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William Tyndale

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Title: The First Boke of Moses called Genesis

Author: William Tyndale

Translator: William Tyndale

Release Date: May 15, 2012 [EBook #39703]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's Notes:

There are wide variations in spelling, spacing and punctuation. In
addition some of the blackletter type is worn and difficult to
interpret.

Unambiguous spelling has mostly been retained. Apparent errors that
have been changed are noted at the end of the text. Uncertain spelling
has been transcribed according to the sense of the text. The King
James Version (which incorporated most of Tyndale's translation) has
also been consulted.

Spacing and punctuation have mostly been retained. Apparent errors
that are inconsistent with the text have been corrected. Ambiguities
have been transcribed according to the sense of the text.

Inverted or displaced type has been corrected.

Abbreviating lines over letters have been transcribed as tildes (e.g.
a, [~e]), while superscript letters (also marking abbreviations) are
indicated by "^" (e.g. y^e). Some paragraphs and chapter titles begin
with a "¶": these have been retained. Sidenotes begin with a "*" and
refer to the "*" in the following paragraph. The text of some of them
(identified below) is uncertain. Ligatures (e.g. for "ll") have been
ignored. Slanted bars (virgulae suspensivae) are equivalent to modern
commas.




 [Illustration:
 The fyrst
 boke of
 Moses called
 Genesis.]




W. T. To the Reader.


When I had translated the newe testament/ I added a pistle vnto the
laiter ende/ In which I desyred them y^t were learned to amend if
ought were founde amysse. But oure malicious and wylye hypocrytes
which are so stubburne and hard herted in their weked abhominacios
that it is not possible for them to amend any thinge atall (as we see
by dayly experience when their both lyvinges and doinges are rebuked
with the trouth) saye/ some of them that it is unpossible to translate
the scripture in to English/ some that it is not lawfull for the laye
people to have it in their mother tonge/ some that it wold make them
all heretykes/ as it wold no doute from many thinges which they of
longe tyme haue falsly taught/ ad that is the whole cause wherfore
they forbyd it/ though they other clokes pretende. And some or rather
every one/ saye that it wold make them ryse ageynst the kinge/ whom
they them selves (vnto their damnatyo) never yet obeyed. And leste the
temporall rulars shuld see their falsehod/ if the scripture cam to
light/ causeth them so to lye.

And as for my translatio in which they afferme vnto the laye people
(as I haue hearde saye) to be I wotte not how many thousande
heresyes/ so that it ca not be m[~e]ded or correcte/ they haue yet
taken so greate payne to examyne it/ & to compare it vnto that they
wold fayne haue it and to their awne imaginations and iugglinge
termes/ and to haue some what to rayle at/ and vnder that cloke to
blaspheme the treuth/ that they myght with as litle laboure (as I
suppose) haue translated the moste parte of the bible. For they which
in tymes paste were wont to loke on no more scripture then they founde
in their duns or soch like develysh doctryne/ haue yet now so narowlye
loked on my translatyon/ that there is not so moch as one I therin if
it lacke a tytle over his hed/ but they haue noted it/ and nombre it
vnto the ignorant people for an heresy. Fynallye in this they be all
agreed/ to dryve you from the knowlege of the scripture/ & that ye
shall not haue the texte therof in the mother tonge/ and to kepe the
world styll in darkenesse/ to the ntent they might sitt in the
consciences of the people/ thorow vayne superstition and false
doctrine/ to satisfye their fylthy lustes their proude ambition/ and
vnsatiable covetuousnes/ and to exalte their awne honoure aboue kinge
& emperoure/ yee & above god him silfe

¶ A thousand bokes had they lever to be put forth agenste their
abhominable doynges and doctrine/ then that the scripture shulde come
to light. For as long as they may kepe that doune/ they will so darken
the ryght way with the miste of their sophistrye/ and so tangle
th[~e] that ether rebuke or despyse their abhominations with
argumentes of philosophye & with wordly symylitudes and apparent
reasons of naturall wisdom. And with wrestinge the scripture vnto
their awne purpose clene contrarye vnto y^e processe/ order and
meaninge of the texte/ and so delude them in descantynge vppon it with
alligoryes/ and amase th[~e] expoundinge it in manye senses before the
vnlerned laye people (when it hath but one symple litterall sense
whose light the owles ca not abyde) that though thou feale in thyne
harte and arte sure how that all is false y^t they saye/ yet coudeste
thou not solve their sotle rydles.

¶ Which thinge onlye moved me to translate the new testament. Because
I had perceaved by experyence/ how that it was impossible to stablysh
the laye people in any truth/ excepte y^e scripture were playnly layde
before their eyes in their mother tonge/ that they might se the
processe/ ordre and meaninge of the texte: for els what so ever truth
is taught them/ these ennymyes of all truth qwench it ageyne/ partly
with the smoke of their bottomlesse pyite wherof thou readest
apocalipsis .ix. that is/ with apparent reasons of sophistrye &
traditions of their awne makynge/ founded with out grounde of
scripture/ and partely in iugglinge with the texte/ expoundinge it in
soch a sense as is impossible to gether of the texte/ if thou see the
processe ordre and meaninge therof.

¶ And even in the bisshope of londons house I entended to have done
it. For when I was so turmoyled in the contre where I was that I coude
no lenger there dwell (the processe wherof were to longe here to
reherce) I this wyse thought in my silfe/ this I suffre because the
prestes of the contre be vnlerned/ as god it knoweth there are a full
ignorant sorte which haue sene no more latyn then that they read in
their portesses and missales which yet many of them can scacely read
(excepte it be Albertus de secretis mulier[~u] in which yet/ though
they be never so soryly lerned/ they pore day and night and make notes
therin and all to teach the mydwyves as they say/ and linwod a boke of
constitutions to gether tithes/ mortuaryes/ offeringes/ customs/ and
other pillage/ which they calle/ not theirs/ but godes parte and the
deuty of holye chirch/ to discharge their consciences with all: for
they are bound that they shall not dimynysh/ but encreace all thinge
vnto the vttmost of their powers) and therfore (because they are thus
vnlerned thought I) when they come to gedder to the alehouse/ which is
their preachinge place/ they afferme that my sainges are heresy. And
besydes y^t they adde to of thir awne heddes which I never spake/ as
the maner is to prolonge the tale to shorte the tyme with all/ and
accuse me secretly to the chauncelare and other the bishopes officers/
And in deade when I cam before the chauncelare/ he thretened me
grevously/ and revyled me and rated me as though I had bene a dogge/
and layd to my charge wherof there coude be none accuser brought forth
(as their maner is not to bringe forth the accuser) and yet all the
prestes of y^e contre were y^t same daye there. As I this thought the
bishope of london came to my remembrance whom Erasmus (whose tonge
maketh of litle gnattes greate elephates and lifteth vpp aboue the
starres whosoever geveth him a litle exhibition) prayseth excedingly
amonge other in his annotatyons on the new testament for his great
learninge. Then thought I/ if I might come to this mannes service/ I
were happye. And so I gate me to london/ & thorow the accoyntaunce of
my master came to sir harry gilford the kinges graces controller/ ad
brought him an oration of Isocrates which I had translated out of
greke in to English/ and desyred him to speake vnto my lorde of london
for me/ which he also did as he shewed me/ ad willed me to write a
pistle to my lorde/ and to goo to him my silf which I also did/
and delivered my pistle to a servant of his awne/ one wyllyam
hebilthwayte/ a ma of myne old accoynta[~u]ce. But god which kneweth
what is within hypocrites/ sawe that I was begyled/ ad that that
councell was not the nexte way vnto my purpose. And therfore he gate
me no favoure in my lordes sight

¶ Wherevppo my lorde answered me/ his house was full/ he had mo th[~e]
he coude well finde/ and advised me to seke in london/ wher he sayd I
coude not lacke a service/ And so in london I abode almoste an yere/
and marked the course of the worlde/ and herde oure pratars/ I wold
say oure preachers how they bosted them selves and their hye
authorite/ and beheld the pompe of oure prelates and how besyed they
were as they yet are/ to set peace and vnite in the worlde (though it
be not possible for them that walke in darkenesse to cotinue longe in
peace/ for they can not but ether stoble or dash them selves at one
thinge or a nother that shall clene vnquyer all togedder) & sawe
thinges wherof I deferre to speake at this tyme and vnderstode at the
laste not only that there was no rowme in my lorde of londons palace
to translate the new testament/ but also that there was no place to do
it in all englonde/ as experience doth now openly declare.

¶ Vnder what maner therfore shuld I now submitte this boke to be
corrected and amended of them/ which can suffer nothinge to be well?
Or what protestacyon shuld I make in soch a matter vnto oure prelates
those stubburne Nimrothes which so mightely fight agenste god and
resiste his holy spirite/ enforceynge with all crafte and sotelte to
qwench the light of the everlastinge testament/ promyses/ and
apoyntemente made betwene god & vs: and heapinge the firce wrath of
god vppon all princes and rulars/ mockinge th[~e] with false fayned
names of hypocrysye/ and servinge their lustes at all poyntes/ &
dispensinge with th[~e] even of the very lawes of god/ of which
Christe him silf testifieth Mathew .v. y^t not so moch as one tittle
therof maye perish or be brok[~e]. And of which the prophete sayth
Psalme .cxix. Thou haste comaunded thy lawes to be kepte meod/ y^t is
in hebrew excedingly/ with all dilig[~e]ce/ might & power/ and haue
made th[~e] so mad with their iugglinge charmes and crafty persuasios
that they thinke it full satisfaction for all their weked lyvinge/ to
torme[~e]t soch as tell th[~e] trouth/ & to borne the worde of their
soules helth & sle whosoever beleve theron.




¶ A prologe shewinge the vse of the scripture


Though a man had a precious iuell and a rich/ yet if he wiste not the
value therof nor wherfore it served/ he were nother the better nor
rycher of a straw. Eyen so though we read the scripture & bable of it
never so moch/ yet if we know not the vse of it/ and wherfore it was
geven/ and what is theim to be sought/ it profiteth vs nothinge at
all. It is not ynough therfore to read and talke of it only/ but we
must also desyre god daye and night instantly to open oure eyes/ ad to
make vs vnderstond and feale wherfore the scripture was geuen/ that we
maye applye the medicyne of the scripture/ every ma to his awne sores/
inlesse then we entend to be ydle disputers/ and braulers aboute vayne
wordes/ ever gnawenge vppon the bitter barcke with out and newer
attayninge vnto the swete pith with in/ and persequutinge one an other
for defendinge of lewde imaginacions and phantasyes of oure awne
invencyon

¶ Paule in y^e thyrde of y^e secode epistle to Tymothe sayth/ y^t the
scripture is good to teache (for y^t ought m[~e] to teach & not
dreames of their awne mak[~i]ge/ as y^e pope doth) & also to improve/
for y^e scripture is y^e twichstone y^t tryeth all doctrynes/ & by y^t
we know the false from y^e true. And in the .vi. to the ephesians he
calleth it the swerd of the spirite/ by cause it killeth hyppocrites
and vttereth ad improveth their false inventyons. And in the .xv. to
the Romayns he sayth all that are wryten/ are wryten for oure
learninge/ that we thorow pacyence and cosorte of the scripture myght
have hope. That is/ the ensamples that are in the scripture comforte
vs in all oure tribulacyons/ and make vs to put oure truste in god/
and pacyently to abyde his leysure. And in the .x. of the firste to
the Corinthyans he bringeth in examples of the scripture to feare vs
and to bridle the fleshe/ that we caste not the yoke of the lawe of
god from of oure neckes/ and fall to lustynge and doinge of evill.

¶ So now the scripture is a light and sheweth vs the true waye/ both
what to do/ and what to hope. And a defence from all erroure/ and a
comforte in adversyte that we despayre not. and feareth vs in
prosperyte that we synne not Seke therfore in the scripture as thou
readest it first the law/ what god comaundeth vs to doo. And
secundarylye the promyses/ which god promyseth vs ageyne/ namely in
Christe Iesu oure lorde. Then seke ensamples/ firste of comforte/ how
god purgeth all them that submitte them selves to walke in his wayes/
in the purgatorye of tribulatyon/ delyveringe them yet at the latter
ende/ and never soferinge any of them to perysh/ that cleave faste to
his promyses. And fynallye/ note the ensamples which are writen
to feare the flesh that we synne not. That is/ how god suffereth the
vngodlye and weked synners that resiste god and refuse to folow him/
to contynue in their wekednesse/ ever waxinge worse and worse vntyll
their synne be so sore encreased and so abhomynable/ that if they
shuld longer endure they wold corrupte the very electe. But for the
electes sake god sendeth th[~e] preachers. Neverthelesse they harden
their hartes agenste the truth/ and god destroyeth th[~e] vtterlye and
begynneth the world a new.

¶ This comforte shalt thou evermore finde in the playne texte and
literall sense. Nether is there any storye so homely/ so rude/ yee or
so vyle (as it semeth outwarde) wherin is not exceadinge greate
comforte. And when some which seme to them selves great clarkes saye:
they wott not what moare profite is in many geftes of the scripture if
they be read with out an allegorye/ then in a tale of robenhode/ saye
thou: that they were wryten for oure consolacyon and comforte/ that we
despayre not/ if soch like happen vnto vs. We be not holyer then Noe/
though he were once dronke. Nether bettter beloved then Iacob/ though
his awne sonne defyled his bedde. We be not holyer then lot/ though
his doughters thorow ignorance deceaved him/ nor paradventure holyer
then those doughters. Nether are we holyer then David/ though he brake
wedlocke and vppon the same commytted abhomynable murther. All those
men have witnesse of the scripture that they pleased god and ware
good men both before that those thinges chaunsed them and also after.
Neverthelesse soch thinges happened them for oure ensampler not that
we shuld contrafayte their evill/ but if whyle we fight with oure
selves enforsynge to walke in the law of god (as they did) we yet fall
likewise/ that we despayre not/ but come agayn, to the lawes of god
and take better holde

¶ We read sens the tyme of Christes deeth/ of virgins that have bene
brought vnto the com[~e]stues/ and theye defyled/ and of martyrs that
haue bene bounde and hores haue abvsed their bodyes. Why? The
iudgem[~e]tes of god are bottolesse. Soch thinges chaunced partely for
ensamples/ partely God thorow synne healeth synne Pryde can nether be
healed nor yet appere but thorow soch horrible deades. Paraduenture
they were of y^e popes secte ad reioysed fleshly/ thinkinge that
heaven came by deades and not by Christ/ and that the outwarde dead
iustyfyed them & made them holy and not the inward spirite receeved by
fayth and the consent of the harte vnto the law of god.

¶ As thou readeste therfore thinke that every sillable pertayneth to
thyne awne silf/ and sucke out the pithe of the scripture/ and arme
thy silf ageynst all assaultes. Firste note with stronge faith the
power of god in creatinge all of nought Then marke the grevous fall of
Adam and of vs all in him/ thorow the light regard[~i]ge of the
commaundement of god. In the .iii. Chapitre God turneth him vnto Abel
and then to his offeringe/ but not to Cain and his offeringe. Where
thou seest that though the deades of the evel apere outwardly as
gloryous as the deades of the good: yet in the sight of god which
loketh on the harte/ the deade is good because of the man/ and not the
man good because of his deade. In the vj. God sendeth Noe to preach to
the weked and geueth them space to repent: they wax hard herted/ God
bringeth them to nought And yet saveth Noe: even by the same water by
which he destroyed them. Marke also what folowed the pryde of the
buyldinge of the toure of Babel

Consydre how God sendeth forth Abraha out of his awne contre in to a
strange lande full of weked people/ and gave him but a bare promesse
with him that he wold blesse him and defende him. Abraham beleved: and
that worde saued and delyuered him in all parelles: so that we se/ how
that mannes life is not mayntayned by bred onlye (as Christe sayeth)
but moch rather by belevinge the promyses of god. Behold how soberly
and how circ[~u]spectly both Abraham and also Isaac behaue them selves
amoge the infideles. Abraham byeth that which might have ben geven him
for nought/ to cutte of occasions. Isaac when his welles which he had
digged were taken from him/ geveth rowme and resisteth not. More over
they creand sowe and fede their catell/ and make confederacyons/ ad
take perpetuall truce/ and do all outward thinges: Even as they do
which have no faith/ for god hath not made vs to be ydle in this world
Every man must worke godly and truly to the vttmoste of the power that
god hath geven him: and yet not truste therin: but in goddes worde or
promesse: and god will worke with vs and bringe that we do to good
effecte. And th[~e] when oure power will extend no further/ goddes
promesses wyll worke all alone

¶ How many thinges also resisted the promesses of god to Iacob? And
yet Iacob coniureth god with his awne promesses sayenge: O god of my
father Abraham: and god of my father Isaac/ O lorde which saydeste
vnto me returne vnto thyne awne contre/ and vnto the place were thou
waste borne and I wil do the good I am not worthy of the leste of
those mercyes/ nor of that trouth which thou haste done to thy seruant
I went out but with a staffe/ and come home with ij droves/ delyver me
out of the handes of my brother Esau/ for I feare hym greatly &c. And
god delyvered him/ and will likewyse all that call vnto his promesses
with a repentinge herte/ were they never so great synners. Marke also
the weake infirmites of the ma He loveth one wife more then a nother/
one sonne more then a nother. And se how god purgeth him. Esau
threteneth him: Laban begyleth him. The beloued wife is longe baren:
his doughter is ravyshed: his wife is defyled/ and that of his awne
sonne. Rahel dieth/ Ioseph is taken a way/ yee and as he supposed rent
of wild beastes And yet how gloryous was hys ende? Note the wekenesse
of his Children/ yee and the synne of them/ and how god thorow their
awne wekednes saved them. These ensamples teach vs that a man is not
attonce parfecte the firste daye he beginneth to lyve wel They that be
stronge therfore muste suffre with the weake/ and helpe to kepe them
in vnite & peace one with a nother vntill they be stroger

Note what the brothren sayde when they were tached in Egipte/ we haue
verelye synned (sayde they) ageynste oure brother in y^t we sawe the
anguysh of his soule when he besought vs/ and wold not heare him: ad
therfore is this tribulation come vppon vs. By which ensample thou
seiste/ how that conscience of evyll doenges findeth men out at the
laste. But namely in tribulacyon and adversyte: there temptacyon and
also desperacyon: yee and the verye paynes of hell find vs out: there
the soule feleth the ferse wrath of god and wyssheth mountaynes to
falle on her and to hyde her (yf it were possible) fro the angrye face
of god.

Marke also how greate evelles folow of how litle an occasion Dina
goeth but forth alone to se the doughters of the contre/ and how
greate myscheve and troble folowed? Iacob loved but one sonne more
than a nother/ ad how grevous murther folowed in their hartes? These
are ensamples for oure learninge to teach vs to walke warely and
circ[~u]spectlye in the worlde of weake people/ that we geve no ma
occasions of evyll

¶ Finally/ se what god promysed Ioseph in his dreames. Those promesses
accopanyed him all ways/ and went doune wyth him even in to the depe
dongeon/ And brought him vppe agayne/ And never forsoke him till all
that was promysed was fulfilled. These are ensamples wryt[~e] for our
learn[~i]ge (as paule seyth) to teach vs to truste in god in y^e
stroge fyre of tribulation and purgatorye of oure flesh. And that they
which submytte them selves to folow god shuld note and marke soch
thinges/ for theyr lerninge and comforte/ is the frute of the
scripture and cause why it was wryten: And with soch a purpose to
reade it/ is the waye to everlastynge life and to those ioyfull
blyssinges that are promysed vnto all nacyons in the seade of Abraham/
which seade is Iesus Christe oure lorde/ to whom be honoure and prayse
for ever and vnto god oure father thorow him.

AMEN.




The fyrst boke of Moses called Genesis




The fyrst Chapiter.


In the begynnynge God created heaven and erth. The erth was voyde and
emptie/ ad darcknesse was vpon the depe/ and the spirite of god moved
vpon the water

Than God sayd: let there be lyghte and there was lyghte. And God sawe
the lyghte that it was good: & devyded the lyghte from the darcknesse/
and called the lyghte daye/ and the darcknesse nyghte: and so of the
evenynge and mornynge was made the fyrst daye

And God sayd: let there be a fyrmament betwene the waters/ ad let it
devyde the waters a sonder. Than God made the fyrmament and parted the
waters which were vnder the fyrmament/ from the waters that were above
the fyrmament: And it was so. And God called the fyrmament heaven/ And
so of the evenynge and morninge was made the seconde daye.

And God sayd/ let the waters that are vnder heaven gather them selves
vnto one place/ that the drye londe may appere: And it came so to
passe. And god called the drye lande the erth and the gatheringe
togyther of waters called he the see. And God sawe that it was good

And God sayd: let the erth bringe forth herbe and grasse that sowe
seed/ and frutefull trees that bere frute every one in his kynde/
havynge their seed in them selves vpon the erth. And it came so to
passe: ad the erth brought forth herbe and grasse sowenge seed every
one in his kynde & trees berynge frute & havynge their seed in th[~e]
selves/ every one in his kynde. And God sawe that it was good: and
th[~e] of the evenynge and mornynge was made the thyrde daye.

Than sayd God: let there be lyghtes in y^e firmament of heaven to
devyde the daye fro the nyghte/ that they may be vnto sygnes/ seasons/
days & yeares. And let them be lyghtes in the fyrmament of heav[~e]/
to shyne vpon the erth. & so it was. And God made two great lyghtes A
greater lyghte to rule the daye/ & a lesse lyghte to rule the nyghte/
and he made sterres also. And God put them in the fyrmament of heaven
to shyne vpon the erth/ and to rule the daye & the nyghte/ ad to
devyde the lyghte from darcknesse. And god sawe y^t it was good: and
so of the evenynge ad mornynge was made the fourth daye.

And God sayd/ let the water bryng forth creatures that move & have
lyfe/ & foules for to flee over the erth vnder the fyrmament of
heaven. And God created greate whalles and all maner of creatures that
lyve and moue/ which the waters brought forth in their kindes/ ad all
maner of federed foules in their kyndes. And God sawe that it was
good: and God blessed them saynge. Growe and multiplye ad fyll the
waters of the sees/ & let the foules multiplye vpo the erth. And so of
the evenynge & morninge was made the fyfth daye.

And God sayd: leth the erth bring forth lyvynge creatures in thir
kyndes: catell & wormes & beastes of the erth in their kyndes/ & so it
came to passe. And god made the beastes of the erth in their kyndes/ &
catell in their kyndes/ ad all maner wormes of the erth in their
kyndes: and God sawe that it was good.

And God sayd: let vs make man in oure symilitude ad after oure
lycknesse: that he may have rule over the fysh of the see/ and over
the foules of the ayre/ and over catell/ and over all the erth/ and
over all wormes that crepe on the erth. And God created man after hys
lycknesse/ after the lycknesse of god created he him: male & female
created he them.

And God blessed them/ and God sayd vnto them. Growe and multiplye and
fyll the erth and subdue it/ and have domynyon over the fysh of the
see/ and over the foules of the ayre/ and over all the beastes that
move on the erth.

And God sayd: se/ I have geven yow all herbes that sowe seed which
are on all the erth/ and all maner trees that haue frute in them and
sowe seed: to be meate for yow & for all beastes of the erth/ and vnto
all foules of the ayre/ and vnto all that crepeth on the erth where in
is lyfe/ that they may haue all maner herbes and grasse for to eate/
and even so it was. And God behelde al that he had made/ ad loo they
were exceadynge good: and so of the evenynge and mornynge was made the
syxth daye




The seconde Chapter.


Thus was heav[~e] & erth fynished wyth all their apparell: ad [~i] y^e
seu[~e]th daye god ended his worke which he had made & rested in y^e
seventh daye fro all his workes which he had made. And God blessed y^e
seventh daye/ and sanctyfyed it/ for in it he rested from all his
workes which he had created and made.

¶ These are the generations of heaven & erth when they were created/
in the tyme when the LORde God created heaven and erth and all the
shrubbes of the felde before they were in the erthe. And all the
herbes of the felde before they sprange: for the LORde God had yet
sent no rayne vpon the erth/ nether was there yet any man to tylle the
erth. But there arose a myste out of the ground and watered all the
face of the erth: Then the LORde God shope man/ even of the moulde of
the erth and brethed into his face the breth of lyfe. So man was made
a lyvynge soule.

¶ The LORde God also planted a garden in Eden from the begynnynge/ and
there he sette man whom he had formed. And the LORde God made to
sprynge out of the erth/ all maner trees bewtyfull to the syghte and
pleasant to eate/ and the tree of lyfe in the middes of the garden:
and also the tree of knowlege of good and euell.

¶ And there spronge a rever out of Eden to water the garden/ and
thence devided it selfe/ and grewe in to foure principall waters. The
name of the one is Phison/ he it is that compasseth all the lande of
heuila/ where gold groweth. And the gold of that contre ys precious/
there is found bedellion and a stone called Onix. The name of the
seconde ryver is Gihon/ which compassyth all the lande of Inde. And
the name of the thyrde river is Hidekell/ which runneth on the easte
syde of the assyryans And the fourth river is Euphrates.

¶ And the LORde God toke Adam and put him in the garden of Eden/ to
dresse it and to kepe it: and the LORde God comaunded Ada saynge: of
all the trees of the gard[~e] se tho[~u] eate. But of the tre of
knowlege of good and badd se that thou eate not: for even y^e same
daye thou eatest of it/ thou shalt surely dye.

¶ And the LORde God sayd: it is not good that man shulde be alone/ I
will make hym an helper to beare him company: And after y^t the LORde
God had make of the erth all maner beastes of the felde/ and all maner
foules of the ayre/ he brought them vnto Adam to see what he wold
call them. And as Ada called all maner livynge beastes: ev[~e] so are
their names. And Adam gave names vnto all maner catell/ and vnto the
foules of the ayre/ and vnto all maner beastes of the felde. But there
was no helpe founde vnto Adam to beare him companye

Then the LORde God cast a slomber on Adam/ and he slepte. And then he
toke out one of his rybbes/ and in stede ther of he fylled vp the
place with flesh. And the LORde God made of the rybbe which he toke
out of Adam/ a woma and brought her vnto Adam. Then sayd Ada this is
once bone of my boones/ and flesh of my flesh. This shall be called
woman: because she was take of the man. For this cause shall a man
leve father and mother & cleve vnto his wyfe/ & they shall be one
flesh. And they were ether of them naked/ both Adam and hys wyfe/ ad
were not ashamed:




The .iij. Chapter


But the serpent was sotyller than all the beastes of the felde which
y^e LORde God had made/ and sayd vnto the woman. Ah syr/ that God hath
sayd/ ye shall not eate of all maner trees in the garden. And the
woman sayd vnto the serpent/ of the frute of the trees in the garden
we may eate/ but of the frute of the tree y^t is in the myddes of the
garden (sayd God) se that ye eate not/ and se that ye touch it not:
lest ye dye.

Then sayd the serpent vnto the woman: tush ye shall not dye: But God
doth knowe/ that whensoever ye shulde eate of it/ youre eyes shuld be
opened and ye shulde be as God and knowe both good and evell. And the
woman sawe that it was a good tree to eate of and lustie vnto the eyes
and a pleasant tre for to make wyse. And toke of the frute of it and
ate/ and gaue vnto hir husband also with her/ and he ate. And the eyes
of both of them were opened/ that they vnderstode how that they were
naked. Than they sowed fygge leves togedder and made them apurns.

And they herd the voyce of the LORde God as he walked in the gard[~e]
in the coole of the daye. And Adam hyd hymselfe and his wyfe also from
the face of the LORde God/ amonge the trees of the garden. And the
LORde God called Adam and sayd vnto him where art thou? And he
answered. Thy voyce I harde in the garden/ but I was afrayd because I
was naked/ and therfore hyd myselfe. And he sayd: who told the that
thou wast naked? hast thou eaten of the tree/ of which I bade the that
thou shuldest not eate? And Adam answered. The woman which thou gavest
to bere me company she toke me of the tree/ ad I ate. And the LORde
God sayd vnto the woman: wherfore didest thou so? And the woman
answered/ the serpent deceaved me and I ate.

¶ And the LORde God sayd vnto the serp[~e]t because thou haste so done
moste cursed be thou of all catell and of all beastes of the feld:
vppo thy bely shalt thou goo: and erth shalt thou eate all dayes of
thy lyfe. Morover I will put hatred betwene the and the woman/ and
betwene thy seed and hyr seed. And that seed shall tread the on the
heed/ ad thou shalt tread hit on the hele.

And vnto the woman he sayd: I will suerly encrease thy sorow ad make
the oft with child/ and with payne shalt thou be deleverd: And thy
lustes shall pertayne vnto thy husbond and he shall rule the.

