Bible (Bishops')/Genesis

Chapter 1
In the beginnyng GOD created ye heauen and the earth.

And the earth was without fourme, and was voyde: & darknes [was] vpon the face of the deepe, and the spirite of God moued vpon the face of the waters.

And God sayde, let there be light: and there was light.

And God sawe the lyght that it was good: and God deuided the lyght from the darknes.

And God called the light day, and the darknes night: and the euenyng & the mornyng were the first day.

And God said: let there be a firmament betwene the waters, and let it make a diuision betwene waters and waters.

And God made the firmament, and set the diuision betwene the waters which [were] vnder the firmament, and the waters that [were] aboue the firmament: and it was so.

And God called the firmament the heauen: and the euenyng and the mornyng were the seconde day.

And God saide: let the waters vnder the heauen be gathered together into one place, and let the drye lande appeare: and it was so.

And God called the drie lande ye earth, and the gatheryng together of waters called he the seas: and God sawe that it was good.

And God sayde: let the earth bryng foorth [both] budde and hearbe apt to seede, and fruitfull trees yeeldyng fruite after his kynde, which hath seede in it selfe vpon the earth: and it was so.

And the earth brought forth [both] bud and hearbe apt to seede after his kynde, and tree yeeldyng fruite, whiche hath seede in it selfe, after his kynde.

And God sawe that it was good. And the euenyng and the mornyng were the thirde day.

And God sayde: let there be lyghtes in the firmament of the heauen, that they may deuide the day and the nyght, and let them be for signes, & seasons, and for dayes, and yeres. And let them be for lyghtes in the firmament of the heauen, that they maye geue light vpo the earth: and it was so.

And God made two great lyghtes: a greater lyght to rule the day, and a lesse lyght to rule the nyght, and [he made] starres also.

And God set them in the firmament of the heauen, to shyne vpon the earth,

And to rule the day and nyght, and to make difference betweene the lyght and the darknesse: and God saw that it was good.

And the euenyng and the mornyng were the fourth day.

And God sayde: let the waters bryng foorth mouyng creature that hath lyfe, and foule that may flee vpon the earth in the open firmament of heauen.

And God created great whales, and euery lyuyng & mouing creature, which the waters brought foorth after theyr kynde, & euery fethered foule after their kynde: and God saw that it was good.

And God blessed them, saying: Be fruiteful, and multiplie, and fyll the waters of the sea, and let foule multiplie in the earth.

And the euenyng and mornyng were the fift day.

And God sayde: let the earth bryng foorth lyuyng creature after his kynde, cattell, worme, and beastes of the earth after his kynde: and it was so.

God made the beast of the earth after his kynde, and cattell after his kynde, and euery thyng that creepeth vpon the earth after his kynde: and God sawe that it was good.

God saide: let vs make man in our image, after our lykenesse, and let them haue rule of the fisshe of the sea, & of the foule of the ayre, and of cattell, & of all the earth, and of euery creepyng thyng that creepeth vpon the earth.

So God created man in his owne image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them.

And God blessed them, and God sayde vnto them: be fruitefull, & multiplie, and replenishe the earth, & subdue it, and haue dominion of the fisshe of the sea, and foule of the ayre, & of euery lyuing thing that moueth vpon the earth.

And God sayde: beholde, I haue geuen you euery hearbe bearing seede, which is in the vpper face of all ye earth, and euery tree in the which is the fruite of a tree bearing seede, [that] they may be meate vnto you:

To euery beast of the earth also, and to euery birde of the aire, and to euery such thing that creepeth vpon ye earth, which doth liue, I haue geuen euery greene hearbe for meate: and it was so.

And God sawe euery thyng that he had made: and beholde, it was exceedyng good. And the euenyng & the mornyng were the sixth day.

Chapter 2
The heauens also & the earth were finisshed, & all the hoast of them.

And in the seuenth day God ended his worke whiche he had made. And the seueth day he rested from all his worke which he had made.

And God blessed the seuenth daye, & sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his worke whiche God ordeyned to make.

These are the generations of the heauens and of the earth when they were created, in the day when the Lord God made the earth and the heauens.

And euery plant of the fielde before it was in the earth, and euery hearbe of the fielde before it grewe. For the Lord God had not [yet] caused it to rayne vppon the earth, neither [was there] a man to tyll the grounde.

But there went vp a miste from the earth, & watered the whole face of the grounde.

The Lorde God also dyd shape man, [euen] dust fro of the grounde, & breathed into his nosethrylles the breath of lyfe, and man was a lyuyng soule.

And the Lord God planted a garden eastwarde in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had shapen.

Moreouer, out of the grounde made the Lorde God to growe euery tree, that was fayre to syght, and pleasaunt to eate: The tree of lyfe in the myddest of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and euyll.

And out of Eden there went foorth a flood to water the garden, and from thence it was deuided, and became into foure heades.

The name of ye first is Pison, the same is it that compasseth the whole lande of Hauilah, where there is golde:

And the golde of the lande is very good. There is also Bdellium, and the Onix stone.

The name of the seconde riuer is Gyhon: the same is it that compasseth the whole lande of Ethiopia.

The name of ye thirde ryuer is Hidekel, & it goeth toward the east side of Assiria: & the fourth ryuer is Euphrates.

And the Lord God toke the man, and put hym in the garden of Eden, that he myght worke it, and kepe it.

And the Lorde God commaunded the man, saying: eating, thou shalt eate of euery tree of the garden:

But as touching the tree of knowlege of good and euyll thou shalt not eate of it: For in what daye so euer thou eatest therof, thou shalt dye the death.

And the Lord God sayde: It is not good yt the man should be alone, I wyll make hym an helpe lyke vnto hym.

And so out of the grounde the Lorde God had shapen euery beast of the field, and euery foule of the ayre, and brought it vnto man, that he myght see howe he woulde call it. For lykewyse as man hym selfe named euery lyuyng thyng, euen so was the name therof.

And the man gaue names to all cattell, and foule of the ayre, & euery beast of the fielde: but for man founde he not an helpe lyke vnto hym.

The Lord God caused a deepe sleepe to fall vpon Adam, and he slept, and he toke one of his ribbes, and closed vp the place with fleshe in steade therof.

And the ribbe which the lord god had taken from man, made he a woman, & brought her vnto the man.

And man saide: this is nowe bone of my bones, and fleshe of my fleshe, she shalbe called woman, because she was taken out of man.

For this cause shall man leaue his father and his mother, and shalbe ioyned with his wyfe: and they shall become one fleshe.

And they were both naked the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Chapter 3
And the serpent was suttiller then euery beast of the fielde which ye lord God hadde made, and he sayde vnto the woman: yea, hath God saide, ye shall not eate of euery tree of the garden.

And the woman sayde vnto the serpent: We eate of ye fruite of the trees of the garden.

But as for the fruite of the tree which is in the myddes of the garden, God hath sayde, ye shall not eate of it, neither shal ye touche of it, lest peraduenture ye dye.

And the serpent sayde vnto the woman: ye shall not dye the death.

For God doth knowe, that the same day that ye eate therof, your eyes shall be opened, and ye shalbe eue as gods, knowyng good and euyll.

And so the woman, seing that the same tree was good to eate of, and pleasaunt to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, toke of the fruite therof, and dyd eate, and gaue also vnto her husbande beyng with her, and he dyd eate.

Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knewe that they were naked, and they sowed fygge leaues together, & made them selues apernes.

And they heard the voyce of the Lord God, walkyng in the garden in ye coole of the day: and Adam and his wyfe hyd themselues from the presence of the lord God amongst ye trees of the garden.

And the Lorde called Adam, & sayde vnto hym: where art thou?

Which sayde: I hearde thy voyce in the garden, and was afrayde because I was naked, and hyd my selfe.

And he sayde: Who tolde thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou not eaten of the same tree, concernyng the which I commaunded thee that thou shouldest not eate of it?

And Adam said: The woman whom thou gauest [to be] with me, she gaue me of the tree, and I dyd eate.

And the Lord God sayd vnto the woman: Why hast thou done this? And the woman sayde: the serpent begyled me, and I dyd eate.

And the lord god said vnto ye serpent: Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed aboue all cattel, and aboue euery beast of the fielde: vpon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eate all the dayes of thy lyfe.

I wyll also put enmitie betweene thee & the woman, betweene thy seede and her seede: and it shall treade downe thy head, and thou shalt treade vpon his heele.

But vnto the woman he sayde: I wyll very much multiplie thy sorowe, and thy griefes of chylde bearyng, In sorowe shalt thou bring foorth children: thy desire [shalbe] to thy husbande, and he shall haue the rule of thee.

Unto Adam he sayde: Because thou hast hearkened vnto the voyce of thy wyfe, and hast eaten of the tree concernyng the whiche I commaunded thee, saying, thou shalt not eate of it, cursed is the grounde for thy sake, in sorowe shalt thou eate of it all the dayes of thy lyfe.

Thorne also and thistle shall it bryng foorth to thee, and thou shalt eate the hearbe of the fielde.

In the sweatte of thy face shalt thou eate thy breade, tyll thou be turned agayne into the ground, for out of it wast thou taken: For dust thou art, and into dust shalt thou be turned agayne.

And Adam called his wyfes name Heua, because she was the mother of all lyuyng.

Unto Adam also and to his wyfe dyd the Lorde God make garments of skynnes, and he put them on.

And the Lorde God sayde: Beholde, the man is become as one of vs, in knowing good and euyll: And now lest peraduenture he put foorth his hande, and take also of the tree of lyfe and eate, and lyue for euer. Therefore the Lorde God sent hym foorth fro the garden of Eden, to worke the grounde whence he was taken.

And so he droue out man, and at the east side of the garde of Eden he set Cherubins, and a fierie two edged sworde, to kepe the way of the tree of lyfe.

Chapter 4
And Adam knewe Heua his wyfe, who conceauing bare Cain, saying: I haue gotten a man of the Lorde.

And she proceading, brought foorth his brother Habel, and Habel was a keper of sheepe, but Cain was a tyller of the grounde.

And in processe of dayes it came to passe, that Cain brought of the fruite of the grounde, an oblation vnto ye lorde:

Habel also brought of the firstlynges of his sheepe, & of the fatte thereof: and the Lorde had respect vnto Habel, and to his oblation.

But vnto Cain and to his offeryng he had no respect: for the whiche cause Cain was exceedyng wroth, and his countenaunce abated.

And the Lorde saide vnto Cain: why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenaunce abated?

If thou do well, shalt thou not receaue? and yf thou doest not well, lyeth not thy sinne at the doores? Also vnto thee shall his desire be, and thou shalt haue dominion ouer hym.

And Cain talked with Habel his brother: and it came to passe when they were in the fielde, Cain rose vp agaynst Habel his brother, & slewe him.

And the Lorde said vnto Cain: where is Habel thy brother? Which sayde I wote not: Am I my brothers keper?

And he sayde: What hast thou done? the voyce of thy brothers blood cryeth vnto me out of the grounde.

And nowe art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receaue thy brothers blood from thy hande. . If thou tyll the grounde, she shall not yeelde vnto thee her strength. A fugitiue and a vacabound shalt thou be in the earth.

And Cain sayde vnto the Lord: My iniquitie is more then that it may be forgeuen.

Beholde, thou hast cast me out this day from the vpper face of the earth, & from thy face shall I be hyd, fugitiue also and a vacabounde shall I be in the earth: and it shall come to passe, that euery one that fyndeth me shal slay me.

And the Lorde said vnto him: Uerely whosoeuer slayeth Cain, he shalbe punished seuen folde. And the Lorde set a marke vpon Cain, lest any man fyndyng hym shoulde kyll hym.

And Cain went out from the presence of the Lorde, & dwelt in the lande of Nod, eastwarde from Eden.

Cain also knewe his wyfe, whiche conceaued and bare Henoch, and buyldyng a citie, he called the name of the same citie after the name of his sonne Henoch.

Unto ye same Henoch was borne Irad: Irad begat Mehuiael, Mehuiael begat Methusael, Methusael begat Lamech.

And Lamech toke vnto hym two wyues, the name of the one was Ada, and the name of the other was Sella.

And Ada bare Iabel, which was the father of such as dwel in the tentes, and of such as haue cattell.

His brothers name was Iubal, which was the father of such as handle Harpe and Organ.

And Sella also bare Thubalcain, which wrought cunnyngly euery craft of brasse and of iron, the sister of Thubalcain was Noema.

And Lamech saide vnto his wiues Ada and Sella: Heare my voyce ye wyues of Lamech, hearken vnto my speache: for I haue slayne a man to the woundyng of my selfe, & a young man to myne owne punishment.

If Cain shalbe auenged seuen folde, truely Lamech seuentie tymes & seuen tymes.

Adam knewe his wyfe agayne, and she bare a sonne, and called his name Seth: For God [sayde she] hath appoynted me another seede in steade of Habel whom Cain slewe.

And vnto the same Seth also there was borne a sonne, and he called his name Enos: then began men to make inuocation in the name of the Lorde.

Chapter 5
This is the booke of the generations of Ada. In the day that God created man, in the lykenesse of God made he hym.

Male and female created he them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam in the daye of their creation.

And Adam lyued an hundreth and thirtie yeres, and begate a sonne in his owne lykenesse, after his image, & called his name Seth.

Al the dayes of Adam after he had begotten Seth, were eyght hudreth yeres, and he begat sonnes and daughters.

And all the dayes that Adam lyued were nine hundreth and thirtie yeres, and he dyed.

Seth lyued an hundreth & fyue yeres, and begat Enos.

And Seth lyued after he begat Enos eyght hundreth and seuen yeres, and begat sonnes and daughters.

And all the dayes of Seth were nine hundreth & twelue yeres, and he dyed.

Enos lyued ninetie yeres, and begate Kenan.

And Enos lyued after he begate Kenan eyght hundreth & fiftie yeres, and begate sonnes and daughters.

And all the dayes of Enos were nine hundreth & fyue yeres, and he dyed.

Kenan lyued seuentie yeres, and begate Mahalaleel.

And Kenan liued after he begate Mahalaleel eyght hudreth & fourtie yeres, and begate sonnes and daughters.

And all the dayes of Kenan were nine hundreth and ten yeres, and he dyed.

Mahalaleel liued sixtie and fiue yeres, and begate Iered.

And againe Mahalaleel liued after he begate Iered eyght hundreth & thirtie yeres, and begate sonnes & daughters.

And al the dayes of Mahalaleel, were eyght hundreth ninetie and fiue yeres, and he dyed.

Iered lyued an hundreth sixtie & two yeres, and he begate Henoch.

And Iered liued after he begat Henoch, eyght hundreth yeres, & begate sonnes and daughters.

And all the dayes of Iered were nine hundreth sixtie and two yeres, & he died.

Henoch lyued sixtie and fiue yeres, & begate Methuselah.

And Henoch walked with God after he begate Methuselah three hundreth yeres, and begate sonnes & daughters.

And al ye dayes of Henoch were three hundreth sixtie and fiue yeres.

And Henoch walked with God: and he was no more seene, for God toke him away.

Methuselah also lyued an hundreth eyghtie and seue yeres, and begate Lamech.

And agayne Methusalah lyued after he begat Lamech seue hundreth eightie and two yeres, and begate sonnes and daughters.

And all the dayes of Methuselah were nine hundreth sixtie & nine yeres, and he dyed.

Lamech liued an hundreth eyghtie & two yeres, and begate a sonne,

And called his name Noah, saying: This same shall comfort vs as concerning our worke, & sorowe of our handes about the earth, which God cursed.

And Lamech lyued after he begat Noah, fiue hudreth ninetie & fiue yeres, and begate sonnes and daughters.

And all the dayes of Lamech were seuen hundreth seuentie and seue yeres, and he dyed.

Noah was fiue hundreth yere olde, & Noah begate Sem, Ham, & Iapheth.

Chapter 6
And it came to passe, that when men began to be multiplied in the vpper face of the earth, there were daughters borne vnto the:

And the sonnes of God also sawe the daughters of men that they were fayre, & they toke them wyues, such as theyliked, from among them all.

And the Lorde sayde: My spirite shall not alwayes stryue with man, because he is fleshe: yet his dayes shalbe an hundreth and twentie yeres.

But there were Giantes in those dayes in ye earth: yea & after that the sonnes of God came vnto the daughters of me, and hadde begotten chyldren of them, the same became myghtie men of the worlde, and men of renowme.

But God sawe that the malice of man was great in the earth, and all the imagination of the thoughtes of his heart [was] only euyll euery day.

And it repented the Lord that he had made man vpon the earth, & he was touched with sorowe in his heart.

And the Lorde sayde: I wyll from the vpper face of the earth, destroy man whom I haue created, from man vnto cattell, vnto worme, and vnto foules of the ayre: For it repenteth me that I haue made them.

But Noah founde grace in the eyes of the Lorde.

These are the generations of Noah: Noah [was] a iust man, and perfect in his generations: And Noah walked with God.

Noah begat three sonnes, Sem, Ham, and Iapheth.

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the same earth was fylled with crueltie.

And God loked vpon the earth, and beholde it was corrupt: for all fleshe had corrupt his way vpon earth.

And God sayd vnto Noah: the ende of all fleshe is come before me, for the earth is fylled with crueltie through them, and beholde I wyl destroy them with the earth.

Make thee an Arke of Pine trees: Habitations shalt thou make in the arke, and shalt pitch it within and with out with pitche.

And of this fashion shalt thou make it: The length of the arke [shalbe] three hundreth cubites, the breadth of it fiftie cubites, & the height of it thirtie cubites.

A wyndowe shalt thou make in the arke, and in a cubite shalt thou finishe it aboue: but the doore of the arke shalt thou set in the syde therof. With three loftes one aboue another shalt thou make it.

And beholde, I, euen I do bryng a fludde of waters vpon the earth, to destroy all fleshe wherin is the breath of lyfe vnder heauen, and euery thyng that is in the earth shall perishe.

With thee also wyll I make my couenaunt: and thou shalt come into the arke, thou and thy sonnes, thy wife, and thy sonnes wyues with thee.

And of euery lyuyng thyng of all fleshe, a payre of euery one shalt thou bryng into the arke to kepe them alyue with thee, they shalbe male & female.

Of fethered foules also after their kinde, and of all cattell after their kinde: of euery worme of the earth after his kynde, two of euery one shall come vnto thee, to kepe [them] alyue.

