i]madh, his agen l['i]f syllan
for dhaes folces hreddinge.
"Se hyra flihdh thonne he dhone wulf gesihdh." Se is hyra and na hyrde,
sedhe bidh begripen on woruld-dhingum, and lufadh thone wurdhmynt and dha
ateorigendlican edlean, and naefdh inweardlice lufe to Godes sceapum. He
cepdh thaera sceatta, and blissadh on dham wurdhmynte, and haefdh his mede
for dhisum life, and bidh bescyred thaere ecan mede. Nast dhu hw['a] bidh
hyra, hw['a] hyrde, aerdham dhe se wulf cume; ac se wulf geswuteladh mid
hwilcum mode he gymde thaera sceapa. Se wulf cymdh to dham sceapum, and
sume h['e] abitt, sume h['e] tostencdh, thonne se redha deofol tihdh tha
cristenan men, sume to forl['i]gre, sume h['e] ontent to gytsunge, sume
h['e] araerdh to modignysse, sume h['e] thurh graman totwaemdh, and mid
mislicum costnungum gastlice ofslihdh. Ac se hyra ne bidh nadhor ne mid
ware ne mid lufe astyred, ac flyhdh, fordhan the h['e] smeadh embe dha
woruldlican hydhdha, and l['ae]t to gymeleaste thaere sceapa lyre. Ne
flyhdh he na mid lichaman, ac mid mode. He flyhdh, fordhan the h['e] geseh
unrihtwisnysse and suwade. H['e] flyhdh fordhan dhe he is hyra, and n['a]
hyrde, swilce hit swa gecweden sy, Ne maeg se standan ongean fraecednyssa
thaera sceapa, sedhe ne gymdh thaera sceapa mid lufe, ac {242} tyladh his
sylfes; thaet is thaet h['e] lufadh tha eordhlican gestreon, and na Godes
folc.
Wulf bidh eac se unrihtwisa rica, dhe bereafadh tha cristenan, and dha
eadmodan mid his riccetere ofsitt: ac se hyra, odhdhe se m['e]dgylda ne
gedyrstlaecdh thaet he his unrihtwisnysse widhstande, thaet he ne forleose
his wurdhmynt, and dha woruldlican gestreon dhe he lufadh swidhor dhonne
tha cristenan menn. Be dhisum awr['a]t se w['i]tega Ezechiel, thus
cwedhende, "Ge hyrdas, gehyradh Godes word: Mine sc['e]p sint tostencte
dhurh eowre gymeleaste, and sind ab['i]tene. Ge cariadh embe eowerne
bigleofan, and n['a] embe thaera sceapa; fordhi ic wille ofg['a]n dha
sc['e]p aet eowrum handum; and ic do thaet ge gesw['i]cadh thaere w['i]can,
and ic wylle ahreddan mine eowde widh eow. Ic sylf wylle gadrian mine
sc['e]p the waeron tostencte, and ic wylle hi healdan on genihtsumere
laese: thaet thaet losode thaet ic wylle s['e]can and ongean laedan; thaet
thaet alefed waes, thaet ic gehaele; thaet untrume ic wylle getrymman, and
thaet strange gehealdan, and ic h['i] laeswige on dome and on
rihtwisnysse."
Thas word spraec God thurh dhone w['i]tegan Ezechiel, be l['a]reowum and be
his folce. Ge sceolon beon geornfulle to eower agenre dhearfe, theah hit
swa getimige thaet se l['a]reow gimeleas beo, and dodh swa swa Crist
taehte, "Gif se l['a]reow wel t['ae]ce and yfele bysnige, dodh swa swa he
taecdh, and na be dham the h['e] bysnadh." Se Haelend cwaedh be him, "Ic
eom g['o]d hyrde, and ic oncnawe mine sc['e]p, and h['i] oncnawadh me."
Thaet is, ic lufige h['i], and h['i] lufiadh me. Se dhe ne lufadh
sodhfaestnysse, ne oncneow he na gyt God. Ac behealde ge hwaedher ge sind
Godes sc['e]p, hwaedher ge hine gyt oncneowon, hwaedher ge mid
sodhfaestnysse hine lufiadh. H['e] cwaedh, "Swa swa min Faeder oncn['ae]wdh
me, and ic oncn['a]we hine, and ic sylle min agen lif for minum sceapum."
He oncn['ae]wdh his Faeder dhurh hine sylfne, and we oncnawadh thurh hine.
Mid thaere lufe the h['e] wolde for mancynne sweltan, mid thaere h['e]
cydhde h['u] micclan h['e] lufadh his Faeder. He cwaedh, "Ic haebbe odhre
sc['e]p the ne sind na of dhisre eowde, and dha ic sceal laedan, {244} and
hi gehyradh mine stemne, and sceal beon ['a]n eowd, and ['a]n hyrde."
This h['e] spraec on Iudea-lande: dhaer waes ['a]n eowd of dham mannum the
on God belyfdon on dham leodscipe. Tha odhre sc['e]p syndon tha the of
eallum odhrum eardum to Gode b['u]gadh; and Crist h['i] gebrincdh ealle on
['a]nre eowde on dham ecan life. Manega sind hyrdas under Criste, and
dheah-hwaedhere he is ['a]na heora ealra Hyrde, sedhe leofadh and rixadh
mid Faeder and mid Halgum Gaste, ['a] on ecnysse. Amen.