And vnto Ada he sayd: for as moch as thou hast obeyed the voyce of thy
wyfe/ and hast eaten of the tree of which I commaunded the saynge: se
thou eate not therof: cursed be the erth for thy sake. In sorow shalt
thou eate therof all dayes of thy lyfe/ And it shall beare thornes ad
thystels vnto the. And thou shalt eate the herbes of y^e feld: In the
swete of thy face shalt thou eate brede/ vntill thou returne vnto the
erth wh[~e]ce thou wast tak[~e]: for erth thou art/ ad vnto erth shalt
thou returne.

And Ada called his wyfe Heua/ because she was the mother of all that
lyveth. And the LORde God made Adam and hys wyfe garmentes of skynnes/
and put them on them. And the LORde God sayd: loo/ Adam is become as
it were one of vs/ in knowlege of good and evell. But now lest he
strech forth his hand and take also of the tree of lyfe and eate and
lyve ever.

And the LORde God cast him out of the garden of Eden/ to tylle the
erth wh[~e]ce he was taken. And he cast Ada out/ and sette at y^e
enteringe of the garden Eden/ Cherubin with a naked swerde movinge in
and out/ to kepe the way to the tree of lyfe.




¶ The .iiij. Chapter.


And Adam lay wyth Heua ys wyfe/ which conceaved and bare Cain/ and
sayd: I haue goten a ma of the LORde. And she proceded forth and bare
hys brother Abell: And Abell became a sheperde/ And Cain became a
ploweman.

And it fortuned in processe of tyme/ that Cain brought of the frute of
the erth: an offerynge vnto the LORde. And Abell/ he brought also of
the fyrstlynges of hys shepe and of the fatt of them. And the LORde
loked vnto Abell and to his offeynge: but vnto Cain and vnto his
offrynge/ looked he not. And Cain was wroth exceadingly/ and loured.
And the LORde sayd vnto Cain: why art thou angry/ and why loureste
thou? Wotest thou not yf thou dost well thou shalt receave it? But &
if thou dost evell/ by & by thy synne lyeth open in the dore. Not
withstondyng let it be subdued vnto the/ ad see thou rule it. And
Cain talked wyth Abell his brother.

And as soone as they were in the feldes/ Cain fell vppon Abell his
brother and slewe hym And y^e LORde sayd vnto Cain: where is Abell thy
brother? And he sayd: I can not tell/ am I my brothers keper? And he
sayd: What hast thou done? the voyce of thy brothers bloud cryeth vnto
me out of the erth. And now cursed be thou as pertaynyng to the erth/
which opened hyr mouth to receaue thy brothers bloud of thyne hande.
For when thou tyllest the grounde she shall h[~e]ceforth not geve hyr
power vnto the. A vagabunde and a rennagate shalt thou be vpon the
erth.

[Sidenote: * Of this place no doute y^e pope which in all thinges
maketh h[~i] self equal with God toke an occasion to marke all his
creatures: and to forbid vnder payne of excomunicatio y^t no ma
(whether he were k[~i]ge or emperowre) be so hardy to punishe them for
what so euer myschef they doo. The crowne is to th[~e] a licence to do
what they wyste a protectio & a sure sentuarye.]

And Cain sayd vnto the LORde: my synne is greater/ then that it may be
forgeven. Beholde thou castest me out thys day from of the face of the
erth/ and fro thy syghte must I hyde my selfe ad I must be wandrynge
and a vagabunde vpon the erth: Morover whosoever fyndeth me/ wyll kyll
me. And the LORde sayd vnto h[~i] Not so/ but whosoever sleyth Cain
shalbe punyshed .vij. folde. And y^e LORde put * a marke vpo Cain that
no ma y^t founde hym shulde kyll hym. And Cain went out fro the face
of the LORde and dwelt in the lande Nod/ on the east syde of Eden.

And Cain laye wyth hys wyfe/ which conceaved and bare Henoch. And he
was buyldinge a cyte and called the name of it after the name of hys
sonne/ Henoch. And Henoch begat Irad. And Irad begat Mahuiael. And
Mahuiael begat Mathusael. And Mathusael begat Lamech.

And Lamech toke hym two wyves: the one was called Ada/ and the other
Zilla. And Ada bare Iabal/ of whome came they that dwell in tentes ad
possesse catell. And hys brothers name was Iubal: of hym came all that
excercyse them selves on the harpe and on the organs And Zilla she
also bare Tubalcain a worker in metall and a father of all that grave
in brasse and yeron. And Tubalcains syster was called Naema.

Then sayd Lamech vnto hys wyves Ada ad Zilla: heare my voyce ye wyves
of Lamech and herken vnto my wordes/ for I haue slayne a man and
wounded myselfe/ and haue slayn a yongman/ and gotte my selfe
strypes: For Cain shall be avenged sevenfolde: but Lamech seventie
tymes sevenfolde.

¶ Adam also laye with hys wyfe yet agayne/ and she bare a sonne ad
called hys name Seth For god (sayd she) hath geven me a nother sonne
For Abell whom Cain slewe. And Seth begat a sonne and called hys name
Enos. And in that tyme began men to call on the name of the LORde.




The .v. Chapter


Thys is the boke of the generacion of man/ In the daye when God
created man and made hym after the symilytude of god Male and female
made he th[~e] and called their names man/ in the daye when they were
created. And when Adam was an hundred and thyrty yere old/ he begat a
sonne after hys lycknesse and symilytude: and called hys name Seth.
And the dayes of Adam after he begat Seth/ were eyght hundred yere/
and begat sonnes and doughters. and all the dayes of Adam which he
lyved/ were .ix. hundred and .xxx. yere/ and then he dyed.

And Seth lyved an hundred and .v. yeres/ and begat Enos. And after he
had begot Enos he lyved .viij. hundred and .vij. yere/ and begat
sonnes and doughters. And all the dayes of Seth were .ix. hundred and
.xij. yere/ and dyed.

And Enos lyved .lxxxx. yere and begat kenan. And Enos after he begat
kenan/ lyved viij. hundred and .xv. yere/ and begat sonnes and
doughters: and all the dayes of Enos were .ix hundred and .v. yere/
and than he dyed.

And kenan lyued .lxx. yere and begat Mahalaliel. And kenan after he
had begot Mahalaliel/ lyved .viij. hundred and .xl. yere and begat
sonnes and doughters: and al the dayes of kenan were .ix. hundred and
.x. yere/ and than he dyed.

And Mahalaliel lyued .lxv. yere/ and begat Iared. And Mahalaliel after
he had begot Iared lyved .viij. hundred and .xxx. yere and begat
sonnes and doughters: and all the dayes of Mahalalyell were .viij.
hundred nynetye and .v. yeare/ and than he dyed

And Iared lyved an hundred and .lxij. yere and begat Henoch: and Iared
lyved after he begat Henoch .viij. hundred yere and begat sonnes and
doughters. And all the dayes of Iared were .ix. hundred and .lxij.
yere/ and than he dyed.

And Henoch lyved .lxv. yere ad begat Mathusala. And Henoch walked wyth
god after he had begot Mathusala .iij. hundred yere/ and begat
sonnes and doughters. And all the dayes of Henoch were .iij. hundred
and .lxv. yere. and than Henoch lyved a godly lyfe/ and was nomore
sene/ for God toke hym away.

And Mathusala lyved an hundred and lxxxvij. yere and begat Lamech: and
Mathusala after he had begot Lamech/ lyved .vij. hundred and .lxxxij.
yere/ ad begat sonnes and doughters. And all the dayes of Methusala
were .ix. hundred .lxix yere/ and than he dyed.

And Lamech lyved an hundred .lxxxij. yere & begat a sonne and called
hym Noe sayng. This same shall comforte vs: as concernynge oure worke
and sorowe of oure handes which we haue aboute the erthe that the
LORde hath cursed. And Lamech lyved after he had begot Noe v. hundred/
nynetie and .v. yere/ and begat sonnes and doughters. And all the
dayes of Lamech were .vij. hundred .lxxvij. yere/ and than he dyed.
And when Noe was .v. hundred yere olde/ he begat Sem/ Ham and Iaphet.




¶ The .vj. Chapter.


And it came to passe/ wha men bega to multiplye apo the erth ad had
begot them doughters/ the sonnes of God sawe the doughters of men that
they were fayre/ and toke vnto them wyves/ which they best liked amoge
th[~e] all. And the LORd sayd: My spirite shall not all waye stryve
withe man/ for they are flesh. Nevertheles I wyll geue them yet space/
and hundred and .xx. yeres

There were tirantes in the world in thos dayes. For after that the
children of God had gone in vnto the doughters of men and had begotten
them childern/ the same childern were the mightiest of the world and
men of renowne And whan the LORde sawe y^t the wekednesse of man was
encreased apon the erth/ and that all the ymaginacion and toughtes of
his hert was only evell continually/ he repented that he had made man
apon the erth and sorowed in his hert. And sayd: I wyll destroy
mankynde which I haue made/ fro of the face of the erth: both man/
beast/ worme and foule of the ayre/ for it rep[~e]teth me that I haue
made them. But yet Noe found grace in the syghte of the LORde.

These are the generatios of Noe. Noe was a righteous man and
vncorrupte in his tyme/ & walked wyth god. And Noe begat .iij. sonnes:
Sem/ Ham and Iapheth And the erth was corrupte in the syghte of god
and was full of mischefe. And God loked vpon the erth/ ad loo it was
corrupte: for all flesh had corrupte his way vppon the erth.

Than sayd God to Noe: the end of all flesh is come before me/ for the
erth is full of there myschefe. And loo/ I wyll destroy them with the
erth. Make the an arcke of pyne tree/ and make chaumbers in the arcke/
and pytch it wythin and wythout wyth pytch. And of this facion shalt
thou make it.

The lenth of the arcke shall be .iij. hundred cubytes/ ad the bredth
of it .l. cubytes/ and the heyth of it .xxx. cubytes. A wyndow shalt
thou make aboue in the arcke. And wythin a cubyte compasse shalt thou
finysh it. And the dore of the arcke shalt thou sette in y^e syde of
it: and thou shalt make it with iij loftes one aboue an other. For
behold I wil bringe in a floud of water apon the erth to destroy all
flesh from vnder heaven/ wherin breth of life is so that all that is
in the erth shall perish. But I will make myne apoyntement with the/
that both thou shalt come in to y^e arcke and thy sonnes/ thy wyfe and
thy sonnes wyves with the.

And of all that lyveth what soever flesh it be/ shalt thou brynge in
to the arcke/ of every thynge a payre/ to kepe them a lyve wyth the.
And male and female se that they be/ of byrdes in their kynde/ and of
beastes in their kynde/ and of all maner of wormes of the erth in
their kinde: a payre of every thinge shall come vnto the to kepe them
a lyve. And take vnto the of all maner of meate y^t may be eaten &
laye it vp in stoore by the/ that it may be meate both for y^e and for
th[~e]: and Noe did acordynge to all that God commaunded hym.




The .vij. Chapter.


And the LORde sayd vnto Noe: goo in to the arcke both thou and all thy
houssold. For the haue I sene rightuous before me in thys generacion.
Of all clene beastes take vnto the .vij. of every kynde the male and
hys female And of vnclene beastes a payre/ the male and hys female:
lykewyse of the byrdes of the ayre vij. of every kynde/ male and
female to save seed vppon all the erth. For .vij. dayes hence wyll I
send rayne vppo the erth .xl. days & .xl. nyghtes and wyll dystroy all
maner of thynges that I haue made/ from of the face of the erth..

And Noe dyd acordynge to all y^t the lorde comaunded hym: and Noe was
.vi. hundred yere olde/ when the floud of water came vppon the erth:
and Noe went and his sonnes and his wyfe and his sonnes wyves wyth
hym/ in to the arke from the waters of the floud. And of clene beastes
and of beastes that are vnclene and of byrdes and of all that crepeth
vppo the erth/ came in by cooples of every kynde vnto Noe in to the
arke: a male and a female: even as God commaunded Noe. And the seventh
daye the waters of the floud came vppon the erth.

In the .vi. hundred yere of Noes lyfe/ in the secode moneth/ in the
.xvij daye of the moneth/ y^t same daye were all the founteynes of the
grete depe broken vp/ & the wyndowes of heav[~e] were opened/ ad there
fell a rayne vpon the erth .xl. dayes and .xl. nyghtes.

And the selfe same daye went Noe/ Sem/ Ham and Iapheth/ Noes sonnes/
and Noes wyfe and the .iij. wyues of his sonnes wyth them in to the
arke: both they and all maner of beastes in their k[~i]de/ & all maner
of catell in their kynde & all maner of wormes that crepe vppon the
erth in their kynde/ and all maner of byrdes in there kynde./ and all
maner off foules whatsoever had feders. And they came vnto Noe in to
the arke by cooples/ of all flesh y^t had breth of lyfe in it. And
they that came/ came male ad female of every flesh acord[~i]ge as God
comaunded hym: & y^e LORde shytt the dore vppo him

And the floud came .xl. dayes & .xl. nyghtes vppon the erth/ & the
water increased and bare vp the arcke ad it was lifte vp from of the
erth And the water prevayled and increased exceadingly vppon the erth:
and the arke went vppo the toppe of the waters.

And the waters prevayled excedingly above mesure vppo the erth/ so
that all the hye hylles which are vnder all the partes of heaven/ were
covered: ev[~e] .xv. cubytes hye prevayled the waters/ so that the
hylles were covered.

And all fleshe that moved on the erth/ bothe birdes catell and beastes
perisshed/ with al that crepte on the erth and all men: so that all
that had the breth of liffe in the nostrels of it thorow out all that
was on drye lond dyed.

Thus was destroyed all that was vppo the erth/ both man/ beastes/
wormes and foules of the ayre/ so that they were destroyed from the
erth: save Noe was reserved only and they that were wyth hym in the
arke. And the waters prevayled vppon the erth/ an hundred and fyftye
dayes.




The .viij. Chapter.


And god rem[~e]bred Noe & all y^e beastes & all y^e catell y^t were
with h[~i] in y^e arke And god made a wynde to blow vppo y^e erth/ &
y^e waters ceased: ad y^e fountaynes of the depe ad the wyndowes of
heav[~e] were stopte and the rayne of heaven was forbidd[~e]/ and the
waters returned from of y^e erth ad abated after the ende of an
hundred and .l. dayes.

And the arke rested vppo the mountayns of Ararat/ the .xvij. daye of
the .vij. moneth. And the waters went away ad decreased vntyll the x.
moneth. And the fyrst daye of the tenth moneth/ the toppes of the
mounteyns appered.

And after the ende of .xl. dayes. Noe opened the wyndow of the arke
which he had made/ ad sent forth a raven/ which went out/ ever goinge
and cominge agayne/ vntyll the waters were dreyed vpp vppon the erth

Then sent he forth a doue from hym/ to wete whether the waters were
fallen from of the erth. And when the doue coude fynde no restinge
place for hyr fote/ she returned to him agayne vnto the arke/ for the
waters were vppon the face of all the erth. And he put out hys honde
and toke her and pulled hyr to hym in to the arke

And he abode yet .vij. dayes mo/ and sent out the doue agayne out of
the arke/ And the doue came to hym agayne aboute eventyde/ and
beholde: There was in hyr mouth a lefe of an olyve tre which she had
plucked wherby Noe perceaved that the waters wer abated vppon the
erth. And he taried yet .vij. other dayes/ and sent forth the doue/
which from thence forth came no more agayne to him.

And it came to passe/ the syxte hundred and one yere and the fyrst
daye of the fyrst moneth/ that the waters were dryed vpp apon the
erth. And Noe toke off the hatches of the arke and loked: And beholde/
the face of the erth was drye. So by the .xxvij. daye of the seconde
moneth the erth was drye.

And God spake vnto Noe saynge: come out of the arcke/ both thou and
thy wyfe ad thy sonnes and thy sonnes wyues with the. And all the
beastes that are with the whatsoever flesh it be/ both foule and
catell and all maner wormes that crepe on the erth/ brynge out with
the/ and let them moue/ growe ad multiplye vppon the erth. And Noe
came out/ ad his sonnes and his wyfe and his sonnes wyues with hym.
And all the beastes/ and all the wormes/ and all the foules/ and all
that moved vppon the erth/ came also out of the arke/ all of one kynde
together.

And Noe made an aulter vnto the LORDE/ and toke of all maner of clene
beastes and all maner of clene foules/ and offred sacrifyce vppon the
aulter. And the LORDE smellyd a swete savoure and sayd in his hert: I
wyll henceforth no more curse the erth for mannes sake/ for the
imagynacion of mannes hert is evell/ even from the very youth of hym.
Morouer I wyll not destroy from henceforth all that lyveth as I haue
done. Nether shall sowynge tyme and harvest/ colde/ and hete/ somere &
wynter/ daye and nyghte ceasse/ as longe as the erth endureth.




¶ The .ix. Chapter.


And God blessed Noe and his sonnes/ and sayd vnto them: Increase and
multiplye and fyll the erth.

The feare also and drede of yow be vppon all beastes of the erth/ and
vppon all foules of the ayre/ ad vppon all that crepeth on the erth/
and vppon all fyshes of the see/ which are geuen vnto youre handes And
all that moveth vppon the erth havynge lyfe/ shall be youre meate:
Euen as y^e grene herbes/ so geue I yow all thynge. Only the flesh
with his life which is his bloud/ se that ye eate not.

[Sidenote: * This lawe and soch like to exequute/ were kinges and
rulars ordeyned of God wherfore they ought not to suffre the popes
Caimes thus to shede bloud theirs not shed ageyne/ nether yet to sett
vpp their abhominable s[~e]tuaryes & necke verses cleane agenste the
ordinaunce of god/ but vnto their danacyon]

* For verely the bloude of yow wherein youre lyves are wyll I
requyre: Eu[~e] of the hande of all beastes wyll I requyre it/ And of
the hande of man and of the hand off euery mannes brother/ wyll I
requyre the lyfe of man: so y^t he which shedeth mannes bloude/ shall
haue hys bloud shed by man agayne: for God made man after his awne
lyckness. See that ye encrease/ and waxe/ and be occupyde vppon the
erth/ & multiplye therein.

Farthermore God spake vnto Noe & to hys sonnes wyth hym saynge: see/ I
make my bod wyth you and youre seed after you/ and wyth all lyvynge
thinge that is wyth you: both foule and catell/ and all maner beste of
the erth that is wyth yow/ of all that commeth out of the arke/ what
soeuer beste of the erth it be.

I make my bonde wyth yow/ that hence forth all flesh shall not be
destroyed wyth y^e waters of any floud/ ad y^t hence forth there shall
not be a floud to destroy the erth.

And God sayd. This is the token of my bode which I make betwene me and
yow/ ad betwene all lyvynge thyng that is with yow for ever: I wyll
sette my bowe in the cloudes/ and it shall be a sygne of the
appoyntment made betwene me and the erth: So that when I bryng in
cloudes vpo y^e erth/ the bowe shall appere in y^e cloudes. And than
wyll I thynke vppon my testament which I haue made betwene me and yow/
and all that lyveth what soeuer flesh it be. So that henceforth there
shall be no more waters to make a floud to destroy all flesh.

The bowe shalbe in the cloudes/ and I wyll loke vpon it/ to remembre
the euerlastynge testament betwene God and all the lyveth vppon the
erth/ what soeuer flesh it be. And God sayd vnto Noe: This is the
sygne of the testament which I have made betwene me and all flesh y^t
is on the erth.

The sonnes of Noe that came out of the arke were: Sem/ Ham and
Iapheth. And Ham he is the father of Canaa. These are the .iij.
sonnes of Noe/ and of these was all the world overspred.

And Noe beynge an husbad man/ went furth and planted a vyneyarde and
drancke of the wyne and was droncke/ and laye vncouered in the myddest
of his t[~e]t. And Ham the father of Canaan sawe his fathers
prevytees/ & tolde his ij. brethren that were wythout. And Sem and
Iapheth toke a mantell and put it on both there shulders ad went
backward/ ad covered there fathers secrets/ but there faces were
backward So that they sawe not there fathers nakydnes. As soone as Noe
was awaked fro his wyne and wyst what his yongest sonne had done vnto
hym/ he sayd: cursed be Canaan/ ad a seruante of all seruantes be he
to his brethren. And he sayd: Blessed be the LORde God of S[~e]/ and
Canaan be his seruante. God increase Iapheth that he may dwelle in the
tentes of Sem. And Canaan be their seruante.

And Noe lyved after the floude .iij. hundred and .l. yere: So that all
the dayes of Noe were ix. hundred and .l. yere/ ad than he dyed.




The .x. Chapter.


These are the generations of the sonnes of Noe: of Sem/ Ham and
Iapheth/ which begat them children after the floude.

The sonnes of Iapheth were: Gomyr/ Magog/ Madai/ Iauan/ Tuball/ Mesech
and Thyras. And the sonnes of Gomyr were: Ascenas Riphat and Togarma.
And the sonnes of Iauan were: Elisa/ Tharsis/ Cithim and Dodanim. Of
these came the Iles of the gentylls in there contres/ every man in his
speach/ kynred and nation.

The sonnes of Ham were: Chus Misraim Phut and Canaan. The sonnes of
Chus: were Seba/ Heuila/ Sabta/ Rayma and Sabtema. And the sonnes of
Rayma were: Sheba/ & Dedan. Chus also begot Nemrod/ which bega to be
myghtye in the erth. He was a myghtie hunter in the syghte of the
LORde: Where of came the proverbe: he is as Nemrod that myghtie hunter
in the syghte of the LORde. And the begynnynge of hys kyngdome was
Babell/ Erech/ Achad and Chalne in the lande of Synear: Out of that
lande came Assur and buylded Ninyue/ and the cyte rehoboth/ and Calah
And Ressen betwene Ninyue ad Chalah. That is a grete cyte. And Mizraim
begat ludim/ Enamim/ Leabim/ Naphtuhim/ Pathrusim & Casluhim: from
whence came the Philystyns/ and the Capthiherynes.

Canaan also begat zidon his eldest sonne & Heth/ Iebusi/ Emori/
Girgosi/ Hiui/ Arki/ Sini/ Aruadi/ Zemari and hamati. And afterward
sprange the kynreds of the Canaanytes And the costes of the Canaanytes
were fro Sydon tyll thou come to Gerara & to Asa/ & tyll thou come to
Sodoma/ Gomorra/ Adama Zeboim: ev[~e] vnto Lasa. These were the
chyldre of Ham in there kynreddes/ tonges/ landes and nations.

And Sem the father of all y^e childr[~e] of Eber and the eldest
brother of Iapheth/ begat children also. And his sonnes were: Elam
Assur/ Arphachsad/ Lud ad Aram. And y^e childree of Aram were: Vz/
Hul/ Gether & Mas And Arphachsad begat Sala/ and Sala begat Eber. And
Eber begat .ij. sonnes. The name of the one was Peleg/ for in his tyme
the erth was devyded. And the name of his brother was Iaketan:

Iaketan begat Almodad/ Saleph/ Hyzarmoueth/ Iarah/ Hadoram/ Vsal/
Dikela/ Obal/ Abimael/ Seba/ Ophir/ Heuila & Iobab. All these are the
sonnes of Iaketan. And the dwellynge of them was from Mesa vntill thou
come vnto Sephara a mountayne of the easte lande. These are the sonnes
o Sem in their kynreddes/ languages/ contrees and nations. These are
the kynreddes of the sonnes of Noe/ in their generations and nations.
And of these came the people that were in the world after the floude.




¶ The .xi. chapter.


And all the world was of one tonge and one language. And as they came
from the east/ they founde a playne in the lande of Synear/ and there
they dwelled. And they sayd one to a nother: come on/ let us make
brycke ad burne it wyth fyre. So brycke was there stone and slyme was
there morter And they sayd: Come on/ let vs buylde vs a cyte and a
toure/ that the toppe may reach vnto heauen. And let vs make us a
name/ for perauenture we shall be scatered abrode over all the erth.

And the LORde came downe to see the cyte and the toure which the
childern of Ada had buylded. And the LORde sayd: See/ the people is
one and haue one tonge amonge them all. And thys haue they begon to
do/ and wyll not leaue of from all that they haue purposed to do. Come
on/ let vs descende and myngell theire tonge even there/ that one
vnderstonde not what a nother sayeth. Thus y^e LORde skatered them
from thence vppon all the erth. And they left of to buylde the cyte.
Wherfore the name of it is called Babell/ because that the LORDE there
confounded the tonge of all the world. And because that the LORde from
thence/ skatered them abrode vppon all the erth.

These are the generations of Sem: S[~e] was an hundred yere olde and
begat Arephachsad ij. yere after the floude. And S[~e] lyved after he
had begot Arphachsad .v. hundred yere an begat sonnes and doughters.

And Arphacsad lyued .xxxv. yere and begat Sala/ and lyved after he
had begot Sala iiij. h[~u]dred yere & .iij & begat sonnes and
doughters. And Sala was .xxx. yere old and begat Eber/ ad lyued after
he had begot Eber .iiij. h[~u]dred and thre yere/ ad begat sonnes and
doughters

When Eber was .xxxiiij. yere olde/ he begat Peleg/ and lyued after he
had begot Peleg/ foure hundred and .xxx. yere/ and begat sonnes and
doughters.

And Peleg when he was .xxx. yere olde begat Regu/ and lyued after he
had begot Regu .ij. hundred and .ix. yere/ and begat sonnes and
doughters.

And Regu when he had lyued .xxxij. yere begat Serug/ and lyued after
he had begot Serug .ij. hundred and .vij. yere/ and begat sonnes and
doughters.

And when Serug was .xxx. yere olde/ he begat Nahor/ and lyued after he
had begot Nahor .ij. hundred yere/ and begat sonnes & doughters.

And Nahor when he was .xxix. yere olde/ begat Terah/ and lyved after
he had begot Terah/ an hundred and .xix. yere/ and begat sonnes and
doughters.

And when Terah was .lxx. yere olde/ he begat Abram/ Nahor and Haran.

And these are the generations of Terah. Terah begat Abram/ Nahor and
Haran. And Haran begat Lot. And Haran dyed before Terah his father in
the londe where he was borne/ at Vr in Chaldea. And Abram and Nahor
toke them wyves. Abras wyfe was called Sarai. And Nahors wyfe Mylca
the doughter of Haran which was father of Milca ad of Iisca. But Sarai
was baren and had no childe.

Than toke Terah Abram his sonne and Lot his sonne Harans sonne/ &
Sarai his doughter in lawe his sone Abrams wyfe. And they went wyth
hym from Vr in Chaldea/ to go in to the lade of Chanaan. And they came
to Haran and dwelled there. And when Terah was ij. hundred yere old
and .v. he dyed in Haran.




¶ The .xij. Chapter.


Then the LORde sayd vnto Abra Gett the out of thy contre and from thy
kynred/ and out of thy fathers house/ into a londe which I wyll shewe
the. And I wyll make of the a myghtie people/ and wyll blesse the/ and
make thy name grete/ that thou mayst be a blessinge. And I wyll blesse
th[~e] that blesse the/ ad curse th[~e] that curse the. And in the
shall be blessed all the generations of the erth.

And Abram w[~e]t as the LORde badd hym/ and Lot went wyth hym. Abram
was .lxxv. yere olde/ when he went out of Haran. And Abram toke Sarai
his wyfe ad Lot his brothers sonne/ wyth all their goodes which they
had goten and soulles which they had begoten in Haran. And they
departed to goo in to the lade of Chanaan. And when they were come in
to the lande of Chanaan/ Abram went furth in to the lade tyll he came
vnto a place called Sychem/ and vnto the oke of More. And the
Canaanytes dwelled then in the lande.

Then the LORde apeared vnto Abram ad sayd: vnto thy seed wyll I geue
thys lade. And he buylded an aultere there vnto the LORDE which
apeared to hym. Then departed he thence vnto a mountayne that lyeth on
the east syde of BETHEL and pytched his tente: BETHEL beynge on the
west syde/ and Ay on the east: And he buylded there an aulter vnto the
LORde/ and called on the name of y^e LORde. And than Abram departed
and toke his iourney southwarde

After thys there came a derth in the lande. And Abram went doune in to
Egipte to soiourne there/ for the derth was sore in the lande. And
when he was come nye for to entre in to Egipte/ he sayd vnto Sarai his
wife. Beholde/ I knowe that thou art a fayre woman to loke apo. It
wyll come to passe therfore wh[~e] the Egiptians see the/ that they
wyll say: she is his wyfe. And so shall they sley me and save the.
Saye I praye the therfore that thou art my sister/ that I maye fare
the better by reason of the and that my soule may lyue for thy sake.

As soone as he came in to Egipte/ the Egiptias sawe the woman that she
was very fayre. And Pharaos lordes sawe hir also/ and praysed hir vnto
Pharao: So that she was taken in to Pharaos house/ which entreated
Abram well for hir sake/ so that he had shepe/ oxsen ad he asses/ men
seruantes/ mayde seruates/ she asses and camels.