And take thou with thee of all meate that is eaten, and thou shalt lay it vp with thee, that it may be meate for thee and them.

Noah therfore dyd according vnto all that God commaunded hym [euen] so dyd he.

Chapter 7
And the Lord said vnto Noah: come thou and al thy house into ye arke: for thee haue I seen ryghteous before me in this generation.

Of euery cleane beast thou shalt take with thee seuen and seuen, the male and his female, but of vncleane cattell two, the male and his female.

Of foules also of the ayre seuen and seuen, the male and the female, to kepe seede alyue vpon the face of all the whole earth.

For after seuen dayes, I wyl rayne vpon the earth fourtie dayes and fourtie nightes: & all substaunce that I haue made, wyll I destroy from the vpper face of the earth.

Noah therfore did according vnto all that God commaunded him. And Noah was sixe hundreth yere olde, when the fluddes of water came vpon the earth.

And Noah came, and his sonnes, and his wyfe, and his sonnes wyues with him to the arke, because of the waters of the fludde.

Of cleane beastes, and of vncleane beastes, and of foules, and of euery such as creepeth vpon the earth,

There came two & two vnto Noah vnto the arke, the male and the female, as God had commaunded Noah.

And so it came to passe after seuen dayes, that the waters of the flud were vpon the earth.

In the sixe hundreth yere of Noahs lyfe, in the seconde moneth, the seuenteene day of ye moneth, in the same day were all the fountaynes of the great deepe broken vp, and the wyndowes of heauen were opened.

And the rayne was vpon the earth fourtie dayes and fourtie nightes.

In the selfe same day, entred Noah, and Sem, and Ham, and Iapheth the sonnes of Noah, and Noahs wyfe, and the three wiues of his sonnes with the into the arke.

They, and euery beast after his kinde, and al the cattel after their kinde, yea, and euery worme that creepeth vpon the grounde after his kinde, and euerye byrde after his kinde, and euery fleeyng and fethered foule.

And they came vnto Noah into the arke, two and two, of all fleshe wherein is the breath of lyfe.

And they entryng in, came male and female of all fleshe, as God had commaunded him: and God shut hym in rounde about.

And the fludde came fourtie dayes vpon the earth, and the waters were increased, and bare vp the arke, whiche was lyft vp aboue the earth.

The waters also waxed strong, and were encreased exceedyngly vpon the earth: and so the arke went vpon the vpper face of the waters.

And the waters preuayled exceedingly vpon the earth, and al the high hilles that are vnder the whole heauen, were couered.

Fyfteene cubites vpward did the waters preuayle, so that the mountaynes were couered.

And all fleshe perished, that moued vpon the earth, in foule, in cattell, in beast, and in euery worme that creepeth vpon the earth, yea, and euery man also.

So that all that had the breath of lyfe in his nostrilles throughout all that was on the drye lande, dyed.

And euery substaunce was destroyed that remayned and that was in the vpper part of the grounde, both man and cattell, and worme, and the foule of the heauen, they were euen destroyed from of the earth, and Noah onlye remayned aliue, and they that were with him in the arke.

But the water preuayled vpon the earth, a hundreth and fiftie dayes.

Chapter 8
And God remebred Noah and euery beast, and all the cattell that was with hym in the arke: and God made a wynde to passe vpon the earth, and the waters ceassed.

The fountaynes also of the deepe, and the windowes of heauen were stopped, and the rayne from heauen was restrayned.

And the waters from the earth returned, goyng and comming agayne: and after the ende of the hundreth and fiftith day, the waters were abated.

And in the seuen moneth, in the seuenteenth day of ye moneth, the arke rested vpon the mountaynes of Armenia.

And the waters were goyng and decreasing vntyll the tenth moneth: In the tenth moneth, and in the first day of the same moneth, were the toppes of the mountaynes seene.

And after the ende of the fourtith day, it came to passe [that] Noah opened the wyndowe of the arke which he had made,

And he sent foorth a Rauen, whiche went out, goyng foorth, and returnyng, vntyll the waters were dryed vp vpon the earth.

And agayne he sent foort a Doue from him, that he myght see yf the waters were abated from the vpper face of the grounde.

And the Doue founde no rest for the sole of her foote, and she returned vnto him into the arke, for the waters [were] in the vpper face of the whole earth, Then he put foorth his hande, & tooke her, and pulled her to him into the arke.

And he abode yet other seuen dayes, and agayne he sent foorth the Doue out of the arke:

And the Doue came to hym in the euentide, and loe, in her mouth was an Oliue leafe that she had pluct, wherby Noah dyd knowe that the waters were abated vpon the earth.

And he abode yet other seuen dayes, and sent foorth the Doue, whiche returned not vnto him any more.

And it came to passe, in the sixe hundreth and one yere, in ye first moneth, the first [day] of the moneth, the waters were dryed vp from the earth, and Noah remoued the coueryng of the arke, and looked, and beholde, the vpper face of the grounde was dryed vp.

And in the seconde moneth, in the seuen and twentie day of the moneth was the earth dryed.

And God spake vnto Noah, saying:

Go foorth of the arke, thou, and thy wife, thy sonnes, and thy sonnes wiues with thee.

And bryng foorth with thee euery beast that is with thee, of all fleshe, both foule and cattell, and euery worme that crepeth vpon the earth, that they may breede in the earth, and bring foorth fruite, and multiplie vpon earth.

And so Noah came foorth, and his sonnes, his wyfe, and his sonnes wiues with hym:

Euery beast also, and euery worme, euery foule, and whatsoeuer crepeth vpon the earth after their kyndes, went out of the arke.

And Noah builded an aulter vnto ye Lorde, and tooke of euery cleane beast, and of euery cleane foule, & offred burnt offering on the aulter

And the Lorde smelled a sweete [or quiet] sauour, and the Lord sayde in his heart: I wyll not hencefoorth curse the grounde any more for mans sake, for the imagination of mans heart is euyll [euen] from his youth: neyther wyll I smyte any more euery thyng lyuyng, as I haue done.

Yet therefore shall not sowyng tyme and haruest, colde and heate, sommer and wynter, day and nyght, ceasse all the dayes of the earth.

Chapter 9
And god blessed Noah, and his sonnes, & saide vnto them, be fruitfull and multiplie, and replenishe the earth.

The feare of you, & the dread of you, shalbe vpon euery beast of the earth, and vpon euery foule of the ayre, vpon al that moueth vpon the earth, and vpon all the fishes of the sea, into your hande are they deliuered.

Euery thyng that moueth it selfe, and that liueth, shall be meate for you, euen as the greene hearbe haue I geue you all thinges.

But flesh in the life therof [which is] the blood therof, shall ye not eate

And surely your blood of your lyues wyl I require: at the hande of euery beast wyll I require it, and at the hand of man, at the hande of mans brother wyll I require the life of man.

Who so sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made he man.

But be fruitefull, and multiplie you, breede in the earth, and increase therein.

God spake also vnto Noah, & to his sonnes with hym, saying:

Beholde, I, euen I establishe my couenaunt with you, and with your seede after you:

And with euery liuing creature that is with you, in foule, in cattell, in euery beast of the earth whiche is with you, of all that go out of the arke, whatsoeuer liuing thyng of the earth it be.

And my couenaunt I make with you, that from hencefoorth euery fleshe be not rooted out with the waters of a fludde, neither shall there be a fludde to destroy the earth any more.

And God sayde: this is the token of the couenaut which I make betweene me and you, and euery lyuyng creature that is with you, for euer.

I do set my bowe in the cloude, and it shall be for a token betweene me and the earth.

And it shall come to passe, that when I bryng a cloude vpon the earth, the bowe also shalbe seene in ye same cloude.

And I wyll thinke vpon my couenaunt whiche is betweene me and you, and euery liuing creature in all fleshe: and it shall no more come to passe, that waters make a fludde to destroy all fleshe.

And the bowe shalbe in the cloude, and I wyll loke vpon it, that I may thinke vpon the euerlasting couenaunt, betweene god and euery liuing creature in all fleshe that is vpon the earth.

And God sayd vnto Noah, This is the token of the couenaunt which I haue made betweene me and all fleshe that is vpon earth.

The sonnes of Noah goyng foorth of the arke, were Sem, Ham, & Iapheth: and Ham is the father of Chanaan.

These are the three sonnes of Noah, & of them was the whole earth ouerspread.

Noah also began to be an husbandman, and planted a vineyarde.

And he drynkyng of the wyne, was dronken, and vncouered within his tent.

And Ham the father of Chanaan, seeyng the nakednesse of his father, tolde his two brethren without.

And Sem and Iapheth takyng a garment, layde it vpon their shoulders, and commyng backwarde, couered the nakednesse of their father, namely their faces beyng turned away, lest they should see their fathers nakednesse.

And Noah awoke from his wine, and knewe what his younger sonne had done vnto him.

And he sayde: cursed be Chanaan, a seruaunt of seruauntes shall he be vnto his brethren.

He sayde moreouer: blessed be the Lord God of Sem, and Chanaan shalbe his seruaunt.

God shall enlarge Iapheth: and he shall dwell in the tentes of Sem, and Chanaan shalbe his seruaunt.

Noah liued after the fludde three hundred and fiftie yeres.

And all the dayes of Noah, were nine hundred and fiftie yeres, and he dyed.

Chapter 10
These are the generations of the sonnes of Noah, Sem, Ham, and Iapheth: and vnto them were chyldren borne after the fludde.

The children of Iapheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Iauan, and Thubal, Mesech, and Thiras.

The children of Gomer: Askenas, and Ripath, and Thogarma.

The children of Iauan: Elisa, & Tharsis, Kitthim, and Donanim.

Of these were the Iles of the gentiles deuided in their landes, euery one after his tongue, and after his kinrede, in their nations.

The children of Ham, Chus: and Mizraim, and Phut, and Chanaan.

And the children of Chus: Seba, and Hauilah, and Sabthah, and Raamah, and Sabtheca.

The children of Raamah: Seba, and Dedan, Chus also begat Nimrod.

The same began to be mightie in the earth, for he was a mightie hunter before the Lorde: Wherfore it is sayde, Euen as Nimrod the mightie hunter before the Lorde.

The begynnyng of his kingdome was Babel, and Erech, & Arab, and Calueh, in the lande of Sinar.

Out of that lande came Assur, and builded Niniue, and the citie Rehoboth, and Calah,

Resen also betweene Niniue & Chalah, and it is a great citie.

Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Nephthuim,

Pathrusim also, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philisthiim) & Capthorim.

Chanaan begat Sidon his first borne sonne, and Heth,

And Iebusi, and Emori, and Girgasi,

And Hiui also, and Arki, and Sini,

And Aruadi, and Semari, and Hamathi: and afterwarde were the kinredes of the Chanaanites spread abrode.

The border of the Chanaanites was from Sidon as thou commest to Gerar vnto Azah, and as thou goest vnto Sodoma and Gomorra, and Adama, and Seboim, euen vnto Lesa.

These are the children of Ham in their kinredes, in their tongues, countreys, and in their nations

Unto Sem also the father of all the children of Heber, and elder brother of Iapheth, there were chyldren borne.

The chyldren of Sem: Elam, and Assur, Arpharad, and Lud, and Aram.

The chyldren of Aram: Us, and Hul, Gether, and Mas.

Arphaxad begat Selah, and Selah begat Heber.

Unto Heber also were borne two sonnes: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his dayes was the earth deuided, and his brothers name was Iactan.

Iactan begat Almodad, and Saleph, Hazarmaueth, and Ierah,

And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Dicla,

Obal also, and Abimael, and Seba,

And Ophir, and Hauilah, and Iobab, all these were the chyldren of Iactan.

And their dwelling was from Mesa, as thou goest vnto Sapher, a mount of the east.

These are the chyldren of Sem after their kinredes and tongues, in their landes and nations.

And so these are the kinredes of the chyldren of Noah after their generations in their peoples: and of these were the nations deuided in the earth after the flood.

Chapter 11
And all the whole earth was of one language and lyke speache.

And when they went foorth from the east, they founde a playne in the lande of Sinar, and there they abode.

And one sayd to another: Come, let vs prepare brycke, and burne them in the fire. And they had brycke for stones, and slyme had they in steade of morter.

And they sayd: Go to, let vs buylde vs a citie and a towre, whose toppe may reache vnto heauen, and let vs make vs a name, lest peraduenture we be scattered abrode into the vpper face of the whole earth.

But the Lorde came downe to see the citie and towre whiche the chyldren of men buylded.

And the Lorde sayd: Beholde, the people is one, and they haue all one language, and this they begin to do: neither is there any let to them from all those thinges whiche they haue imagined to do.

Come on, let vs go downe, and there confounde their language, that euerye one perceaue not his neighbours speache.

And so the Lorde scattered them from that place into the vpper face of all the earth, and they left of to buylde that citie.

And therfore is the name of it called Babel, because the Lord dyd there confounde the language of all the earth: and from thence dyd the Lorde scatter them abrode vpon the face of all the earth.

These are the generations of Sem: Sem was an hundreth yere old, and begat Arphaxad two yeres after the flood.

And Sem liued after he begat Arphaxad fiue hundreth yeres, and begat sonnes and daughters.

Arphaxad liued fiue and thirtie yeres, and begat Selah.

And Arphaxad liued after he begat Selah, foure hundreth and three yeres: and begat sonnes and daughters.

Selah liued thirtie yeres, and begat Heber.

And Selah liued after he begat Heber, foure hundreth and three yeres, and begat sonnes and daughters.

And Heber liued thirtie and foure yeres, and begat Peleg.

And Heber liued after he begat Peleg, foure hundreth and thirtie yeres: and begat sonnes and daughters.

And Peleg liued thirtie yeres, and begat Reu.

And Peleg lyued after he begat Reu two hundreth and nyne yeres: and begat sonnes and daughters.

And Reu liued two and thirtie yeres, and begat Serug.

And Reu lyued after he begat Serug two hundreth and seuen yeres: and begat sonnes and daughters.

>And Serug liued thirtie yere, and begat Nachor.

And Serug liued after he begat Nachor, two hundreth yeres: and begat sonnes and daughters.

And Nachor lyued nyne and twentie yeres, and begat Tarah.

And Nachor liued after he begat Tarah an hundreth and nineteene yeres: and begat sonnes and daughters.

Tarah liued seuentie yeres, and begat Abram, Nachor, and Haran.

These are the generations of Tarah: Tarah begat Abram, Nachor, and Haran: Haron begat Lot.

And Haran dyed in the presence of his father Tarah, in the lande of his natiuitie, euen in Ur of the Chaldees.

Abram & Nachor toke them wiues: the name of Abrams wife [was] Sarai, and the name of Nachors wyfe, [was] Milcha, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcha, & the father of Iischa.

But Sarai was baren, and had no chylde.

And Tarah toke Abram his sonne, and Lot the sonne of Haran his sonnes sonne, and Sarai his daughter in lawe his sonne Abrams wyfe, and they departed together from Ur of the Chaldees, that they myght go into the land of Chanaan: and they came vnto Haran, and dwelt there.

And the dayes of Tarah, were two hundreth and fiue yeres, and Tarah died in Haran.

Chapter 12
And the Lord had sayde vnto Abram: get thee out of thy coutrey, and out of thy nation, and from thy fathers house, vnto a lande that I wyll shewe thee:

And I will make of thee a great people, and wyll blesse thee, and make thy name great, that thou shalt be [euen] a blessyng.

I wyll also blesse them that blesse thee, and curse the that curseth thee: and in thee shall all kinredes of the earth be blessed.

And so Abram departed, euen as the Lorde had spoken vnto hym, and Lot went with him: and Abram was seuentie and fiue yeres old when he departed out of Haran.

And Abram toke Sarai his wyfe, and Lot his brothers sonne, & all their substaunce that they had in possession, and the soules that they had begotten in Haran, and they departed, that they might come into the lande of Chanaan: and into the lande of Chanaan they came.

Abram passed through the lande, vnto the place of Sichem, vnto the plaine of Moreh. And the Chanaanite [was] then in the lande.

And the Lorde appearyng vnto Abram, sayd, Unto thy seede wyl I geue this lande: And there buylded he an aulter vnto the Lorde whiche appeared vnto hym.

And remouyng thence vnto a mountayne that was eastwarde from Bethel, he pitched his tent, hauyng Bethel on the west syde, & Hai on the east: and there he buyldyng an aulter vnto the Lorde, dyd call vpon the name of the Lorde.

And Abram toke his iourney, goyng and iourneying towarde the south.

[And] the there was a famine in that lande, and therfore went Abram downe into Egypt, that he myght soiourne there, for there was a greeuons famine in the lande.

And when he was come neare to enter into Egypt, he sayde vnto Sarai his wife: beholde, I knowe that thou art a fayre woman to loke vpon:

Therfore shall it come to passe, that when the Egyptians see thee, they shall say, she is his wyfe, and they wyll kyll me, but they wyll saue thee aliue:

Say I pray thee, that thou art my sister, that I may fare well for thy sake, and that my soule may liue through thy occasion.

And so when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians behelde the woman, for she was very fayre.

The princes also of Pharao sawe her, and comended her before Pharao, and the woman was taken into Pharaos house.

And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheepe and oxen, and he asses, menseruauntes, & maydeseruauntes, she asses and camelles.

But the Lorde plagued Pharao and his house with great plagues, because of Sarai Abrams wyfe.

And Pharao callyng Abram, sayde: why hast thou done this vnto me?

Why diddest thou not tel me, that she was thy wyfe? why saydest thou, she is my sister? and so I might haue taken her to be my wyfe? Nowe therfore beholde, there is thy wyfe, take her, and go thy way.

And Pharao gaue his men commaundement concerning him: and they conuayed him foorth, and his wyfe, and all that he had.

Chapter 13
And so Abram gat hym vp out of Egypt, he and his wife, and al that he had, and Lot with hym, toward the South.

And Abram was very ryche in cattell, in siluer, and in golde.

And he went foorth on his iourney, from the south towarde Bethel, vnto the place where his tent had ben at the begynnyng, betwene Bethel and Hai:

Euen vnto the place of the aulter whiche he had made there at the first, and there Abram called on the name of the Lorde.

Lot also whiche went with Abram, had sheepe, cattell, and tentes.

And the lande was not able to beare them, that they might dwell together: for theyr substaunce was great, so that they coulde not dwell together.

And there fell a stryfe betwene the heardmen of Abrams cattell, and the heardmen of Lottes cattell: Moreouer, the Chanaanites, and Pherisites dwelled at that tyme in the lande.

Then sayde Abram vnto Lot: let there be no strife I pray thee betweene thee and me, and betweene my heardmen and thyne, for we be brethren.

Is not the whole lande before thee? Seperate thy selfe I pray thee from me: yf thou wilt take the left hande, I wyll go to the ryght: or yf thou depart to the ryght hande, I wyll go to the left.

And so Lot lyftyng vp his eyes, behelde all the countrey of Iordane, whiche was well watred euery where before the Lorde destroyed Sodome and Gomorrh, euen as the garden of the Lorde, lyke the lande of Egypt as thou commest vnto Soar.

Then Lot chose all the playne of Iordane, and toke his iourney from the east, and so departed the one [brother] from the other.

Abram dwelled in the lande of Chanaan, and Lot abode in the cities of the playne, and pitched his tent vntill Sodome.

But the men of Sodome [were] wicked, and exceedyng sinners agaynst the Lorde.

And the Lorde saide vnto Abram, after that Lot was departed fro hym: Lyft vp thyne eyes nowe, and loke fro the place where thou art, northwarde, southward, eastwarde, and westward:

For all the lande whiche thou seest, wyll I geue vnto thee, and to thy seede for euer.

And I wyl make thy seede as the dust of the earth: so that yf a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seede also be numbred.

Arise, and walke about in the lande, after the length of it, & after the breadth of it: for I wyll geue it vnto thee.

Then Abram taking downe his tent, came and dwelled in the playne of Mamre, which is in Hebron, & buylded there an aulter vnto the Lorde.

Chapter 14
And it came to passe in the dayes of Amraphel kyng of Sinar, Arioch kyng of Elasar, Chodorlaomer kyng of Elam, and Thidai kyng of the nations:

[These] made warre with Bera kyng of Sodome, and with Birsa kyng of Gomorrhe, and with Sinab kyng of Adma, and with Semeber kyng of Seboiim, and with the kyng of Bela, the same is Soar.

All these were ioyned together in the vale of Siddim, where [nowe] the salt sea is.

For twelue yere were they subiecte to kyng Chodorlaomer, and in the thirteenth yere rebelled.

And in the fourteenth yere came Chodorlaomer and the kynges that were with hym, and smote the Giauntes in Astaroth-carnaim, and the Lusimes in Ham, and the Emims in the playne of Cariathaim.

And the Horites in their mount Seir, vnto the playne of Paran, which bordereth vpon the wyldernesse.

And they returnyng, came to En-mispat, which is Cades, and smote all the countrey of the Amalecites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezon-thamar.

And there went out the kyng of Sodome, and the kyng of Gomorrhe, and the kyng of Adma, and the kyng of Seboiim, and the kyng of Bela, whiche is Soar.

And they ioyned battell with them in the vale of Siddim: that is to saye, with Chodorlaomer the kyng of Elam, and with Thidal kyng of nations, and with Amraphel kyng of Sinar, and with Arioch kyng of Elasar, foure kynges agaynst fyue.

And the vale of Siddim was full of slyme pyttes: and the kynges of Sodome and Gomorrhe fledde, and fell there, and they that remayned, fledde to the mountayne.

And they takyng all the goodes of Sodome and Gomorrhe, and all their vittayles, went their way.

And they caryed awaye Lot also Abrams brothers sonne, & his goodes, (for he dwelled in Sodome) and departed.

And there came one that had escaped, and tolde Abram the Hebrewe, whiche dwelled in the playne of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner, whiche were confederate with Abram.

When Abram hearde that his brother was taken, he armed his exercised [seruauntes] whiche were borne in his owne house, three hundreth & eyghteen, and folowed on them vntyll Dan.

And he and his seruauntes were parted [in companies] agaynst the by nyght, and smote them, and pursued them vnto Hoba, which lyeth on the left hand of Damascus.

And recouered all the goodes, and also brought agayne his brother Lot, & his goodes, the wome also, & the people.

After that he returned agayne from the slaughter of Chodorlaomer, and of the kynges that were with hym, came the kyng of Sodome foorth to meete hym in the valey Sauch, which is the kynges dale.

And Melchisedech kyng of Salem brought foorth breade and wine: & he [was] the priest of the most highest God,

And blessed hym, saying: Blessed be Abram vnto the hygh God possessour of heauen and earth.

And blessed [be] the high God, which hath deliuered thyne enemies vnto thy hande: and Abram gaue him tithes of all.

And the kyng of Sodome sayde vnto Abram: geue me the soules, and take the goodes to thy selfe.

And Abram aunswered the kyng of Sodome: I haue lyft vp my hande vnto the Lord the hye God, possessour of heauen and earth,

That I wyll not take of all that is thyne so muche as a threede or shoe latchet, lest thou shouldest saye, I haue made Abram ryche:

Saue onlye that which the young men haue eaten, and the portions of the men which went with Aner, Eschol, & Mamre, which shal take their portios.

Chapter 15
After these thynges, the worde of the Lorde came vnto Abram in a vision, saying: feare not Abram I am thy shielde [and] thy exceedyng great rewarde.

And Abram sayde: Lorde God what wylt thou geue me when I go chyldelesse, the chylde of the stewardship of my house is this Eleazer of Damasco?

And Abram saide: See, to me thou hast geuen no seede: lo [borne] in my house is myne heire.

And beholde, the worde of the Lorde came vnto hym, saying, he shall not be thine heire: but one that shall come out of thine own bowels shalbe thine heire.

And he brought hym out, and sayde: loke vp vnto heauen, and tell the starres, if thou be able to number them. And he sayde vnto hym: euen so shall thy seede be.

And [Abram] beleued the Lord, & that counted he to hym for righteousnesse.

And agayne he saide vnto him: I am the Lorde that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to geue thee this lande, & that thou myghtest inherite it.

And he sayde: Lorde God wherby shall I knowe that I shall inherite it?

He aunswered vnto hym: Take an Heyfer of three yere olde, & a she Goate of three yere olde, and a three yere olde Ramme, a turtle Doue also, & a young Pigeon.

He toke therefore all these vnto hym, and deuided them in the middes, and layde euery peece one ouer agaynst another: but the birdes deuided he not.

And when the foules fell on the carkases, Abram droue them away.

And whe the sunne was downe, there fell a deepe sleepe vpon Abram: and lo, an horrour of great darknesse fell vpon hym.

And he sayde vnto Abram: Knowe this of a suertie, that thy seede shalbe a straunger in a lande that is not theirs, and shall serue them, and they shall entreate them euyll foure hundreth yeres.

But the nation whom they shall serue wyll I iudge: and afterward shall they come out with great substaunce.

And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and shalt be buried in a good olde age.

But in the fourth generation they shal come hyther agayne: for the wickednesse of the Amorites is not yet full.

And so it was, that when the sonne went downe, and it was twylyght, beholde a smokyng furnesse and a fire brande goyng betweene the said peeces.

In that same day the Lorde made a couenaunt with Abram, saying: vnto thy seede haue I geuen this lande, fro the ryuer of Egypt, euen vnto the great ryuer, the ryuer of Euphrates.

The Kenites and the Kenizites, and the Cadmonites,

And the Hethites, and the Perizites, and the Giauntes,

The Amorites also, and the Chanaanites, and Girgasites, & the Iebusites.

Chapter 16
Sarai Abrams wyfe bare hym no chyldren: but she had an handemayde an Egyptian, Hagar by name.

And Sarai sayde vnto Abram: beholde, nowe the Lorde hath restrayned me, that I can not beare, I pray thee go in to my mayde, it may be that I may be builded by her: and Abram obeyed the voyce of Sarai.

And Sarai Abrams wyfe toke Hagar her mayde the Egyptian, after Abram hadde dwelled ten yeres in the lande of Chanaan, and gaue her to her husbande Abram to be his wyfe.

And he went in vnto Hagar, and she conceaued. And when she sawe that she had conceaued, her mistresse was despised in her eyes.

And Sarai sayde vnto Abram: there is wrong done vnto me by thee: I haue geuen my mayde into thy bosome, whiche seyng that she hath conceaued, I am despised in her eyes, the Lorde be iudge betweene thee & me.

But Abram sayde to Sarai: beholde thy mayde is in thy hande, do with her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fledde from the face of her.

And the angel of the Lord founde her beside a fountain in ye wildernes, [euen] by the well that is in the way to Sur,

And he said: Hagar Sarais mayde, whence camest thou? and whither wylt thou go? She sayde: I flee fro the face of my mistresse Sarai.

And the angell of the Lorde sayde vnto her: Returne to thy mistresse agayne, and submit thy selfe vnder her handes.

And agayne the angell of the Lord sayde vnto her: I wyll multiplie thy seede in such sort, that it shal not be numbred for multitude.

And the Lordes angell said vnto her: See, thou art with chylde, and shalt beare a sonne, and shalt cal his name Ismael: because the Lorde hath hearde thy tribulation.

He also wyll be a wylde man, and his hande wyll be agaynst euery man, and euery mans hande against hym: and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

And she called the name of the Lorde that spake vnto her, Thou God lokest on me: for she sayde, haue I not also heare loked after hym that seeth mee?

Wherfore ye well was called the well of hym that lyueth and seeth me: and it is betweene Cades and Bared.

And Hagar bare Abram a sonne, and Abram called his sonnes name which Hagar bare vnto hym, Ismael.

And Abram was foure score and sixe yeres olde, when Hagar bare Ismael to hym.

Chapter 17
When Abram was ninetie yere olde and nine, the Lorde appeared to hym, and sayde vnto hym: I am the almightie God, walke before me, and be thou perfect.

And I wyll make my couenaunt betweene me and thee, and wyll multiplie thee exceedyngly.

And Abram fell on his face, & God talked with hym, saying:

It is I, behold my couenaut [is] with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shalbe called Abraham: for a father of many nations haue I made thee.

I wyll make thee exceedyng fruitefull, and wyll make nations of thee, yea and kynges shall spryng out of thee.

Moreouer I wyll make my couenaunt betweene me and thee, & thy seede after thee, in their generations, by an euerlasting couenaut, yt I may be God vnto thee, and to thy seede after thee.

And I wyll geue vnto thee and to thy seede after thee, the lande wherein thou art a strauger [euen] al the lande of Chanaan, for an euerlastyng possession, and wyll be their God.

And God said agayne vnto Abraham: thou shalt kepe my couenaunt therfore, both thou & thy seede after thee in their generations.

This is my couenaunt which ye shall kepe betweene me & you, and thy seede after thee: euery man chylde among you shalbe circumcised.

Ye shal circumcise the fleshe of your foreskyn, and it shalbe a token of the couenaunt betwixt me and you.

And euery man chylde of eyght dayes olde shalbe circumcised amongst you in your generations, both he that is borne in thy house, as he that is bought with money of any straunger, whiche is not of thy seede.

He that is borne in thy house, and he also that is bought with money, must needes be circumcised: & my couenaut shalbe in your fleshe for an euerlastyng couenaunt.

And the vncircumcised manchylde, in whose fleshe the foreskyn is not circumcised, that soule shalbe cut of from his people, because he hath broken my couenaunt.

And God sayde vnto Abraham: Sarai thy wyfe shalt thou not call Sarai, but Sara [shall] her name be.

And I wyll blesse her, and geue thee a sonne of her: yea, I wyll blesse her, and she shalbe [a mother] of nations, yea & kynges of people shall sprynge of her.

But Abraham fell vppon his face, and laughed, and sayde in his heart: shall a chylde be borne vnto hym that is an hundreth yere olde? And shall Sara that is ninetie yere olde beare?

And Abraham sayde vnto God: O that Ismael myght lyue in thy syght.

Unto who God sayd: Sara thy wife shall beare thee a sonne in deede, & thou shalt call his name Isahac: and I wyll establishe my couenaunt with hym for an euerlastyng couenaunt [and] with his seede after hym.

And as concernyng Ismael also I haue hearde thee: for I haue blessed him, and wyll make him fruitefull, and wyl multiplie him excedingly: Twelue princes shall he beget, and I wyll make a great nation of hym.

But my couenaunt wyl I make with Isahac whiche Sara shall beare vnto thee, euen this tyme twelue moneth.

And he left of talkyng with hym, and departed vp from Abraham.

Abraham toke Ismael his sonne, and such as were borne in his house, & al that was bought with money, as many as were men chyldren, whiche were amongst the men of Abrahams house, & circumcised the fleshe of their foreskinne euen in the selfe same day, as God had sayde vnto hym.

Abraham also hym selfe was ninetie yere olde and nine when the fleshe of his foreskynne was circumcised.

Ismael his sonne was thirtie yere old when he was circumcised in the fleshe of his foreskynne.

The selfe same day was Abraham circumcised and Ismael his sonne.

And all the men of his house, borne in his house, or bought with money of straungers were circumcised with him.

Chapter 18
And the Lorde appeared vnto hym in the playne of Mamre, and he sate in his tent doore in the heate of the day.

And he lift vp his eyes and loked, and loe, three men stoode by hym: And when he sawe them, he ranne to meete them from the tent doore, and bowed hym selfe towarde the grounde,

And sayde: Lorde, yf I haue nowe founde fauour in thy sight, passe not away I praye thee from thy seruaunt.

Let a litle water, I pray you, be fet, and washe your feete, and refreshe your selues vnder the tree.

And I wyll fet a morsell of bread to comfort your heartes withall, and then shall you go your wayes: for euen therefore are ye come to your seruaunt. And they sayde: do euen so as thou hast sayde.

And Abraham went apace into the tent vnto Sara, & sayde: Make redy at once three peckes of fine meale, kneade [it] and make cakes vpon the hearth.

And Abraham runnyng vnto his beastes, fet a calfe tender and good, and gaue it vnto a young man, and he hasted to make it redy at once.

And he toke butter and mylke, and the calfe which he had prepared, and set it before them, and stoode hym selfe by them vnder the tree: & they dyd eate.

And they sayde vnto hym: where is Sara thy wife? He aunswered, behold, in the tent.

And he sayde: I wyll certaynely returne vnto thee according to the time of lyfe: and lo, Sara thy wyfe shall haue a sonne. That heard Sara in the tent doore, which was behynde hym.

Abraham and Sara were both olde, and well stryken in age: and it ceassed to be with Sara after the maner as it is with women.

Therefore Sara laughed within her selfe, saying: Nowe I am waxed olde shal I geue my selfe to lust, and my Lorde olde also?

And God said vnto Abraham: wherfore dyd Sara laugh, saying, shall I of a suertie beare a chylde, which am olde?

Is any thing vnpossible to God? Accordyng to the tyme appoynted wyll I returne vnto thee [euen] according to the time of life: & Sara [shall] haue a sonne.

The Sara denied it, saying: I laughed not: for she was afrayde. And he sayde: it is not so, but thou laughedst.

And the men rysyng vp from thence, loked toward Sodome: and Abraham went with them to bryng them on the way.

And the Lorde sayde: shall I hyde from Abraham that thing which I do.

Seyng that Abraham shall surely be a great and a myghtie nation, and all the nations of the earth shalbe blessed in hym?

I knowe this also, that he wyll commaunde his chyldren and his householde after him, that they kepe the way of the Lord, and to do iustice and iudgement, that the Lorde may bryng vppon Abraha that he hath spoken vnto him.

And the lorde saide: because the crye of Sodome and Gomorrhe is great, and because their sinne is exceding greeuous:

I wyll go downe nowe, and see whether they haue done altogether accordyng to that crye whiche is come vnto me: and yf not, I wyll knowe.

And the men departed thence, & went to Sodomeward: but Abraham stoode yet before the Lorde.

And Abraham drewe neare, and said: Wylt thou also destroye the righteous with the wicked?

If there be fiftie ryghteous within the citie, wylt thou destroye and not spare the place for the sake of fiftie ryghteous that are therein?

That be farre from thee that thou shouldest do after this maner, and slaye the ryghteous with the wicked, & that the ryghteous should be as the wicked, that be farre from thee: Shall not the iudge of all the worlde do accordyng to ryght?

And the Lorde sayde: If I fynde in Sodome fiftie ryghteous within the citie, I wyll spare all the place for their sakes.

And Abraham aunsweryng, sayde: beholde I haue taken vppon me to speake vnto the Lorde, whiche am but dust and asshes.

If there shall lacke fiue of fiftie ryghteous, wylt thou destroy all the citie for [lacke] of fiue? And he saide: If I fynde there fourtie and fiue I wyl not destroy them.

And he proceaded to speake vnto hym agayne, and sayde: What yf there shall be fourtie founde there? He aunswered: I wyll not do it for fourties sake.

He sayde vnto hym agayne: O let not my lord be angry that I speake: What yf there shall thirtie be founde there? And he sayde: I wyll do nothyng yf I fynde thirtie there.

He sayde agayne: O see I haue taken vppon me to speake nowe also vnto my Lord: What if there shalbe twentie founde there? He aunswered, I wyll not destroy [them] for twenties sake.

And he sayde: O let not my Lorde be angry, and I wyll speake yet but this once: What if ten shalbe found there? He aunswered, I wil not destroy [them] for tennes sake.

And the Lorde went his way assoone as he had left communyng with Abraham, and Abraham [also] turned vnto his place.

Chapter 19
And there came two angels to Sodome at euen, and Lot sate at the gate of Sodome: and Lot seing [them] rose vp to meete them, and he bowed hym selfe with his face towarde the grounde.

And he sayde: Oh my Lordes, turne in I praye you, into your seruauntes house, and tary all nyght, and washe your feete, and ye shall ryse vp early to go in your wayes. Whiche sayde, nay: but we wyll byde in the streates all nyght.

And he preassed vpon them exceedinglye: and they returnyng in vnto hym, entred into his house, & he made them a feast, and did bake vnleuened bread, and they did eate.

And before they went to rest, the men of the citie [euen] the men of Sodome compassed the house rounde about, both olde and young, all people fro [all] quarters.

And they callyng vnto Lot, sayde vnto hym: Where are the men whiche came in to thee this nyght? bryng them out vnto vs, that we may knowe them.

And Lot went out at the doore vnto them, and shut the doores after hym.

And sayde: Nay, for Gods sake brethren, do not [so] wickedly.

Behold, I haue two daughters whiche haue knowen no man, them wyll I bryng out nowe vnto you, and do with them as it [seemeth] good in your eyes: only vnto these men do nothyng, for therefore came they vnder the shadowe of my roofe.