But God plaged Pharao/ and his house wyth grete plages/ because of
Sarai Abrams wyfe. Then Pharao called Abram and sayd: why hast thou
thus dealt with me? Wherfore toldest thou me not that she was thy
wyfe? Why saydest thou that she was thy sister/ and causedest me to
take hyr to my wyfe? But now loo/ there is the wife/ take hir ad be
walkynge. Pharao also gaue a charge vnto his men over Abram/ to leade
hym out/ wyth his wyfe and all that he had.




¶ The .xiij. Chapter.


Than Abram departed out of Egipte/ both he and his wyfe and all that
he had/ and Lot wyth hym vnto the south. Abram was very rych in
catell/ syluer & gold. And he went on his iourney fro the south even
vnto BETHEL/ ad vnto the place where his tente was at the fyrst tyme
betwene BETHEL and Ay/ and vnto the place of the aulter which he made
before. And there called Abram vpon the name of the LORde.

Lot also which went wyth hym had shepe/ catell and tentes: so that the
londe was not abill to receaue/ them that they myght dwell to gether/
for the substance of their riches was so greate/ that they coude not
dwell to gether And there fell a stryfe betwene the herdmen of Abrams
catell/ and the herdmen of Lots catell. Moreouer the Cananytes and the
Pherysites dwelled at that tyme in the lande.

Than sayd Abram vnto Lot: let there be no stryfe I praye the betwene
the and me and betwene my herdmen and thyne/ for we be brethren. Ys
not all the hole lande before the? Departe I praye the fro me. Yf thou
wylt take the lefte hande/ I wyll take the right: Or yf thou take the
right hande I wyll take the left. And Lot lyft vp hys eyes and beheld
all the contre aboute Iordane/ which was a plenteous contre of water
every where/ before the LORde destroyed Sodoma and Gomorra. Even as
the garden of the LORde/ & as the lande of Egipte tyll thou come to
Zoar.

Than Lot chose all the costes of Iordane ad toke hys iourney from the
east. And so departed the one brother from the other. Abram dwelled in
the lande of Canaan. And lot in the cytes of the playne/ & tented tyll
he came to Sodome. But the men of sodome were wyked and synned
exceadyngly agenst the LORde.

And the LORde sayed vnto Abram/ after that Lot was departed from hym:
lyfte vp thyne eyes & loke from y^e place where thou art/ northward/
southward/ eastward and westward/ for all the lande which thou seiste
wyll I gyue vnto the & to thy seed forever. And I wyll make thy seed/
as the dust of the erth: so that yf a ma can nombre the dust of the
erth/ than shall thy seed also be nombred. Aryse and walke aboute in
the lande/ in the length of it ad in the bredth for I wyll geue it
vnto the.

Than Abra toke downe hys tente/ & went and dwelled in the okegrove of
Mamre which is in Ebron and buylded there an altar to the LORde.




The .xiiij. Chapter.


And it chaunsed within a while/ that Amraphel kynge of Synear/ Arioch
kynge of Ellasar/ Kedorlaomer kynge of Elam and Thydeall kynge of the
nations: made warre wyth Bera kynge of Sodoh and with Birsa kynge of
Gomorra. And wythe Sineab kynge of Adama/ & with Semeaber kynge of
Zeboim/ and wyth the kynge of Bela Which Bela is called Zoar. All
these came together vnto the vale of siddim which is now the salt see
Twelve yere were they subiecte to kinge kedorlaomer/ and in the .xiij.
yere rebelled.

Therfore in the .xiiij. yere came kedorlaomer and the kynges that were
wyth hym/ and smote the Raphayms in Astarath Karnaim/ and the Susims
in Ham/ ad the Emyms in Sabe Kariathaim/ and the Horyms in their awne
mounte Seir vnto the playne of Pharan/ which bordreth vpon the
wyldernesse. And then turned they and came to the well of iugmente
which is Cades/ and smote all the contre of the Amalechites/ and also
the amorytes that dwell in Hazezon Thamar.

Than went out the kynge of Sodome/ and the kynge of Gomorra/ and the
kinge of Adama and the kynge of Zeboijm/ and the kynge of Bela now
called Zoar. And sette their men in aray to fyghte wyth them in the
vale of siddim/ that is to say/ wyth kedorlaomer the kynge of Elam and
with Thydeall kynge of the Nations/ and wyth Amraphel kynge of Synear.
And with Arioch kynge of Ellasar: foure kynges agenste v. And that
vale of siddim was full of slyme pyttes.

And the kynges of Sodome and Gomorra fled/ and fell there. And the
resydue fled to the mountaynes. And they toke all the goodes of
Sodome and Gomorra and all their vitalles/ ad went their waye. And
they toke Lot also Abrams brothers sonne and his good (for he dwelled
at Sodome) and departed:

Than came one that had escaped/ and tolde Abram the hebrue which
dwelled in the okegrove of Mamre the Amoryte brother of Eschol and
Aner: which were confederate wyth Abram. When Abram herde that his
brother was taken/ he harnessed his seruantes borne in his owne house
.iij. hundred & .xviij. ad folowed tyll they came at Dan. And sette
hymselfe ad his seruantes in aray/ & fell vpon them by nyght/ & smote
them/ & chased them awaye vnto Hoba: which lyeth on the lefte hande of
Damascos/ and broughte agayne all the goodes/ & also his brother Lot/
ad his goodes/ the wem[~e] also and the people.

And as he retourned agayne from the slaughter of kedorlaomer and of
the kynges that were with hym/ than came the kynge of Sodome agaynst
hym vnto the vale of Saue which now is called kynges dale.

Than Melchisedech kinge of Salem brought forth breed and wyne. And he
beynge the prest of the most hyghest God/ blessed hym saynge. Blessed
be Abram vnto the most hyghest God/ possessor of heaven and erth. And
blessed be God the most hyghest/ which hath delyvered thyne enimies in
to thy handes. And Abra gaue hym tythes of all.

Than sayd the kynge of Sodome vnto Abram: gyue me the soulles/ and
take the goodes to thy selfe. And Abram answered the kynge of Sodome:
I lyfte vpp my hande vnto the LORde God most hygh possessor of heaven
ad erth/ that I will not take of all y^t is thyne/ so moch as a thred
or a shoulachet/ lest thou shuldest saye I haue made Abra ryche. Saue
only that which the yonge men haue eaten ad the partes of the men
which went wyth me. Aner/ Escholl & Mamre. Let them take their partes.




xv. Chapter.


After these deades/ y^e worde of God came vnto Abram in a vision
saynge feare not Abram/ I am thy shilde/ and thy rewarde shalbe
exceadynge greate. And Abram answered: LORde Iehouah what wilt thou
geue me: I goo childlesse/ and the cater of myne housse/ this Eleasar
of Damasco hath a sonne. And Abram sayd: se/ to me hast thou geven no
seed: lo/ a lad borne in my housse shal be myne heyre.

And beholde/ the worde of the LORde spake vnto Abram sayenge: He shall
not be thyne heyre/ but one that shall come out of thyne awne bodye
shalbe thyne heyre. And he brought him out at the doores ad sayde.
Loke vpp vnto heaven and tell the starres/ yf thou be able to nobre
them. And sayde vnto him Even so shall thy seed be.

And Abram beleved the LORde/ and it was counted to him for rightwesnes.
And he sayde vnto hym: I am the LORde that brought the out of Vr in
Chaldea to geue this lande to possesse it.

And he sayde: LORde God/ whereby shall I knowe that I shall possesse
it? And he sayde vnto him: take an heyfer of .iij. yere olde/ and a
she gotte of thre yeres olde/ and a thre yere olde ram/ a turtill doue
and a yonge pigeon. And he toke all these and devyded them in the
myddes/ and layde euery pece/ one over agenst a nother. But the foules
devyded he not. And the byrdes fell on the carcases/ but Abra droue
th[~e] awaye. And when the sonne was doune/ there fell a slomber apon
Abram. And loo/ feare and greate darknesse came apon hym.

And he sayde vnto Abram: knowe this of a suertie/ that thi seed shalbe
a straunger in a lande that perteyneth not vnto th[~e]. And they shall
make bondmen of them and entreate them evell iiij. hundred yeares. But
the nation whom they shall serue/ wyll I iudge. And after warde shall
they come out wyth greate substace. Neuerthelesse thou shalt goo vnto
thi fathers in peace/ ad shalt be buried when thou art of a good age:
ad in the fourth generation they shall come hyther agayne/ for the
wekednesse of the Amorites ys not yet full.

When the sonne was doune and it was waxed darcke: beholde/ there was a
smokynge furnisse and a fyre brand that went betwene the sayde peces.

And that same daye the LORde made a covenaunte with Abram saynge: vnto
thy seed wyll I geue thys londe/ fro the ryver of Egypte/ even
vnto the greate ryver euphrates: the kenytes/ the kenizites/ the
Cadmonites/ the Hethites/ the Pherezites/ the Raphaims/ the Amorytes/
the Canaanites/ the Gergesites and the Iebusites.




The .xvi. Chapter.


Sarai Abrams wyfe bare him no childerne. But she had an hand mayde an
Egiptian/ whose name was Hagar. Wherfore she sayde vnto Abram. Beholde
the LORde hath closed me/ that I can not bere. I praye the goo in vnto
my mayde/ peradu[~e]ture I shall be multiplyed by meanes of her And
Abram herde the voyce of Sarai. Than Sarai Abrams wife toke Hagar hyr
mayde the Egitian (after Abram had dwelled .x. yere in the lande of
Canaan) and gaue her to hyr husbonde Abram/ to be his wyfe.

And he wente in vnto Hagar/ & she conceaved. And when she sawe that
she had conceyved hyr mastresse was despised in hyr syghte. Than sayd
Sarai vnto Abram: Thou dost me vnrighte/ for I haue geuen my mayde
into thy bosome: & now because she seyth that she hath coceaved/ I am
despysed in hyr syghte: the LORde iudge betwene the and me. Than sayde
Abra to Sarai: beholde/ thy mayde is in thy hande/ do with hyr as it
pleaseth the.

And because Sarai fared foule with her/ she fled from her. And the
angell of the LORde founde her besyde a fountayne of water in the
wyldernes: euen by a well in the way to Sur. And he sayde: Hagar
Sarais mayde/ whence comest thou and whether wylt thou goo? And she
answered: I flee from my mastresse Sarai. And the angell of the LORde
sayde vnto her: returne to thy mastresse agayne/ & submytte thy selfe
vnder her handes.

And the angell of y^e LORde sayde vnto her: I will so encrease thy
seed/ that it shall not be numbred for multitude. And the LORdes
angell sayd further vnto her: se/ thou art wyth childe and shalt bere
a sonne/ and shalt call his name Ismael: because the LORDE hath herde
thy tribulation. He will be a wylde man/ and his hande will be agenst
every man/ & euery mans hande agenst him. And yet shall he dwell faste
by all his brothren.

And she called the name of the LORde that spake vnto her: thou art the
God that lokest on me/ for she sayde: I haue of a suertie sene here
the backe parties of him that seith me. Wherfore she called the well/
the well of the lyuynge that seith me which well is betwene Cades &
Bared.

And Hagar bare Abram a sonne/ and Abram called his sons name which
Hagar bare Ismaell. And Abram was .lxxxvi. yere olde/ when Hagar bare
him Ismael.




¶ The .xvij. Chapter.


When Abram was nynetye yere olde & ix. the LORde apeared to hym
sayenge: I am the almyghtie God: walke before me ad be vncorrupte. And
I wyll make my bonde betwene the and me/ and wyll multiplye the
excedyngly. And Abra fell on his face. And God talked moreover with
hym saynge: I am/ beholde my testam[~e]t is with the/ that thou shalt
be a father of many natios. Therfore/ shalt thou no more be called
Abram/ but thy name shalbe Abraham: for a father of many nations haue
I made the/ and I will multiplye the excedyngly/ and wyll make nations
of the: yes and kynges shall sprynge out of the.

Moreover I will make my bonde betwene me and the/ and thy seed after
the/ in their tymes to be an everlastynge testament/ So that I wyll
be God vnto the and to thy seed after the. And I will geue vnto the ad
to thy seed after the/ the lande where in thou arte a straunger: Euen
all the lande of Canaan/ for an everlastynge possession/ and wil be
their God.

And God sayde vnto Abraha: Se thou kepe my testamente/ both thou & thy
seed after the in their tymes: This is my testamente which ye shall
kepe betwene me and you and thy seed after the/ that ye circ[~u]cyse
all youre men childern Ye shall circumcyse the foreskynne of youre
flesh/ ad it shal be a token of the bond betwixte me and you. And
euery manchilde when it is viij. dayes olde/ shal be circ[~u]cysed
amonge you in youre generations/ and all seruauntes also borne at home
or boughte with money though they be straungers and not of thy seed.
The seruaunte borne in thy housse/ ad he also that is bought with
money/ must needes be circumcysed/ that my testament may be in youre
flesh/ for an everlastynge bonde. Yf there be any vncircuncysed
manchilde/ that hath not the forskynne of his flesh cutt of/ his soule
shall perish from his people: because he hath brok[~e] my testam[~e]t

And God sayde vnto Abraham. Sarai thy wyfe shall nomore be called
Sarai: but Sara shall hir name be. For I will blesse her & geue the a
sonne of her and will blesse her: so that people/ ye and kynges of
people shall springe of her. And Abraham fell vpon his face ad
laughte/ and sayd in his harte: shall a childe be borne vnto hym that
is an hundred yere olde/ ad shall Sara that is nynetie yere olde/
bere? And Abraha sayde vnto God. O that Ismaell myghte lyve in thy
syghte.

Th[~e] sayde God: na/ Sara thy wife shall bere the a sonne/ ad thou
shalt call his name Isaac. And I will make my bonde with him/ that it
shall be an everlastynge bonde vnto his seed after him. And as
concernynge Ismaell also/ I haue herde thy request: loo/ I will blesse
him and encrease him/ and multiplye him excedyngly. Twelve prynces
shall he begete/ and I will make a great nation of him. But my bonde
will I make with Isaac/ which Sara shall bere vnto the: even this tyme
twelue moneth.

And God left of talkynge with him/ and departed vp from Abraham. And
Abraham toke Ismaell his sonne & all the servauntes borne in his
housse and all that was bought with money as many as were menchildren
amonge the m[~e] of Abrahas housse/ and circumcysed the foreskynne of
their flesh/ even the selfe same daye/ as God had sayde vnto him.
Abraham was nynetie yere olde and .ix. when he cutt of the foreskynne
of his flesh. And Ismaell his sonne was .xiij. yere olde/ when the
foreskynne of hys flesh was circumcysed. The selfe same daye was
Abraha circ[~u]cised & Ismael his sonne. And all the men in his
housse/ whether they were borne in his housse or bought wyth money
(though they were straungers) were circumcysed with him.




¶ The .xviij. Chapter.


And the LORde apeared vnto him in the okegrove of Mamre as he sat in
his tent dore in the heate of the daye. And he lyfte vp his eyes and
looked: ad lo/ thre men stode not farr from hym. And wh[~e] he sawe
them/ he ran agenst them from the tent dore/ and fell to the grounde
and sayde: LORde yf I haue founde fauoure in thy syght/ goo not by thi
seruaunte. Let a litle water be fett/ & wash youre fete/ and rest
youre selves vnder the tree: And I will fett a morsell of breed/ to
comforte youre hartes wythall. And tha goo youre wayes/ for even
therfore ar ye come to youre servaunte. And they answered: Do even so
as thou hast sayde.

And Abraha went a pace in to his tent vnto Sara ad sayde: make redy
attonce thre peckes of fyne meale/ kneade it and make cakes. And
Abraham ran vnto his beastes and fett a calfe that was tendre and
good/ and gaue it vnto a yonge man which made it redy attonce. And he
toke butter & mylcke and the calfe which he had prepared/ and sett it
before them/ and stode hymselfe by them vnder the tree: and they ate.

And they sayde vnto him: Where is Sara thy wife? And he sayde: in the
tent. And he sayde: I will come agayne vnto the as soone as the frute
can lyue. And loo: Sara thy wife shall haue a sonne. That herde Sara/
out of the tent doore which was behind his backe. Abraham and Sara
were both olde and well stryken in age/ and it ceased to be with Sara
after the maner as it is wyth wyves. And Sara laughed in hir selfe
saynge: Now I am waxed olde/ shall I geue my selfe to lust/ and my
lorde olde also?

Than sayd the LORde vnto Abraha: wherfore doth Sara laughe saynge:
shal I of a suertie bere a childe/ now when I am olde? is the thinge
to harde for the LORde to do? In the tyme appoynted will I returne
vnto the/ as soone as the frute can haue lyfe/ And Sara shall haue a
sonne. Than Sara denyed it saynge: I laughed not/ for she was afrayde.
But he sayde: yes thou laughtest.

Than the men stode vp from thence and loked towarde Sodome. And
Abraham went with them to brynge them on the waye. And the LORde
sayde: Can I hyde from Abraham that thinge which I am aboute to do/
seynge that Abraham shalt be a great ad a myghtie people/ and all the
nations of the erth shalbe blessed in him? For I knowe him that he
will commaunde his childern and his housholde after him/ y^t they
kepe the waye of the LORde/ to do after righte and conscyence/ that
the LORde may brynge vppon Abraham that he hath promysed him.

And the LORde sayde: The crie of Sodome and Gomorra is great/ and
there synne is excedynge grevous. I will go downe and see whether they
haue done all to gedder acordynge to that crye which is come vnto me
or not/ that I may knowe. And the m[~e] departed th[~e]ce and went to
Sodomeward. But Abraham stode yet before y^e LORde/ & drewe nere &
sayde

Wylt thou destroy the rightwes with the wyked? Yf there be .l.
rightwes within the cyte/ wilt thou destroy it and not spare the place
for the sake of .l. rightwes that are therin? That be farre from the/
that thou shuldest be after thys maner/ to sley the rightwes with the
weked/ ad that the rightwes shulde be as the weked: that be farre from
the. Shulde not the iudge of all y^e worlde do acordynge to righte?
And the LORde sayde: Yf I fynde in Sodome .l. rightwes within the
cyte/ I will spare all the place for their sakes.

And Abraham answered and sayde: beholde I haue taken vppon me to
speake vnto y^e LORde/ ad yet am but dust ad asshes. What though there
lacke .v. of .l. rightwes/ wylt thou destroy all the cyte for lacke of
.v? And he sayde: Yf I fynde there .xl. and .v. I will not destroy
them.

And he spake vnto him yet agayne and sayde: what yf there be xl.
fo[~u]de there: And he sayde: I wyll not do it for forties sake. And
he sayde: O let not my LORde be angrye/ that I speake. What yf there
be fo[~u]de .xxx. there? And he sayde: I will not do it/ yf I finde
.xxx. there. And he sayde: Oh/ se/ I haue begonne to speake vnto my
LORde/ what yf there be .xx. founde there? And he sayde: I will not
distroy th[~e] for tw[~e]ties sake. And he sayde: O let not my LORde
be angrye/ that I speake yet/ but eu[~e] once more only. What yf ten
be founde there? And he sayde: I will not destroy th[~e] for .x. sake.

And the LORde w[~e]t his waye as soone as he had lefte comenynge with
Abraha. And Abraham returned vnto his place




¶ The .xix. Chapter.


And there came .ij. angells to Sodome at euen. And Lot satt at the
gate of the cyte. And Lot sawe th[~e]/ and rose vp agaynst them/ and
he bowed hym selfe to the grounde with his face. And he sayde: Se
lordes/ turne in I praye you in to youre servauntes house and tary all
nyghte & wash youre fete/ & ryse vp early and go on youre wayes. And
they sayde: nay/ but we will byde in the streates all nyghte. And he
copelled them excedyngly. And they turned in vnto hym and entred in to
his house/ and he made them a feaste and dyd bake swete cakes/ and
they ate.

But before they went to rest/ the men of the cyte of Sodome compassed
the house rownde aboute both olde and yonge/ all the people from all
quarters. And they called vnto Lot and sayde vnto him: where are the
men which came in to thy house to nyghte? brynge th[~e] out vnto vs
that we may do oure lust with them.

And Lot went out at doores vnto them and shote the dore after him and
sayde: nay for goddes sake brethren/ do no so wekedly. Beholde I haue
two doughters which haue knowne no man/ th[~e] will I brynge out vnto
you: do with them as it semeth you good: Only vnto these men do
nothynge/ for therfore came they vnder the shadowe of my rofe. And
they sayde: come hither. And they sayde: camest thou not in to
sogeorne/ and wilt thou be now a iudge? we will suerly deale worse
with the than with them

And as they preased sore vppon Lot and beganne to breake vp the doore/
the men put forth their handes and pulled Lot in to the house to them
and shott to the doore. And the men that were at the doore of the
house/ they smote with blyndnesse both small and greate: so that they
coude not fynde the doore.

And the men sayde moreover vnto Lot: Yf thou have yet here any sonne
in lawe or sonnes or doughters or what so euer thou hast in the cyte/
brynge it out of this place: for we must destroy this place/ because
the crye of th[~e] is great before the LORde. Wherfore he hath sent vs
to destroy it.

And Lot went out and spake vnto his sonnes in lawe which shulde haue
maried his doughters/ and sayde: stonde vpp and get yow out of this
place/ for the LORde will destroy the cite. But he semed as though he
had mocked/ vnto his sonnes in law.

And as the mornynge arose the angells caused Lot to spede him saynge.
Stonde vp/ take thy wyfe and thy two doughters and that that is at
hande/ lest thou perish in the synne of the cyte. And as he prolonged
the tyme/ the men caught both him/ his wife ad his two doughters by
the handes/ because the LORde was mercyfull vnto him/ ad they brought
him forth and sette him without the cyte.

When they had brought them out/ they sayde: Saue thy lyfe and loke not
behynde the nether tary thou in any place of the contre/ but saue thy
selfe in the mountayne/ lest thou perisshe. Than sayde Lot vnto them:
Oh nay my lorde: beholde/ in as moch as thy servaunte hath fownde
grace in thy syghte/ now make thi mercy great which thou shewest vnto
me in savinge my lyfe. For I can not saue my selfe in the mountayns/
lest some misfortune fall vpon me and I dye. Beholde/ here is a cyte
by/ to flee vnto/ and it is a lytle one: let me saue my selfe therein:
is it not a litle one/ that my soule may lyue?

And he sayde to him: se I haue receaved thy request as concernynge
this thynge/ that I will nott overthrowe this cytie for the which
thou hast spoken. Haste the/ ad saue thy selfe there/ for I can do
nothynge tyll thou be come in thyder. And therfore the name of the
cyte is called Zoar. And the sone was vppon the erth when Lot was
entred into Zoar.

Than the LORde rayned vpon Sodome and Gomorra/ brymstone and fyre from
the LORde out of heaven/ and overthrewe those cyteis and all the
region/ and all that dwelled in the cytes/ and that that grewe vpon
the erth. And lots wyfe loked behynde her/ ad was turned in to a
pillare of salte.

Abraham rose vp early and got him to the place where he stode before
the LORde/ and loked toward Sodome and Gomorra and toward all the
londe of that contre. And as he loked: beholde/ the smoke of the
contre arose as it had bene the smoke of a fornace. But yet wh[~e] God
destroyed the cities of y^e regio/ he thought a pon Abraha: and sent
Lot out from the dager of the overthrowenge/ when he overthrewe the
cyties where Lot dwelled.

And Lot departed out of Zoar and dwelled in the mountayns ad his .ij.
doughters with him for he feared to tary in Zoar: he dweld therfore in
a caue/ both he and his .ij. doughters also.

Than sayde the elder vnto the yonger oure father is olde/ and there
are no moo men in the erth to come in vnto vs after the maner of all
the world. Come therfore/ let vs geue oure father wyne to dryncke/ and
let vs lye with him that we may saue seed of oure father. And they
gaue their father wyne to drynke that same nyghte. And the elder
doughter went and laye with her father. And he perceaued it not/
nether when she laye doune/ nether when she rose vp.

And on the morewe the elder sayde vnto the yonger: beholde/ yesternyghte
laye I with my father. Let us geue hym wyne to drinke this nyghte
also/ and goo thou and lye with him/ and let us saue seed of oure
father. And they gaue their father wyne to drincke that nyghte also.
And the yonger arose and laye with him. And he perceaved it not:
nether when she laye downe/ nether when she rose vp.

Thus were both the doughters of lot with childe by their father And
the elder bare a sone and called hym Moab/ which is the father of the
Moabytes vnto this daye. And the yonger bare a sonne and called hym
Ben Ammi/ which is the father of the childern of Ammon vnto this daye.




The .xx. Chapter.


And Abraham departed thence towarde the southcontre and dwelled
betwene Cades and Sur ad sogeorned in Gerar. And Abraham sayde of Sara
his wyfe/ that she was his sister. Than Abimelech kynge of Gerar sent
and fett Sara awaye.

And God came to Abimelech by nyghte in a dreame and sayde to him: Se/
thou art but a deed man for the womas sake which thou hast taken
awaye/ for she is a mans wyfe. But Abimelech had not yet come nye her/
and therfore sayde: lorde wilt thou sley rightewes people? sayde not
he vnto me/ that she was hys sister? yee and sayde not she herself
that he was hir brother? wyth a pure herte and innocent handes haue I
done this.

And God sayde vnto him in a dreame. I wot it well that thou dydest it
in the purenesse of thi herte. And therfore I kepte y^e that thou
shuldest not synne agenst me/ nether suffred I the to come nygh her.
Now therfore delyuer the ma his wyfe ageyne/ for he is a prophete. And
let him praye for the that thou mayst lyue. But and yf thou delyuer
her not agayne/ be sure that thou shalt dye the deth/ with all that
thou hast.

Than Abimelech rose vp be tymes in the mornynge and called all his
servauntes/ and tolde all these thinges in their eares/ and the men
were sore a frayde. And Abimelech called Abraham and sayde vnto him:
What hast thou done vnto vs/ & what haue I offended the/ that thou
shuldest brynge on me and on my kyngdome so greate a synne? thou hast
done dedes vnto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech sayde
morouer vnto Abraham: What sawest thou that moved the to do this
thinge?

And Abraham Answered. I thought that peradv[~e]ture the feare of God
was not in this place/ and that they shulde sley me for my wyfes
sake: yet in very dede she is my sister/ the doughter of my father/
but not of my mother: and became my wyfe. And after God caused me to
wandre out of my fathers house/ I sayde vnto her: This kyndnesse shalt
thou shewe vnto me in all places where we come/ that thou saye of me/
how that I am thy brother.

Than toke Abimelech shepe and oxen/ menservauntes and wemenseruauntes
and gaue them vnto Abraham/ and delyvered him Sara his wyfe agayne.
And Abimelech sayde: beholde the lande lyeth be fore the/ dwell where
it pleaseth y^e best. And vnto Sara he sayde: Se I haue geuen thy
brother a thousande peeces of syluer/ beholde he shall be a couerynge
to thyne eyes vnto all that ar with the and vnto all men and an
excuse.

And so Abraham prayde vnto God/ and God healed Abimeleh and his wyfe
and hys maydens/ so that they bare. For the LORde had closed to/ all
the matryces of the house of Abimelech/ because of Sara Abrahams wyfe.




The .xxj. Chapter


The lorde visyted Sara as he had sayde and dyd vnto her acordynge as
he had spoken. And Sara was with childe and bare Abraha a sonne in his
olde age euen the same season which the LORde had appoynted. And
Abraham called his sonnes name that was borne vnto him which Sara bare
him Isaac: & Abra circ[~u]cysed Isaac his sone wh[~e] he was .viij.
dayes olde/ as God commaunded him And Abraha was an hundred yere olde/
when his sonne Isaac was borne vnto him.

And Sara sayde: God hath made me a laughinge stocke: for all y^t
heare/ will laugh at me She sayde also: who wolde haue sayde vnto
Abraham/ that Sara shulde haue geuen childern sucke/ or y^t I shulde
haue borne him a sonne in his olde age: The childe grewe and was
wened/ and Abraham made a great feast/ the same daye that Isaac was
wened.

Sara sawe the sonne of Hagar the Egiptian which she had borne vnto
Abraham/ a mockynge. Then she sayde vnto Abraham: put awaye this
bondemayde and hyr sonne: for the sonne of this bondwoman shall not be
heyre with my sonne Isaac: But the wordes semed verey greavous in
Abrahams syghte/ because of his sonne. Than the LORde sayde vnto
Abraham: let it not be greavous vnto the/ because of the ladd and of
thy bondmayde: But in all that Sara hath saide vnto the/ heare hir
voyce/ for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Moreouer of the sonne of
the Bondwoman will I make a nation/ because he is thy seed.