And they sayde, stande backe: And they said agayne, he came in as one to soiourne, and wyll he be nowe a iudge? we wyll surely deale worse with thee then with them. And they preassed sore vpon the man [euen] Lot, and came to breake vp the doore.

But the men put foorth their hande, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the doore.

And the men that were at the doore of the house they smoke with blyndenesse both small and great, so that they were weryed in sekyng the doore.

And the men sayde vnto Lot: Hast thou here any besides? sonne in lawe, and thy sonnes, and thy daughters, and whatsoeuer thou hast in the citie, bryng them out of this place:

For we wyl destroy this place, because the crye of them is great before the face of God: for the Lorde hath sent vs to destroy it.

And Lot went out, and spake vnto his sonnes in lawe which maried his daughters, saying: Stande vp, get ye out of this place, for the Lorde wyll ouerthrowe this citie. But he seemed as though he had mocked, vnto his sonnes in lawe.

And when the mornyng arose, the angels caused Lot to speede him, saying: Stande vp, take thy wyfe, and thy two daughters which be at hande, lest thou perishe in the sinne of the citie.

And as he prolonged the tyme, the men caught both him, his wife, and his two daughters by the handes, the Lorde beyng mercyfull vnto hym: and they brought hym foorth, and set hym without the citie.

And when he had brought them out, he sayde: Saue thy selfe, and loke not behynde thee, neither tary thou in all this playne [countrey] Saue thy selfe in the mountaine, lest thou perishe.

And Lot sayde vnto them: Oh not so my Lordes.

Beholde thy seruaunt hath founde grace in thy syght, and thou hast magnified thy mercy which thou hast shewed vnto me in sauyng my lyfe: Beholde I can not be saued in the mountayne, lest some harme fall vppon me, and I dye.

Beholde here is a citie by to flee vnto, euen yonder litle one: Oh let me escape thyther: Is it not a litle one, and my soule shall lyue?

And he sayde to hym: See, I haue receaued thy request as concernyng this thing, that I wyll not ouerthrowe this citie for the whiche thou hast spoken.

Haste thee, and be saued there: for I can do nothyng tyl thou be come thyther, and therfore the name of the citie is Soar.

And the sonne was nowe rysen vpon the earth, and Lot was entred into Soar.

Then the Lorde rayned vpon Sodome and Gomorrhe brymstone and fire, from the Lorde out of heauen:

And ouerthrewe those cities, and all that plaine region, and all that dwelled in the cities, and that that grewe vpon the earth.

But Lots wyfe folowyng him, loked behynde her, & was turned into a piller of salt.

Abraham rysyng vp early, gote hym to the place where he stoode before the presence of God, and loked towarde Sodome and Gomorrhe, and towarde all the lande of that playne countrey,

And behelde, and lo the smoke of the countrey arose, as the smoke of a furnesse.

And it came to passe, that when God destroyed the cities of that region, he thought vpon Abraham, and sent Lot out from the middest of the ouerthrow, when he ouerthrewe the cities, in one of the whiche Lot dwelled.

And Lot departed out of Soar, and dwelled in the mountayne with his two daughters: for he feared to tary in Soar, but dwelled in a caue, he and his two daughters.

And the elder said vnto the younger: our father is olde, and there is not a man in the earth to come in vnto vs after the maner of all the worlde.

Come, let vs geue our father wine to drynke, and lye with hym, that we may saue seede of our father.

And so they gaue their father wine to drinke that night: and the elder daughter went and lay with her father, and he perceaued it not neither when she laye downe, neyther when she rose vp.

And on the morowe the elder sayde vnto the younger: beholde, yesternight lay I with my father: let vs make hym drynke wyne this nyght also, & go thou and lye with hym, that thou mayest rayse vp seede of our father. And they made their father drynke wyne that nyght also.

And the younger arose, and laye with hym: & he perceaued it not, neither whe she lay downe, neither whe she rose vp.

Thus were both the daughters of Lot with chylde by their father.

And the elder bare a sonne, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites vnto this day.

And the younger bare a sonne also, & called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the chyldren of Ammon vnto this day.

Chapter 20
And Abraham departed thence towarde the south countrey, & dwelled betweene Cades and Sur, and soiourned in Gerar.

And Abraham sayde of Sara his wyfe, she is my syster: And Abimelech kyng of Gerar sent, and fet Sara away.

But God came to Abimelech by night in a dreame, and saide to hym: See, thou art but a dead man for the womans sake whiche thou hast taken away, for she is a mans wyfe.

But Abimelech had not yet touched her: and he sayde, Lorde wylt thou slay ryghteous people?

Saide not he vnto me, she is my sister? yea and she her selfe sayde, he is my brother: with a single heart, and innocent handes haue I done this.

And God sayde vnto him in a dreame: I wote well that thou dyddest it in the singlenesse of thy heart: I kept thee also that thou shuldest not sinne against me, and therefore suffred I thee not to touche her.

Nowe therefore delyuer the man his wyfe agayne, for he is a prophete, and he shall pray for thee, that thou mayest lyue: But and yf thou delyuer her not agayne, be sure that thou shalt dye the death, [both thou] and all that thou hast.

Therefore, Abimelech rysyng vp betimes in the mornyng, called all his seruauntes, and tolde all these sayinges in their eares: and the men were sore afrayde.

Then Abimelech called Abraham, & sayde vnto hym: What hast thou done vnto vs? & what haue I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me & on my kingdome [so] great a sinne? thou hast done deedes vnto me that ought not to be done.

And Abimelech saide vnto Abraham: what sawest thou that thou hast done this thyng?

Abraham aunswered: For I thought [thus] surely the feare of God is not in this place, and they shal slaye me for my wyues sake.

Yet in very deede she is my sister, for she is ye daughter of my father, though she be not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wyfe.

And after God caused me to wander out of my fathers house, I sayde vnto her: this kyndnesse shalt thou shewe vnto me, in all places where we come, that thou say of me, he is my brother.

Then toke Abimelech sheepe and oxen, men seruauntes and women seruauntes, & gaue [them] vnto Abraham, and delyuered hym Sara his wyfe agayne.

And Abimelech sayde: beholde my lande lyeth before thee, dwell where it pleaseth thee best.

But vnto Sara he saide: See I haue geuen thy brother a thousand peeces of syluer: beholde, it is as a coueryng of thyne eyes vnto all that are with thee, and to all [other:] and thus she was reproued.

And so Abraham prayed vnto God, & God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maydens, & they bare chyldren.

For the Lorde had closed vp all the wombes of the house of Abimelech, because of Abrahams wyfe.

Chapter 21
The Lord visited Sara as he had promised, and did vnto her accordyng as he had spoke.

For Sara conceaued, and bare Abraham a sonne in his olde age, euen the same season whiche the Lorde had appoynted.

And Abraham called his sonnes name that was borne vnto him, whiche Sara bare hym, Isahac.

And Abraham circumcised his sonne Isahac, when he was eyght dayes olde, as God commaunded him.

And Abraham was an hundreth yere olde, when his sonne Isahac was borne vnto him.

But Sara sayde: God hath made me to reioyce, so that all that heare, wyll ioy with me.

She sayd also: who would haue sayde vnto Abraham, that Sara shoulde haue geuen chyldren sucke? for I haue borne [him] a sonne in his olde age.

The chylde grewe, and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isahac was weaned.

Sara saw also the sonne of Hagar the Egyptian, whiche she had borne vnto Abraham, [to be] a mocker.

Wherfore she sayd vnto Abraham: cast out this bond woman, & her sonne: for the sonne of this bonde woman, shal not be heyre with my sonne Isahac.

And this saying was very greeuous in Abrahams sight, because of his sonne.

And God sayde vnto Abraham, let it not be greeuous in thy sight, because of the lad and of thy bonde woman: In al that Sara hath said vnto thee, heare her voyce, for in Isahac shall thy seede be called.

Moreouer, of the sonne of the bonde woman wyll I make a nation, because he is thy seede.

And so Abraham rose vp early in the mornyng, and tooke bread, and a bottel of water, and gaue it vnto Hagar, puttyng it on her shoulder, and the lad also, and sent her away: who departing, wandered vp and downe in the wildernesse of Beer seba.

And the water was spent in the bottell, and she cast the lad vnder some one of the trees:

And went, and sate on the other syde a great way, as it were a bowe shote of: for she sayd, I wyll not see the death of the chylde. And she sitting downe on the other side, lyft vp her voyce & wept.

And God hearde the voyce of the lad, and the angell of God called to Hagar out of heauen, and said vnto her, what ayleth thee Hagar? feare not: for God hath hearde the voyce of the lad where he lyeth.

Aryse and lyft vp the lad, and take him in thyne hande, for I wyll make of hym a great people.

And God opened her eyes, and she sawe a well of water, and she went and filled the bottell with water, and gaue the lad drinke.

And God was with the lad, and he grewe, and dwelt in the wyldernesse, and became a principall archer.

And he dwelt in the wyldernesse of Paran, and his mother got hym a wyfe out of the lande of Egypt.

And at the same season, Abimelech and Phicol his chiefe captayne spake vnto Abraham, saying, God [is] with thee in all that thou doest:

And nowe therefore, sweare vnto me euen here by God, that thou wylt not hurt me, nor my chyldren, nor my chyldrens children: but that thou shalt deale with me and the countrey where thou hast ben a straunger, accordyng vnto the kyndnesse that I haue shewed thee.

And Abraham saide, I will sweare.

And Abraham rebuked Abimelech for a wel of water, which Abimeleches seruauntes had violently taken away.

And Abimelech said, I wote not who hath done this thing: also thou toldest me not, neyther hearde I [of it] but this day.

And Abraham toke sheepe and Oxen, and gaue them vnto Abimelech: & they made both of them a leage together.

And Abraham set seuen ewe lambes by them selues.

And Abimelech sayd vnto Abraham: what meane these seuen ewe lambes whiche thou hast set by them selues?

He aunswered: for these seuen ewe lambes shalt thou take of my hande, that they may be a wytnesse vnto me, that I haue digged this well.

Wherefore the place is called Beer seba, because that there they sware both of them.

Thus made they a leage together at Beer seba: and Abimelech and Phicol his chiefe captayne rose vp, and turned agayne into the lande of the Philistines.

And Abraham planted a wood in Beer seba, and called there on the name of the Lorde the euerlasting God.

And Abraham soiourned in the Philistines lande a long season.

Chapter 22
After these sayinges, god did tempt Abraham, and sayde vnto him Abraham. Which answered, here I am.

And he saide: take thy sonne, thyne onlye sonne Isahac whom thou louest, & get thee vnto the lande Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering vpon one of the mountaines which I wyl shewe thee.

Then Abraham rose vp early in the mornyng, and sadled his Asse, and toke two of his young men with hym, and Isahac his sonne, and cloue wood for the burnt offering, and rose vp, and got hym to the place whiche God had appointed hym.

The thirde day Abraham lyft vp his eyes, and sawe the place a farre of:

And sayde vnto his young men, byde here with the Asse, I and the lad will go yonder & worship, and come agayne to you.

And Abraham toke the wood of the burnt offeryng, and layde it vpon Isahac his sonne: but he him selfe toke fire in his hande and a knyfe, and they went both of them together.

Then spake Isahac vnto Abraham his father, and sayd, my father. And he aunswered, here am I, my sonne. He sayde, see here is fyre and wood, but where is the beast for burnt sacrifice?

Abraham aunswered: My God wyll prouide a beast for burnt sacrifice: and so they went both together.

And when they came to ye place which God had shewed him, Abraham buylt an aulter there, and dressed the wood, and bound Isahac his sonne, and layde him on the aulter aboue vpo the wood.

And Abraham stretchyng foorth his hande, toke the knyfe to haue killed his sonne.

And the angell of the Lord called vnto him from heauen, saying: Abraham, Abraham. And he sayd, here [am] I:

And he sayde: lay not thy hande vpon the chylde, neyther do any thyng vnto hym, for nowe I knowe that thou fearest God, & hast for my sake not spared [yea] thine onlye sonne.

And Abraham lifting vp his eyes, looked: and beholde, behynde [hym] there was a Ramme caught by the hornes in a thicket: and Abraham went & tooke the Ramme, and offered hym vp for a burnt offering in the steade of his sonne.

And Abraham called ye name of the place, the Lorde wyll see. As it is sayde this day, in the mounte will the Lorde be seene.

And the angell of the Lorde cryed vnto Abraham from heauen the seconde tyme,

And sayd: by my selfe haue I sworne, sayeth the Lorde, because thou hast done this thyng, and hast not spared yea thyne onlye sonne,

That in blessing I wyll blesse thee, and in multiplying I wyll multiplie thy seede as the starres of heauen, and as the sande which is vpon the sea side, and thy seede shall possesse the gates of his enemies.

And in thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast hearde my voyce.

So turned Abraham againe vnto his young men: and they rose vp, and went together to Beer seba, and Abraham dwelt at Beer seba.

And after these thynges, one tolde Abraham, saying: beholde Milcha, she hath also borne chyldren vnto thy brother Nachor,

Hus his eldest sonne, and Buz his brother, and Camuel the father of the Syrians,

And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Iidlaph, and Bethuel.

And Bethuel begat Rebecca. These eyght did Milcha beare to Nachor Abrahams brother.

And his concubine called Reumah, she bare also Tebah, & Gaham, Thahas, and Maacha.

Chapter 23
Sara was an hudreth and seuen and twentie yere olde (so long liued she.)

And Sara dyed in Ciriath arba, the same is Hebron, in the lande of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourne for Sara, and to weepe for her.

And Abraham stoode vp fro the sight of his corse, and talked with the sonnes of Heth, saying:

I am a straunger and a foriner amongest you: geue me a possession to bury in with you, that I may bury my corse out of my sight.

And the chyldren of Heth aunswered Abraham, saying vnto hym:

Heare vs my Lorde, thou art a prince of God amongest vs, in the chiefest of our sepulchres bury thy dead: none of vs shall forbyd thee his sepulchre, but thou mayest bury thy dead [therin.]

Abraham stoode vp and bowed hym selfe before the people of the lande, that is, the chyldren of Heth.

And he communed with them, saying: If it be your mynde that I shal bury my dead out of my sight, heare me, and speake for me to Ephron the sonne of Sohar,

That he may geue me the caue of Machpelah, whiche he hath in the ende of his fielde: but for as much money as it is worth shall he geue it me, for a possession to bury in amongest you.

For Ephron dwelleth amongest the chyldren of Heth and Ephron the Hethite aunswered Abraham in the audience of the chyldren of Heth, and of all that went in at the gates of his citie, saying:

Not so my Lord, heare me: the fielde geue I thee, and the caue that therin is geue I thee also, in the presence of the sonnes of my people geue I it thee, burye thy dead.

And Abraham bowed him selfe before the people of the lande.

And spake vnto Ephron in the audience of the people of the countrey, saying: yf thou wylt [geue it] then I pray thee heare me, I wyll geue syluer for the fielde, take it of me, and I will bury my dead therin.

Ephron aunswered Abraham, saying vnto hym:

My Lord, hearken vnto me, the lande is worth foure hundred sicles of siluer, what is that betwixt thee and me? bury therfore thy dead.

And Abraham hearkened vnto Ephron, and wayed him the siluer which he had sayde in the aundience of the sonnes of Heth, euen foure hundred syluer sicles of currant money amongest marchauntes.

And the fielde of Ephron in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, eue the fielde and the caue that was therein, and all the trees that were in the fielde, and that were in al the borders rounde about, was made sure

Unto Abraham for a possession in the sight of the chyldren of Heth, before all that went in at the gates of the citie.

After this dyd Abraham bury Sara his wyfe in the double caue of the fielde that lyeth before Mamre, the same is Hebron in the land of Chanaan.

And so both the fielde & the caue that is therein, was made vnto Abraham a sure possession to bury in, by the sonnes of Heth.

Chapter 24
And Abraham was old & stricken in dayes, and the Lorde had blessed Abraham in all thinges.

And Abraham saide vnto his eldest seruaut of his house, whiche had the rule ouer all that he had: put thy hande vnder my thigh:

And I wyll make thee sweare by the Lorde God of heauen, and God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wyfe vnto my sonne of the daughters of the Chanaanites, amongest which I dwel:

But thou shalt go vnto my countrey, and to my kinred, and take a wife vnto my sonne Isahac.

But the seruaunt sayd vnto hym: peraduenture the woman wyll not agree to come with me vnto this lande, shall I bryng thy sonne againe vnto the land whiche thou cammest out of?

To whom Abraham aunswered: beware that thou bring not my sonne thyther agayne.

The Lorde God of heauen whiche toke me from my fathers house, & from the land of my kinred, and which spake vnto me, and that sware vnto me, saying, vnto thy seede wyll I geue this lande: he shall sende his angell before thee, and thou shalt take a wyfe vnto my sonne from thence.

Neuerthelesse, if the woman wyl not folowe thee, then shalt thou be cleare from this my othe: onlye bring not my sonne thyther agayne.

And the seruaunt put his hand vnder the thigh of Abraham his maister, and sware to hym as concernyng yt matter.

And the seruaunt toke ten Camelles of the Camelles of his maister, & departed (& had of al maner of goods of his maister with him) and so he arose & went to Mesopotamia, vnto ye citie of Nachor.

And made his Camelles to lye downe without the citie by a welles side of water at euen, about the time that women come out to drawe water.

And he saide: Lord God of my maister Abraham, I pray thee sende me good speede this day, and shewe mercy vnto my maister Abraham.

Lo, I stande here by the well of water, and the daughters of the me of this citie come out to drawe water:

Nowe let the damsel to whom I say, stoupe downe thy pitcher I pray thee, that I may drinke: If she say also, drinke, and I wyll geue thy Camelles drinke also: let the same be she that thou hast ordeyned for thy seruaunt Isahac, and thereby shall I knowe that thou hast shewed mercy on my maister.

And it came to passe yer he had lefte speakyng, beholde, Rebecca came out, the daughter of Bethuel, sonne to Milcha, the wyfe of Nachor Abrahams brother, and her pytcher vpon her shoulder:

The damsel was very fayre to looke vpon, and yet a mayde, and vnknowen of man: and she went downe to the wel, and filled her pitcher, and came vp.

And the seruaunt runnyng to meete her, sayde: let me I pray thee drinke a litle water of thy pitcher.

And she sayd: drinke my Lorde. And she hasted, and let downe her pytcher vpon her arme, and gaue him drinke.

And when she had geuen him drinke, she sayde: I wyll drawe water for thy Camelles also, vntyl they haue dronke ynough.

And she poured out her pytcher into the trough hastyly, and ranne agayne vnto the well to draw [water] and drew for all his Camelles.

And the man wondred at her, but held his peace, to witte whether the Lorde had made his iourney prosperous, or not.

And as the Camelles had left drinking, the man tooke a golden earring of halfe a sickle wayght, and two bracelettes for her handes, of ten sickles wayght of golde,

And sayde: whose daughter art thou? tell me I pray thee: is there rowme in thy fathers house for vs to lodge in?

She aunswered hym: I am the daughter of Bethuel the sonne of Milcha whiche she bare vnto Nachor.

And said moreouer vnto him, we haue litter and prouender ynough, and also rowme to lodge in.

And the man bowed hymselfe, and worshipped the Lorde,

And sayde: blessed be the Lorde God of my maister Abraham, whiche hath not left destitute my maister of his mercye and trueth: for when I was on my iourney, the Lorde brought me to my maisters brothers house.

And the damsell ranne, and told them of her mothers house these thinges.

And Rebecca had a brother called Laban: and he ranne out vnto the man, [euen] to the well.

For assoone as he had seene the earerynges, and the bracelettes in his sisters hande, and hearde the wordes of Rebecca his sister, saying, thus sayde the man vnto me: he went out vnto the man, and lo, he stoode with the Camelles by the well syde,

And he sayde: come thou blessed of the Lord, wherfore standest thou without? I haue dressed the house, & rowme for thy Camelles.

And then the ma came into the house, and he vnharnessed the Camelles, and brought lytter and prouender for the Camelles, and water to wash his feete, & the mens feete that were with him.

And there was set meate before hym to eate: but he sayd, I wyll not eate vntyll I haue sayde myne arande. And he sayd: say on.

And he sayde: I am Abrahams seruaunt,

And God blessed my maister merueylously, that he is become great, and hath geuen him sheepe and oxen, siluer and golde, men seruauntes, and maydeseruauntes, camelles and asses.

And Sara my maisters wyfe bare hym a sonne when she was olde, and vnto him hath he geue all that he hath.

And my maister made me sweare, saying: thou shalt not take a wyfe to my sonne amongest the daughters of the Chanaanites, in whose lande I dwell:

But thou shalt go vnto my fathers house, and to my kinred, and take a wife vnto my sonne.

And I sayde vnto my maister: peraduenture the woman wyll not folowe me.

And he answered me: the Lord before whom I walke, wyll sende his angell with thee, and prosper thy iourney, and thou shalt take a wyfe for my sonne of my kinred, and of my fathers house.

Then shalt thou be free from this othe [made] to me, when thou commest to my kinred: and yf they geue not thee [one] thou shalt be free from this othe [made] to me.

And so I came this day vnto the wel, and sayde: O Lorde the God of my maister Abraham, if it be so nowe that thou makest my iourney whiche I go prosperous,

Beholde, I stande by the well of water: and when a virgin commeth foorth to drawe water, and I say to her, Geue me [I pray thee] a little water of thy pitcher to drinke:

And she say to me, Drinke thou, and I wyll also drawe for thy Camelles: let the same be the woman whom the Lorde hath prepared for my maisters sonne.

And before I had made an ende of speakyng in myne heart, beholde, Rebecca came foorth, and her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went downe vnto the well, and drewe water, and I sayde vnto her, Geue me drinke I pray thee.

And she made haste, and toke downe her pitcher from her [shoulder] and said: Drinke, and I wyll geue thy Camelles drinke also. So I dranke, and she gaue the Camelles drinke also.

And I asked her, saying: whose daughter art thou? She answered: the daughter of Bethuel Nachors sonne, whom Milcha bare vnto hym: and I put the earring vpon her face, and the bracelettes vpon her handes.

And I bowed my selfe, and worshipped the Lorde, and blessed the Lorde God of my maister Abraham, whiche had brought me the ryght way, to take my maisters brothers daughter vnto his sonne.

Nowe also if [he] wyll consent to deale mercyfully and truely with my maister, tel me: and if not, tel me also, that I may turne me to the ryght hande, or to the left.

Then aunswered Laban and Bethuel, saying: This saying is proceeded euen of the Lorde, we can not therefore say vnto thee eyther good or bad.

Beholde, Rebecca [is] before thee, take her, and go, that she may be thy maisters sonnes wife, euen as god hath sayde.

And when Abrahams seruaunt heard theyr wordes, he worshipped the Lord, bowyng hym selfe towarde the earth.

And the seruaunt toke foorth iewelles of syluer, and iewelles of golde, and rayment, and gaue them to Rebecca: and to her brother, and to her mother he gaue costly gyftes

And they did eate and drinke, both he and the men that were with hym, and taried all night: and when they rose vp in the mornyng, he said: let me depart vnto my maister.

Her brother and her mother aunswered: let the damsell abyde with vs, and it be but euen ten dayes, and then shall she go.

He sayde vnto them: hynder me not, beholde, the Lorde hath prospered my iourney, sende me away therefore, that I may go to my maister.

And they sayde: we wyll call the damsell, and enquire at her mouth.

And they called foorth Rebecca, and sayde vnto her: wylt thou go with this man? And she aunswered, I wyll go.

So they let Rebecca theyr sister go, and her nurse, & Abrahams seruaunt, and his men.

And they blessed Rebecca, and sayde vnto her: thou art our sister, growe into thousande thousandes, and thy seede possesse the gate of his enemies.

And Rebecca arose and her damselles, and gat them vp vpon the Camelles, and folowed the man: and the seruaunt toke Rebecca, and went his waye.

And Isahac was commyng from the waye of the well of the lyuyng and seeyng me: for he dwelt in the South countrey.

And Isahac was gone out to pray in the fielde at the euentide, and he lift vp his eyes, and saw the Camelles commyng.

And Rebecca lyft vp her eyes, & when she sawe Isahac, she lyghted of the Camell,

(For she said vnto the seruaunt: what man is this, that commeth walkyng against vs in the fielde? And the seruaunt sayd, it is my maister): therfore she toke her vayle and couered her.

And the seruaunt tolde Isahac all thinges that he had done.

And Isahac brought her into his mother Saraes tent, and toke Rebecca, and she became his wife, and he loued her: and so Isahac receaued comfort after his mother.

Chapter 25
Abraham proceeded further, and toke hym another wyfe, called Cetura.

Whiche bare hym Zimram, and Iocsan, and Medan, and Midian, and Iesbac, and Suah.

Iocsan begat Seba and Dedan, and the sonnes of Dedan were Assurim, and Letusim, and Leummim.

And the sonnes of Midian, Ephah, & Epher, & Hanoch, & Abida, & Eldaah: all these were the children of Cetura.

And Abraham gaue al his goodes vnto Isahac:

But vnto the sonnes of the concubines whiche Abraham had, he gaue gyftes, and sent them away from Isahac his sonne (whyle he yet lyued) eastwarde vnto the east countrey.

And these are the dayes of the yeres of Abrahams lyfe which he liued, an hundred threscore and fifteene yeres.

And then Abraham waxyng away, dyed in a lustie age, beyng an olde man, when he had liued ynough, and was gathered to his people.

And his sonnes Isahac and Ismael buryed hym in the double caue in the fielde of Ephron sonne of Soar the Hethite, before Mamre.

Whiche fielde Abraham bought of the sonnes of Heth: there was Abraham buryed, and Sara his wyfe.

And it came to passe after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his sonne Isahac, and Isahac dwelled by the well of liuing and seeing me.

These are the generations of Ismael Abrahams sonne, whiche Hagar the Egyptian Saraes handmayde bare vnto Abraham.

{And these are the names of the sonnes of Ismael, accordyng to the names of their kindred: the eldest sonne of Ismael, Nabaioth, and Cedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

And Misma, and Duma, and Massa, Hadar, and Thema,

Ietur, Naphis, and Cedina.

These are the sonnes of Ismael, and these are their names by theyr townes and castles, twelue princes of their housholdes.

And these are the yeres of the lyfe of Ismael, an hundred and thirtie and seuen yere: and he waxing away, dyed, and was layed vnto his people.

And they dwelled from Hauilah vnto Sur, that is by the border of Egypt as thou goest toward Assur, and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

And these are the generations of Isahac, Abrahams sonne: Abraham begat Isahac.

And Isahac was fourtie yere olde when he toke Rebecca to wyfe, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Mesopotamia, and sister to Laban the Syrian.

And Isahac made intercession vnto the Lorde for his wyfe, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of hym, and Rebecca his wyfe conceaued.

And the childre stroue together within her wombe: therfore she said, if [it be] so, why am I thus? wherefore she went to aske the Lorde.

And the Lorde sayde vnto her: there are two maner of people in thy wombe, and two nations shalbe deuided out of thy bowelles, and the one nation shalbe mightier then the other, and the elder shalbe seruaunt vnto the younger.

Therefore when her tyme was come to be deliuered, behold, there were two twynnes in her wombe.

And he that came out fyrst, was red, and he was all ouer as it were a hearie garment, and they called his name Esau.

And after hym came his brother out, and his hande holdyng Esau by the heele, and his name was called Iacob: and Isahac was threscore yere olde when they were borne.

And the boyes grewe, and Esau became a cunnyng hunter, and a wylde man: but Iacob was a perfect man, and dwelled in tentes.

Isahac loued Esau, because he dyd eate of his venison, but Rebecca loued Iacob.

Iacob sodde pottage, and Esau came from the fielde, and was fayntie:

And Esau sayd to Iacob: feede me I pray thee, with that same red pottage, for I am fayntie: and therfore was his name called Edom.

And Iacob saide: sell me this day thy byrth ryght.

Esau sayde: lo, I am at the poynt to dye, and what profite shall this byrthryght do me?

Iacob aunswered: sweare to me then this day. And he sware to him, & solde his byrthryght vnto Iacob.

Then Iacob gaue Esau bread and pottage of ryse, and he dyd eate and drinke, and rose vp, and went his way: and Esau little regarded his byrthright.

Chapter 26
And there fell a famine in the land, besides the first that was in the dayes of Abraham: And Isahac went vnto Abimelech, king of the Philistines, vnto Gerar.

And the Lorde appeared vnto hym, and sayde: Go not downe into Egypt, [but] abyde in the lande whiche I shall shewe vnto thee.

Soiourne in this lande, and I wyl be with thee, and wyll blesse thee: for vnto thee and vnto thy seede I wyll geue all these countreys, and I wyll perfourme the othe whiche I sware vnto Abraham thy father.

And wyl make thy seede to multiplie as the starres of heauen, and wyll geue vnto thy seede al these countreys: and in thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed:

Because that Abraham hearkened vnto my voyce, & kept my ordinaunce, my commaundementes, my statutes, and my lawes.

And Isahac dwelled in Gerar.

And the men of the place asked [him] of his wyfe. And he sayde, she is my sister: for he feared to say, she is my wyfe, lest the men of the place shoulde haue kylled hym, because of Rebecca, whiche was beautifull to the eye.

And after he had ben there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines loked out at a windowe, & sawe Isahac sportyng with Rebecca his wyfe.

And Abimelech called Isahac, and said: beholde, she is of a suretie thy wife, and why saydest thou, she is my sister? To whom Isahac aunswered: because I thought that I might peraduenture haue dyed for her sake.

Abimelech said: why hast thou done this vnto vs? one of the people myght lyghtly haue lyne by thy wyfe, and so shouldest thou haue brought sinne vpon vs.

And so Abimelech charged al his people, saying: He that toucheth this man or his wyfe, shall dye the death.

Then Isahac sowed in that lande, and receaued in the same yere an hundred folde: and the Lorde blessed hym.

And the man waxed myghtie, & went foorth, and grewe tyll he was exceeding great.

For he had possessio of sheepe, of oxen, and a myghtie housholde: and therfore the Philistines had enuie at hym.

For the Philistines stopped and fylled vp with earth all the welles which his seruauntes had digged in his father Abrahams tyme.

And Abimelech sayde vnto Isahac: Get thee from vs, for thou art mightier then we a great deale.

Therefore Isahac departed thence, and abode in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

And Isahac returning, digged againe the welles of water which they digged in the dayes of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham, & named them after the same names by the which his father had named them.

Isahacs seruauntes digged in the valley, and founde a well of springyng water.

And the heardmen of Gerar did striue with Isahacs heardmen, saying: the water is ours. Then called he the well contention, because they stroue with hym.

And they digged another well, and stroue for that also: and he called the name of it enmitie.

And then he departed thence, & digged another well, for the which they stroue not. Therfore called he it roomth, saying: the Lorde hath made vs nowe roome that we may encrease vpon the earth.

And he went vp thence to Beer-seba.

And the Lorde appeared vnto hym the same night, and sayde: I am the God of Abraham thy father, feare not, for I am with thee, and wyl blesse thee and multiple thy seede for my seruaunt Abrahams sake.

And he builded an aulter there, and called vpon the name of the Lorde, and pitched his tent: and there Isahacs seruauntes dygged a well.

Then came Abimelech to him from Gerar, and Ahuzath his friende, and Phicol the captaine of his armie.

And Isahac sayde vnto them: wherfore come ye to me, seyng ye hate me, and haue put me away from you?

Whiche aunswered: We sawe most certainly that the Lord was with thee, and we sayde: let there be nowe an oth betwixt vs, euen betwixt vs and thee, and let vs make a league with thee:

That thou shouldest do vs no hurt, as we haue not touched thee, and as we haue done vnto thee nothyng but good, & sent thee away in peace: for thou art nowe the blessed of the Lorde.

And he made them a feast, and they dyd eate and drynke.

And they rose vp betymes in the mornyng, and sware one to another: And Isahac sent them away, and they departed from hym in peace.

And the same daye Isahacs seruauntes came and tolde hym of a well which they had dygged, and sayde vnto hym, we haue founde water.

And he called it Sebah: and the name of the citie is called Beer-seba vnto this day.

Esau was fourtie yere olde, & he toke a wyfe [called] Iudith, the daughter of Beeri an Hethite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon, an Hethite [also.]

Which were disobedient vnto Isahac and Rebecca.

Chapter 27
And it came to passe, that whe Isahac waxed olde, & his eyes were dimme, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest sonne, & saide vnto hym, my sonne? And he sayde vnto hym: here am I.

And he sayde: Beholde, I am nowe olde, and knowe not the daye of my death.

Nowe therefore take I pray thee thy weapons, thy quyuer and thy bowe, and get thee to the fielde, that thou mayest take me some venison.

And make me well tastyng meates, such as I loue, and bryng it to me, that I may eate, that my soule may blesse thee before that I dye.

But Rebecca hearde when Isahac spake to Esau his sonne: And Esau wet into the fielde to hunt venison, and to bryng it.

And Rebecca spake vnto Iacob her sonne, saying: Beholde, I haue hearde thy father talkyng with Esau thy brother, and saying:

Bring me venison, and make me daintie meate, that I may eate, and blesse thee before the Lorde, afore my death.

Nowe therfore my sonne heare my voyce in that which I comaunde thee.

Get thee to the flocke, and bryng me thence two good kyddes fro the goates, and I wyll make of them pleasaunt meates for thy father, such as he loueth.

And thou shalt bryng it to thy father that he may eate, and that he may blesse thee before his death.

Then said Iacob to Rebecca his mother: Beholde, Esau my brother is a heary man, and I am smoothe:

My father shall peraduenture feele mee, and I shall seeme vnto hym as though I went about to begyle hym, and so shall I bryng a curse vpon me, and not a blessyng.

And his mother sayde vnto him, Upon me be the curse my sonne: only heare my voyce, and go and fetche me them.

And [Iacob] went, and fet them, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made pleasaunt meate, such as she knewe his father loued.

And Rebecca fet goodly rayment of her eldest sonne Esau, whiche were in the house with her, and put them vpon Iacob her younger sonne:

And she put the skynnes of the kiddes vpon his handes, and vpon the smoothe of his necke.

And she put that pleasaunt meate and bread, whiche she had prepared, in the hande of her sonne Iacob.

When he came to his father, he sayde: my father? And he aunswered, here am I: who art thou, my sonne?

And Iacob sayde vnto his father: I am Esau thy eldest sonne, I haue done accordyng as thou baddest me: aryse I pray thee, syt, and eate of my venison, that thy soule may blesse me.

And Isahac said vnto his sonne: how commeth it that thou hast founde it so quickly my sonne? He aunswered: the lorde thy God brought it to my handes.

Then sayde Isahac vnto Iacob: Come neare, and I wyll feele thee my sonne, whether thou be my very sonne Esau, or not.

Then went Iacob to Isahac his father, and he felt hym, and sayde: The voyce is Iacobs voyce, but the handes are the handes of Esau.

And he knewe him not, because his handes were heary as his brother Esaus handes: and so he blessed hym.

And he asked him: art thou my sonne Esau? And he sayde: that I am.

Then sayde he: Bryng me, & let me eate of my sonnes venison, that my soule may blesse thee. And he brought hym, and he ate: and he brought hym wine also, and he dranke.

And his father Isahac said vnto him: Come neare, and kysse me, my sonne.

And he went vnto him, & kyssed him, and he smelled the sauour of his rayment, and blessed hym, & saide: See, the smell of my sonne, is as the smell of a fielde which the Lorde hath blessed.

God geue thee of the deawe of heauen, and of the fatnesse of the earth, and plentie of corne and wine.

People be thy seruauntes, and nations bowe to thee: be lorde ouer thy brethren, and thy mothers children stowpe with reuerence vnto thee: cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

Assoone as Isahac had made an ende of blessyng Iacob, & Iacob was scarse gone out from the presence of Isahac his father, then came Esau his brother from his huntyng.

And he also had made a pleasaunt meate, and brought it vnto his father, and saide vnto his father: let my father aryse, and eate of his sonnes venison, that thy soule may blesse me.

Then his father Isahac sayde vnto hym: who art thou? He aunswered: I am thy sonne, thy first borne Esau.

And Isahac was greatly astonied out of measure, and sayde: which [is he] and where [is he] then that hath hunted venison and brought it me, and I haue eaten of al before thou camest? and haue blessed hym, yea & he shalbe blessed.