And Abraham rose vp early in the mornyng and toke brede and a bottell
with water/ and gaue it vnto Hagar/ puttynge it on hir shulders wyth
the lad also/ and sent her awaye. And she departed and wadred vpp and
doune in the wyldernes of Berseba. When the water was spent that was
in the botell/ she cast the lad vnder a bush and went & sate her out
of syghte a great waye/ as it were a bowshote off: For she sayde: I
will not se the lad dye. And she satt doune out of syghte/ and lyfte
vp hyr voyce and wepte.

And God herde the voyce of the childe. And the angell of God called
Hagar out of heaven and sayde vnto her: What ayleth the Hagar? Feare
not/ for God hath herde the voyce of the childe where he lyeth. Aryse
and lyfte vp the lad/ and take hym in thy hande/ for I will make off
him a greate people. And God opened hir eyes and she sawe a well of
water. And she went and fylled the bottell with water/ and gaue the
boye drynke. And God was wyth the lad/ and he grewe and dweld in the
wildernesse/ and became an archer. And he dweld in the wyldernesse of
Pharan. And hys mother gott him a wyfe out of the land of Egypte.

And it chaunced the same season/ that Abimelech and Phicoll his chefe
captayne spake vnto Abraham saynge: God is wyth the in all that thou
doist. Now therfore swere vnto me even here by God/ that thou wylt not
hurt me nor my childern/ nor my childerns childern. But that thou
shalt deale with me and the contre where thou art a straunger/
acordynge vnto the kyndnesse that I haue shewed the. Then sayde
Abraham: I wyll swere.

And Abraham rebuked Abimelech for a well of water/ which Abimelech
servauntes had taken awaye. And Abimelech answered I wyst not who dyd
it: Also thou toldest me not/ nether herde I of it/ but this daye.

And Abraham toke shepe and oxen and gaue them vnto Abimelech. And they
made both of them a bonde together. And Abraham sett vij. lambes by
them selues. And Abimelech sayde vnto Abraham: what meane these .vij.
lambes which thou hast sett by them selues. And he answered: vij.
lambes shalt thou take of my hande/ that it maye be a wytnesse vnto
me/ that I haue dygged this well: Wherfore the place is called
Berseba/ because they sware both of them. Thus made they a bonde to
gether at Berseba.

 Than Abimelech and Phicoll his chefe
 captayne rose vp and turned agayne vnto the
 lande of the Philistines. And Abraham planted
 a wodd in Berseba/ and called there/
 on the name of the LORde
 the everlastynge God: and
 dwelt in the Phelistin
 lade a longe
 season




¶ The .xxij. Chapter.


After these dedes/ God dyd proue Abraham & sayde vnto him: Abraham.
And he answered: here am I. And he sayde: take thy only sonne Isaac
whome thou louest/ & get the vnto the lande of Moria/ and sacrifyce
him there for a sacrifyce vpon one of the mountayns which I will shewe
the Than Abraham rose vp early in the mornynge and sadled his asse/
and toke two of his meyny wyth him/ and Isaac his sonne: ad clove wod
for the sacrifyce/ and rose vp and gott him to the place which God had
appoynted him.

The thirde daye Abraham lyfte vp his eyes and sawe the place a farr
of/ and sayde vnto his yong men: byde here with the asse. I and the
lad will goo yonder and worshippe and come agayne vnto you. And
Abraham toke the wodd of the sacrifyce and layde it vpon Isaac his
sonne/ and toke fyre in his hande and a knyfe. And they went both of
them together.

Than spake Isaac vnto Abraham his father & sayde: My father? And he
answered here am I my sonne. And he sayde: Se here is fyre and wodd/
but where is the shepe for sacrifyce? And Abraham sayde: my sonne/ God
wyll prouyde him a shepe for sacrifyce. So went they both together.

And when they came vnto the place which God shewed him/ Abraha made an
aulter there and dressed the wodd/ ad bownde Isaac his sonne and
layde him on the aulter/ aboue apon the wodd. And Abraham stretched
forth his hande/ and toke the knyfe to haue kylled his sonne.

Than the angell of the LORde called vnto him from heauen saynge:
Abraham/ Abraham. And he answered: here am I. And he sayde: laye not
thy handes apon the childe nether do any thinge at all vnto him/ for
now I knowe that thou fearest God/ in y^t thou hast not kepte thine
only sonne fro me. And Abraham lyfted vp his eyes and loked aboute:
and beholde/ there was a ram caught by the hornes in a thykette. And
he went and toke the ram and offred him vp for a sacrifyce in the
steade of his sonne And Abraham called the name of the place/ the
LORde will see: wherfore it is a com[~e] saynge this daye: in the
mounte will the LORde be sene.

And the Angell of the LORde cryed vnto Abraham from heaven the seconde
tyme saynge: by my selfe haue I sworne (sayth the LORde) because thou
hast done this thinge and hast not spared thy only sonne/ that I will
blesse the and multiplye thy seed as the starres of heaven and as the
sonde vpo the seesyde. And thy seed shall possesse the gates of hys
enymies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the erth be blessed/
because thou hast obeyed my voyce

So turned Abraham agayne vnto his yonge men/ and they rose vp and
w[~e]t to gether to Berseba. And Abraham dwelt at Berseba

And it cha[~u]sed after these th[~i]ges/ that one tolde Abraham
saynge: Beholde/ Milcha she hath also borne childern vnto thy brother
Nachor: Hus his eldest sonne and Bus his brother/ and Kemuell the
father of the Sirians/ and Cesed/ and Haso/ and Pildas/ and Iedlaph/
and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebecca. These .viij. dyd Milcha bere
to Nachor Abrahams brother. And his concubyne called Rheuma she bare
also Tebah/ Gaham/ Thahas and Maacha.




¶The .xxiij. Chapter.


Sara was an hundred and .xxvij. yere olde (for so longe lyued she) and
than dyed in a heade cyte called Hebron in the londe of Canaan. Than
Abraham came to morne Sara and to wepe for her. And Abraham stode vp
from the coorse and talked with the sonnes of heth saynge: I am a
straunger ad a foryner amonge yow/ geue me a possession to bury in
with you/ that I may bury my dead oute of my sighte.

And the children of heth answered Abraham saynge vnto him: heare vs
lorde/ thou art a prynce of God amonge vs. In the chefest of oure
sepulchres bury thy dead: None of vs shall forbydd y^e his sepulcre/
y^t thou shuldest not bury thy deade therein. Abraha stode vp & bowed
h[~i] selfe before y^e people of y^e lade y^e childr[~e] of heth.

And he comoned with them saynge: Yf it be youre myndes y^t I shall
bury my deade oute of my sighte/ heare me ad speke for me to Ephron
the sonne of Zoar: and let him geue me the dubill caue which he hath
in the end of his felde/ for as moch money as it is worth/ let him
geue it me in the presence of you/ for a possession to bury in. For
Hephron dwelled amoge y^e childern of heth.

Than Ephron the Hethite answered Abraham in the audy[~e]ce of the
childern of Heth and of all that went in at the gates of his cyte/
saynge: Not so/ my lorde/ but heare me: The felde geue I the/ and the
caue that therein is/ geue I the also/ And even in the presence of the
sonnes of my people geve I it the to bury thy deede in. Than Abraham
bowed himselfe before the people of the lade and spake vnto Ephro in
the audyence of the people of the contre saynge: I praye the heare me/
I will geue sylver for the felde/ take it of me/ ad so will I bury my
deed there.

Ephron answered Abraha saynge vnto him My lorde/ harken vnto me. The
lande is worth iiij. hundreth sycles of syluer: But what is that
betwixte the and me? bury thy deede. And Abraham harkened vnto Ephron
and weyde him the sylver which he had sayde in the audyence of the
sonnes of Heth. Euen .iiij. h[~u]dred syluer sycles of currant money
amonge marchauntes

Thus was the felde of Ephron where in the dubbill caue is before
Mamre: euen the felde & the caue that is therein and all the trees of
the felde which growe in all the borders rounde aboute/ made sure vnto
Abraham for a possession/ in the syghte of the childern of Heth and of
all that went in at the gates of the cyte. And then Abraham buried
Sara his wyfe in the double caue of the felde that lyeth before Mare/
otherwise called Ebron in the lande of Canaan. And so both the felde
ad the caue that is therein/ was made vnto Abraham/ a sure possession
to bury in/ of the sonnes of Heth.




¶ The .xxiiij. Chapter


Abraham was olde and stryken in dayes/ and the LORde had blessed him
in all thinges. And he sayde vn to his eldest servaunte of his house
which had the rule over all that he had: Put thy hande vnder my thye
that I maye make the swere by the LORde that is God of heauen and God
of the erth/ that thou shalt not take a wyfe vnto my sonne/ of the
doughters of the canaanytes/ amonge which I dwell. But shalt goo vnto
my contre and to my kynred/ and there take a wyfe vnto my sonne Isaac.

Tha sayde the seruaunte vnto him: what ad yf the woma wyll not agree
to come with me vnto this lade/ shall I brynge thy sonne agayne vnto
the lande which thou camest out of? And Abraha sayde vnto him: bewarre
of that/ that thou br[~i]ge not my sonne thither. The LORde God of
heauen which toke me from my fathers house and from the lande where I
was borne/ and which spake vnto me and sware vnto me saynge: vnto thy
seed wyll I geue this lande/ he shall sende his angell before the/ y^t
thou mayst take a wife vnto my sonne from thence. Neuerthelesse yf the
woma will not agree to come with the than shalt thou be with out
daunger of this ooth. But aboue all thinge brynge not my sonne thyther
agayne. And the seruaunte put his hand vnder the thye of Abraham and
sware to him as concernynge that matter.

And the seruaunte toke .x. camels of the camels of his master and
departed/ and had of all maner goodes of his master with him/ and
stode vp and went to Mesopotamia/ vnto the cytie of Nahor. And made
his camels to lye doune without the cytie by a wels syde of water/ at
euen: aboute the tyme that women come out to drawe water/ and he
sayde.

LORde God of my master Abraha/ sende me good spede this daye/ & shewe
mercy vnto my master Abraham. Lo I stonde here by the well of water
and the doughters of the men of this citie will come out to drawe
water: Now the damsell to whome I saye/ stoupe doune thy pytcher and
let me drynke. Yf she saye/ drynke/ and I will geue thy camels drynke
also/ y^e same is she that thou hast ordened for they servaunte Isaac:
yee & therby shall I knowe that thou hast shewed mercy on my master.

And it came to passe yer he had leeft spakynge/ that Rebecca came
out/ the doughter of Bethuell/ sonne to Melcha the wife of Nahor
Abrahams brother/ and hir pytcher apon hir shulder: The damsell was
very fayre to loke apon/ and yet a mayde and vnknowen of man. And she
went doune to the well and fylled hyr pytcher and came vp agayne. Then
the seruaunte ranne vnto her and sayde: let me syppe a litle water of
thi pitcher. And she sayde: drynke my lorde.

And she hasted and laie downe her pytcher apon hyr arme and gaue him
drinke. And wh[~e] she had geven hym drynke/ she sayde: I will drawe
water for thy camels also/ vntill they haue dronke ynough. And she
poured out hyr pitcher in to the trough hastely and ranne agayne vnto
the well/ to fett water: and drewe for all his camels.

And the felowe wondred at her. But helde his peace/ to wete whether
the LORde had made his iourney prosperous or not. And as the camels
had lefte drynckynge/ he toke an earynge of halfe a sicle weght and
.ij golden bracelettes for hyr hades/ of .x. sycles weyght of gold and
sayde vnto her: whose doughter art thou? tell me: ys there rowme in
thy fathers house/ for vs to lodge in? And she sayde vnto him: I am
the doughter of Bethuell the sonne of Milcha which she bare vnto
Nahor: and sayde moreouer vnto him: we haue litter and prauonder
ynough and also rowme to lodge in.

And the man bowed himselfe and worshipped the LORde and sayde: blessed
be the LORde God of my master Abraham which ceasseth not to deale
mercyfully and truly with my master/ And hath brought me the waye to
my masters brothers house. And the damsell ranne & tolde them of her
mothers house these thinges. And Rebecca had a brother called Laban.

And Laban ranne out vnto the man/ to the well: for as soone as he had
sene the earynges and the bracelettes apon his sisters handes/ ad
herde the wordes of Rebecca his sister saynge thus sayde the man vnto
me/ than he went out vnto the man. And loo/ he stode yet with the
camels by the well syde. And Laban sayde: come in thou blessed of the
LORde. Wherfore stondest thou without? I haue dressed the house and
made rowme for the camels. And than the ma came in to the house. And
he vnbrydeld the camels: and brought litter and prauonder for the
camels/ and water to weshe his fete and their fete that were with him/
and there was meate sett before him to eate.

[Sidenote: * God blesseth vs wh[~e] he geveth vs his benefites: and
curseth vs/ when he taketh them awaye.]

But he sayde: I will not eate/ vntill I haue sayde myne ear[~e]de: And
he sayde/ saye on. And he sayde: I am Abrahas servaunte/ & the LORDE
hath * blessed my master out of measure that he is become greate
and hath geven him shepe oxen/ syluer and golde/ menservauntes/
maydeservauntes/ camels ad asses. And Sara my masters wyfe bare him a
sonne/ wh[~e] she was old: and vnto him hath he geven all that he
hath.

And my master made me swere saynge: Thou shalt not take a wyfe to my
sonne/ amonge the doughters of the cananytes in whose lade I dwell.
But thou shalt goo vnto my fathers house and to my kynred/ and there
take a wyfe vnto my sonne. And I sayde vnto my master. What yf the
wyfe will not folowe me? And he sayde vnto me: The LORde before whome
I walke/ will sende his angell with the and prosper thy iourney that
thou shalt take a wyfe for my sonne/ of my kynred and of my fathers
house. But and yf (when thou comest vnto my kynred) they will not geue
the one/ tha shalt though bere no perell of myne oothe.

And I came this daye vnto the well and sayed: O LORde/ the God of my
master Abraha/ yf it be so that thou makest my iourney which I go/
prosperous: behold/ I stode by this well of water/ And when a virgyn
cometh forth to drawe water/ and I saye to her: geue me a litle water
of thi pitcher to drynke/ and she saye agayne to me: dryncke thou/ and
I will also drawe water for thy camels: that same is the wife/ whom
the LORde hath prepared for my masters sonne.

And before I had made an ende of speakynge in myne harte: beholde
Rebecca came forth/ and hir pitcher on hir shulder/ and she went doune
vnto the well and drewe. And I sayde vnto her geue me dryncke. And she
made hast and toke doune hir pitcher from of hir/ ad sayd: drinke/ and
I will geue thy camels drynke also. And I asked her saynge: whose
doughter art thou? And she answered: the doughter of Bathuell Nahors
sonne whome Milca bare vnto him.

And I put the earynge vpon hir face and the bracelettes apon hir
hondes. And I bowed my selfe and worshepped the LORde and blessed the
LORde God of my master Abraha which had brought me the right waye/ to
take my masters brothers doughter vnto his sonne. Now therfore yf ye
will deall mercyfully and truly with my master/ tell me. And yf no/
tell me also: that I maye turne me to the right hande or to the left.

Than answered Laban and Bathuel saynge: The thinge is proceded even
out of the lorde/ we can not therfore saye vnto the/ ether good or
bad: Beholde Rebecca before thy face/ take her and goo/ and let her be
thy masters sonnes wife/ euen as the LORde hath sayde. And wh[~e]
Abrahams servaunte herde their wordes/ he bowed himselfe vnto the
LORde/ flatt vpon the erth. And the servaunte toke forth iewells of
syluer and iewelles of gold and rayment/ and gaue them to Rebecca: But
vnto hir brother & to hir mother/ he gaue spyces. And then they ate
and dranke/ both he and the men that were with him/ and taried all
nyghte and rose vp in the mornynge.

And he sayde: let me de parte vnto my master. But hir brother and hir
mother sayde: let the damsell abyde with vs a while/ ad it be but even
.x. dayes/ and than goo thy wayes. And he sayde vnto them/ hinder me
not: for the lorde hath prospered my iourney. Sende me away y^t I maye
goo vnto my master. And they sayde: let vs call the damsell/ and witt
what she sayth to the matter. And they called forth Rebecca ad sayde
vnto her: wilt thou goo with this ma? And she sayde: Yee.

[Sidenote: * To bless a mas neyboure is to praye for him ad to wisshe
him goode and not to wagge .ij. f[~i]gers ouer him.]

Than they broughte Rebecca their sister on the waye and her norse and
Abrahas servaunte/ and the men that were wyth him. And they *
blessed Rebecca & sayde vnto her: Thou are oure sister/ growe in to
thousande thousandes/ & thy seed possesse y^e gates of their enimes.
And Rebecca arose & hir damsels/ & satt th[~e] vp apo the camels &
went their waye after the man. And y^e servaunte toke Rebecca & went
his waye

And Isaac was a com[~i]ge from the well of y^e lyvynge & seynge/ for
he dwelt in the south cotre/ & was gone out to walke in his meditatios
before y^e eu[~e] tyde. And he lyfte vp his eyes & loked/ & beholde
y^e camels were cominge. And Rebecca lyfte vp hir eyes/ & wh[~e] she
sawe Isaac/ she lyghted of the camel ad sayde vnto y^e servaunte: what
ma is this y^t cometh agenst vs in the feld? And the serva[~u]te
sayde: it is my master. And then she toke hir mantell ad put it aboute
her. And the serva[~u]te tolde Isaac all that he had done. Th[~e]
Isaac broughte her in to his mother Saras tente/ ad toke Rebecca & she
became his wife/ & he loved her: & so was Isaac coforted over his
mother.




The .xxv. Chapter


Abraha toke h[~i] another wyfe cald Ketura/ which bare h[~i] Simram/
Iacksan/ Medan/ Midia Iesback & Suah. And Iacksan begat Seba & Deda.
And the sonnes of Dedan were Assurim/ Letusim & Leumim. And the sonnes
of Midian were Epha/ Epher/ Hanoch/ Abida & Elda. All these were the
childern of Kethura. But Abraha gaue all that he had vnto Isaac. And
vnto the sonnes of his concubines he gaue giftes/ and sent them awaye
from Isaac his sonne (while he yet lyved) east ward/ vnto the east
contre.

These are the dayes of the life of Abraha which he lyved: an h[~u]dred
& .lxxv. yere and than fell seke ad dyed/ in a lustie age (wh[~e] he
had lyved ynough) ad was put vnto his people. And his sonnes Isaac ad
Ismael buried him in the duble caue in the feld of Ephro sone of Zoar
the Hethite before Mamre. Which felde abraha boughte of the sonnes of
Heth: There was Abraha buried and Sara hys wyfe. And after y^e deeth
of Abraha God blessed Isaac his sonne which dweld by the well of the
lyv[~i]nge & se[~i]ge

These are the generatios of Ismael Abrahas sonne/ which Hagar the
Egiptia Saras hand mayde bare vnto Abraham. And these are the names of
the sones of Ismaell/ with their names in their k[~i]reddes. The
eldest sone of Ismael Neuatoth/ th[~e] Kedar/ Adbeel/ Mibsa/ Misma
Duma/ Masa/ Hadar/ Thema/ Ietur/ Naphis & Kedma. These are the sones
of Ismael/ and these are their names/ in their townes and castels
.xij. princes of natios. And these are the yeres of the lyfe of
Ismael: an h[~u]dred and .xxxvij yere/ & than he fell seke & dyed &
was layde vnto his people. And he dweld from Euila vnto Sur y^t is
before Egypte/ as men go toward the Assirias. And he dyed in the
presence of all his brethren.

And these are the generatios of Isaac Abrahas sonne: Abraha begat
Isaac. And Isaac was .xl. yere olde wh[~e] he toke Rebecca to wyfe the
doughter of Bethuel the Sirian of Mesopotamia & sister to Iaban the
Sirian.

And Isaac made intercessio vnto y^e LORde for his wife: because she
was bar[~e]: and y^e LORde was [~i]treated of h[~i]/ and Rebecca his
wife coceaued: and y^e childern stroue together with[~i] her. th[~e]
she sayde: yf it shulde goo so to passe/ what helpeth it y^t I am with
childe? And she went & axed y^e LORde. And y^e LORde sayde vnto her
there are .ij. maner of people in thi wombe and ij. nations shall
springe out of thy bowels/ and the one nation shalbe myghtier than
the other/ and the eldest shalbe servaunte vnto the yonger.

And wh[~e] hir tyme was come to be delyuered beholde: there were .ij.
twyns in hir wobe. And he that came out first/ was redde & rough ouer
all as it were an hyde: and they called his name Esau. And after ward
his brother came out & his hande holdynge Esau by the hele. Wherfore
his name was called Iacob. And Isaac was .lx. yere olde wh[~e] she
bare th[~e]: and the boyes grewe/ and Esau bcame a conynge hunter & a
tyllman. But Iacob was a simple man & dwelled in the tentes. Isaac
loved Esau because he dyd eate of his venyso/ but Rebecca loued Iacob.

Iacob sod potage & Esau came from the feld & was fa[~i]tte/ & sayd to
Iacob: let me syppe of y^t redde potage/ for I am fayntte. And
therfore was his name called Edom. And Iacob sayde: sell me this daye
thy byrthrighte. And Esau answered: Loo I am at the poynte to dye/ and
what profit shall this byrthrighte do me? And Iacob sayde/ swere to me
then this daye. And he swore to him & sold his byrthrighte vnto Iacob.

Than Iacob gaue Esau brede & potage of redde ryse. And he ate & dronke
& rose vp and went his waye. And so Esau regarded not his byrthrighte.




The .xxvi. Chapter.



And there fell a derth in y^e lande/ passinge the first derth y^t fell
in the dayes of Abraham. Wherfore Isaac went vnto Abimelech kinge of
y^e Philistias vnto Gerar. Th[~e] the LORde apeared vnto him & sayde
goo not doune in to Egipte/ but byde in y^e land which I saye vnto
y^e: Sogeorne in this lade/ & I wyll be with y^e & wyll blesse y^e:
for vnto the & vnto thy sede I will geue all these cotreis And I will
performe the oothe which I swore vnto Abraha thy father/ & will
multiplye thy seed as y^e starres of heav[~e]/ & will geue vnto thy
seed all these contreis. And thorow thy seed shall all the natios of
the erth be blessed/ because y^t Abraha harkened vnto mi voyce & kepte
mine ordina[~u]ces/ coma[~u]dm[~e]tes/ statutes & lawes

And Isaac dwelled in Gerar. And y^e m[~e] of the place asked h[~i] of
his wife/ & he sayde y^t she was his sister: for he feared to calle
her his wife lest the m[~e] of the place shulde haue kylled hym for
hir sake/ because she was bewtyfull to y^e eye. And it happened after
he had bene there longe tyme/ y^t Abimelech kinge of y^e Philistias
loked out at a wyndow & sawe Isaac sportinge with Rebecca his wife.
And Abimelech sende for Isaac & sayde: se/ she is of a suertie thi
wife/ and why saydest thou y^t she was thi sister? And Isaac saide
vnto h[~i]: I thought y^t I mighte peradventure haue dyed for hir
sake. Th[~e] sayde Abimelech: whi hast thou done this vnto vs? one of
y^e people myght lightely haue lyne by thy wife & so shuldest thou
haue broughte synne vpon vs Tha Abimelech charged all his people
saynge: he y^t toucheth this man or his wife/ shall surely dye for it.

And Isaac sowed in y^e lade/ & founde in y^e same yere an h[~u]dred
bushels: for y^e LORde blessed h[~i]/ & the man waxed mightye/ &
w[~e]t forth & grewe till he was exceadinge great/ y^t he had
possessio of shepe/ of ox[~e] & a myghtie housholde: so y^t the
Philestians had envy at him: In so moch y^t they stopped & fylled vp
with erth/ all the welles which his fathers servauntes dygged in his
father Abrahams tyme. Than sayde Abimelech vnto Isaac: gett the fro
me/ for thou art myghtier then we a greate deale.

Than Isaac departed thense & pitched his tente in the valey Gerar &
dwelt there. And Isaac digged agayne/ the welles of water which they
dygged in the dayes of Abraha his father which the Philestias had
stoppe after y^e deth of Abraha/ & gaue th[~e] the same names which
hys father gaue th[~e]. As Isaacs serua[~u]tes dygged in the valey/
they founde a well of springynge water. And the herdm[~e] of Gerar dyd
stryue with Isaacs herdm[~e] saynge: the water is oures Than called he
the well Eseck because they stroue with hym.

Than dygged they another well/ & they stroue for y^t also. Therfore
called he it Sitena. And than he departed th[~e]se & dygged a nother
well for the which they stroue not: therfore called he it Rehoboth
sa[~i]ge: y^e LORde hath now made vs rowme & we are encreased vpo the
erth. Afterward departed he th[~e]ce & came to Berseba

And the LORde apered vnto h[~i] the same nyghte & sayde. I am the God
of Abraha thy father/ feare not for I am with the & will blesse
the & multiplye thy sede for my serua[~u]te Abrahams sake. And than he
buylded an aulter there and called vpo the name of the LORde/ & there
pitched his tente. And there Isaacs servauntes dygged a well.

Than came Abimelech to him fro Gerar & Ahusath his frende and Phicol
his chefe captayne. And Isaac sayde vnto th[~e]: wherfore come ye to
me/ se[~i]ge ye hate me & haue put me awaye fro you? Than sayde they:
we sawe that the LORde was with the/ and therfore we sayde that there
shulde be an oothe betwixte vs ad the/ & that we wolde make a bonde
with the: y^t thou shuldeste do vs no hurte/ as we haue not touched
the and haue done vnto the nothinge but good/ and s[~e]d the awaye in
peace: for thou art now the blessed of the LORde. And he made th[~e] a
feast/ and they ate ad droke. And they rose vp by tymes in the
mornynge and sware one to another. And Isaac sent th[~e] awaye. And
they departed from him in peace.

And y^t same daye came Isaacs serva[~u]tes & tolde h[~i] of a well
which they had dygged: & sayde vnto h[~i]/ that thei had founde water.
And he called it Seba/ wherfore the name of the cyte is called Berseba
vnto this daye.




The .xxvij. Chapter.


When Esau was .xl. yere olde/ he toke to wyfe Iudith the doughter of
Bery an Hethite/ and Basmath the doughter of Elon an Hethite also/
which were dishobedient vnto Isaac and Rebecca. And it came to passe
that Isaac wexed olde & his eyes were dymme/ so that he coude nat see.
Tha called he Esau his eldest sonne & sayde vnto him: mi sonne. And he
sayde vnto hym: heare am I. And he sayde: beholde/ I am olde ad knowe
not the daye of mi deth: Now therfore take thi weap[~e]s/ thy quiver &
thi bowe/ & gett the to the feldes & take me some venyson & make me
meate such as I loue/ & brynge it me & let me eat that my soull may
blesse the before that I dye:

But Rebecca hard wh[~e] Isaac spake to Esau his sonne. And as soone as
Esau was gone to the felde to catche venyson & to br[~i]ge it/ she
spake vnto Iacob hir sonne sainge: Behold I haue herde thi father
talkinge with Esau thy brother & saynge: bringe me venyson & make me
meate that I maye eate & blesse the before the LORde yer I dye. Now
therfore my sonne heare my voyce in that which I comaunde the: gett
the to the flocke/ & bringe me th[~e]ce .ij. good kiddes/ & I will
make meate of th[~e] for thi father/ soch as he loueth. And thou shalt
br[~i]ge it to thi father & he shal eate/ y^t he maye blysse the
before his deth

Than sayde Iacob to Rebecca his mother. Beholde Esau mi brother is
rugh & I am smooth. Mi father shal peradu[~e]ture fele me/ ad I shal
seme vnto h[~i] as though I w[~e]t aboute to begyle h[~i]/ & so shall
he br[~i]ge a curse vpo me & not a bless[~i]ge: & his mother saide
vnto him. Vppo me be thi curse my sonne/ only heare my voyce & goo and
fetch me them. And Iacob went ad fett them and brought them to his
mother.

And his mother made meate of them accordinge as his father loued And
she went and fett goodly rayment of her eldest sonne Esau which she
had in the house with hir/ and put them vpon Iacob hir yongest sonne/
ad she put the skynnes vpon his hades & apon the smooth of his necke.
And she put y^e meate & brede which she had made in the hode of hir
sonne Iacob

And he went in to his father saynge: my father/ And he aswered: here
am I/ who are thou my sonne? And Iacob sayde vnto his father: I am
Esau thy eldest sonne/ I haue done acordinge as thou baddest me/ vp
and sytt and eate of my venyson/ that thi soule maye blesse me. But
Isaac sayde vnto his sonne. How cometh it that thou hast fownde it so
quicly my sonne? He answered: The LORde thy god brought it to my
hande. Than sayde Isaac vnto Iacob: come nere and let me fele the my
sonne/ whether thou be my sonne Esau or not. Than went Iacob to Isaac
his father/ & he felt him & sayde the voyce is Iacobs voyce/ but the
hades ar y^e hades of Esau. And he knewe him not/ because his handes
were rough as his brother Esaus handes: And so he blessed him.