When Esau hearde the wordes of his father, he cryed aloude & bitterly, aboue measure, and sayde vnto his father: blesse me, I also am [thy sonne] O my father.<

Who aunswered. Thy brother came with subtiltie, and hath taken awaye thy blessyng.

And he said agayne: Is not he rightly named Iacob? for he hath vndermyned me nowe two tymes. [First] he toke away my birthright: and see, nowe hath he taken away my blessyng also. And he sayde: hast thou kept neuer a blessyng for me?

Isahac aunswered, and sayde vnto Esau: Beholde, I haue made hym thy Lorde, & all his brethren haue I made his seruauntes: Moreouer, with corne and wine haue I stablished him, what shall I do vnto thee nowe my sonne?

And Esau sayde vnto his father: hast thou but that one blessyng my father? blesse me, I am also [thy sonne] O my father. So lyfted vp Esau his voyce, and wept.

Then Isahac his father aunswered, and sayde vnto hym: beholde, thy dwellyng place shalbe the fatnesse of the earth, and of the deawe of heauen from aboue.

And through thy sworde shalt thou liue, and shalt be thy brothers seruaunt: and it shal come to passe, that thou shalt get the maisterie, & thou shalt loose his yoke from of thy necke.

And Esau hated Iacob, because of the blessyng that his father blessed hym withall. And Esau sayde in his heart: The dayes of sorowyng for my father are at hande, then wyll I slaye my brother Iacob.

And these wordes of Esau her elder sonne were tolde to Rebecca: And she sent, & called Iacob her younger sonne, & saide vnto him: Beholde, thy brother Esau as touchyng thee doth comforte hym selfe [full purposyng] to kyll thee.

Nowe therefore my sonne heare my voyce: make thee redy, and flee to Laban my brother at Haran,

And tary with him awhyle vntyl thy brothers fiercenesse be swaged,

And vntyll thy brothers wrath turne away from thee, & he forget the thinges which thou hast done to hym: then wyll I sende and fet thee away from thence: why should I be desolate of you both in one day?

And Rebecca spake to Isahac: I am weery of my lyfe for the daughters of Heth. Yf Iacob take a wyfe of the daughters of Heth, such as these [which are] of the daughters of the lande, what good shall my lyfe do me?

Chapter 28
And so Isahac called Iacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and sayde vnto hym: See thou take not a wyfe of the daughters of Chanaan:

Arise, and get thee to Mesopotamia, to the house of Bethuel thy mothers father, and there take thee a wyfe of the daughters of Laban thy mothers brother.

And God almyghtie blesse thee, and make thee to encrease, & multiplie thee, that thou mayest be a number of people:

And geue the blessing of Abraham vnto thee, and to thy seede with thee, that thou mayest receaue to inherite ye lande wherein thou art a straunger, whiche God gaue vnto Abraham.

Thus Isahac sent foorth Iacob: and he went towarde Mesopotamia, vnto Laban, sonne of Bethuel the Syrian, and brother to Rebecca Iacob and Esaus mother.

When Esau sawe that Isahac had blessed Iacob, and sent hym to Mesopotamia to fet hym a wyfe from thence, and that as he blessed him, he gaue him a charge, saying, thou shalt not take a wyfe of the daughters of Chanaan:

And that Iacob had obeyed his father and mother, and was gone to Mesopotamia:

And Esau seyng also that the daughters of Chanaan pleased not Isahac his father:

Then went Esau vnto Ismael, and toke vnto the wyues [which he had] Mahalah the daughter of Ismael Abrahams sonne, the sister of Nebaioth to be his wyfe.

Iacob departed from Beer-seba, and went towarde Haran.

And he came vnto a certayne place, & taryed there all night, because the sunne was downe: and toke of the stones of the place, and put vnder his head, and layde hym downe in the same place to sleepe.

And he dreamed, and beholde there stoode a lather vpo the earth, and the toppe of it reached vp to heauen: and see, the angels of God went vp & downe vpon it.

Yea, and God from aboue leaned vpon it, and sayde: I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isahac, the land which thou sleepest vpon, wyll I geue thee and thy seede.

And thy seede shalbe as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spreade abrode to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south: and in thee, and in thy seede, shall all the kynredes of the earth be blessed.

And see, I am with thee, and wyll be thy keper in all [places] whyther thou goest, and wyll bryng thee agayne into this lande: For I wyl not leaue thee, vntyll I haue made good that whiche I haue promised thee.

When Iacob was awaked out of his sleepe, he sayde: Surely the Lorde is in this place, and I knewe it not.

And he was a frayde, and saide: howe dreadefull is this place? it is none other but euen the house of God, & it is the gate of heauen.

And Iacob rose vp early in the mornyng, and toke the stone that he hadde layed vnder his head, and pitched it vpon an ende, and powred oyle in the toppe of it.

And he called the name of the place Bethel: but the name of the citie was called Luz, before tyme.

And Iacob vowed a vowe, saying: Yf God wyll be with me, and wyll kepe me in this iourney in which I go, and wyll geue me bread to eate, and clothes to put on:

So that I come agayne vnto my fathers house in saftie: then shal the Lord be my God.

And this stone whiche I haue set vp on an ende, shalbe Gods house: and of all that thou shalt geue me, I wyl surely geue the tenth vnto thee.

Chapter 29
Then Iacob went on his iourney, & came into the lande of the people of the east.

And [as] he loked about, beholde, there was a wel in the field, and loe, three flockes of sheepe lay there by, for at that well were the flockes watered: and there was a great stone vpon the well mouth.

And thyther were all the flockes brought, and they roulled the stone fro the welles mouth, & watred the sheepe, & put the stone agayne vpon the welles mouth vnto his place.

And Iacob saide vnto them: My brethren, whence be ye? And they sayde: of Haran are we.

And he sayde vnto them: Knowe ye Laban the sonne of Nachor? They sayde: we knowe hym.

And he sayde vnto them: is he in good health? And they sayde: he is in good health, and beholde his daughter Rachel commeth with the sheepe.

And he sayde: loe [it is] yet a great whyle to nyght, neither is it tyme that the cattell should be gathered together: water ye the sheepe, and go and feede [them.]

And they sayde: we may not vntyll all the flockes be brought together, and tyl they roule the stone from the welles mouth, and so we water our sheepe.

Whyle he yet talked with them, Rachel came with her fathers sheepe: for she kept them.

Assoone as Iacob sawe Rachel the daughter of Laban his mothers brother, & the sheepe of Laban his mothers brother, Iacob went & rouled the stone from the welles mouth, & watered the flocke of Laban his mothers brother.

And Iacob kyssed Rachel, and lift vp his voyce and wept.

And Iacob tolde Rachel that he was her fathers brother, and that he was Rebeccaes sonne: Therefore ranne she and tolde her father.

And when Laban hearde certaynely tell of Iacob his sisters sonne, he ranne to meete hym, and imbraced hym, and kyssed hym, and brought hym to his house: And he tolde Laban all these thynges.

To whom Laban sayde: Well, thou art my bone & my fleshe. And he abode with hym the space of a moneth.

And Laban said vnto Iacob: Though thou be my brother, shouldest thou therfore serue me for naught? Tell me what shall thy wages be?

Laban had two daughters, the elder called Lea, and the younger Rachel.

Lea was tender eyed: but Rachel was beautifull and well fauoured.

And Iacob loued Rachel, and sayde: I wyll serue thee seuen yere for Rachel thy younger daughter.

Laban aunswered: It is better that I geue her [vnto] thee, then that I shoulde geue her to another man: abide with me.

And Iacob serued seuen yere for Rachel: and they seemed vnto hym but a fewe dayes, for the loue he hadde to her.

And Iacob said vnto Laban: geue [me] my wife that I may lye with her, for my dayes are fulfylled.

Then Laban gathered together all the men of that place, and made a feast.

And when euen was come, he toke Lea his daughter, and brought her to hym, and he went in to her.

And Laban gaue vnto his daughter Lea Zilpha his mayde [to be] her seruaunt.

And when the mornyng was come, beholde it was Lea. Then sayde he to Laban: Wherefore hast thou played thus with me? dyd not I serue thee for Rachel? wherfore then hast thou begyled me?

Laban aunswered: It is not the maner of this place, to marry ye younger before the first borne.

Passe out this weeke, & then we wyll geue thee this also for the seruice whiche thou shalt serue me yet seuen yeres more.

And Iacob dyd euen so, and passed out the weeke: and then he gaue hym Rachel his daughter to wyfe also.

And Laban gaue to Rachel his daughter Bilha his handmayde, to be her seruaunt.

So lay he by Rachel also, and loued Rachel more then Lea, and serued hym yet seuen yeres more.

When the Lorde sawe that Lea was despised, he made her fruitfull, and Rachel remayned baren.

And Lea conceaued and bare a sonne, and she called his name Ruben: for she sayde, the Lord hath loked vpon my tribulation: nowe therfore my husband wyll loue me.

And she conceaued agayne, and bare a sonne, & sayde: The Lorde hath hearde that I am despised, and hath therefore geuen me this [sonne] also: and she called his name Simeon.

And she conceaued yet, & bare a sonne, and sayde: Nowe this once wyll my husbande kepe me company, because I haue borne him three sonnes: and therfore was his name called Leui.

And she conceaued yet agayne, and bare hym a sonne, saying: Nowe wyll I prayse the Lorde. Therefore she called his name Iuda, & left bearyng.

Chapter 30
Rachel when she sawe that she bare Iacob no children, she enuied her sister, and sayde vnto Iacob: Geue me children, or els I am but dead.

And Iacobs anger was kyndled agaynst Rachel, and sayde: Am I in Gods steade, whiche kepeth from thee the fruite of thy wombe?

Then she sayde: Here is my mayde Bilha, go in vnto her, & she shall beare vpon my knees, that I also may haue chyldren by her.

And she gaue him Bilha her handmayde to wyfe: and Iacob went in vnto her.

And Bilha conceaued, and bare Iacob a sonne.

Then saide Rachel: God hath geuen sentence on my side, and hath also heard my voyce, and hath geuen me a sonne: therfore called she hym Dan.

And Bilha Rachels seruant conceaued againe, & bare Iacob another sonne.

And Rachel said: With godly wrastlynges haue I wrastled with my sister, & haue gotten the vpper hande: and she called his name Nephthali.

When Lea sawe that she had left bearyng chyldren she toke Zilpha her mayde, and gaue her Iacob to wyfe.

And Zilpha Leas mayde bare Iacob a sonne.

Then sayde Lea, Good lucke: and called his name Gad.

And Zilpha Leas seruaunt bare Iacob an other sonne.

Then saide Lea: happy am I, for the daughters wyll call me blessed: and called his name Aser.

And Ruben went out in the dayes of the wheate haruest, & founde Mandragoras in the fielde, and brought them vnto his mother Lea. Then said Rachel to Lea: Geue me I praye thee of thy sonnes Mandragoras.

To whom Lea aunswered: Is it not enough that thou hast taken away my husband, but wouldest take away my sonnes Mandragoras also? Then saide Rachel: well, let hym sleepe with thee this night for thy sonnes Mandragoras.

And Iacob came from the fielde at euen, and Lea went out to meete hym, and sayde: thou shalt come in to me, for I haue bought thee in deede with my sonne Mandragoras. And he slept with her that same nyght.

And God hearde Lea, that she conceaued, and bare Iacob the fift sonne.

Then sayde Lea: God hath geuen me a rewarde, because I gaue my mayden to my husbande: and she called him Isachar.

And Lea conceaued yet agayne, and bare Iacob the sixt sonne.

And Lea sayde: God hath endued me with a good dowrie, nowe wyll my husbande dwell with me, because I haue borne hym sixe sonnes: and called his name Zabulon.

After that, she bare a daughter, and called her name Dina.

And God remembred Rachel, & God hearde her, and made her fruitefull,

So that she conceaued & bare a sonne: and sayde, God hath taken awaye my rebuke.

And she called his name Ioseph, saying: the Lorde geue me yet another sonne.

Assoone as Rachel had borne Ioseph, Iacob sayde to Laban: Send me away, that I maye go vnto my owne place, and to my countrey.

Geue me my wyues and my chyldren for whom I haue serued thee, and let me go: for thou knowest what seruice I haue done thee.

To whom Laban aunswered: I pray thee, yf I haue founde fauour in thy syght [tary]: for I haue proued that the Lorde blessed me for thy sake.

Also he sayde: Appoynt what thy rewarde shalbe, and I wyll geue [it thee.]

But he saide vnto him: Thou knowest what seruice I haue done thee, and in what takyng thy cattell haue ben vnder me:

For that litle which thou haddest before I came, is nowe increased into a multitude, and the Lord hath blessed thee through my trauell: but nowe when shall I make prouision for myne owne house also?

And he sayde: What shall I then geue thee? And Iacob aunswered, Thou shalt geue me nothyng at all: yf thou wylt do this thyng for me, then wyll I turne agayne, feede thy sheepe, and kepe them.

I wyll go about all thy flockes this day, and seperate from them all the cattell that are spotted & of diuers colours: and all the blacke among the sheepe, & the partie & spotted amongst the kiddes [the same] shalbe my rewarde.

So shall my ryghteousnes aunswere for me in time to come: for it shal come for my rewarde before thy face. And euery one that is not specked and partie amongst the goates, & blacke amongst the sheepe, let it be compted theft in me.

And Laban sayde: go to, would God it myght be accordyng to thy saying.

Therfore he toke out the same day the hee goates that were ryngstraked and of diuers colours, & all the shee goates that were spotted and coloured, and all that had whyte in them, & all the blacke amongst the sheepe, and put them in the kepyng of his sonnes.

And set three dayes iourney betwixte himselfe and Iacob: and so Iacob kept the rest of Labans sheepe.

Iacob toke roddes of greene populer, hasell, and chesse nut trees, and pilled whyte strakes in them, and made the whyte appeare in the roddes.

And put the roddes which he had pilled, [euen] before the sheepe, in the gutters and watryng throughes when the sheepe came to drynke, that they should conceaue when they came to drynke.

And the sheepe conceaued before the roddes, & brought foorth lambes ryngstraked, spotted, and partie.

And Iacob did seperate these lambes, and turned the faces of the sheepe whiche were in the flocke of Laban, towarde these ryngstraked, and al maner of blacke: and so put his owne flockes by them selues, and put them not with Labans cattell.

And in euery conceauyng tyme of the stronger cattel, Iacob layed the roddes before the eyes of the cattell in the gutters, namely that they myght conceaue before the roddes.

But when the cattell were feeble, he put them not in: and so the feebler were Labans, and the stronger Iacobs

And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattell, and mayde seruauntes, and man seruauntes, and camels, and asses.

Chapter 31
And he heard the wordes of Labans sonnes saying, Iacob hath take away all that was our fathers, and of our fathers [goodes] hath he gotten all his glorie.

And Iacob behelde the countenaunce of Laban, and beholde, it was not towardes hym as it was wont to be.

And the Lorde sayde vnto Iacob: turne agayne into the lande of thy fathers, and to thy kynrede, and I wyll be with thee.

Therfore Iacob sent, & called Rachel and Lea to the fielde vnto his flocke,

And sayde vnto them: I see your fathers countenauce that it is not toward me as it was wont to be: but the God of my father hath ben with me.

And ye knowe howe I haue serued your father to the best of my power.

But your father hath deceaued me, and chaunged my wages ten tymes: but God suffred hym not to hurt me.

When he sayde, the spotted shalbe thy wages: then al the sheepe bare spotted. And when he sayd, the ringstraked shalbe thy rewarde: then bare all the sheepe ringstraked.

Thus hath God taken away the increase of your fathers flocke, and geuen it to me.

But in rammyng tyme, I lifted vp myne eyes, and sawe in a dreame, and beholde, the Rammes leaped vpon the sheepe that were ringstraked, spotted, and partie.

And the angell of God spake vnto me in a dreame, saying: Iacob? And I aunswered: here am I.

And he sayd: lift vp nowe thyne eyes, and see all the Rammes leapyng vpon the sheepe that are ringstraked, spotted, and partie: for I haue seene all that Laban doth vnto thee.

I am the God of Bethel, where thou annoyntedst the stone set vp on an ende, and where thou vowedst a vowe vnto me: nowe therefore aryse, and get thee out of this countrey, and returne vnto the lande where thou wast borne.

Then aunswered Rachel, and Lea, and said vnto him: haue we had as yet any portion or inheritaunce in our fathers house?

Doth not he count vs euen as straungers? for he hath solde vs, & hath quite deuoured also our money.

Therfore all the ryches whiche God hath taken from our father, that is ours and our chyldrens: nowe then whatsoeuer God hath sayde vnto thee, that do.

Then Iacob rose vp, & set his sonnes and wyues vp vpon camelles:

And caryed away all his flockes, and all his substaunce whiche he had procured, the increase of his cattell which he had gotten in Mesopotamia, for to go to Isahac his father vnto the lande of Chanaan.

But Laban was gone to sheare his sheepe: and Rachel had stolen her fathers images.

And Iacob stale away the heart of Laban the Syrian, in that he tolde him not that he fled.

So fled he, and all that he had, and made hym selfe redy, and passed ouer the ryuer, and set his face strayght towarde the mounte Gilead.

Upon the thirde day after, was it told Laban that Iacob fled.

Then he toke his brethren with him, and folowed after him seuen daies iourney, & ouertoke him at the mounte Gilead.

And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dreame by nyght, and sayd vnto him: take heede that thou speake not to Iacob ought saue good.

And Laban ouertoke Iacob, and Iacob had pitched his tent in the mounte: And Laban with his brethren, pitched also vpon the mounte Gilead.

And Laban said to Iacob: what hast thou done? for thou hast stollen away my heart, and caryed away my daughters as though they had ben taken captiue with the sworde.

Wherfore wentest thou away secretly vnknowen to me, and dyddest not tell me, that I myght haue let thee go thy way with mirth and songues, with tymbrell and harpe?

And hast not suffred me to kysse my chyldren and my daughters? thou wast a foole nowe in so doyng.

{verse|31|29}}For it is in my hand through God to do you hurt: But the God of your father spake vnto me yesternight, saying: Take heede that thou speake not to Iacob ought saue good.

And nowe though thou wouldest nedes be gone away, because thou sore longest after thy fathers house, yet wherfore hast thou stollen my gods?

Iacob aunswered and sayde to Laban: because I was afrayde, & thought that peraduenture thou wouldest take away thy daughters from me.

But with whomsoeuer thou findest thy gods, let hym dye. Here before our brethren, seeke that thyne is by me, and take it to thee: But Iacob wyst not that Rachel had stolen them.

Then went Laban into Iacobs tent, and into Leas tent, and into the two maydseruaunts tentes: but found them not. Then went he out of Leas tent, and entred into Rachels tent:

And Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camelles strawe, & sate downe vpon them: And Laban tossed vp all ye tent, but found them not.

Then sayde she to her father: my Lord, be not angry that I can not ryse vp before thee, for the custome of women is come vpon me. So searched he, but founde not those images.

And Iacob was wroth, and chode with Laban. Iacob also aunswered and sayd to him: what haue I trespassed? or what haue I offended thee, that thou doest sore pursue after me?

Thou hast tossed vp all my stuffe, and what hast thou founde of all thy householde stuffe? put it here before thy brethren and my brethren, that they may iudge betwixt vs both.

Behold, this twentie yere haue I ben with thee, thy sheepe and thy goates haue not ben barren, and the rammes of thy flocke haue I not eaten.

Whatsoeuer was torne [of beastes] I brought it not vnto thee, but made it good my selfe: of my hande diddest thou require it that was stolen by day or nyght.

I was in suche case, that by day the heate consumed me, and the frost by nyght, and my slepe departed from mine eyes.

Thus haue I ben twentie yere in thy house, and serued thee fourteene yeres for thy two daughters, and sixe yere for thy sheepe, and thou hast chaunged my rewarde ten tymes.

And except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the feare of Isahac had ben with me, surely thou haddest sent me away nowe all emptie: but God behelde my tribulation and the labour of my handes, and rebuked [thee] yesternyght.

And Laban aunswered and sayd vnto Iacob: these daughters are my daughters, and these chyldren are my chyldren, & these sheepe are my sheepe, and all that thou seest is myne: and what can I do this day vnto these my daughters, or vnto their children which they haue borne?

Nowe therfore come on, and let vs make a league I and thou, which may be a wytnesse betwene me and thee.

Then toke Iacob a stone, and set it vp on ende.

And Iacob sayde vnto his brethren: gather stones. And they toke stones, and made an heape: and they dyd eate there vpon the heape.

And Laban called it Iegar Sahadutha: but Iacob called it Galeed.

Then saide Laban: this heape is witnesse betwene thee and me this day, therfore it is called Galeed,

And Mispah: for he said, the Lord loke betwene thee and me when we are departed one from another,

If thou shalt vexe my daughters, or shalt take other wyues beside my daughters: here is no man with vs, beholde, God [is] wytnesse betwixt me and thee.

And Laban sayde moreouer to Iacob: beholde this heape, and this stone set vp on ende, whiche I haue layde betwixt me and thee,

This heape be witnesse, and also this stone set vp on ende, that I wyll not come ouer this heape to thee, and thou shalt not come ouer this heape and this stone set vp on ende vnto me, to do any harme.

The God of Abraham, and the God of Nachor, and the God of theyr father, be iudge betwixt vs. And Iacob sware by the feare of his father Isahac.

Then Iacob dyd sacrifice vpon the mounte, and called his brethren to eate bread: and they did eate bread, and taryed all nyght in the hyll.

And early in the mornyng Laban rose vp, and kyssed his sonnes and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departyng, went into his place agayne.

Chapter 32
But Iacob went foorth on his iourney, and the angelles of God came and met him.

And when Iacob saw them, he sayde: this is gods hoste, & called the name of the same place, Mahanaim.

And Iacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother, vnto the lande of Seir, the fielde of Edom:

And he commaunded them, saying: Thus shall ye speake to my Lorde Esau, thy seruaunt Iacob sayeth thus: I haue ben a straunger with Laban, and haue stayed there vnto this time.

And haue oxen, asses, and sheepe, menseruauntes, and womenseruauntes: and haue sent to shewe [it] my Lord, that I may finde grace in thy sight.

And the messengers came agayne to Iacob, saying: we came to thy brother Esau, and he commeth to meete thee, and hath foure hundred men with him.

But Iacob was greatly afrayde, and wist not whiche way to turne him selfe: and deuided the people that was with him, and the sheepe, and oxen, and camelles, into two companies:

And sayd, if Esau come to the one part and smite it, the other shall saue it selfe.

And Iacob said agayne: O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isahac, Lorde whiche saydest vnto me, returne vnto thy countrey, and to thy kindred, & I will do well with thee:

I am not worthy of the least of all the mercyes and trueth whiche thou hast shewed vnto thy seruaunt: for with my staffe came I ouer this Iordane, & nowe haue I gotten two companies.

Deliuer me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I feare hym, lest he wyll come and smyte me, [yea] the mother with the chyldren.

Thou saydest, I wyll surely do thee good, and make thy seede as the sande of the sea, whiche can not be numbred for multitude.

And he taryed there that same nyght, and toke of that whiche came to hande, a present for Esau his brother:

Two hundred shee gotes, and twentie hee gotes, two hundred sheepe, & twentie rammes,

Thirtie milche camelles with theyr coltes, fourtie kine, and ten bulles, twentie shee asses, and ten foales:

And deliuered them into the handes of his seruauntes, euery droue by them selues, and sayde vnto his seruauntes: go foorth before me, and put a space betwixt droue and droue.

And he commaunded the formost, saying: If Esau my brother meete thee, and aske thee, saying, whose art thou? and whyther goest thou? and whose are these [that go] before thee?

Thou shalt say, they be thy seruaunt Iacobs, and it is a present sent vnto my Lorde Esau, and beholde, he him selfe commeth after vs.

And so commaunded he the seconde, and the thirde, and all that folowed the droues, saying: on this maner see that you speake vnto Esau when ye meete hym.

And say moreouer: beholde, thy seruaunt Iacob also commeth after vs: for he sayde, I wyll appeace his wrath with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see him my selfe, peraduenture he wyll receaue me to grace.

So went the present before hym: and he taryed al that night in the company.<

And he rose vp the same nyght, and toke his two wyues, & his two maydeseruauntes, and his eleuen sonnes, and went ouer the forde Iaboc.

And he toke them, and sent them ouer the ryuer, and sent ouer that he had.

And Iacob was left hym selfe alone: and there wrasteled a man with hym, vnto the breakyng of the day.

And when he sawe that he coulde not preuayle agaynst hym, he smote hym vpon the hucklebone of his thigh, and the hucklebone of Iacobs thigh loosed out of ioynt as he wrastled with him.

And he said: let me go, for the day breaketh. Whiche aunswered: I will not let thee go, except thou blesse me.

And he sayde vnto hym: what is thy name? He aunswered: Iacob.

He sayde: thy name shalbe called no more Iacob, but Israel: For as a prince hast thou wrasteled with God, and with men, and hast preuayled.

And Iacob asked him, saying: tell me thy name. And he sayde: wherefore doest thou aske after my name? And he blessed hym there.

And Iacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I haue seene God face to face, and my life is preserued.

And as he went ouer Peniel, the sunne rose vpon hym, and he halted vpon his thigh.

And therefore it is that the chyldren of Israel eate not of the sinnowe that shranke in that place of the thigh, vnto this day: because that he touched the hucklebone of Iacobs thigh, about the sinnowe that shranke.

Chapter 33
Iacob lyftyng vp his eyes, looked, and beholde Esau came, hauyng with hym foure hundred men: and he deuided the childre vnto Lea, and vnto Rachel, and vnto the two handmaydens.

And he put the handmaydens & theyr chyldren formost, and Lea and her children after, and Rachel and Ioseph hindermost.

And he went before them, and bowed him selfe to the grounde seuen tymes, vntill he came to his brother.

Esau ranne to meete hym, and imbraced him, and fel on his necke, and kissed him, and they wept.

And he lyft vp his eyes, and sawe the women & the children, and said: whence hast thou these? And he aunswered: they are the children which god hath geuen thy seruaunt.

Then came the handmaydens foorth, and their chyldren, and dyd their obeysaunce.

Lea also with her children, came and dyd their obeysaunce? And last of all came Ioseph and Rachel, and dyd theyr obeysaunce.

And he sayde: what is all the droue whiche I met? He aunswered: that I may finde grace in the sight of my lorde.

And Esau saide: I haue inough my brother, kepe that thou hast vnto thy selfe.

And Iacob answered: Nay I pray thee, but if I haue founde grace in thy sight, receaue I pray thee my present of my hande: for I haue seene thy face, as though I had seene the face of God, and so thou hast receaued me to grace.

Oh take my blessyng that is brought thee: for God hath had mercy on me, and I haue inough. And so he compelled him, and he toke it,

And he saide: let vs take our iourney, and go, I wyll go before thee.

Iacob aunswered him: my lord, thou knowest that the chyldren are tender, and the small and great cattell with young vnder my handes, which if men should ouerdryue but euen one day, all the flocke wyll dye.

Oh let my Lorde go before his seruaunt, and I wyll dryue fayre and softly, according as the cattell that goeth before me, and the chyldren be able to endure, vntill I come vnto my Lord vnto Seir.

And Esau sayd: I will leaue some of my folke with thee. And he aunswered: what needeth it? I shall finde grace in the sight of my Lorde.

So Esau went his way agayne that same day vnto Seir.

And Iacob toke his iourney towarde Suchoth, and buylt him an house, and made boothes for his cattell: and therefore is it, that the name of the place is called Suchoth.

And Iacob came to Sale, a citie of Sichem, whiche is in the lande of Chanaan, after that he was come from Mesopotamia, and pitched before the citie.

And bought a parcell of grounde, where he pitched his tent, of the chyldren of Hemor Sichems father, for an hundreth peeces of money.

And he made there an aulter, and called it, the mightie God of Israel.

Chapter 34
Dina the daughter of Lea, whiche she bare vnto Iacob, went out to see the daughters of the lande.

Whom whe Sichem the sonne of Hemor the Heuite Lorde of the countrey sawe, he toke her, & lay with her, and forced her.

And his heart laye vnto Dina the daughter of Iacob, and he loued that damsell, and spake kyndly vnto her.

And Sichem spake vnto his father Hemor, saying: get me this mayden vnto my wyfe.

And Iacob heard that he had defiled Dina his daughter, (his sonnes beyng with their cattell in the fielde and Iacob helde his peace vntill they were come.

And Hemor the father of Sichem, went out vnto Iacob to common with hym.

And when the sonnes of Iacob (comming out of the fielde) hearde it, it greeued them, and they were not a little wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel, in that he had lien with Iacobs daughter, which thing ought not to be done.

And Hemor communed with them, saying: the soule of my sonne Sichem, longeth for your daughter, I pray you geue her him to wyfe.

And make maryages with vs, and geue your daughters vnto vs, and take our daughters vnto you.

And ye shall dwell with vs, and the lande shalbe before you: dwell, and do your busines therein, and haue possessions therin.

And Sichem said, vnto her father and vnto her brethren: let me finde grace in your eyes, and whatsoeuer ye appoint me, that wyll I geue.

Aske freely of me both dowry and gyftes, and I wyll geue accordyng as ye say vnto me, so that ye geue me the damsell to wyfe.

But the sonnes of Iacob aunswered to Sichem and Hemor his father, talking amongest themselues deceiptfully, because he had defiled Diua their sister.

And they sayde vnto them: we can not do this thing, that we shoulde geue our sister to one that is vncircumcised, for that were an abomination vnto vs.

But in this will we consent vnto you: if ye wyll be as we be, & all the males amongest you be circumcised:

Then wyll we geue our daughters vnto you, and take your daughters to vs, and will dwell with you, and be one people.

But and if ye wyll not hearken vnto vs to be circumcised, then wyll we take our daughter, and go our wayes.

Theyr wordes pleased Hemor, and Sichem his sonne.

And the young man deferde not for to do the thing, because he had a lust to Iacobs daughter: he was also most set by, of all that was in his fathers house.

Then Hemor and Sichem his sonne went vnto the gate of their citie, and communed with the men of their citie, saying:

These men lyue peaceably among vs, and dwell in the lande, and do theyr occupation therein: and beholde, the lande is large inough for them, we will take their daughters to wiues, & geue them our daughters.

Only herein will they consent vnto vs for to dwell with vs, and to be one people: if all the males that are among vs be circumcised, as they are circumcised?

Shall not their goodes and their substaunce, and all their cattell be ours? let vs only consent vnto them, and they will dwell with vs.

And vnto Hemor & Sichem his sonne, hearkened all that went out at the gate of his citie: and all the males were circumcised, whatsoeuer went out at the gate of his citie.

And the thirde day, whyles they were sore, two of the sonnes of Iacob, Simeon & Leui Dinas brethren, toke eyther of them his sworde, and went into the citie boldely, and slue all that was male,

And slue also Hemor and Sithem his sonne with the edge of the sworde, and toke Dina out of Sichems house, and went theyr way.

And the sonnes of Iacob commyng vpon the dead, spoyled the citie, because they had defiled their sister.

And toke their sheepe, oxen, and their asses, and whatsoeuer was in the citie, and also in the fieldes.

And all their goodes, and all their children, and their wiues, toke they captiue, and made hauocke of all that was in the house.

But Iacob sayde to Simeon & Leui: ye haue troubled me, and made me to be abhorred of the inhabitours of the land of the Chanaanite and the Pherezite: and I beyng fewe in number, they shall gather the selues together against me, and slay me, and so shall I and my house be destroyed.

And they aunswered: shoulde he deale with our sister, as with an harlot?

Chapter 35
And God sayd vnto Iacob: aryse, and get thee vp to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an aulter vnto God that appeared vnto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

Then sayde Iacob vnto his householde, and to all that were with hym: put away the straunge gods that are among you, and be cleane, and chaunge your garmentes.

For we wyll aryse and go vp to Bethel, and I wyll make an aulter there vnto God, whiche hearde me in the day of my affliction, and was with me in the way whiche I went.

And they gaue vnto Iacob all the straunge gods whiche they had in their hand, and al their earinges which were in theyr eares, and Iacob hyd them vnder an oke whiche was by Sichem.

And when they departed, the feare of God fel vpon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue the sonnes of Iacob.

So came Iacob to Luz, whiche is in the lande of Chanaan (the same is Bethel) he and all the people that was with him.

And he builded there an aulter, and called the place, the God of Bethel, because that god appeared vnto him there when he fled fro the face of his brother.

But Debora Rebeccas nurse died, and was buryed beneath Bethel vnder an oke: and the name of it was called, the oke of lamentation.

And God appeared vnto Iacob agayne, after he came out of Mesopotamia, and blessed him.

And God sayd vnto him: thy name is Iacob, notwithstanding thou shalt be no more called Iacob, but Israel shalbe thy name: & he called his name Israel.

And God sayd vnto him: I am God almightie, be fruitefull and multiplie: a nation, and a multitude of nations shall spring of thee, yea and kinges shall come out of thy loynes.

And the lande which I gaue Abraham and Isahac, wil I geue vnto thee, and vnto thy seede after thee wyll I geue that lande also.

And so God departed from him, in the place where he had talked with him.

And Iacob set vp on ende in the place where he talked with him [euen] a stone set he vp on ende, & powred drinke offering theron, & powred also oyle theron.

And Iacob called the name of the place where God spake with hym, Bethel.

And they departed from Bethel: and when he was but a fielde breadth from Ephrath, Rachel began to trauell, and in trauayling, she was in perill:

And as she was in paynes of her labour, the midwife saide vnto her: feare not, for this sonne is thyne also.

Then as her soule was a departing (for she died) she called his name Benoni, but his father called hym Beniamin.

And thus died Rachel, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, whiche is Bethlehem.

And Iacob set vp a stone on ende vpon her graue: whiche is called Rachels grauestone vnto this day.

And Israel went thence, and pitched his tent beyonde the towre of Eder.

And as Israel dwelt in that land, Ruben went and lay with Bilha his fathers concubine: And it came to Israels eare. The sonnes of Iacob were twelue in number.

The sonnes of Lea: Ruben Iacobs first borne sonne, and Simeon, & Leui, and Iuda, and Isachar, and Zabulon.

The sonnes of Rachel: Ioseph and Beniamin.

And the sonnes of Bilha Rachels handmayde: Dan and Nephthali.

And the sonnes of Zilpha Leas handmayde: Gad and Aser: These are the sonnes of Iacob which were borne him in Mesopotamia.

And so Iacob came vnto Isahac his father to Mamre, vnto Ciriath-arba, whiche is Hebron, where Abraham and Isahac dwelt.

And the dayes of Isahac were an hundred and fourescore yeres.

And Isahac decayed away, and dyed, and was layde vnto his people, beyng olde and full of dayes: and his sonnes Esau and Iacob buryed him.

Chapter 36
These are the generations of Esau, the same is Edom.

Esau toke his wiues of ye daughters of Chanaan: Ada ye daughter of Ebon an Hethite, and Aholibama the daughter of Ana, the daughter of Sibeon an Heuite,

And Basemath Ismaels daughter, and sister of Nebaioth.

And Ada bore vnto Esau Eliphas: and Basemath bare Rehuel.

And Aholibama bare Iehus, and Ialam, and Corah. These are the sonnes of Esau, whiche were borne hym in the lande of Chanaan.

And Esau toke his wyues, and his sonnes and daughters, and al the soules of his house, his goods, and all his cattell, and al his substaunce which he had got in the lande of Chanaan, and went into a countrey away from the face of his brother Iacob.

For theyr ryches was much, and they coulde not dwell together: and the land wherein they were straungers coulde not receaue them, because of theyr possessions.

Thus dwelt Esau in mounte Seir, the same Esau, is Edom.

These are the generations of Esau, father of the Edomites in mount Seir.

And these are the names of Esaus sonnes: Eliphas the sonne of Ada, the wyfe of Esau, and Rehuel the sonne of Basemath the wife of Esau.

And the sonnes of Eliphas, were Theman, Omar, Sepho, and Gatham, and Cenaz.

And Thimna was concubine to Eliphas Esaus sonne, and bare vnto Eliphas Amalec: and these be the sonnes of Ada Esaus wife.

And these are the sonnes of Rehuel: Nahath, and Zerah, Samma, and Mizza: these were ye sonnes of Basemath Esaus wyfe.

And these were the sonnes of Aholibama the daughter of Ana, daughter of Sebeon Esaus wife: and she bare vnto Esau, Iehus, and Ialam and Corah.