And he axed him/ art thou my sonne Esau? And he sayde: that I am. Than
sayde he: brynge me and let me eate of my sonnes venyson/ that my
soule maye blesse the. And he broughte him/ and he ate. And he
broughte him wyne also/ and he dranke. And his father Isaac sayde
vnto him: come nere and kysse me my sonne. And he w[~e]t to him &
kissed him. And he smelled y^e sauoure of his raym[~e]t & blessed
h[~i] & sayde See/ y^e smell of my sone is as y^e smell of a feld
which the lorde hath blessed. God geue the of y^e dewe of heav[~e] &
of the fatnesse of the erth and pl[~e]tie of corne & wyne. People be
thy servauntes & natios bowe vnto the. Be lorde ouer thy brethr[~e]/
and thy mothers children stoupe vnto the. Cursed be he y^t curseth
the/ & blessed be he that blesseth the.

As soone as Isaac had made an end of bless[~i]g/ Iacob and Iacob was
scace gone out fro the preasence of Isaac his father: then came Esau
his brother fro his huntynge: And had made also meate/ and brought it
in vnto his father & sayde vnto him: Aryse my father & eate of thy
sonnes venyson/ that thy soule may blesse me. Tha his father Isaac
sayde vnto him. Who art thou? he answered I am thy eldest sonne Esau.

And Isaac was greatly astoyned out of mesure and sayde: Where is he
then that hath h[~u]ted venyson and broughte it me/ and I haue eaten
of all before thou camest/ and haue blessed him/ ad he shall be
blessed styll. Wh[~e] Esau herde the wordes of his father/ he cryed
out greatly & bitterly aboue mesure/ and sayde vnto his father: blesse
me also my father. And he sayde thy brother came with subtilte/ ad
hath tak[~e] awaye thy blessynge. Then sayde he: He maye well be
called Iacob/ for he hath vndermyned me now .ij. tymes/ fyrst he toke
awaye my byrthrighte: and se/ now hath he taken awaye my blessynge
also. And he sayde/ hast thou kepte neuer a blessynge for me?

Isaac answered and sayde vnto Esau: beholde I haue made him thi LORde
& all his mothers childern haue I made his seruauntes. Moreouer wyth
corne ad wyne haue I stablesshed him/ what ca I do vnto the now my
sonne? And Esau sayde vnto his father: hast thou but y^t one blessynge
my father? blesse me also my father: so lyfted vp Esau his voyce &
wepte Tha Isaac his father answered & sayde vnto him

Beholde thy dwellynge place shall haue of the fatnesse of the erth/ &
of the dewe of heauen fro aboue. And wyth thy swerde shalt thou lyue
and shalt be thy brothers seruaunte But the tyme will come/ when thou
shalt gett the mastrye/ and lowse his yocke from of thy necke.

And Esau hated Iacob because of the blessynge y^t his father blessed
him with all/ & sayde in his harte: The dayes of my fathers sorowe are
at hade/ for I will sley my brother Iacob. And these wordes of Esau
hir eldest sonne/ were told to Rebecca. And she sente ad called Iacob
hir yongest sonne/ and sayde vnto h[~i]: beholde thy brother Esau
threatneth to kyll the: Now therfore my sone heare my voyce/ make the
redie & flee to Laba my brother at Haran And tarie with him a while/
vntill thy brothers fearsnes be swaged/ and vntill thy brothers wrath
turne away from the/ and he forgett that which thou hast done to him.
Tha will I sende and fett the awaye from thence. Why shulde I lose you
both in one daye.

And Rebecca spake to Isaac: I am wery of my life/ for feare of the
doughters of Heth. Yf Iacob take a wife of the doughters of Heth/ soch
one as these are/ or of the doughters of the lande/ what lust shulde I
haue to lyue.




¶ The .xxviij. Chapter.


Than Isaac called Iacob his sonne and blessed him/ ad charged him and
sayde vnto him: se thou take not a wife of the doughters of Canaan/
but aryse ad gett the to Mesopotamia of the house of Bethuel thy
mothers father: and there take the a wife of the doughters of Laban
thi mothers brother. And God allmightie blesse the/ increase the and
multiplie the that thou mayst be a nombre of people/ and geue the the
blessynge of Abraham: both to the and to thy seed with the that thou
mayst possesse the lade (wherein thou art a strangere) which God gaue
vnto Abraham. Thus Isaac sent forth Iacob/ to goo to Mesopotamia vnto
Laban/ sonne of Bethuel the Sirien/ and brother to Rebecca Iacobs &
Esaus mother.

When Esau sawe that Isaac had blessed Iacob/ and sent him to
Mesopotamia/ to fett him a wife thence/ and that/ as he blessed him
he gaue him a charge saynge: se thou take not a wife of the doughters
of Canaan: and that Iacob had obeyed his father and mother/ & was gone
vnto Mesopotamia: and seynge also that the doughters of Canaan pleased
not Isaac his father: Then went he vnto Ismael/ and toke vnto the
wiues which he had/ Mahala the doughter of Ismael Abrahams sonne/ the
sister of Nabaioth to be his wife.

Iacob departed from Berseba and went toward Haran/ and came vnto a
place and taried there all nyghte/ because the sonne was downe. And
toke a stone of the place/ and put it vnder his heade/ and layde him
downe in the same place to slepe. And he dreamed: and beholde there
stode a ladder apon the erth/ and the topp of it reached vpp to
heau[~e]. And se/ the angells of God went vp and downe apon it/ yee ad
the LORde stode apon it and sayde.

I am the LORde God of Abraham thi father and the God of Isaac: The
londe which thou slepest apon will I geue the and thy seed. And thy
seed shalbe as the dust of the erth: And thou shalt spreade abrode:
west/ east/ north and south. And thorow the and thy seed shall all the
kynreddes of the erth be blessed. And se I am with the/ and wylbe thy
keper in all places whother thou goost/ & wyll brynge y^e agayne in to
this lande: Nether will I leaue the vntill I haue made good/ all that
I haue promysed the.

When Iacob was awaked out of his slepe/ he sayde: surely the LORde is
in this place/ ad I was not aware. And he was afrayde & sayde how
fearfull is this place? it is none other/ but euen the house of God
and the gate of heau[~e]. And Iacob stode vp early in the mornynge and
toke the stone that he had layde vnder his heade/ and pitched it vp an
ende and poured oyle on the topp of it. And he called the name of the
place Bethell/ for in dede the name of the citie was called Lus before
tyme.

And Iacob vowed a vowe saynge: Yf God will be with me and wyll kepe me
in this iourney which I goo and will geue me bread to eate and
cloothes to put on/ so that I come agayne vnto my fathers house in
saftie: then shall the LORde be my God/ and this stone which I haue
sett vp an ende/ shalbe godes house/ And of all that thou shalt geue
me/ will I geue the tenth vnto the.




¶ The .xxix. Chapter.


Then Iacob lyfte vp his fete & w[~e]t toward the east countre. And as
he loked aboute/ behold there was a well in the feld/ and .iij.
flockes of shepe laye therby (for at that well were the flockes
watered) & there laye a great stone at the well mouth And the maner
was to brynge the flockes thyther/ & to roull the stone fro the welles
mouth and to water the shepe/ and to put the stone agayne vppon the
wells mouth vnto his place.

And Iacob sayde vnto th[~e]: brethern/ wh[~e]ce be ye? and they sayde:
of Haran ar we. And he sayde vnto th[~e]: knowe ye Laban the sonne of
Nahor. And they sayde: we knowe him. And he sayde vnto th[~e]: is he
in good health? And they sayde: he is in good health: and beholde/ his
doughter Rahel cometh with y^e shepe. And he sayde: lo/ it is yet a
great whyle to nyghte/ nether is it tyme y^t the catell shulde be
gathered together: water the shepe and goo and fede th[~e]. And they
sayde: we maye not/ vntill all y^e flockes be brought together & the
stone be roulled fro the wells mouth/ and so we water oure shepe.

Whyle he yet talked with th[~e]/ Rahel came with hir fathers shepe/
for she kepte them. As soone As Iacob sawe Rahel/ the doughter of
Laban his mothers brother/ and the shepe of Laban his mothers brother/
he went and rowled the stone fro the wells mouth/ and watered the
shepe of Laba his mothers brother And Iacob kyssed Rahel/ and lyfte vp
his voyce and wepte: and tolde her also y^t he was hir fathers brother
and Rebeccas sonne. Th[~e] Rahel ranne and tolde hir father.

When Laban herd tell of Iacob his sisters sonne/ he ranne agaynst him
and enbraced h[~i] & kyssed him ad broughte him in to his house. And
th[~e] Iacob told Laba all y^e matter And th[~e] Laba sayde: well/
thou art my bone & my flesh. Abyde with me the space of a moneth. And
afterward Laban sayd vnto Iacob: though thou be my brother/ shuldest
thou therfore serue me for nought? tell me what shall thi wages be?
And Laban had .ij. doughters/ the eldest called Lea and the yongest
Rahel. Lea was tender eyed: But Rahel was bewtifull ad well fauored.
And Iacob loued her well/ and sayde: I will serue the .vij. yere for
Rahel thy yongest doughter. And Laban answered: it is better y^t I
geue her the/ than to another man: byde therfore with me.

And Iacob serued .vij. yeres for Rahel/ and they semed vnto him but a
fewe dayes/ for the loue he had to her. And Iacob sayde vnto Laban/
geue me my wife/ that I maye lye with hir For the tyme appoynted me is
come.

Than Laban bade all the men of that place/ and made a feast. And when
eu[~e] was come/ he toke Lea his doughter and broughte her to him and
he went in vnto her. And Laban gaue vnto his doughter Lea/ Zilpha his
mayde/ to be hir seruaunte.

And when the mornynge was come/ beholde it was Lea. Than sayde he to
Laban: wherfore hast thou played thus with me? dyd not I serue the for
Rahel/ wherfore than hast thou begyled me? Laban answered: it is not
the maner of this place/ to marre the yongest before the eldest. Passe
out this weke/ & tha shall this also be geven the for y^e seruyce
which thou shalt serue me yet .vij. yeres more. And Iacob dyd eu[~e]
so/ and passed out that weke/ & than he gaue h[~i] Rahel his doughter
to wyfe also. And Laban gaue to Rahel his doughter/ Bilha his
handmayde to be hir serva[~u]te. So laye he by Rahel also/ and loved
Rahel more than Lea/ and serued him yet .vij. yeres more.

When the LORde sawe that Lea was despised/ he made her frutefull: but
Rahel was baren. And Lea conceaued and bare a sonne/ ad called his
name Rub[~e]/ for she sayde: the LORde hath loked apon my tribulation.
And now my husbonde will loue me. And she conceaued agayne and bare a
sonne/ and sayde: the LORde hath herde that I am despised/ ad hath
therfore geuen me this sonne also/ and she called him Simeon. And she
conceaued yet and bare a sonne/ ad sayde: now this once will my
husbonde kepe me company/ because I haue borne him .iij. sonnes: and
therfore she called his name Levi. And she conceaued yet agayne/ and
bare a sonne saynge: Now will I prayse the LORde: therfore she called
his name Iuda/ and left bearynge.




¶ The .xxx. Chapter


When Rahel sawe that she bare Iacob no childern/ she enuied hir sister
& sayde vnto Iacob: geue me childern/ or ells I am but deed. Than was
Iacob wrooth with Rahel saynge: Am I in godes steade which kepeth fro
the the frute of thi wobe? Th[~e] she sayde: here is my mayde Bilha:
go in vnto her/ that she maye beare vpo my lappe/ that I maye be
encreased by her. And she gaue him Bilha hir hadmayde to wife. And
Iacob w[~e]t in vnto her/ And Bilha conceaued and bare Iacob a sonne.
Than sayde Rahel. God hath geuen sent[~e]ce on my syde/ and hath also
herde my voyce/ and hath geuen me a sonne. Therfore called she him
Dan. And Bilha Rahels mayde coceaued agayne and bare Iacob a nother
sonne. And Rahel sayde. God is turned/ and I haue made a chaunge with
my sister/ & haue got[~e] y^e vpper hade. And she called his name
Nepthali

Wh[~e] Lea sawe that she had left bearinge/ she toke Silpha hir mayde
and gaue her Iacob to wiffe. And Silpha Leas mayde bare Iacob a sonne.
Than sayde Lea: good lucke: and called his name Gad. And Silpha Leas
mayde bare Iacob an other sonne. Tha sayd Lea: happy am I/ for the
doughters will call me blessed. And called his name Asser.

And Rub[~e] w[~e]t out in the wheat haruest & fo[~u]de mandragoras in
the feldes/ and brought th[~e] vnto his mother Lea. Than sayde Rahel
to Lea geue me of thy sonnes madragoras. And Lea answered: is it not
ynough/ y^t thou hast tak[~e] awaye my housbode/ but woldest take
awaye my sonnes mandragoras also? Than sayde Rahel well/ let him slepe
with the this nyghte/ for thy sonnes mandragoras. And wh[~e] Iacob
came from the feldes at euen/ Lea went out to mete him/ & sayde: come
in to me/ for I haue bought the with my sonnes mandragoras.

And he slepte with her that nyghte. And God herde Lea/ y^t she
coceaved and bare vnto Iacob y^e .v. sonne. Than sayde Lea. God hath
geu[~e] me my rewarde/ because I gaue my mayd[~e] to my housbod/ and
she called him Isachar. And Lea coceaued yet agayne and bare Iacob the
sexte sonne. Than sayde she: God hath endowed me with a good dowry.
Now will my housbond dwell with me/ because I haue borne him .vi.
sonnes: and called his name Zabulo. After that she bare a daughter and
called her Dina.

And God rem[~e]bred Rahel/ herde her/ and made her frutefull: so that
she coceaued and bare a sonne and sayde God hath tak[~e] awaye my
rebuke. And she called his name Ioseph saynge The lorde geue me yet
another sonne.

As soone as Rahel had borne Ioseph/ Iacob sayde to Laban: S[~e]de me
awaye y^t I maye goo vnto myne awne place and c[~u]tre/ geue me my
wives and my childern for whome I haue serued the/ and let me goo: for
thou knowest what seruyce I haue done the. Than sayde Laban vnto
h[~i]: If I haue fownde fauoure in thy syghte (for I suppose y^t the
LORde hath blessed me for thy sake) appoynte what thy rewarde shalbe/
and I will geue it y^e. But he sayde vnto hym/ thou knowest what
seruyce I haue done y^e/ & in what takynge thy catell haue bene vnder
me: for it was but litle that thou haddest before I came/ and now it
is encreased in to a multitude/ and the LORDE hath blessed the for my
sake. But now when shall I make provysion for myne awne house also?
And he sayde: what shall I geue the? And Iacob answerd: thou shalt
geue me nothinge at all/ yf thou wilt do this one thinge for me: And
then will I turne agayne & fede thy shepe and kepe them.

I will go aboute all thy shepe this daye/ and separate fro th[~e] all
the shepe that are spotted and of dyverse coloures/ and all blacke
shepe amonge the lambes and the partie and spotted amonge the kyddes:
And then such shalbe my rewarde. So shall my rightwesnes answere for
me: when the tyme commeth that I shall receaue my rewarde of the: So
that what soeuer is not speckeld and partie amonge the gootes and
blacke amonge the lambes/ let that be theft with me.

Than sayde Laban: loo/ I am cont[~e]te/ that it be acordinge as thou
hast sayde. And he toke out that same daye the he gootes that were
partie & of dyuerse coloures/ & all the she gootes that were spotted
and partie coloured/ & all that had whyte in th[~e]/ & all the blacke
amonge the lambes: ad put th[~e] in the kepinge of his sonnes/ & sett
thre dayes iourney betwixte h[~i]selfe & Iacob. And so Iacob kepte y^e
rest of Labas shepe.

Iacob toke roddes of grene popular/ hasell/ & of chestnottrees/ &
pilled whyte strakes in th[~e] & made the white apere in the staues:
And he put the staues which he had pilled/ eu[~e] before y^e shepe/
in the gutters & watrynge troughes/ wh[~e] the shepe came to
drynke: y^t they shulde coceaue wh[~e] they came to drynke. And the
shepe coceaued before the staues & brought forth straked/ spotted &
partie. Th[~e] Iacob parted the labes/ & turned the faces of the shepe
toward spotted thinges/ & toward allmaner of blacke thinges thorow out
the flockes of Laba. And he made him flockes of his owne by th[~e]
selfe/ which he put not vnto the flockes of Laba. And allwaye in the
first buckinge tyme of the shepe/ Iacob put the staues before the
shepe in the gutters/ y^t they myghte conceaue before the staues/ But
in the latter buckynge tyme/ he put them not there: so the last brode
was Labas and the first Iacobs. And the man became excedynge ryche &
had many shepe/ maydeseruauntes/ menseruauntes/ camels & asses.




¶ The .xxxi. Chapter.


And Iacob herde the wordes of Labas sonnes how they sayde: Iacob hath
tak[~e] awaye all that was oure fathers/ and of oure fathers goodes/
hath he got[~e] all this honoure. And Iacob behelde the countena[~u]ce
of Laban/ that it was not toward him as it was in tymes past.

And the LORde sayde vnto Iacob: turne agayne in to the lade of thy
fathers & to thy kynred/ & I wilbe with y^e. Tha Iacob sent & called
Rahel & Lea to the felde vnto his shepe/ & sayde vnto th[~e]: I se
youre fathers countena[~u]ce y^t it is not toward me as in tymes past.
Morouer y^e God of my father hath bene with me. And ye knowe how that
I haue serued youre father with all my myghte. And youre father hath
disceaued me & chaunged my wages .x. tymes: But God suffred him not to
hurte me. When he sayde the spotted shalbe thy wages/ tha all the
shepe bare spotted. Yf he sayde the straked shalbe thi rewarde/ tha
bare all the shepe straked: thus hath God tak[~e] awaye youre fathers
catell & geu[~e] th[~e] me. For in buckynge tyme/ I lifted vp myne
eyes and sawe in a dreame: and beholde/ the rammes that bucked the
shepe were straked/ spotted and partie. And the angell of God spake
vnto me in a dreame saynge: Iacob. And I answered: here am I. And he
sayde: lyfte vp thyne eyes ad see/ how all the rames that leape vpon
the shepe are straked/ spotted and partie: for I haue sene all
that Laban doth vnto y^e. I am y^e god of Bethell where thou
anoynteddest the stone ad where thou vowdest a vowe vnto me. Now aryse
and gett the out of this countre/ ad returne vnto the lade/ where thou
wast borne. Than answered Rahel & Lea & sayde vnto him: we haue no
parte nor enheritaunce in oure fathers house he cownteth us eu[~e] as
straungers/ for he hath solde vs/ and hath euen eaten vp the price of
vs. Moreouer all the riches which God hath tak[~e] from oure father/
that is oures and oure childerns. Now therfore what soeuer God hath
sayde vnto the/ that doo. Tha Iacob rose vp & sett his sones and wiues
vp vpon camels/ and caried away all his catell & all his substace
which he had gott[~e] in Mesopotamia/ for to goo to Isaac his father
vnto the lade of Canaan. Laba was gone to shere his shepe/ & Rahel had
stoll[~e] hir fathers ymages. And Iacob went awaye vnknowynge to Laban
the Siri[~e]/ & tolde him not y^t he fled. So fled he & all y^t he
had/ & made him self redy/ & passed ouer the ryuers/ and sett his face
streyght towarde the mounte Gilead.

Apo the thirde day after/ was it tolde Laba y^t Iacob was fled. Tha he
toke his brethr[~e] with him and folowed after him .vij. dayes iourney
and ouer toke him at the mounte Gilead. And God came to Laba the Siria
in a dreame by nighte/ and sayde vnto him: take hede to thi selfe/
that thou speake not to Iacob oughte save good. And Laba ouer toke
Iacob: and Iacob had pitched his t[~e]te in y^t mounte. And Laban with
his brethern pitched their t[~e]te also apon the mounte Gilead. Than
sayde Laba to Iacob: why hast thou this done vnknowynge to me/ and
hast caried awaye my doughters as though they had bene tak[~e] captyue
with swerde? Wherfore wentest thou awaye secretly vnknowne to me &
didest not tell me/ y^t I myghte haue broughte y^e on the waye with
myrth/ syngynge/ tymrells and harppes/ and hast not suffred me to
kysse my childern & my doughters. Thou wast a fole to do it/ for I am
able to do you evell. But the God of youre father spake vnto me
yesterdaye saynge take hede tha thou speake not to Iacob oughte saue
goode. And now though thou w[~e]test thi waye because thou logest
after thi fathers house/ yet wherfore hast thou stollen my goddes?

Iacob answerd & sayde to Laba: because I was afrayed/ & thought that
thou woldest haue tak[~e] awaye thy doughters fro me. But with whome
soeuer thou fyndest thy goddes/ let him dye here before oure
brethr[~e]. Seke that thine is by me/ & take it to the: for Iacob wist
not that Rahel had stoll[~e] th[~e]. Tha w[~e]t Laba in to Iacobs
t[~e]te/ & in to Leas t[~e]te/ & in to .ij. maydens tentes: but fownde
th[~e] not. Tha w[~e]t he out of Leas t[~e]te/ & entred in to Rahels
t[~e]te. And Rahel toke the ymages/ & put them in the camels strawe &
sate doune apo th[~e]. And Laba serched all the t[~e]te: but fownde
th[~e] not. Tha sayde she to hir father: my lorde/ be not angrye y^t I
ca not ryse vp before the/ for the disease of wem[~e] is come apon me.
So searched he/ but fo[~u]de th[~e] not.

Iacob was wrooth & chode with Laba: Iacob also answered and sayde to
him: what haue I trespaced or what haue I offended/ that thou
foloweddest after me? Thou hast searched all my stuffe/ and what hast
thou founde of all thy housholde stuffe? put it here before thi
brethern & myne/ & let th[~e] iudge betwyxte vs both. This xx. yere
y^t I haue bene wyth the/ thy shepe and thy gootes haue not bene
baren/ and the rammes of thi flocke haue I not eat[~e]. What soeuer
was torne of beastes I broughte it not vnto y^e/ but made it good my
silf: of my hade dydest thou requyre it/ whether it was stollen by
daye or nyghte Moreouer by daye the hete consumed me/ and the colde by
nyghte/ and my slepe departed fro myne eyes.

Thus haue I bene .xx. yere in thi house/ and serued the .xiiij. yeres
for thy .ij. doughters/ and vi. yere for thi shepe/ and thou hast
changed my rewarde .x. tymes. And excepte the God of my father/ the
God of Abraha and the God whome Isaac feareth/ had bene with me:
surely thou haddest sent me awaye now all emptie. But God behelde my
tribulation/ and the laboure of my handes: and rebuked the yester
daye.

Laban answered ad sayde vnto Iacob: the doughters are my doughters/
and the childern ar my childern/ and the shepe are my shepe/ ad all
that thou seist is myne. And what can I do this daye vnto these my
doughters/ or vnto their childern which they haue borne? Now therfore
come on/ let us make a bonde/ I and thou together/ and let it be a
wytnesse betwene the & me. Than toke Iacob a stone and sett it vp an
ende/ ad sayde vnto his brethern/ gather stoones And they toke stoones
ad made an heape/ and they ate there/ vpo the heape. And Laba called
it Iegar Sahadutha/ but Iacob called it Gylead.

Than sayde Laban: this heape be witnesse betwene the and me this daye
(therfore is it called Gilead) and this totehill which the lorde
seeth (sayde he) be wytnesse betwene me and the when we are departed
one from a nother: that thou shalt not vexe my doughters nether shalt
take other wyves vnto them. Here is no man with vs: beholde/ God is
wytnesse betwixte the and me. And Laban sayde moreouer to Iacob:
beholde/ this heape & this marke which I haue sett here/ betwyxte me
and the: this heape be wytnesse and also this marcke/ that I will not
come ouer this heape to the/ ad thou shalt not come ouer this heape ad
this marke/ to do any harme. The God of Abraham/ the God of Nahor and
the God of theyr fathers/ be iudge betwixte vs.

And Iacob sware by him that his father Isaac feared. Then Iacob dyd
sacrifyce vpon the mounte/ and called his brethern to eate breed. And
they ate breed and taried all nyghte in the hyll. And early in the
mornynge Laban rose vp and kyssed his childern and his doughters/ and
blessed th[~e] and departed and w[~e]t unto his place agayne. But
Iacob went forth on his iourney. And the angells of God came & mett
him. And when Iacob sawe them/ he sayde: this is godes hoost: and
called the name of that same place/ Mahanaim.




¶ The .xxxij. Chapter.


Iacob sente meessengers before him to Esau his brother/ vnto the londe
of Seir and the felde of Edom. And he comaunded them saynge: se that
ye speake after this maner to my lorde Esau: thy seruaunte Iacob
sayth thus. I haue sogerned ad bene a straunger with Laban vnto
this tyme: & haue gotten oxen/ asses and shepe/ menservauntes &
wemanseruauntes/ & haue sent to shewe it mi lorde/ that I may fynde
grace in thy syghte. And the messengers came agayne to Iacob sainge:
we came vnto thi brother Esau/ and he cometh ageynst the and .iiij.
hundred men with h[~i]. Than was Iacob greatlye afrayde/ and wist not
which waye to turne him selfe/ and devyded the people that was with
him & the shepe/ oxen and camels/ in to .ij. companies/ and sayde: Yf
Esau come to the one parte and smyte it/ the other may saue it selfe.

[Sidenote: * Prayer is to cleave vnto the promyses of god with a
stroge fayth and to besech god with a fervent desyre that he will
fulfyll them for his mercye & truth onlye. As Iacob here doth.]

* And Iacob sayde: O god of my father Abraham/ and God of my father
Isaac: LORde which saydest vnto me/ returne vnto thy cuntre and to thy
kynrede/ and I will deall wel with the. I am not worthy of the leaste
of all the mercyes and treuth which thou hast shewed vnto thy
seruaunte. For with my staf came I over this Iordane/ and now haue I
goten .ij. droves Delyver me from the handes of my brother Esau/ for I
feare him: lest he will come and smyte the mother with the childern.
Thou saydest that thou woldest surely do me good/ and woldest make mi
seed as the sonde of the see which can not be nombred for multitude.

And he taried there that same nyghte/ & toke of that which came to
hande/ a preasent/ vnto Esau his brother: ij hundred she gootes ad xx
he gootes: ij hundred shepe and xx rammes: thyrtye mylch camels with
their coltes: xl kyne ad x bulles: xx she asses ad x foles and
delyuered them vnto his seruauntes/ euery drooue by them selues/ ad
sayde vnto them: goo forth before me and put a space betwyxte euery
drooue. And he comaunded the formest saynge

Wh[~e] Esau my brother meteth the ad axeth the saynge: whose
serua[~u]te art thou & whither goost thou/ & whose ar these that goo
before y^e: thou shalt say/ they be thy seruaunte Iacobs/ & are a
present sent vnto my lorde Esau/ and beholde/ he him selfe cometh
after vs. And so comaunded he the seconde/ ad euen so the thirde/ and
lykewyse all that folowed the drooues sainge/ of this maner se that ye
speake vnto Esau wh[~e] ye mete him/ ad saye more ouer. Beholde thy
seruaunte Iacob cometh after vs/ for he sayde. I will pease his wrath
with the present y^t goth before me and afterward I will see him
myself/ so peradventure he will receaue me to grace.

So went the pres[~e]t before him ad he taried all that nyghte in the
tente/ ad rose vp the same nyghte ad toke his .ij. wyves and his .ij.
maydens & his .xi. sonnes/ & went ouer the foorde Iabok. And he toke
them ad sent th[~e] ouer the ryuer/ ad sent ouer that he had ad taried
behinde him selfe alone.

And there wrastled a man with him vnto the breakynge of the daye. And
when he sawe that he coude not prevayle agaynst him/ he smote h[~i]
vnder the thye/ and the senowe of Iacobs thy shranke as he wrastled
with him. And he sayde: let me goo/ for the daye breaketh. And he
sayde: I will not lett the goo/ excepte thou blesse me. And he sayde
vnto him: what is thy name? He answered: Iacob. And he sayde: thou
shalt be called Iacob nomore/ but Israell. For thou hast wrastled with
God and with men ad hast preuayled.

And Iacob asked him sainge/ tell me thi name. And he sayde/ wherfore
dost thou aske after my name? and he blessed him there. And Iacob
called the name of the place Peniel/ for I haue sene God face to face/
and yet is my lyfe reserved. And as he went ouer Peniel/ the sonne
rose vpon him/ and he halted vpon his thye: wherfore the childern of
Israell eate not of the senow that shrancke vnder the thye/ vnto this
daye: because that he smote Iacob vnder the thye in the senow that
shroncke.




The .xxxiij. Chapter.


Iacob lyfte vp his eyes and sawe hys brother Esau come/ & with him
.iiij. hundred men. And he deuyded the childern vnto Lea and vnto
Rahel and vnto y^e ij. maydens. And he put the maydens ad their
childern formest/ ad Lea and hir childern after/ and Rahel ad Ioseph
hindermost. And he went before them and fell on the grownde .vij.
tymes/ vntill he came vnto his brother.

Esau ranne agaynst him and enbraced hym and fell on his necke and
kyssed him/ and they wepte. And he lifte vp his eyes and sawe the
wyves and their childern/ and sayde: what are these which thou there
hast? And he sayde: they are the childern which God hath geuen thy
seruaunte. Than came the maydens forth/ ad dyd their obaysaunce. Lea
also and hir childern came and dyd their obaysaunce. And last of all
came Ioseph and Rahel and dyd their obaysaunce.

And he sayde: what meanyst thou with all y^e drooues which I mett. And
he answered: to fynde grace in the syghte of my lorde. And Esau sayde:
I haue ynough my brother/ kepe that thou hast vnto thy silf. Iacob
answered: oh nay but yf I haue founde grace in thy syghte/ receaue my
preas[~e]t of my hade: for I haue sene thy face as though I had sene
y^e face of God: wherfore receaue me to grace and take my blessynge
that I haue brought the/ for God hath geuen it me frely. And I haue
ynough of all thynges. And so he compelled him to take it.

And he sayde: let vs take oure iourney and goo/ and I will goo in thy
copany. And he sayde vnto him: my lorde knoweth that I haue tendre
childern/ ewes and kyne with yonge vnder myne hande/ which yf men
shulde ouerdryue but euen one daye/ the hole flocke wolde dye.
Let my lorde therfore goo before his servaunte and I will dryue fayre
and softly/ accordynge as the catell that goth before me and the
childern/ be able to endure: vntill I come to mi lorde vnto Seir.

And Esau sayde: let me yet leaue some of my folke with the. And he
sayde: what neadeth it? let me fynde grace in the syghte of my lorde
So Esau went his waye agayne y^e the same daye vnto Seir. And Iacob
toke his iourney toward Sucoth/ and bylt him an house/ and made
boothes for his catell: wherof the name of the place is called Sucoth.

And Iacob went to Salem to y^e cytie of Sichem in the lande of Canaa/
after that he was come from Mesopotamia/ and pitched before the cyte/
and bought a parcell of ground where he pitched his tent/ of the
childern of Hemor Sichems father/ for an hundred lambes. And he made
there an aulter/ and there called vpon the myghtie God of Israell.




The .xxxiiij. Chapter.


Dina the doughter of Lea which she bare vnto Iacob/ went out to see
the doughters of the lande. And Sich[~e] the sonne of Hemor the Heuite
lorde of the countre/ sawe her/ & toke her/ & laye with her/ and
forced her: & his harte laye vnto Dina y^e doughter of Iacob. And he
loued y^e damsell & spake k[~i]dly vnto her/ & spake vnto his father
Hemor saynge/ gett me this mayd[~e] vnto my wyfe.

And Iacob herde that he had defyled Dina his doughter/ but his sonnes
were with the catell in the felde/ and therfore he helde his peace/
vntill they were come. Then Hemor the father of Sichem went out vnto
Iacob/ to com[~e] with him. And the sonnes of Iacob came out of the
felde as soone as they herde it/ for it greued them/ and they were not
a litle wrooth/ because he had wrought folie in Israell/ in that he
had lyen with Iacobs doughter/ which thinge oughte not to be done.

And Hemor comened with th[~e] sainge: the soule of my sonne Sich[~e]
logeth for youre doughter geue her him to wyfe/ and make mariages with
vs: geue youre doughters vnto vs/ ad take oure doughters vnto you/ and
dwell with vs/ & the lande shall be at youre pleasure/ dwell and do
youre busynes/ and haue youre possessions there in. And Sichem sayde
vnto hyr father and hir brethern: let me fynde grace in youre eyes/
and what soeuer ye apoynte me/ that will I geue. Axe frely of me both
the dowry & gyftes/ and I will geue acordynge as ye saye vnto me/ and
geue me the damsell to wyfe.

Then the sonnes of Iacob answered to Sichem ad Hemor his father
deceytefully/ because he had defyled Dina their syster. And they sayde
vnto them/ we can not do this thinge/ y^t we shulde geue oure syster
to one that is vncircumcysed/ for that were a shame vnto vs. Only in
this will we consent vnto you: Yf ye will be as we be/ that all the
men childern amonge you be circumcysed/ tha will we geue oure doughter
to you and take youres to vs/ and will dwell with you and be one
people. But and yf ye will not harken vnto vs to be circumcysed/ than
will we take oure doughter and goo oure wayes.

And their wordes pleased Hemor and Sichem his sonne. And the yonge man
deferde not for to do the thinge/ because he had a lust to Iacobs
doughter: he was also most sett by of all that were in his fathers
house. Tha Hemor and Sichem went vnto the gate of their cyte/ and
comened with the men of their cyte saynge. These men ar peasable with
vs/ & will dwell in the lade and do their occupatio therin And in the
land is rowme ynough for th[~e]/ let vs take their doughters to wyues
and geue them oures: only herin will they consent vnto vs for to dwell
with vs and to be one people: yf all the men childern that are amonge
vs be circumcysed as they are. Their goodes & their substance and all
their catell are oures/ only let vs consente vnto them/ that they maye
dwell with vs.

And vnto Hemor and Sichem his sonne harkened all that went out at the
gate of his cyte. And all the menchildern were circumcysed whatsoeuer
went out at the gates of his cyte. And the third daye when it was
paynefull to them/ ij. of the sonnes of Iacob Simeon & Leui Dinas
brethren/ toke ether of them his swerde & went in to the cyte boldly/
and slewe all y^t was male/ and slewe also Hemor and Sichem his sonne
with the edge of the swerde/ ad toke Dina their sister out of Sichems
house/ and went their waye.

Than came the sonnes of Iacob vpon the deede/ and spoyled the cyte/
because they had defyled their sister: and toke their shepe/ oxen
asses and what so euer was in the cyte and also in y^e feldes. And all
their goodes/ all their childern and their wyues toke they captyue/
and made havock of all that was in the houses.

And Iacob sayde to Simeon and Leui: ye haue troubled me ad made me
styncke vnto the inhabitatours of the lande/ both to the Canaanytes
and also vnto the Pherezites. And I am fewe in nombre. Wherfore they
shall gather them selves together agaynst me & sley me/ and so shall I
and my house be dystroyed. And they answered: shuld they deall with
oure sister as wyth an whoore?




¶ The .xxxv. Chapter


And God sayd vnto Iacob/ aryse ad get the vp to Bethell/ & dwell
there. And make there an aulter vnto God that apeared vnto the/ when
thou fleddest from Esau thy brother. Than sayd Iacob vnto his
housholde & to all y^t were with him/ put away the stra[~u]ge goddes
that are amonge you & make youre selues cleane/ & chaunge youre
garm[~e]tes/ & let vs aryse & goo vp to Bethell/ y^t I maye make an
aulter there/ vnto God which herde me in the daye of my tribulatio &
was wyth me in the waye which I went.

And they gaue vnto Iacob all the straunge goddes which were vnder
their handes/ ad all their earynges which were in their eares/ and
Iacob hyd them vnder an ooke at Sichem. And they departed. And the
feare of God fell vpon the cyties that were rounde aboute them/ that
they durst not folowe after the sonnes of Iacob. So came Iacob to Lus
in the lande of Canaan/ otherwise called Bethell/ with all the people
that was with him. And he buylded there an aulter/ and called the
place Elbethell: because that God appered vnto him there/ when he fled
from his brother.

Than dyed Debora Rebeccas norse/ and was buryed benethe Bethell vnder
an ooke. And the name of it was called the ooke of lamentation.

And God appeared vnto Iacob agayne after he came out of Mesopotamia/ &
blessed him and sayde vnto him: thy name is Iacob. Not withstondynge
thou shalt be no more called Iacob/ but Israel shalbe thy name. And so
was his name called Israell.

And God sayde vnto him: I am God allmightie/ growe and multiplye: for
people and a multitude of people shall sprynge of the/ yee ad kynges
shall come out of they loynes. And the lande which I gaue Abraha &
Isaac/ will I geue vnto the/ & vnto thi seed after the will I geue it
also. And god departed fro him in the place where he talked with him.
And Iacob set vp a marke in the place where he talked with him: euen a
pilloure of stone/ & powred drynkeoffringe theron and powred also oyle
thereon/ and called the name of the place where God spake with him/
Bethell.

And they departed from Bethel/ & when he was but a feld brede from
Ephrath/ Rahel began to trauell. And in travelynge she was in perell.
And as she was in paynes of hir laboure/ the mydwyfe sayde vnto her:
feare not/ for thou shalt haue this sonne also. Then as hir soule was
a departinge/ that she must dye: she called his name Ben Oni. But his
father called him Ben Iamin. And thus dyed Rahel ad was buryed in the
waye to Ephrath which now is called Bethlehem. And Iacob sett vp a
piller apon hir graue/ which is called Rahels graue piller vnto this
daye. And Israell went th[~e]ce and pitched vp his tent beyonde the
toure of Eder.

And it chaunced as Israel dwelt in that lande/ that Ruben went & laye
with Bilha his fathers concubyne/ & it came to Israels eare.
The sonnes of Iacob were .xij. in nombre. The sonnes of Lea. Ruben
Iacobs eldest sonne/ & Simeo/ Leui/ Iuda/ Isachar/ & Zabulon The
sonnes of Rahel: Ioseph & Ben Iamin. The sonnes of Bilha Rahels mayde:
Dan & Nepthali. The sonnes of Zilpha Leas mayde Gad & Aser. Thes are
the sones of Iacob which were borne him in Mesopotamia.

Then Iacob went vnto Isaac his father to Mamre a pr[~i]cipall cyte/
otherwise called Hebron: where Abraha & Isaac sogeorned as straungers.
And the dayes of Isaac were an hundred & .lxxx. yeres: & than fell he
seke & dyed/ ad was put vnto his people: beynge olde and full of
dayes. And his sonnes Esau ad Iacob buried him.




The .xxxvi. Chapter.


These are the generations of Esau which is called Edo. Esau toke his
wyues of the doughters of Canaan Ada the doughter of Elon an Hethite/
& Ahalibama the doughter of Ana/ which Ana was the sonne of Zibeon an
heuyte/ And Basmath Ismaels doughter & sister of Nebaioth. And Ada
bare vnto Esau/ Eliphas: and Basmath bare Reguel: And Ahalibama bare
Ieus/ Iaelam and Korah. These are the sonnes of Esau which were borne
him in the lande of Canaan.

And Esau toke his wyues/ his sonnes and doughters and all the soules
of his house: his goodes and all his catell and all his substance
which he had gott in the land of Canaan/ ad went in to a countre awaye
from his brother Iacob: for their ryches was so moch/ that they coude
not dwell together/ and that the land where in they were straungers/
coude not receaue th[~e]: because of their catell. Thus dwelt Esau in
mo[~u]te Seir/ which Esau is called Edo.

These are the generations of Esau father of the Edomytes in mounte
Seir/ & these are the names of Esaus sonnes: Eliphas the sonne of Ada
the wife of Esau/ ad Reguel the sonne of Basmath the wife of Esau
also. And the sonnes of Eliphas were. Theman/ Omar/ Zepho/ Gaetham and
kenas. And thimna was concubyne to Eliphas Esaus sonne/ and bare vnto
Eliphas/ Amalech. And these be the sonnes of Ada Esaus wyfe. And these
are the sonnes of Reguel: Nahath/ Serah/ Samma and Misa: these were
the sonnes of Basmath Esaus wyfe. And these were the sonnes of
Ahalibama Esaus wyfe the doughter of Ana sonne of Zebeo/ which she
bare vnto Esau: Ieus/ Iealam and Korah.

These were dukes of the sonnes of Esau. The childern of Eliphas the
first sone of Esau were these: duke Theman/ duke Omar/ duke Zepho/
duke Kenas/ duke Korah/ duke Gaetham & duke Amalech: these are y^e
dukes that came of Eliphas in the lande of Edom/ ad these were the
sonnes of Ada.

These were the childern of Reguel Esaus sonne: duke Nahath/ duke
Serah/ duke Samma/ duke Misa. These are the dukes that came of Reguel
in the lande of Edom/ ad these were the sonnes of Basmath Esaus wyfe.

These were the childern of Ahalibama Esaus wife: duke Ieus/ duke
Iaelam/ duke Korah these dukes came of Ahalibama y^e doughter of Ana
Esaus wife. These are the childern of Esau/ and these are the dukes of
them: which Esau is called Edom:

These are the children of Seir the Horite/ the inhabitoure of the
lande: Lothan/ Sobal/ Zibeon/ Ana/ Dison/ Eser and Disan. These are
the dukes of y^e horites the childern of Seir in the lande of Edom.
And the children of Lothan were: Hori and Hemam. And Lothans sister
was called Thimna.

The childern of Sobal were these: Alvan/ Manahath/ Ebal/ Sepho & Onam.
These were the childern of Zibeo. Aia & ana/ this was y^t Ana y^t
fo[~u]de y^e mules in y^e wildernes/ as he fed his father Zibeons
asses. The childern of Ana were these. Dison and Ahalibama y^e
doughter of Ana.

These are the childern of Dison. Hemdan Esban/ Iethran & Chera. The
childern of Ezer were these/ Bilhan/ Seavan & Akan. The childern of
Disan were: Vz and Aran.

These are the dukes that came of the Hori: duke Lothan/ duke Sobal/
duke Zibeo/ duke Ana duke Dison/ duke Ezer/ duke Disan. These be the
dukes that came of Hory in their dukedos in the land of Seir.

These are the kynges that reigned in the lande of Edom before there
reigned any kynge amonge the childern of Israel. Bela the sonne of
Beor reigned in Edomea/ and the name of his cyte was Dinhaba. And when
Bela dyed/ Iobab the sonne of Serah out of Bezara/ reigned in his
steade. When Iobab was dead/ Husam of the lande of Themany reigned in
his steade. And after the deth of Husam/ Hadad the sonne of Bedad
which slewe the Madianytes in the feld of the Moabytes/ reigned in his
steade/ and the name of his cyte was Avith. Wh[~e] Hadad was dead/
Samla of Masreka reigned in his steade. Wh[~e] Samla was dead/ Saul of
the ryver Rehoboth reigned in his steade. When Saul was dead/ Baal
hanan the sonne of Achbor reigned in his steade. And after the deth of
Baal Hanan the sonne of Achbor/ Hadad reigned in his steade/ and the
name of his cyte was Pagu. And his wifes name Mehetabeel the doughter
of matred the doughter of Mesaab.

These are the names of the dukes that came of Esau/ in their kynredds/
places and names: Duke Thimma/ duke Alua/ duke Ietheth duke Ahalibama/
duke Ela/ duke Pinon/ duke Kenas/ duke Theman/ duke Mibzar/ duke Magdiel/
duke Iram. These be the dukes of Edomea in their habitations/ in the
lande of their possessions. This Esau is the father of the Edomytes.




¶ The .xxxvij. Chapter.


And Iacob dwelt in the lande wherein his father was a straunger/ y^t
is to saye in the lande of Canaan. And these are the generations of
Iacob: when Ioseph was .xvij. yere olde/ he kepte shepe with his
brethren/ and the lad was with the sonnes of Bilha & of Zilpha his
fathers wyues. And he brought vnto their father an euyll saynge y^t
was of them. And Israel loued Ioseph more than all his childern/
because he begat hym in his olde age/ and he made him a coote of many
coloures.

When his brothren sawe that their father loued him more than all his
brethern/ they hated him and coude not speke one kynde worde vnto him.
Moreouer Ioseph dreamed a dreame and tolde it his brethren: wherfore
they hated him yet the more. And he sayde vnto them heare I praye yow
this dreame which I haue dreamed: Beholde we were makynge sheues in
the felde: and loo/ my shefe arose and stode vp right/ and youres
stode rounde aboute and made obeysaunce to my shefe. Than sayde his
brethren vnto him: what/ shalt thou be oure kynge or shalt thou reigne
ouer us? And they hated h[~i] yet the more/ because of his dreame and
of his wordes.

And he dreamed yet another dreame & told it his brethren saynge:
beholde/ I haue had one dreame more: me thought the sonne and the
moone and .xi. starres made obaysaunce to me. And when he had told it
vnto his father and his brethern/ his father rebuked him and sayde
vnto him: what meaneth this dreame which thou hast dreamed: shall I
and thy mother and thy brethren come and fall on the grounde before
the? And his brethern hated him/ but his father noted the saynge.

His brethren went to kepe their fathers shepe in Sichem/ and Israell
sayde vnto Ioseph: do not thy brethern kepe in Sichem? come that I may
send y^e to th[~e]. And he answered here am I And he sayde vnto him:
goo and see whether it be well with thy brethren and the shepe/ and
brynge me worde agayne: And sent him out of the vale of Hebron/ for to
go to Sichem.

And a certayne man found him wandrynge out of his waye in the felde/
ad axed him what he soughte. And he answered: I seke my brethren/ tell
me I praye the where they kepe shepe And the man sayde/ they are
departed h[~e]ce/ for I herde them say/ let vs goo vnto Dothan. Thus
went Ioseph after his brethren/ and founde them in Dothan.

And wh[~e] they sawe him a farr of before he came at them/ they toke
councell agaynst him/ for to sley him/ and sayde one to another/
Beholde this dreamer cometh/ come now and let us sley him and cast
him in to some pytt/ and let vs saye that some wiked beast hath
deuoured him/ and let us see what his dreames wyll come to.

When Ruben herde that/ he w[~e]t aboute to ryd him out of their handes
and sayde/ let vs not kyll him. And Ruben sayde moreouer vnto them/
shed not his bloude/ but cast him in to this pytt that is in the
wildernes/ and laye no handes vpon him: for he wolde haue rydd him out
of their handes and delyuered him to his father agayne.

And as soone as Ioseph was come vnto his brethren/ they strypte him
out of his gay coote that was vpon him/ and they toke him and cast him
in to a pytt: But the pytt was emptie and had no water therein. And
they satt them doune to eate brede. And as they lyft vp their eyes and
loked aboute/ there came a companye of Ismaelites from Gilead/ and
their camels lad[~e] with spicery/ baulme/ and myrre/ and were goynge
doune in to Egipte.

Than sayde Iuda to his brethr[~e]/ what avayleth it that we sley oure
brother/ and kepe his bloude secrett? come on/ let us sell him to the
Ismaelites/ and let not oure handes be defyled vpon him: for he is
oure brother and oure flesh. And his brethren were content. Than as
the Madianites marchaunt men passed by/ they drewe Ioseph out of the
pytt and sold him vnto the Ismaelites for .xx. peces of syluer.
And they brought him into Egipte.

And when Ruben came agayne vnto the pytt and founde not Ioseph there/
he rent his cloothes and went agayne vnto his brethern saynge: the lad
is not yonder/ and whether shall I goo? And they toke Iosephs coote ad
kylled a goote/ & dypped the coote in the bloud. And they sent that
gay coote ad caused it to be brought vnto their father and sayd: This
haue we founde: se/ whether it be thy sones coote or no. And he knewe
it saynge: it is my sonnes coote a wicked beast hath deuoured him/ and
Ioseph is rent in peces. And Iacob rent his cloothes/ ad put sacke
clothe aboute his loynes/ and sorowed for his sonne a longe season.

Than came all his sonnes ad all his doughters to comforte him. And he
wold not be comforted/ but sayde: I will go doune in to y^e grave vnto
my sonne/ mornynge. And thus his father wepte for him. And the
Madianytes solde him in Egipte vnto Putiphar a lorde of Pharaos: and
his chefe marshall.




¶ The .xxxviij. Chapter.


And it fortuned at that tyme that Iudas went from his brethren & gatt
him to a man called Hira of Odollam/ and there he sawe the doughter of
a man called Sua a Canaanyte. And he toke her ad went in vnto her. And
she conceaued and bare a sonne and called his name Er. And she
conceaued agayne and bare a sonne and called him Onan. And she
conceaued the thyrde tyme & bare a sonne/ whom she called Sela: & he
was at Chesyb when she bare hem.

And Iudas gaue Er his eldest sonne/ a wife whose name was Thamar. But
this Er Iudas eldest sonne was wicked in the syghte of the LORde/
wherfore the LORde slewe him. Than sayde Iudas vnto Onan: goo in to
thi brothers wyfe and Marie her/ and styrre vp seed vnto thy brother.
And when Onan perceaued that the seed shulde not be his: therfore when
he went in to his brothers wife/ he spylled it on the grounde/ because
he wold not geue seed vnto his brother. And the thinge which he dyd/
displeased the LORde/ wherfore he slew him also. Than sayde Iudas to
Thamar his doughter in lawe: remayne a wydow at thi fathers house/
tyll Sela my sonne be growne: for he feared lest he shulde haue dyed
also/ as his brethren did. Thus went Thamar & dwelt in hir fathers
house.

And in processe of tyme/ the doughter of Sua Iudas wife dyed. Than
Iudas when he had left mornynge/ went vnto his shepe sherers to
Thimnath with his frende Hira of Odollam. And one told Thamar saynge:
beholde/ thy father inlawe goth vp to Thimnath/ to shere his shepe.
And she put hyr wydows garm[~e]tes of from her and couered her with a
clooke/ and disgyssed herself: and sat her downe at the entrynge of
Enaim which is by the hye wayes syde to Thimnath/ for because she
sawe that Sela was growne/ and she was not geu[~e] vnto him to wife.

When Iuda sawe her/ he thought it had bene an hoore/ because she had
couered hyr face. And turned to her vnto the waye and sayde/ come I
praye the/ let me lye with the/ for he knewe not that it was his
doughter in lawe. And she sayde what wylt thou gyue me/ for to lye
with me? Tha sayde he/ I will sende the a kydd fro the flocke. She
answered/ Than geue me a pledge till thou sende it. Than sayde he/
what pledge shall I geue the? And she sayde: thy sygnett/ thy
neckelace/ and thy staffe that is in thy hande. And he gaue it her and
lay by her/ and she was with child by him. And she gatt her vp and
went and put her mantell from her/ ad put on hir widowes rayment
agayne.

And Iudas send the kydd by his neybure of Odollam/ for to fetch out
his pledge agayne from the wifes hande. But he fownde her not. Than
asked he the men of the same place saynge: where is the whoore that
satt at Enaim in the waye? And they sayde: there was no whoore here.
And he came to Iuda agayne saynge: I can not fynde her/ and also the
men of the place sayde: that there was no whoore there. And Iuda
sayde: let her take it to her/ lest we be shamed: for I sente the kydd
& thou coudest not fynde her.

And it came to passe that after .iij. monethes/ one tolde Iuda
saynge: Thamar thy doughter in lawe hath played the whoore/ and with
playnge the whoore is become great with childe. And Iuda sayde: brynge
her forth ad let her be brente. And when they brought her forth/ she
sent to her father in lawe saynge: by the ma vnto whome these thinges
pertayne/ am I with childe. And sayd also: loke whose are this seall
necklace/ and staffe. And Iuda knewe them saynge: she is more rightwes
tha I/ because I gaue her not to Sela my sone. But he laye with her
nomore.

When tyme was come that she shulde be delyuered/ beholde there was
.ij. twynnes in hyr wobe. And as she traveled/ the one put out his
hande and the mydwife toke and bownde a reed threde aboute it saynge:
this wyll come out fyrst. But he plucked his hande backe agayne/ and
his brother came out. And she sayde: wherfore hast thou rent a rent
vppon the? and called him Pharez. And afterward came out his brother
that had the reade threde about his hade/ which was called Zarah.




¶ The .xxxix. Chapter.


Ioseph was brought vnto Egipte/ ad Putiphar a lorde of Pharaos: ad his
chefe marshall an Egiptian/ bought him of y^e Ismaelites which brought
h[~i] thither And the LORde was with Ioseph/ and he was a luckie
felowe and continued in the house of his master the Egiptian. And his
master sawe that the LORde was with him and that the LORde made all
that he dyd prosper in his hande: Wherfore he founde grace in his
masters syghte/ and serued him. And his master made him ruelar of his
house/ and put all that he had in his hande. And as soone as he had
made him ruelar ouer his house ad ouer all that he had/ the LORde
blessed this Egiptians house for Iosephs sake/ and the blessynge of
the LORde was vpon all that he had: both in the house and also in the
feldes. And therfore he left all that he had in Iosephs hande/ and
loked vpon nothinge that was with him/ saue only on the bread which he
ate. And Ioseph was a goodly persone & a well favored

And it fortuned after this/ that his masters wife cast hir eyes vpon
Ioseph and sayde come lye with me. But he denyed and sayde to her:
Beholde/ my master woteth not what he hath in the house with me/ but
hath commytted all that he hath to my hande He him selfe is not
greatter in the house than I/ ad hath kepte noth[~i]ge fro me/ but
only the because thou art his wife. How than can I do this great
wykydnes/ for to synne agaynst God? And after this maner spake she to
Ioseph daye by daye: but he harkened not vnto her/ to slepe nere her
or to be in her company.

And it fortuned aboute the same season/ that Ioseph entred in to the
house/ to do his busynes: and there was none of the houshold by/ in
the house. And she caught him by the garment saynge: come slepe with
me. And he left his garment in hir hande ad fled and gott him out When
she sawe that he had left his garm[~e]t in hir hande/ and was fled
out/ she called vnto the men of the house/ and tolde them saynge: Se/
he hath brought in an Hebrewe vnto vs to do vs shame. for he came in
to me/ for to haue slept wyth me. But I cried with a lowde voyce. And
when he harde/ that I lyfte vp my voyce and cryed/ he left his garment
with me and fled awaye and got him out.

And she layed vp his garment by her/ vntill hir lorde came home. And
she told him acordynge to these wordes saynge. This Hebrues servaunte
which thou hast brought vnto vs came in to me to do me shame. But as
soone as I lyft vp my voyce and cryed/ he left his garment with me and
fled out. When his master herde the woordes of his wyfe which she
tolde him saynge: after this maner dyd thy servaunte to me/ he waxed
wrooth.

And he toke Ioseph and put him in pryson: euen in the place where the
kynges prisoners laye bounde. And there contynued he in preson. But
the LORde was with Ioseph ad shewed him mercie/ and gott him fauoure
in the syghte of the keper of y^e preson which commytted to Iosephs
hade all the presoners that were in the preson housse. And what soeuer
was done there/ y^t dyd he. And the keper of the preso loked vnto
nothinge that was vnder his hande/ because the LORde was with him/ &
because that whatsoeuer he dyd/ the LORde made it come luckely to
passe.




The xl. Capter.


And it chaunced after this/ that the chefe butlar of the kynge of
Egipte and his chefe baker had offended there lorde the kynge of
Egypte. And Pharao was angrie with them and put th[~e] in warde in his
chefe marshals house: euen in y^e preson where Ioseph was bownd. And
the chefe marshall gaue Ioseph a charge with them/ & he serued them.
And they contynued a season in warde.

And they dreamed ether of them in one nyghte: both the butlar and the
baker of the kynge of Egipte which were bownde in the preson house/
ether of them his dreame/ and eche manes dreame of a sondrie
interpretation When Ioseph came in vnto them in the mornynge/ and
loked apon them: beholde/ they were sadd. And he asked them saynge/
wherfore loke ye so sadly to daye? They answered him/ we haue dreamed
a dreame/ and haue no man to declare it. And Ioseph sayde vnto
th[~e]. Interpretynge belongeth to God but tel me yet.

And the chefe butlar tolde his dreame to Ioseph and sayde vnto him. In
my dreame me thought there stode a vyne before me/ and in the vyne
were .iij. braunches/ and it was as though it budded/ & her blossos
shottforth: & y^e grapes thereof waxed rype. And I had Pharaos cuppe
in my hande/ and toke of the grapes and wronge them in to Pharaos
cuppe/ & delyvered Pharaos cuppe in to his hande.

And Ioseph sayde vnto him/ this is the interpretation of it. The .iij.
braunches ar thre dayes: for within thre dayes shall Pharao lyft vp
thine heade/ and restore the vnto thyne office agayne/ and thou shalt
delyuer Pharaos cuppe in to his hade/ after the old maner/ even as
thou dydest when thou wast his butlar. But thinke on me with the/ when
thou art in good ease/ and shewe mercie vnto me. And make mencion of
me to Pharao/ and helpe to brynge me out of this house: for I was
stollen out of the lande of the Hebrues/ & here also haue I done
noth[~i]ge at all wherfore they shulde haue put me in to this dongeon.

When the chefe baker sawe that he had well interpretate it/ he sayde
vnto Ioseph/ me thought also in my dreame/ y^t I had .iij. wyker
baskettes on my heade: And in y^e vppermost basket/ of all maner
bakemeates for Pharao. And the byrdes ate them out of the basket apon
my heade

Ioseph answered and sayde: this is the interpretation therof. The
.iij. baskettes are .iij. dayes/ for this daye .iij. dayes shall
Pharao take thy heade from the/ and shall hange the on a tree/ and the
byrdes shall eate thy flesh from of the.

And it came to passe the thyrde daye which was Pharaos byrth daye/
that he made a feast vnto all his servauntes. And he lyfted vpp the
head of the chefe buttelar and of the chefe baker amonge his
servauntes. And restored the chefe buttelar vnto his buttelarshipe
agayne/ and he reched the cuppe in to Pharaos hande/ ad hanged the
chefe baker: eu[~e] as Ioseph had interpretated vnto th[~e].
Notwithstonding the chefe buttelar remembred not Ioseph/ but forgat
hym.




The .xli. Capter


And it fortuned at .ij. yeres end/ that Pharao dreamed/ and thought
that he stode by a ryuers syde/ and that there came out of the ryver
.vij. goodly kyne and fatt fleshed/ and fedd in a medowe. And him
though that .vij. other kyne came vp after them out of the ryver
evelfauored and leane fleshed and stode by the other vpon the brynke
of the ryuer. And the evill favored and lenefleshed kyne ate vp the
.vij. welfauoured and fatt kyne: and he awoke their with.

And he slepte agayne and dreamed the second tyme/ that .vij. eares of
corne grewe apon one stalke rancke and goodly. And that .vij. thynne
eares blasted with the wynde/ spronge vp after them: and that the
.vij. thynne eares deuowrerd the .vij. rancke and full eares. And than
Pharao awaked: and se/ here is his dreame. When the mornynge came/ his
sprete was troubled And he sent and called for all the soythsayers of
Egypte and all the wyse men there of/ and told them his dreame: but
there was none of them that coude interpretate it vnto Pharao.

Than spake the chefe buttelar vnto Pharao saynge. I do remembre my
fawte this daye. Pharao was angrie with his servauntes/ and put in
warde in the chefe marshals house both me and the chefe baker. And we
dreamed both of vs in one nyght and ech mannes dreame of a sondrye
interpretation.

And there was with vs a yonge man/ an Hebrue borne/ servaunte vnto the
chefe marshall. And we told him/ and he declared oure dreames to vs
acordynge to ether of oure dreames. And as he declared them vnto vs/
euen so it came to passe. I was restored to myne office agayne/ and he
was hanged.

Than Pharao sent and called Ioseph. And they made him haste out of
preson. And he shaued him self and chaunged his rayment/ & went in to
Pharao. And Pharao sayde vnto Ioseph: I haue dreamed a dreame and no
man ca interpretate it/ but I haue herde saye of the y^t as soone as
thou hearest a dreame/ thou dost interpretate it. And Ioseph answered
Pharao saynge: God shall geue Pharao an answere of peace without me.

Pharao sayde vnto Ioseph: in my dreame me thought I stode by a ryvers
syde/ and there came out of the ryver vij fatt fleshed ad well fauored
kyne/ and fedd in the medowe. And then .vij. other kyne came vp after
them/ poore and very euell fauored ad leane fleshed: so that I neuer
sawe their lyke in all the lande of Egipte in euell fauordnesse. And
the .vij. leane and euell fauored kyne ate vpp the first .vij. fatt
kyne And when they had eaten them vp/ a man cowde not perceaue that
they had eat[~e] them: for they were still as evyll fauored as they
were at the begynnynge. And I awoke.

And I sawe agayne in my dreame .vij. eares sprynge out of one stalk
full and good/ and .vij. other eares wytherd/ thinne and blasted with
wynde/ sprynge vp after them. And the thynne eares deuowred the .vij.
good eares. And I haue tolde it vnto the sothsayers/ but no man can
tell me what it meaneth.

Then Ioseph sayde vnto Pharao: both Pharaos dreames are one. And god
doth shewe Pharao what he is aboute to do. The vij. good kyne are .vij
yeres: & the .vij. good eares are .vij. yere also/ and is but one
dreame. Lykewyse/ the .vij. thynne and euell fauored kyne that came
out after them/ are .vij. yeares: and the .vij. emptie and blasted
eares shalbe vij. yeares of hunger. This is that which I sayde vnto
Pharao/ that God doth shewe Pharao what he is aboute to doo.

Beholde there shall come .vij. yere of great plenteousnes through out
all the lande of Egypte. And there shall aryse after them vij. yeres
of hunger. So that all the plenteousnes shalbe forgeten in the lande
of Egipte. And the hunger shall consume the lande: so that the
plenteousnes shall not be once agene in the land by reason of that
hunger that shall come after/ for it shalbe exceading great And as
concernynge that the dreame was dubled vnto Pharao the second tyme/ it
betokeneth that the thynge is certanly prepared of God/ ad that God
will shortly brynge it to passe.

Now therfore let Pharao provyde for a man of vnderstondynge and
wysdome/ and sett him over the lande of Egipte. And let Pharao make
officers ouer the lande/ and take vp the fyfte parte of the land of
Egipte in the vij. plenteous yeres and let them gather all the foode
of these good yeres that come/ ad lay vp corne vnder the power of
Pharo: that there may be foode in the cities/ and there let them kepte
it: that there may be foode in stoore in the lande/ agaynst the .vij.
yeres of hunger which shall come in the lande of Egipte/ and that the
lande perishe not thorow hunger.

And the saynge pleased Pharao ad all his seruauntes. Than sayde Pharao
vnto his seruavauntes: where shall we fynde soch a ma as this is/ that
hath the sprete of God in him? wherfore Pharao sayde vnto Ioseph:
for as moch as God hath shewed the all this/ there is no man of
vnderstondyng nor of wysdome lyke vnto the Thou therfore shalt be ouer
my house/ and acordinge to thy worde shall all my people obey: only in
the kynges seate will I be aboue the. And he sayde vnto Ioseph:
beholde/ I haue sett the ouer all the lande of Egipte. And he toke off
his rynge from his fyngre/ and put it vpon Iosephs fingre/ and arayed
him in raym[~e]t of bisse/ and put a golden cheyne aboute his necke
and set him vpon the best charett that he had saue one. And they cryed
before him Abrech/ ad that Pharao had made him ruelar ouer all the
lande of Egipte.

And Pharao sayde vnto Ioseph: I am Pharao/ without thi will/ shall no
man lifte vp ether his hande or fote in all the lande of Egipte. And
he called Iosephs name Zaphnath Paenea. And he gaue him to wyfe Asnath
the doughter of Potiphara preast of On. Than went Ioseph abrode in the
lade of Egipte. And he was .xxx. yere olde wh[~e] he stode before
Pharao kynge of Egipte. And than Ioseph departed from Pharao/ and went
thorow out all the lande of Egipte.

And in the .vij. pl[~e]teous yeres they made sheves and gathered vp
all the fode of the .vij. plenteous yeres which were in the lande of
Egipte and put it in to the cities. And he put the food of the feldes
that grewe rounde aboute euery cyte: euen in the same. And Ioseph
layde vp corne in stoore/ lyke vnto the sande of the see in multitude
out of mesure/ vntyll he left nombrynge: For it was with out nombre.

And vnto Ioseph were borne .ij. sonnes before the yeres of hunger
came/ which Asnath the doughter of Potiphara preast of On/ bare vnto
him. And he called the name of the first sonne Manasse/ for God (sayde
he) hath made me forgett all my laboure & all my fathers husholde. The
seconde called he Ephraim/ for God (sayde he) hath caused me to growe
in the lande of my trouble.

And when the .vij. yeres of plenteousnes that was in the lande of
Egypte were ended/ than came the .vij. yeres of derth/ acordynge as
Ioseph had sayde. And the derth was in all landes: but in the lade of
Egipte was there yet foode. When now all the lande of Egipte began to
hunger/ than cried the people to Pharao for bread. And Pharao sayde
vnto all Egipte: goo vnto Ioseph/ and what he sayth to you that doo
And when the derth was thorow out all the lande/ Ioseph opened all
that was in the cities and solde vnto the Egiptias And hunger waxed
sore in the land of Egipte. And all countrees came to Egipte to Ioseph
for to bye corne: because that the hunger was so sore in all landes.




¶ The .xlij. Chapter.


When Iacob sawe that there was corne to be solde in Egipte/ he sayde
vnto his sones: why are ye negligent? beholde/ I haue hearde that
there is corne to be solde in Egipte. Gete you thither and bye vs
corne fro th[~e]ce/ that we maye lyue and not dye. So went Iosephs ten
brethern doune to bye corne in Egipte/ for Ben Iamin Iosephs brother
wold not Iacob sende with his other brethren: for he sayde: some
mysfortune myght happen him

And the sonnes of Israell came to bye corne amonge other that came/
for there was derth also in the lande of Canaan. And Ioseph was
gouerner in the londe/ and solde corne to all the people of the londe.
And his brethren came/ and fell flatt on the grounde before him. When
Ioseph sawe his brethern/ he knewe them: But made straunge vnto them/
and spake rughly vnto them saynge: Whence come ye? and they sayde: out
of the lande of Canaan/ to bye vitayle. Ioseph knewe his brethern/ but
they knewe not him.

And Ioseph remembred his dreames which he dreamed of them/ and sayde
vnto them: ye are spies/ and to se where the lande is weake is youre
comynge. And they sayde vnto him: nay my lorde: but to bye vitayle thy
seruauntes are come. We are all one mans sonnes/ and meane truely/ and
thy seruauntes are no spies. And he sayde vnto them: nay verely/ but
euen to se where the land is weake is youre comynge. And they sayde:
we thi seruauntes are .xij. brethern/ the sonnes of one man in the
lande of Canaan. The yongest is yet with oure father/ and one no man
woteth where he is.

Ioseph sayde vnto them/ that is it that I sayde vnto you/ that ye are
surelye spies. Here by ye shall be proued. For by the lyfe of Pharao/
ye shall not goo hence/ vntyll youre yongest brother be come hither.
Sende therfore one off you and lett him fett youre brother/ and ye
shalbe in preason in the meane season. And thereby shall youre wordes
be proued/ whether there be any trueth in you: or els by the lyfe of
Pharao/ ye are but spies. And he put them in warde thre dayes.

And Ioseph sayde vnto th[~e] the thyrd daye: This doo and lyue/ for I
feare Gode Yf ye meane no hurte/ let one of youre brethern be bounde
in the preason/ and goo ye and brynge the necessarie foode vnto youre
housholdes/ and brynge youre yongest brother vnto me: that youre
wordes maye be beleved/ ad that ye dye not And they did so.

Than they sayde one to a nother: we haue verely synned agaynst oure
brother/ in that we sawe the anguysh of his soull when he besought us/
& wold not heare him: therfore is this troubyll come apon us. Ruben
answered th[~e] saynge: sayde I not vnto you that ye shulde not synne
agaynst the lad? but ye wolde not heare And now verely see/ his bloude
is requyred.

They were not aware that Ioseph vnderstode them/ for he spake vnto
them by an interpreter. And he turned from them and wepte/ and than
turned to them agayne ad comened with them/ and toke out Simeon from
amonge th[~e] and bownde him before their eyes/ ad commaunded to fyll
their sackes wyth corne/ and to put euery mans money in his sacke/ and
to geue them vitayle to spende by the waye. And so it was done to
them.

And they laded their asses with the corne and departed thence. And as
one of them opened his sacke/ for to geue his asse prauender in the
Inne/ he spied his money in his sacks mouth And he sayde vnto his
brethren: my money is restored me agayne/ & is eu[~e] in my sackes
mouth Than their hartes fayled them/ and were astoynyed and sayde one
to a nother: how cometh it that God dealeth thus with us?

And they came vnto Iacob their father vnto the lande of Canaan/ and
tolde him all that had happened them saynge. The lorde of the lade
spake rughly to us/ and toke us for spyes to serche the countre. And
we sayde vnto him: we meane truely and are no spies. We be .xij.
brethren sones of oure father/ one is awaye/ and the yongest is now
with oure father in the lande of Canaan.

And the lorde of the countre sayde vnto us: hereby shall I knowe yf ye
meane truely: leaue one of youre brethern here with me/ and take foode
necessary for youre housholdes and get you awaye/ and brynge youre
yongest brother vnto me And thereby shall I knowe that ye are no
spyes/ but meane truely: So will I delyuer you youre brother agayne/
and ye shall occupie in the lande.

And as they emptied their sackes/ beholde: euerymans bundell of money
was in his sacke And when both they and their father sawe the bundells
of money/ they were afrayde.

And Iacob their father sayde vnto them: Me haue ye robbed of my
childern: Ioseph is away/ and Simeon is awaye/ and ye will take Ben
Iamin awaye. All these thinges fall vpon me. Ruben answered his father
saynge: Slee my two sonnes/ yf I bringe him not to the agayne. Delyuer
him therfore to my honde/ and I will brynge him to the agayne: And he
sayde: my sonne shall not go downe with you. For his brother is dead/
and he is left alone Moreouer some mysfortune myght happen vpon him by
the waye which ye goo. And so shuld ye brynge my gray head with sorowe
vnto the graue.




¶ The .xliij. Chapter.


And the derth waxed sore in the lande. And when they had eate vp that
corne which they brought out of the lande of Egipte/ their father
sayde vnto them: goo agayne and by vs a litle food. Than sayde Iuda
vnto him: the man dyd testifie vnto vs saynge: loke that ye see not my
face excepte youre brother be with you. Therfore yf thou wilt sende
oure brother with vs/ we wyll goo and bye the food. But yf thou wylt
not sende him/ we wyll not goo: for the man sayde vnto vs: loke that
ye see not my face/ excepte youre brother be with you.

And Israell sayde: wherfore delt ye so cruelly with me/ as to tell the
man that ye had yet another brother? And they sayde: The man asked vs
of oure kynred saynge: is youre father yet alyue? haue ye not another
brother? And we tolde him acordynge to these wordes. How cowd we knowe
that he wolde byd vs brynge oure brother downe with vs? Than sayde
Iuda vnto Israell his father: Send the lad with me/ and we wyll ryse
and goo/ that we maye lyue and not dye: both we/ thou and also oure
childern. I wilbe suertie for him/ and of my handes requyre him. Yf I
brynge him not to the and sett him before thine eyes/ than let me bere
the blame for euer. For except we had made this tari[~e]g: by this we
had bene there twyse and come agayne.

Than their father Israel sayde vnto th[~e]: Yf it must nedes be so
now: than do thus/ take of the best frutes of the lande in youre
vesselles/ and brynge the man a present/ a curtesie bawlme/ and a
curtesie of hony/ spyces and myrre/ dates and almondes. And take as
moch money more with you. And the money that was brought agayne in
youre sackes/ take it agayne with you in youre handes/ peraduenture it
was some ouersyghte.

Take also youre brother with you/ and aryse and goo agayne to the man.
And God almightie geue you mercie in the sighte of the man and send
you youre other brother and also B[~e] Iamin/ and I wilbe as a ma
robbed of his childern.

Thus toke they the present and twise so moch more money with them/ and
Ben Iamim. And rose vp/ went downe to Egipte/ and presented them selfe
to Ioseph. When Ioseph sawe Ben Iamin with them/ he sayde to the
ruelar of his house: brynge these men home/ and sley and make redie:
for they shall dyne with me at none. And the man dyd as Ioseph bad/
and brought them in to Iosephs house.

When they were brought to Iosephs house/ they were afrayde ad sayde:
be cause of the money y^t came in oure sackes mouthes at the first
tyme/ are we brought/ to pyke a quarell with vs & to laye some thinge
to oure charge: to brynge us in bondage and oure asses also. Therfore
came they to the man that was the ruelar ouer Iosephs house/ and
comened with him at the doore and sayde:

Sir/ we came hither at the first tyme to bye foode/ and as we came to
an Inne and opened oure sackes: beholde/ euery mannes money was in his
sacke with full weghte: But we haue broght it agene with us/ & other
mony haue we brought also in oure handes/ to bye foode/ but we can not
tell who put oure money in oure sackes.

And he sayde: be of good chere/ feare not: Youre God and the God of
youre fathers hath put you that treasure in youre sackes/ for I had
youre money. And he brought Simeon out to them ad led th[~e] in to
Iosephs house/ and gaue th[~e] water to washe their fete/ and gaue
their asses prauender: And they made redie their present agaynst
Ioseph came at none/ for they herde saye that they shulde dyne there.

When Ioseph came home/ they brought the present in to the house to
him/ which they had in their handes/ ad fell flat on the grounde befor
him. And he welcomed th[~e] curteously sainge: is youre father that
old man which ye tolde me of/ in good health? and is he yet alyue?
they answered: thy servaunte oure father is in good health/ ad is yet
alyue. And they bowed them selues and fell to the grounde.

And he lyfte vp his eyes & behelde his brother Ben Iamin his mothers
sonne/ & sayde: is this youre yongest brother of whome ye sayde vnto
me? And sayde: God be mercyfull vnto y^e my sonne. And Ioseph made
hast (for his hert dyd melt apon his brother) and soughte for to wepe/
& entred in to his chambre/ for to wepe there. And he wasshed his face
and came out & refrayned himselfe/ & had sett bread on the table

And they prepared for him by himselfe/ and for them by them selues/
and for the Egiptians which ate with him by them selues/ because the
Egyptians may not eate bread with the Hebrues/ for that is an
abhomynacyon vnto the Egiptians. And they satt before him: the eldest
acordynge vnto his age/ and the yongest acordyng vnto his youth. And
the men marveled amonge them selves. And they broughte rewardes vnto
them from before him: but Ben Iamins parte was fyue tymes so moch as
any of theirs. And they ate and they dronke/ and were dronke wyth him.




The .xliiij. Chapter.


And he commaunded the rueler of his house saynge: fyll the mens sackes
with food/ as moch as they can carie/ and put euery mans money in his
bagge mouth/ and put my syluer cuppe in the sackes mouth of the
yongest and his corne money also. And he dyd as Ioseph had sayde. And
in y^e mornynge as soone as it was lighte/ the m[~e] were let goo with
their asses.

And when they were out of the cytie and not yet ferre awaye/ Ioseph
sayde vnto the ruelar of his house: vp and folowe after the men and
ouertake them/ and saye vnto them: wherfore haue ye rewarded euell for
good? is that not the cuppe of which my lorde drynketh/ ad doth he not
prophesie therin? ye haue euell done that ye haue done.

And he ouertoke them and sayde the same wordes vnto them. And they
answered him: wherfore sayth my lorde soch wordes? God forbydd that
thy servauntes shulde doo so. Beholde/ the money which we founde in
oure sackes mouthes/ we brought agayne vnto the/ out of the lande of
Canaa: how then shulde we steale out of my lordes house/ ether syluer
or golde: with whosoeuer of thy seruauntes it be founde let him dye/
and let vs also be my lordes bondmen. And he sayde: Now therfore
acordynge vnto youre woordes/ he with whom it is found/ shalbe my
seruaunte: but ye/ shalbe harmelesse.

And attonce euery man toke downe his sacke to the grounde/ ad every
man opened his sacke. And he serched/ and began at the eldest & left
at the yongest. And the cuppe was founde in Ben Iamins sacke. Then
they rent their clothes/ and laded euery man his asse and went agayne
vnto the cytie. And Iuda and his brethr[~e] came to Iosephs house/ for
he was yet there/ ad they fell before him on the grounde. And Ioseph
sayde vnto th[~e]: what dede is this which ye haue done? wist ye not
that soch a man as I can prophesie?

Then sayde Iuda: what shall we saye vnto my lorde/ what shall we
speake or what excuse can we make? God hath founde out y^e wekednesse
of thy seruauntes. Beholde/ both we and he with whom the cuppe is
founde/ are thy seruauntes. And he answered: God forbyd y^t I shulde
do so/ the man with whom the cuppe is founde/ he shalbe my seruaunte:
but goo ye in peace vn to youre father.

Then Iuda went vnto him and sayde: oh my lorde/ let thy servante
speake a worde in my lordes audyence/ and be not wrooth with thi
servaunte: for thou art euen as Pharao. My lorde axed his seruaunte
sainge: haue ye a father or a brother? And we answered my lord/ we
haue a father that is old/ and a yonge lad which he begat in his age:
ad the brother of the sayde lad is dead/ & he is all that is left of
that mother. And his father loueth him.

Then sayde my lorde vnto his seruauntes brynge him vnto me/ that I
maye sett myne eyes apon him. And we answered my lorde/ that the lad
coude not goo from his father/ for if he shulde leaue his father/ he
were but a deed man. Than saydest thou vnto thy servauntes: excepte
youre yongest brother come with you/ loke that ye se my face no moare.

And when we came vnto thy servaunt oure father/ we shewed him what my
lorde had sayde. And when oure father sayde vnto vs/ goo agayne and
bye vs a litle fode: we sayd/ y^t we coude not goo. Neverthelesse if
oure youngeste brother go with vs then will we goo/ for we maye not
see the mannes face/ excepte oure yongest brother be with vs. Then
sayde thy servaunt oure father vnto vs. Ye knowe that my wyfe bare me
.ij. sonnes. And the one went out from me and it is sayde of a suertie
that he is torne in peaces of wyld beastes/ and I sawe him not sence.
Yf ye shall take this also awaye fro me and some mysfortune happen
apon him/ then shall ye brynge my gray heed with sorow vnto the grave.

Now therfore wh[~e] I come to thy servaunt my father/ yf the lad be
not with me: seinge that his lyfe hageth by the laddes lyfe/ then as
soone as he seeth that the lad is not come/ he will dye. So shall we
thy serva[~u]tes brynge the gray hedde of thy servaunt oure father
with sorow vnto the grave. For I thy servaunt became suertie for the
lad vnto my father & sayde: yf I bringe him not vnto the agayne. I
will bere the blame all my life loge. Now therfore let me thy servaunt
byde here for y^e lad/ & be my lordes bondman: & let the lad goo home
with his brethern. For how can I goo vnto my father/ and the lad not
wyth me: lest I shulde see the wretchednes that shall come on my
father.




The .xlv. Chapter.


And Ioseph coude no longer refrayne before all them that stode aboute
him/ but commaunded that they shuld goo all out from him/ and that
there shuld be no man with him/ whyle he vttred him selfe vnto his
brethern. And he wepte alowde/ so that the Egiptians and the house of
Pharao herde it. And he sayde vnto his brethern: I am Ioseph: doth my
father yet lyue? But his brethern coude not answere him/ for they were
abasshed at his presence.

And Ioseph sayde vnto his brethern: come nere to me/ and they came
nere. And he sayde: I am Ioseph youre brother whom ye sold in to
Egipte. And now be not greued therwith/ nether let it seme a cruel
thinge in youre eyes/ that ye solde me hither. For God dyd send me
before you to saue lyfe. For this is the seconde yere of derth in the
lande/ and fyue moo are behynde in which there shall nether be earynge
nor hervest.

Wherfore God sent me before you to make prouision/ that ye myghte
continue in the erth and to save youre lyues by a greate delyuerance.
So now it was not ye that sent me hither/ but God: and he hath made me
father vnto Pharao and lorde ouer all his house/ and rueler in all the
land of Egipte. Hast you ad goo to my father and tell him/ this sayeth
thy sonne Ioseph: God hath made me lorde ouer all Egipte. Come downe
vnto me and tarye not/ And thou shalt dwell in the londe of Gosan & be
by me: both thou and thi childern/ and thi childerns childern: and thy
shepe/ and beestes and all that thou hast. There will I make provision
for the: for there remayne yet v yeres of derth/ lest thou and thi
houshold and all that thou hast perish.

Beholde/ youre eyes do se/ and the eyes also of my brother Ben Iamin/
that I speake to you by mouth. Therfore tell my father of all my
honoure which I haue in Egipte and of all that ye haue sene/ ad make
hast and brynge my father hither.

¶ And he fell on his brother Ben Iam[~i]s necke & wepte/ & Ben Iamin
wepte on his necke. Moreouer he kyssed all his brethern and wepte apon
them. And after that/ his brethern talked with him. And when the
tidynges was come vnto Pharaos housse that Iosephes brethern were
come/ it pleased Pharao well and all his seruauntes.

And Pharao spake vnto Ioseph: saye vnto thy brethern/ this do ye: lade
youre beestes ad get you hence/ And when ye be come vnto the londe of
Canaan/ take youre father and youre housholdes and come vnto me/ and I
will geue you the beste of the lande of Egipte/ and ye shall eate the
fatt of the londe. And commaunded also. This do ye: take charettes
with you out of the lande of Egipte/ for youre childern and for youre
wyues: and brynge youre father and come. Also/ regarde not your stuff/
for the goodes of all the londe of Egipte shalbe youres.

And the childern of Israell dyd euen so/ and Ioseph gaue them
charettes at the commaundment of Pharao/ and gaue them vitayle also to
spende by the waye. And he gaue vnto eche of them chaunge of rayment:
but vnto Ben Iamin he gaue iij. hundred peces of syluer and .v.
chaunge of rayment. And vnto his father he sent after the same maner:
x. he asses laden with good out of Egipte/ and .x. she asses laden
with corne/ bred and meate: to serue his father by the waye. So sent
he his brethern awaye/ and they departed. And he sayde vnto them: se
that ye fall not out by the waye.

And they departed from Egipte and came in to the land of Canaan vnto
Iacob their father/ and told him saynge. Ioseph is yet a lyue and is
gouerner ouer all the land of Egipte. And Iacobs hert wauered/ for he
beleued th[~e] not. And they tolde him all the wordes of Ioseph which
he had sayde vnto them. But when he sawe the charettes which Ioseph
had sent to carie him/ then his sprites reviued. And Israel sayde. I
haue ynough/ yf Ioseph my sonne be yet alyue: I will goo and se him/
yer that I dye.




The .xlvi. Chapter.

Israel toke his iourney with all that he had/ and came vnto Berseba
and offred offrynges vnto the God of his father Isaac. And God sayde
vnto Israel in a vision by nyghte/ and called vnto him: Iacob Iacob.
And he answered: here am I. And he sayde: I am that mightie God of thy
father/ feare not to goo downe in to Egipte. For I will make of the
there a great people. I will go downe with y^e in to Egipte/ & I will
also bringe the vp agayne/ & Ioseph shall put his hand apon thine
eyes.

And Iacob rose vp from Berseba. And y^e sonnes of Israel caried Iacob
their father/ ad their childern and their wyues in the charettes
which Pharao had sent to carie him. And they toke their catell ad the
goodes which they had gotten in the land of Canaan/ and came in to
Egipte: both Iacob and all his seed with him/ his sonnes and his
sonnes sonnes with him: his doughters and his sonnes doughters and all
his seed brought he with him in to Egipte.

These are the names of the childern of Israel which came in to Egipte/
both Iacob and his sonnes: Rub[~e] Iacob's first sonne. The childern
of Ruben: Hanoch/ Pallu/ Hezron and Charmi. The childern of Simeon:
Iemuel/ Iamin/ Ohad/ Iachin/ Zohar and Saul the sonne of a Cananitish
woman The childern of Leui: Gerson/ Kahath and Merari. The childern of
Iuda: Er/ Onan/ Sela/ Pharez and Zerah/ but Er and Onan dyed in the
lande of Canaan. The childern of Pharez/ Hezro & Hamul. The childern
of Isachar: Tola/ Phuva Iob and Semiron. The childern of Sebulon:
Sered/ Elon and Iaheleel. These be the childern of Lea which she bare
vnto Iacob in Mesopotamia with his doughter Dina. All these soulles of
his sonnes and doughters make .xxx and .vi.

The childern of Gad: Ziphion/ Haggi/ Suni/ Ezbon/ Eri/ Arodi and
Areli. The childern of Asser: Iemna/ Iesua/ Iesui/ Brya and Serah
their sister: And the childern of Biya were Heber and Malchiel. These
are the childern of Silpha whom Laba gaue to Lea his doughter. And
these she bare vnto Iacob in nombre xvi. soules.

The childern of Rahel Iacobs wife: Ioseph and ben Iamin. And vnto
Ioseph in the lode of Egipte were borne: Manasses and Ephraim which
Asnath the doughter of Potiphara preast of On bare vnto him. The
childern of Ben Iamin: Bela/ Becher/ Asbel/ Gera/ Naeman/ Ehi Ros
Mupim/ Hupim and Ard. These are the childern of Rahel which were borne
vnto Iacob: xiiij. soules all to gether.

The childern of Dan: Husim. The childern of Nepthali: Iahezeel/ Guni/
Iezer and Sillem. These are the sonnes of Bilha which Laban gaue vnto
Rahel his doughter/ and she bare these vnto Iacob/ all together .vij.
soulles All the soulles that came with Iacob into Egipte which came
out of his loyns (besyde his sonnes wifes) were all togither .lx. and
.vi. soulles. And the sonnes of Ioseph/ which were borne him in egipte
were .ij. soules: So that all the soulles of the house of Iacob which
came in to Egipte are lxx.

And he sent Iuda before him vnto Ioseph that the waye myghte be shewed
him vnto Gosan/ and they came in to the lande of Gosan And Ioseph made
redie his charett and went agaynst Israell his father vnto Gosan/ ad
presented him selfe vnto him/ and fell on his necke and wepte vpon
his necke a goode whyle. And Israel sayd vnto Ioseph: Now I am
cot[~e]t to dye/ in somoch I haue sene the/ that thou art yet alyue.

And Ioseph sayde vnto his brethr[~e] and vnto his fathers house: I
will goo & shewe Pharao and tell him: that my brethern and my fathers
housse which were in the lade of Canaan are come vnto me/ and how they
are shepardes (for they were men of catell) and they haue brought
their shepe and their oxen and all that they haue with them. Yf Pharao
call you and axe you what youre occupation is/ saye: thi seruauntes
haue bene occupyed aboute catell/ fro oure chilhode vnto this tyme:
both we and oure fathers/ that ye maye dwell in the lande of Gosan.
For an abhominacyon vnto the Egiptians are all that feade shepe.




¶ The .xlvij. Chapter.


And Ioseph w[~e]t and tolde Pharao and sayde: my father and my
brethern their shepe and their beastes and all that they haue/ are
come out of the lade of Canaan and are in the lande of Gosan. And
Ioseph toke a parte of his brethern: euen fyue of them/ and presented
them vnto Pharao. And Pharao sayde vnto his brethern: what is youre
occupation? And they sayde vnto Pharao: feaders of shepe are thi
seruauntes/ both we ad also oure fathers. They sayde moreouer vnto
Pharao: for to sogeorne in the lande are we come/ for thy seruauntes
haue no pasture for their shepe so sore is the fameshment in the lande
of Canaan. Now therfore let thy seruauntes dwell in the lande of
Gosan.

And Pharao sayde vnto Ioseph: thy father and thy brethren are come
vnto the. The londe of Egipte is open before the: In the best place of
the lande make both thy father and thy brothren dwell: And even in the
lond of Gosan let them dwell. Moreouer yf thou knowe any men of
actiuyte amonge them/ make them ruelars ouer my catell. And Ioseph
brought in Iacob his father and sett him before Pharao And Iacob
blessed Pharao. And Pharao axed Iacob/ how old art thou? And Iacob
sayde vnto Pharao: the dayes of my pilgremage are an hundred and .xxx.
yeres. Few and euell haue the dayes of my lyfe bene/ and haue not
attayned vnto the yeres of the lyfe of my fathers in the dayes of
their pilgremages. And Iacob blessed Pharao and went out from him. And
Ioseph prepared dwellinges for his father and his brethern/ and gaue
them possessions in the londe of Egipte/ in the best of the londe:
eu[~e] in the lande of Raemses/ as Pharao commaunded. And Ioseph made
prouysion for his father/ his brethern and all his fathers housholde/
as yonge childern are fedd with bread.

There was no bread in all the londe/ for the derth was excead[~i]ge
sore: so y^t y^e lode of Egipte & y^e lode of Canaan/ were fameshyd by
y^e reason of y^e derth. And Ioseph brought together all y^e money
y^t was founde in y^e lade of Egipte and of Canaan/ for y^e corne
which they boughte: & he layde vp the money in Pharaos housse.

When money fayled in the lade of Egipte & of Canaan/ all the Egiptians
came vnto Ioseph and sayde: geue us sustenaunce: wherfore suffrest
thou vs to dye before the/ for oure money is spent. Then sayde Ioseph:
brynge youre catell/ and I will geue yow for youre catell/ yf ye be
without money. And they brought their catell vnto Ioseph. And he gaue
them bread for horses and shepe/ and oxen and asses: so he fed them
with bread for all their catell that yere.

When that yere was ended/ they came vnto him the nexte yere and sayde
vnto him: we will not hyde it from my lorde/ how that we haue nether
money nor catell for my lorde: there is no moare left for my lorde/
but euen oure bodies and oure londes. Wherfore letest thou us dye
before thyne eyes/ and the londe to goo to noughte? bye us and oure
landes for bread: and let both vs and oure londes be bonde to Pharao.
Geue vs feed/ that we may lyue & not dye/ & that the londe goo not to
wast.

[Sidenote: * The bl[~i]de gydes gott previleges fro bear[~i]ge with
their brethr[~e] contrarye to Christes lawe of love. And of these
prestes of idolles did oure copass[~i]ge yvetrees lerne to crepe vp by
litle & litle & to copasse y^e greate trees of y^e world with
hypocrisye/ ad to thrust y^e rodes of idolatrysse superstition in to
th[~e] & to sucke out y^e iuce of th[~e] with their poetrye/ till all
be seer bowes and no thinge grene save their awne com[~e]welth.]

And Ioseph boughte all the lande of Egipte for Pharao. For the
Egiptians solde euery man his londe because the derth was sore apo
them: and so the londe became Pharaos. And he appoynted the people
vnto the cities/ from one syde of Egipte vnto the other: only the
londe of the Prestes bought he not. For there was an ordina[~u]ce
made by Pharao for y^e * preastes/ that they shulde eate that which
was appoynted vnto them: which Pharao had geuen them wherfore they
solde not their londes.

Then Ioseph sayde vnto the folke: beholde I haue boughte you this daye
ad youre landes for Pharao. Take there seed and goo sowe the londe.
And of the encrease/ ye shall geue the fyfte parte vnto Pharao/ and
.iiij. partes shalbe youre awne/ for seed to sowe the feld: and for
you/ and them of youre housholdes/ and for youre childern/ to eate.
And they answered: Thou haste saued oure lyves Let vs fynde grace in
the syghte of my lorde/ and let us be Pharaos serva[~u]tes. And Ioseph
made it a lawe ouer the lade of Egipte vnto this daye: that men must
geue Pharao the fyfte parte/ excepte the londe of preastes only/ which
was not bond vnto Pharao.

And Israel dwelt in Egipte: euen in the countre of Gosan. And they had
their possessions therein/ and they grewe and multiplyed exceadingly.
Moreouer Iacob lyued in the lande of Egipte .xvij. yeres/ so that the
the hole age of Iacob was an hundred and .xlvij. yere.

When the tyme drewe nye/ that Israel must dye: he sent for his sonne
Ioseph and sayde vnto him: Yf I haue founde grace in thy syghte/ put
thy hande vnder my thye and deale mercifully ad truely with me/ that
thou burie me not in Egipte: but let me lye by my fathers/ and carie
me out of Egipte/ and burie me in their buryall. And he answered: I
will do as thou hast sayde. And he sayde: swere vnto me: ad he sware
vnto him. And than Israel bowed him vnto the beddes head.




The .xlviij. Chapter.


After these deades/ tyd[~i]ges were brought vnto Ioseph/ that his
father was seke. And he toke with him his ij. sones/ Manasses and
Ephraim. Then was it sayde vnto Iacob: beholde/ thy sonne Ioseph
commeth vnto the. And Israel toke his strength vnto him/ and satt vp
on the bedd/ and sayde vnto Ioseph: God all mightie appeared vnto me
at lus in the lande of Canaan/ ad blessed me/ and sayde vnto me:
beholde/ I will make the growe and will multiplye the/ and will make a
great nombre of people of the/ and will geue this lande vnto the and
vnto thy seed after y^e vnto an euerlastinge possession. Now therfore
thy .ij. sones Manasses ad Ephraim which were borne vnto the before I
came to the/ in to Egipte/ shalbe myne: euen as Ruben and Simeo shall
they be vnto me And the childern which thou getest after them/ shalbe
thyne awne: but shalbe called with the names of their brethern in
their enheritaunces.

And after I came from Mesopotamia/ Rahel dyed apon my hande in the
lande of Canaa/ by the waye: when I had but a feldes brede to goo
vnto Ephrat. And I buried her there in y^e waye to Ephrat which is now
called Bethlehem.

And Israel behelde Iosephes sonnes & sayde: what are these? And Ioseph
sayde vnto his father: they are my sonnes/ which God hath geuen me
here. And he sayde: brynge them to me/ and let me blesse them. And the
eyes of Israell were dymme for age/ so that he coude not see. And he
broughte them to him/ ad he kyssed th[~e] and embraced them. And
Israel sayde vnto Ioseph: I had not thoughte to haue sene thy face/
and yet loo/ God hath shewed it me and al so thy seed. And Ioseph toke
them awaye from his lappe/ and they fell on the grounde before him.

Than toke Ioseph them both: Ephraim in his ryghte hande towarde
Israels left hande ad Manasses in his left hande/ towarde Israels
ryghte hande/ and brought them vnto him. And Israel stretched out his
righte hande and layde it apon Ephraims head which was the yonger/ and
his lyft hade apon Manasses heed/ crossinge his handes/ for manasses
was the elder. And he blessed Ioseph saynge: God before whome my
fathers Abraham and Isaac dyd walke/ and the God which hath fedd me
all my life longe vnto this daye/ And the angell which hath delyuered
me fro all euyll/ blesse these laddes: y^t they maye be called after
my name/ and after my father Abraham and Isaac/ and that they maye
growe ad multiplie apo the erth.

When Ioseph sawe that his father layd his ryghte hande apon the heade
of Ephraim/ it displeased him. And he lifte vpp his fathers hade/ to
haue removed it from Ephraims head vnto Manasses head/ and sayde vnto
his father: Not so my father/ for this is the eldest. Put thy right
hande apon his head. And his father wold not/ but sayde: I knowe it
well my sonne/ I knowe it well. He shalbe also a people ad shalbe
great. But of a troth his yonger brother shalbe greater than he/ and
his seed shall be full of people. And he blessed them sainge. At the
ensample of these/ the Israelites shall blesse and saye: God make the
as Ephraim and as Manasses. Thus sett he Ephraim before Manasses.

And Israel sayde vnto Ioseph: beholde/ I dye. And god shalbe with you
and bringe you agayne vnto the land of youre fathers. Moreover I geue
vnto the/ a porcyon of lande aboue thy brethern/ which I gatt out of
the handes of the Amorites with my swerde and wyth my bowe.




The .xlix. Chapter.


And Iacob called for his sonnes ad sayde: come together/ that I maye
tell you what shall happ[~e] you in the last dayes. Gather you
together and heare ye sonnes of Iacob/ and herken vnto Israel youre
father.

Ruben/ thou art myne eldest sonne/ my myghte and the begynnynge of my
strength/ chefe in receauynge and chefe in power. As vnstable as water
wast thou: thou shalt therfore not be the chefest/ for thou wenst vp
vpo thy fathers bedd/ and than defyledest thou my couche with goynge
vppe.

The brethern Simeon and Leui/ weked instrumentes are their wepos. In
to their secrettes come not my soule/ and vnto their congregation be
my honoure not coupled: for in their wrath they slewe a man/ and in
their selfewill they houghed an oxe. Cursed be their wrath for it was
stronge/ and their fearsnes for it was cruell. I will therfore deuyde
them in Iacob/ & scater them in Israel.

Iuda/ thy brethern shall prayse the/ & thine hande shalbe in the necke
of thyne enimies/ & thy fathers childern shall stoupe vnto the. Iuda
is a lions whelpe. Fro spoyle my sonne thou art come an hye: he layde
him downe and couched himselfe as a lion/ and as a lionesse. Who dare
stere him vp? The sceptre shall not departe from Iuda/ nor a ruelar
from betwene his legges/ vntill Silo come/ vnto whome the people shall
herken. He shall bynde his fole vnto the vine/ and his asses colt vnto
the vyne braunche/ ad shall wash his garment in wyne and his mantell
in the bloud of grapes/ his eyes are roudier than wyne/ ad his teeth
whitter then mylke.

Zabulon shall dwell in the hauen of the see and in the port of
shippes/ & shall reache vnto Sidon.

Isachar is a stronge asse/ he couched him doune betwene .ij. borders/
and sawe that rest was good and the lande that it was pleasant/ and
bowed his shulder to beare/ and became a servaunte vnto trybute.

Dan shall iudge his people/ as one of the trybes of Israel. Dan shalbe
a serpent in the waye/ and an edder in the path/ and byte the horse
heles/ so y^t his ryder shall fall backwarde. After thy sauynge loke I
LORde.

Gad/ men of warre shall invade him. And he shall turne them to flyght.

Off Asser cometh fatt breed/ and he shall geue pleasures for a kynge.

Nepthali is a swyft hynde/ ad geueth goodly wordes.

That floryshynge childe Ioseph/ that florishing childe and goodly vn
to the eye: the doughters come forth to bere ruele. The shoters haue
envyed him and chyde with him ad hated him/ and yet his bowe bode
fast/ & his armes and his handes were stronge/ by the handes of the
myghtye God of Iacob: out of him shall come an herde ma a stone in
Israel. Thi fathers God shall helpe the/ & the almightie shall blesse
the with blessinges from heaven aboue/ and with blessinges of the
water that lieth vnder/ & with blessinges of the brestes & of the
wombe. The blessinges of thy father were stronge: euen as the
blessinges of my elders/ after the desyre of the hiest in the worlde/
and these blessinges shall fall on the head of Ioseph/ and on the
toppe of the head of him y^t was separat from his brethern.

Ben Iamin is a raueshynge wolfe. In the mornynge he shall deuoure his
praye/ ad at nyghte he shall deuyde his spoyle.

All these are the .xij. tribes of Israel/ & this is that which their
father spake vnto them wh[~e] he blessed them/ euery man with a
severall blessinge. And he charged them and sayde vnto them. I shall
be put vnto my people: se that ye burye me with my fathers/ in the
caue that is in the felde of Ephron the Hethyte/ in the double caue
that is in the felde before Mamre in the lande of Canaan. Which felde
Abraham boughte of Ephron the Hethite for a possessio to burye in.
There they buryed Abraha and Sara his wyfe/ there they buryed Isaac &
Rebecca his wyfe. And there I buried Lea: which felde & the caue that
is therin/ was bought of the childern of Heth.

When Iacob had commaunded all that he wold vnto his sonnes/ he plucked
vp his fete apon the bedd and dyed/ and was put vnto his people. And
Ioseph fell apon his fathers face/ and wepte apon him/ and kyssed him.




The .l. Chapter.


And Ioseph commaunded his seruauntes that were Phisicions/ to embawme
his father/ and the Physicios [~e]bawmed Israel .xl. dayes loge/ for
so loge doth y^e embawminge last/ & the Egiptians bewepte him .lxx.
dayes.

And when the dayes of wepynge were ended/ Ioseph spake vnto y^e house
of Pharao saynge: Yf I haue founde fauoure in youre eyes/ speake vnto
Pharao and tell him/ how that my father made me swere and sayde: loo/
I dye/ se that thou burye me in my graue which I haue made me in the
lande of Canaan. Now therfore let me goo and burye my father/ ad tha
will I come agayne. And Pharao sayde/ goo and burye thy father/
acordynge as he made the swere.

And Ioseph went vp to burie his father/ and with him went all the
seruauntes of Pharao that were the elders of his house/ ad all y^e
elders of Egipte/ and all the house of Ioseph ad his brethern & his
fathers house: only their childern & their shepe and their catell
lefte they behinde them in the lande of Gosan. And there went with him
also Charettes and horsemen: so that they were an exceadynge great
companye.

And when they came to y^e feld of Atad beyonde Iordane/ there they
made great & exceadinge sore lamentacio. And he morned for his father
.vij. dayes. When the enhabiters of the lande the Cananytes sawe the
moornynge in y^e felde of Atad/ they saide: this is a greate moornynge
which the Egiptians make. Wherfore y^e name of the place is called
Abel mizraim/ which place lyeth beyonde Iordane. And his sonnes dyd
vnto him acordynge as he had commaunded them.

And his sonnes caried him in to the land of Canaan and buryed him in
the double caue which Abraha had boughte with the felde to be a place
to burye in/ of Ephron the Hethite before Mamre. And Ioseph returned
to Egipte agayne and his brethern/ and all that went vp with him to
burye his father/ assone as he had buryed him.

Wh[~e] Iosephs brethern sawe that their father was deade/ they sayde:
Ioseph myghte fortune to hate us and rewarde us agayne all the euell
which we dyd vnto him. They dyd therfore a commaundment vnto Ioseph
saynge: thy father charged before his deth saynge. This wise say vnto
Ioseph/ forgeue I pray the the trespace of thy brethern & their synne/
for they rewarded the euell. Now therfore we praye the/ forgeue the
trespace of the servauntes of thy fathers God. And Ioseph wepte when
they spake vnto him.

And his brethern came ad fell before him and sayde: beholde we be thy
servauntes. And Ioseph sayde vnto them: feare not/ for am not I vnder
god? Ye thoughte euell vnto me: but God turned it vnto good to bringe
to passe/ as it is this daye/ euen to saue moch people a lyue Feare
not therfore/ for I will care for you and for youre childern/ and he
spake kyndly vnto them.

Ioseph dwelt in Egipte and his fathers house also/ ad lyved an hundred
& .x. yere. And Ioseph sawe Ephraims childern/ eu[~e] vnto the thyrde
generation. And vnto Machir the sonne of Manasses were childern borne/
& satt on Iosephs knees.

 And Ioseph sayde vnto his brethern: I die
 And God will suerlie vysett you and bringe you
 out of this lande/ vnto the lande which he sware
 vnto Abraham/ Isaac and Iacob. And Ioseph
 toke an ooth of the childern of Israel ad
 sayde: God will not fayle but vysett you/ se therfore
 that ye carye my boones hence. And
 so Ioseph dyed/ when he was an
 hundred and .x. yere olde.
 And they enbawmed him
 and
 put him in a chest in Egipte.

The end of the first boke of Moses.




¶ A table expoundinge certeyne wordes.

Abrech/ tender father/ or as some will/ bowe the knee.

Areke/ a shippe made flatte as it were a chest or cofer.

Bisse: fyne whyte/ whether it be silke or linen.

Blesse: godes blessinges are his giftes/ as in the firste chaptre he
blessed them saynge: growe & multiplye & haue dominion &c. And in the
.ix. chaptre he blessed Noe & his sonnes & gaue th[~e] dominio over
all beestes & authoryte to care th[~e] And God blessed Abraha with
catell ad other ryches. And Iacob desyred Esau to receaue y^e
blessinge which he brought him/ y^t is the preasent & gifte. God
blessed the .vij. daye/ y^t is/ gaue it a prehemynence y^t men shuld
rest therein from bodely laboure & lerne to know the will of god & his
lawes & how to worke their workes godly all the weke after. God also
blesseth all nations in Abrahams seed/ that is/ he turneth his loue &
favoure vnto th[~e] and geveth th[~e] his spirite and knowledge of the
true waye/ ad lust and power to walke therin/ and all for christes
sake Abrahams sonne.

Cain/ so is it writen in Hebrue. Notwithstodinge whether we coll him
Cain or caim it maketh no matter/ so we vnderstand the meaninge.
Euery lande hath his maner/ that we call Ihon the welchemen call Evan:
the douch hace. Soch differ[~e]ce is betwene the Ebrue/ greke and
laten: and that maketh them that translate out of the ebrue varye in
names from them that translate out of laten or greke.

Curse: Godes curse is the takynge awaye of his benefytes. As god
cursed the erth and made it baren. So now hunger/ derth/ warre/
pestilence and soch like are yet ryght curses and signes of the wrath
of God vnto the vnbeleuers: but vnto them that knowe Christ/ they are
very blessinges and that wholsome crosse & true purgatorye of oure
flesh/ thorow which all must go that will lyue godly ad be saued: as
thou readest Mat .v. Blessed are they that suffre persecution for
rightewesnes sake. &c. And hebrewes .xi. The lorde chastyseth whom he
loveth and scorgeth all the children that he receaveth.

Eden: pleasure

Firmament: the skye.

Fayth is the belevinge of goddes promesses & a sure trust in the
goodnesse and truth of god. Which faith iustifyeth Abraha gene .xv.
and was the mother of all his good workes which he afterward did. For
faith is the goodnesse of all workes in the sight of God. Good workes
are thinges of godes comaundem[~e]t wrought in faith. And to sow a
showe at the commaundement of god to do thy neyghboure service
withall/ with faith to be saved by Christ (as god promyseth vs.) is
moch better th[~e] to bild an abbay of thyne awne imagination/
trustinge to be saved by the fayned workes of hypocrites. Iacob robbed
Laban his vncle: Moses robbed the Egiptians: And Abraha is aboute to
slee and burne his awne sonne: And all are holye workes/ because they
were wrought in fayth at goddes commaundement. To stele/ robbe and
murther are no holye workes before worldly people: but vnto them that
haue their truste in god: they are holye when god commaundeth them.
What god commaundeth not getteth no reward with god. Holy workes of
mens imagination receave their rewarde here/ as Christ testyfyeth Math
.vj. How be it of fayth & workes I haue spoken abundantly in mammon.
Let him that desyreth more seke there.

Grace: fauoure/ As Noe founde grace/ that is to saye favoure and love.

Ham and Cam all one.

Iehovah is goddes name/ nether is any creature so called. And it is as
moch to saye as one that is of him self and dependeth of nothinge.
Moreouer as oft as thou seist LORde in great letters (excepte there
be any erroure in the pr[~e]tinge) it is in hebrewe Iehovah/ thou that
arte or he that is.

Marshall/ in hebrue he is called Sar tabaim/ as thou woldest saye/
lorde of the slaughtermen And though that Tabaim be tak[~e] for cokes
in many places/ for the cokes did sle the beastes th[~e] selues in
those dayes: yet it may be taken for them that put men to execution
also. And that me thought it shuld here best signifye in as moch as he
had the oversight of the kinges preson and the kinges presoners were
they neuer so great m[~e] were vnder his custodye. And therfore I call
him cheffe marshall an officer as is the lefetenaunte of the toure/ or
master of the marshalsye.

Slyme was their morter .xi. Chapter/ And slyme pittes .xiiij. chapter:
that slyme was a fattenesse that osed out of the erth lyke vnto tarre/
And thou mayst call it cement/ if thou wilt.

Siloh after some is as moch to saye as sent/ & after some happie/ and
after some it signifieth Mesias/ y^t is to say annoynted and that we
call Christe after the greke worde. And it is a prophesie of Christ:
For after y^t all y^e other tribes were in captiuite & their kyngdom
destroyed/ yet the tribe of Iuda had a ruler of the same bloud/ even
vnto the comynge of Christ. And aboute the com[~i]ge of Christ the
Romayns conquered them/ and the Emperoure gaue the kyngdom of tribe
Iuda vnto Herode which was a straunger/ even an Edomite of the
generacyon of Esau.

Testam[~e]t here/ is an appoyntem[~e]t made betwene god and ma/ and
goddes promyses. And sacram[~e]t is a signe representinge soch an
appoyntement and promeses: As the raynebowe representeth the promyse
made to Noe/ that god will no more drowne the worlde. And circumcision
representeth the promyses of god to Abraham on the one syde/ and that
Abraha and his seed shuld circumcyse and cut off the lustes of their
fleshe/ on the other syde/ to walke in the wayes of the lorde: As
baptysme which is come in the roume therof/ now signifieth on the one
syde/ how that all that repent and beleve are washed in Christes
bloud: And on the other syde/ how that the same must quench ad droune
the lustes of the flesh/ to folow the steppes of Christ.

There were tyrantes in the erth in those dayes/ for the sonnes of god
sawe the daughters of men. &c. The sonnes of god were the prophetes
childerne/ which (though they succeded there fathers) fell yet from
the right waye/ and thorow falsehod of hypocrysye subdued the world
vnder them and became tyrantes/ As the successours of the apostles
haue played with vs.

Vapor/ a dewymiste/ as the smoke of a sethynge pott.

To walke with god is to lyve godly and to walke in his commaundementes.
Enos walked with god and was no moare sene: that is/ he lyved godly
and dyed/ God toke him awaye: that is/ god hyd his bodye/ as he did
Moses ad Aarons: lest haplye they shuld haue made an Idoll of him/ for
he was a great preacher and an holye man.

Zaphnath paenea/ wordes of Egipte are they (as I suppose) and as moch
to saye: as a man to whome secrete thinges be opened/ or an expounder
of secrete thinges as some enterprete it.

That Ioseph brought the egiptians in to soch subiection wold seme vnto
some a very cruell deade: how be it it was a very equall waye. For
they payde by the fifte parte of that that grewe on the grounde. And
therwith were they qwytt of all duetyes/ both of rent/ custome/
tribute & toll. And the kinge therwith founde them lordes and all
ministres and defended them. We now paye half so moch vnto the prestes
only/ besyde their other craftye exactions. Then paye we rent yerely/
though there grow never so litle on the grounde/ And yet when the
kinge calleth paye we neuer the lesse. So that if we loke indifferently/
their condition was easyar th[~e] oures/ and but even a very
indiffer[~e]t waye/ both for the comen people and the kynge also.

 Se therfore that thou loke not on the ensamples
 of the scripture with worldly eyes: lest thou
 preferre Cain before Abel/ Ismael before Isaac/
 Esau before Iacob/ Ruben before Iuda/
 Sarah before Pharez/ Manasses
 before Ephraim. And euen
 the worst before the
 best/ as the maner
 of the worlde
 is.


 ¶ Emprented at Malborow in the lande
 of Hesse/ by me Hans Luft/
 the yere of oure Lorde
 .M.CCCCC.xxx. the
 .xvij. dayes of
 Ianuarij.


Transcriber's Notes (continued):

In the list below biblical references are to chapters and paragraphs.
The latter usually extend over more than a single "verse".

"To the Reader": "sirt" changed to "sitt" (para 2); "cxvix" to "cxix"
(para 7).

"Prologue": "wo" changed to "we" and "arene" to "awne" (para 1); "y^e"
to "y^t" (para 9).

II: "herbee" changed to "herbes" (para 2).

IV: the text of the sidenote to para 4 is uncertain; in para 4 itself,
"hi" changed to "h[~i]".

V: "MetHusala" changed to "Methusala" (para 8).

VII: "u" removed (para 2); "he" changed to "the" (para 5).

IX: "y^t" changed to "y^e" (para 5).

X: "Mes:" changed to "Mesa" (para 6).

XIII: "fro" changed to "fro" (para 3).

XV: "oue" changed to "out" (para 2).

XIX: "he" changed to "the" (para 1).

XXI: "lamdes" changed to "lambes" (para 8).

XXII: "th" changed to "the" (para 6).

XXIV: "pither" changed to "pitcher" (para 5); "LoRDe" to "LORde" (para
8); the texts of the sidenotes to paras 10 and 17 are uncertain;
"emnies" changed to "enimes" (para 17).

XXV: "Iacksam" changed to "Iacksan" and "haue" to "gaue" (para 1);
"lyvige" to "lyv[~i]nge" (para 2).

XXVI: "Abin elech" changed to "Abimelech" and "myhhtier" to "myghtier"
(para 3).

XXVII: "lessed" changed to "blessed" (para 6).

XXIX: "boholde" changed to "beholde" (para 2) and "mayely e" to "may
lye" (para 5).

XXX: "ourney ibetwixte" changed to "iourney betwixte" (para 8).

XXXI: "y^e" changed to "y^t" (para 3); "be" to "he" (para 4); "wtih"
to "with" (para 6); "xnto" to "vnto" (para 7).

XXXII: "sayder" changed to "sayde:" (para 1).

XXXIV: hyphen omitted after "sonne" (para 6).

XXXVI: "kynreddds" changed to "kynredds" (para 12).

XXXIX: "ORde" changed to "LORde" (para 1).

XLI: "cares" changed to "eares" (twice, para 7); "asene" to "agene"
and "beiokeneth" to "betokeneth" (para 9).

XLII: "thryd" changed to "thyrd" (para 5); "countte" to "countre" and
"bretren" to "brethren" (para 9).

XLIV: "servauntes" changed to "servauntes" (para 3); "fox" to "for"
(para 9).

XLV: "m" changed to "my" (para 4).

XLVI: "C" changed to "I" (para 7).

XLVII: "exceadige" changed to "excead[~i]ge" (para 3); "latest" to
"letest" (para 5); the text of the sidenote to para 6 is uncertain.

"Table": "Ihon" changed to "Ihon" (entry for "Cain"); "baptyme"
changed to "baptysme" (entry for "Testam[~e]t").





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