These were dukes of the sonnes of Esau. The children of Eliphas the first borne sonne of Esau were these.

Duke Theman, duke Omar, duke Sepho, duke Cenaz, and duke Corah, duke Gatham, & duke Amalec: these are the dukes that came of Eliphas in the lande of Edom, and these were the sonnes of Ada.

These also are the children of Rehuel Esaus sonne: duke Nahath, duke Serah, duke Samma, duke Mizza. These are the dukes that came of Rehuel, in the lande of Edom: and these are the sonnes of Basemath Esaus wyfe.

These were the chyldren of Aholibama Esaus wyfe: duke Iehus, duke Ialam, duke Corah: these dukes came of Aholibama the daughter of Ana Esaus wyfe.

These are the chyldren of Esau, and these are the dukes of them, whiche Esau is Edom.

These are the chyldren of Seir the Horite, the inhabitauntes of the lande, Lotan, and Sobal, & Sebeon, & Ana,

And Dison, and Eser, and Disan: these are the dukes of the Horites the chyldren of Seir in the lande of Edom.

And the chyldren of Lotan, were Hori, and Hemam: and Lotans sister [was called] Thimna.

The chyldren of Sobal were these: Aluan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Sepho, and Onam.

These are the chyldren of Sebeon, both Aia and Ana: this was that Ana that founde mules in the wyldernesse as she fedde her father Sebeons asses.

The chyldren of Ana were these: Dison, & Aholibama the daughter of Ana.

These are the chyldren of Dison: Hemdan, and Esban, and Iethran, and Cheran.

The chyldren of Eser are these: Bilhan, and Saauan, and Acan.

The chyldren of Disan also are these: Us and Aran.

These are the dukes that came of the Horites: duke Laton, duke Sobal, duke Sebeon, duke Ana,

Duke Dison, duke Eser, duke Disan: these be the dukes that came of Hori, after theyr dukedoms in the lande of Seir.

These are the kinges that raigned in the lande of Edom, before there raigned any king vpon the chyldren of Israel.

Bela the sonne of Beor raigned in Edom: and the name of his citie was Dinhabah.

And when Bela dyed, Iobab the sonne of Serah out of Bosra, raigned in his steade.

When Iobab also was dead, Husam of the lande of Temani, raigned in his steade.

And after the death of Husam, Hadad the sonne of Bedad, which slew the Madianites in the field of the Moabites, raigned in his steade: & the name of his citie was Auith.

When Hadad was dead, Samlah of Masrecah raigned in his steade.

When Samlah was dead, Saul of the ryuer of Rehoboth raigned in his steade.

When Saul was dead, Baal-hanan the sonne of Achbor raigned in his steade.

And after the death of Baal-hanan the sonne of Achbor, Hadar raigned in his steade: and ye name of his citie was Pau, & his wyfes name Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

These are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, accordyng to their kinredes, places, & names: duke Timna, duke Aluah, duke Ietheth.

Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,

Duke Cenaz, duke Theman, duke Mibsar,

Duke Magdiel, duke Iran. These be the dukes of Edom, accordyng to their habitations in the lande of their possessions. This Esau is the father of the Edomites.

Chapter 37
Iacob dwelt in the land wherin his father was long a straunger, euen in ye lande of Chanaan.

These are ye generations of Iacob: when Ioseph was seuenteen yeres olde, he kept sheepe with his brethren, and the ladde was with ye sonnes of Bilha, and with the sonnes of Zilpha, his fathers wyues. And Ioseph brought vnto his father their euyll report.

But Israel loued Ioseph more then all his chyldren, because he begate hym in his olde age: and he made hym a coate of many colours.

And when his brethren saw that their father loued hym more then all his brethren, they hated hym, and coulde not speake peaceably vnto hym.

Moreouer, when Ioseph had dreamed a dreame, he tolde it his brethren, which hated hym yet the more.

And he said vnto them: Heare I pray you this dreame which I haue dreamed.

Beholde, we were byndyng sheaues in the fielde: and lo, my sheafe arose and stoode vpright, & beholde, your sheaues stoode rounde about, and made obeysaunce to my sheafe.

To whom his brethren sayde: Shalt thou be a kyng in deede on vs? or shalt thou in deede haue dominion ouer vs? And they hated hym yet the more, because of his dreames and of his wordes.

And he dreamed yet another dreame, and tolde it his brethren, saying: behold I haue had one dreame more, and beholde, the sunne, and the moone, & 11 starres made obeysaunce to me.

And when he had tolde it to his father and his brethren, his father rebuked hym, and sayde vnto him: What is this dreame that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren in deede come to bowe to thee?

And his brethren enuied hym: but his father noted the saying.

His brethren also went to kepe his fathers cattell in Sichem.

And Israel sayde vnto Ioseph: do not thy brethren kepe in Sichem? come, and I wyll sende thee to them.

He aunswered: here am I. And he sayde vnto hym: Go [I praye thee] see whether it be well with thy brethren and the cattell, and bryng me worde agayne. And so he sent hym out of the vale of Hebron, & he came to Sichem.

And a certayne man founde hym, and beholde he was wandryng out of his waye in the fielde, and the man asked hym: what sekest thou?

He aunswered: I seke my brethren, tell me I praye thee where they kepe [cattell]

And the man sayde, They are departed hence: for I haue hearde them say, let vs go vnto Dothan. Thus went Ioseph after his brethren, and founde them in Dothan.

And when they sawe hym a farre of, before he came at them, they toke councell agaynst hym for to slea hym.

For one sayde to another: behold, this notable dreamer commeth.

Come nowe therefore and let vs slaye hym, and cast hym into some pit, and we wyll say, some naughtie beast hath deuoured hym: and we shall see what wyll come of his dreames.

When Ruben hearde that, he ryd hym out of their handes, and sayde: let vs not kyll hym.

And Ruben sayde moreouer vnto the: shed no blood [but] cast hym into this pit that is in the wyldernesse, and laye no hande vppon hym: [this he sayde] namely that he myght ryd hym out of their handes, and delyuer hym to his father agayne.

And when Ioseph was come vnto his brethren, they strypt hym out of his coate, his partie coloured coate that was vpon hym.

And they toke hym, and cast hym into an emptie pit, wherein was no water.

And they sate them downe to eate bread: and as they lyft vp their eyes and loked about, and behold there came a company of Ismaelites from Gilead, and their camelles laden with spicerie, bawlme, and mirrhe, and were goyng downe ta cary it to Egypt.

And Iuda sayde vnto his brethren: What auayleth it yf we slay our brother, and kepe his blood secrete?

Come on, and let vs sell hym to the Ismaelites, and let not our hande be vpon him: for he is our brother and our fleshe. And his brethren were content.

Then as the Madianites marchaunt men passed by, they drewe and lyft Ioseph out of the pit, and solde him vnto the Ismaelites for twentie peeces of syluer. And they brought Ioseph into Egypt.

Then Ruben came agayne vnto the pit, and beholde, Ioseph [was] not in the pit: then he rent his clothes,

And went agayne vnto his brethren, saying: the lad is not [yonder] wo is me, whyther shall I go?

And they toke Iosephes coate, and kylled a kyd, and dipped the coate in the blood.

And they sent that partie coloured coate, and caused it to be brought vnto their father, and sayde: This haue we founde, see whether it be thy sonnes coate, or no.

And he knewe it, saying: It is my sonnes coate, a naughtie beast hath deuoured hym, Ioseph is without doubt rent in peeces.

And Iacob rent his clothes, & put sackcloth about his loynes, and mourned for his sonne a long season.

But all his sonnes & all his daughters rose vp to comfort hym: neuerthelesse he woulde not be comforted, but sayde, I wyll go downe into the graue vnto my sonne, mournyng: And thus his father wept for hym.

And the Madianites solde hym in Egypt vnto Putiphar, chiefe officer of Pharaos, and his chiefe stewarde.

Chapter 38
About that tyme Iudas went downe from his brethren, and gate him to a man called Hirah of Adulam.

And there he saw ye daughter of a man called Sua, a Chanaanite: and he toke her, and went in to her.

And she conceaued, and bare a sonne, and called his name Er.

And she conceaued agayne, and bare a sonne, and called hym Onan.

And she conceaued agayne, and bare yet a sonne, whom she called Selah: & he was at Chezib whe she bare him.

And Iudas gaue Er his first borne sonne a wyfe, whose name was Thamar.

And Er Iudas first borne sonne was wicked in the syght of the Lorde, and the Lorde slewe hym.

And Iudas sayde vnto Onan: Go in to thy brothers wyfe, and marrie her, that thou mayest stirre vp seede vnto thy brother.

And when Onan perceaued that the seede shoulde not be his, therfore when he wet in to his brothers wyfe, he spylled it on the grounde, & gaue not seede vnto his brother.

And the thyng which he dyd, displeased the Lorde: wherfore he slewe hym also.

Then sayde Iudas to Thamar his daughter in lawe: Remayne a wydowe at thy fathers house, tyll Selah my sonne be growen. (For he sayde, lest peraduenture he dye also as his brethren dyd.) And Thamar went & dwelt in her fathers house.

And in processe of tyme, the daughter of Sua Iudas wyfe dyed: Then Iudas when he had left mournyng, went vnto his sheepe shearers to Thinmath, he and his friende Hirah of Adulam.

And one tolde Thamar, saying: beholde, thy father in lawe goeth vp to Thimnath to sheare his sheepe.

And she put her widowes garmentes of from her, and couered her with a vayle, and disguysed her selfe, and sate her downe in an open place, whiche is by the way syde to Thimnath, for because that she sawe Selah was growen, and she was not geuen vnto hym to wyfe.

When Iuda sawe her, he thought it had ben an harlot, because she had couered her face.

And he turned to her vnto the way, & sayde, Come I praye thee, let me lye with thee. (For he knewe not that it was his daughter in law.) And she answered: What wylt thou geue me for to lye with thee?

Then sayde he: I wyll sende thee a kyd from the flocke. She sayde: Then geue me a pledge tyll thou sende it.

He sayde: What pledge shall I geue thee? She sayde: Thy signet, thy bracelet, and thy staffe that is in thyne hande. And he gaue it her, and laye by her: and she was with chylde by hym.

And she gate her vp, and went, and put her vayle from her, and put on her wydowes rayment.

And Iudas sent the kyd by his friende Adulam, for to receaue his pledge againe from the womans hand: but he founde her not.

Then asked he the men of the same place, saying: where is the harlot that sate openly by ye wayes syde? They aunswered: There is no harlot here.

He came therfore to Iuda againe, and sayde vnto hym, I can not fynde her: and also the men of the place sayde, that there was no harlot there.

And Iuda sayde: Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: beholde, I sent the kyd, & thou hast not found her.

And it came to passe, after three monethes one tolde Iuda, saying: Thamar thy daughter in lawe hath played the harlot, and with playing the harlot is become great with chylde. And Iuda sayde: Bryng her foorth, that she may be brent.

And when they brought her foorth, she sent to her father in lawe, saying: By the man vnto whom these thynges [pertaine] am I with chylde: And saide also, Loke I pray thee whose are these, this seale, and this bracelet, and this staffe.

And Iuda acknowledged them, and saide: She hath ben more righteous then I, because I gaue her not Selah my sonne. And he lay with her no more.

But when the tyme was come that she shoulde be deliuered, beholde there was two twynnes in her wombe.

And when she trauayled, the [one] put out his hande, & the mydwyfe toke & bounde a red [threede] about it, saying: this is come out first.

And he plucked his hand backe againe, and beholde, his brother came out. And she sayde: Wherefore hast thou rent a rent vppon thee? and called his name Phares.

Afterward came out his brother, that had the red threede about his hande: and his name was called Zarah.

Chapter 39
Ioseph was brought vnto Egypt, and Putiphar, a Lorde of Pharaos, and his chiefe stewarde, an Egyptian, bought hym of the Ismaelites, whiche had brought hym thyther.

And God was with Ioseph, and he became a luckie man, continuyng in the house of his maister the Egyptian.

And his maister saw that God was with hym, and that God made all that he dyd to prosper in his hande.

And Ioseph founde grace in his maisters syght, and serued hym: And he made hym ouerseer of his house, & put all that he had in his hande.

And it came to passe from the tyme that he had made hym ouerseer of his house, and ouer all that he had, the Lorde blessed the Egyptians house for Iosephes sake: and the blessyng of the Lorde was vpon all that he had in the house and in the fielde.

And therfore he left all that he had in Iosephes hande: and he knewe nothyng with hym, saue onlye the breade which he dyd eate. And Ioseph was a goodly person, and a well fauoured.

And after this, his maisters wyfe cast her eyes vpon Ioseph, and saide: [come] lye with me.

But he refused, and sayde vnto his maisters wyfe: Beholde, my maister woteth not what he hath in the house with me, and hath committed all that he hath to my hande.

There is no man greater in the house then I, neither hath he kept any thyng from me but only thee, because thou art his wyfe: how then can I do euen this so great a wickednes, & sinne against God?

And after this maner spake she to Ioseph day by day: but he hearkened not vnto her to sleepe neare her, or to be in her company.

And on a certaine conuenient day, Ioseph entred into the house to do his businesse, and there was none of the housholde by, in the house.

Then she caught him by the garment, saying: lye with me. And he left his garment in her hande, and fledde, and got hym out.

And when she sawe that he had lefte his garment in her hande, and was fled out:

She called vnto the men of her house, and tolde them, saying: See, he hath brought in an Hebrue vnto vs, to do vs shame: for he came in to me to haue lyen with me, and I began to crie with a loude voyce:

And when he hearde that I lyft vp my voyce and cryed, he left his garment with me, & fled away, and got hym out.

And she layed vp his garment by her, vntyll her Lorde came home.

And she tolde him with these wordes, saying: This Hebrue seruaunt whiche thou hast brought vnto vs, came vnto me to do me shame.

But assoone as I lyft vp my voyce and cryed, he left his garment with me, and fledde out.

When his maister hearde the wordes of his wyfe whiche she tolde hym, saying, after this maner dyd thy seruaunt to me: he waxed wroth.

And Iosephes maister toke hym, and put hym in pryson, euen into the place where the kynges prysoners laye bounde: and there continued he in prison.

But the Lord was with Ioseph, and shewed hym mercie, and got hym fauour in the sight of the lord of the prison.

And the keper of the prison committed to Iosephes hande all the prisoners that were in the prison house, and what so euer was done there, that dyd he.

And the keper of the prison loked vnto nothyng that was vnder his hande, seyng that the Lord was with hym: For whatsoeuer he dyd, the Lorde made it to prosper.

Chapter 40
And it came to passe after these thynges, that the butler of ye king of Egypt and his baker, had offended their lorde the kyng of Egypt.

And Pharao was angry agaynst his two officers, agaynst the chiefe butler and the chiefe baker.

And put them in warde in his chiefe stewardes house, euen in the prison and place where Ioseph was bounde.

And the chiefe steward gaue Ioseph a charge with them, & he serued them: and they continued a season in warde.

And they dreamed eyther of them in one night, both the butler and the baker of the kyng of Egypt, whiche were bounde in the pryson house, eyther of them his dreame, & eche mans dreame of a sundry interpretation.

When Ioseph came in vnto them in the mornyng, and loked vpon them, beholde they were sadde.

And he asked Pharaos chiefe officers that were with hym in his maisters warde, saying: Wherfore loke ye so sadlye to day?

They aunswered him: We haue dreamed a dreame, and haue no man to declare it. And Ioseph sayde vnto them: do not interpretinges belong to God? tell me I pray you.

And the chiefe butler tolde his dreame to Ioseph, and saide vnto him: In my dreame, me thought there stoode a vine before me,

And in the vine [were] three braunches, and it was as though it budded, & her blossomes shot foorth: and the clusters therof brought foorth rype grapes.

And I had Pharaos cup in my hand, and toke of the grapes and pressed them in Pharaos cuppe, and deliuered Pharaos cuppe into his hande.

And Ioseph sayde vnto hym, this is the interpretatio of it. The three braunches are three dayes.

For within three dayes shall Pharao lyft vp thine head, and restore thee into thine office agayne, and thou shalt deliuer Pharaos cup into his hande after the olde maner when thou wast his butler.

But thynke on me when thou art in good case, and shewe mercy [I praye thee] vnto me, and make mention of me to Pharao, & bring me out of this house:

For I was priuily by stealth taken away out of the lande of the Hebrewes: and here also haue I done nothyng at all wherfore they shoulde haue put me into this dungeon.

When the chiefe baker sawe that the interpretatio was good, he sayd vnto Ioseph: me thought also in my dreame that I had three whyte wycker baskettes on my head,

And in the vppermost basket there was of all maner bake meates for Pharao, and the birdes dyd eate them out of the basket that was vpon my head.

And Ioseph aunswered and saide: this is the interpretation thereof. The three baskettes, are three dayes:

For within three dayes shall Pharao take thy head from thee, and shall hang thee on a tree, and the birdes shall eate thy fleshe from of thee.

And it came to passe the thirde day, which was Pharaos birth day, that he made a feast vnto all his seruauntes: and he lyfted vp the head of the chiefe butler, and of the chiefe baker among his seruauntes:

And restored the chiefe butler vnto his butlership agayne, whiche also reached the cuppe into Pharaos hande.

But he hanged the chiefe baker, euen as Ioseph had interpreted vnto him.

Neither dyd the chiefe butler remember Ioseph, but forgat hym.

Chapter 41
And after two yeres Pharao dreamed, and beholde, he thought that he stoode by a ryuers syde.

And there came out of the ryuer seuen goodly kyne, and fat fleshed, and fedde in a medowe.

And seuen other kyne came vp after them out of the ryuer, euyll fauoured, and leane fleshed, & stoode by the other kyne vpon the brynke of the ryuer.

And the euyll fauoured & leane fleshed kyne dyd eate vp the seuen well fauoured and fat kyne: and Pharao awoke.

And he slept agayne, and dreamed the seconde tyme: and beholde, seuen eares of corne grewe vppon one stalke, ranke and goodly.

And agayne, seuen thinne eares, blasted with the east winde sprang vp after them.

And the seuen thinne eares deuoured the seuen ranke & full eares. And Pharao awaked, and see [it was] a dreame.

And when the mornyng came, his spirite was troubled, and he sent and called for all the southsayers of Egypt, and all the wyse men thereof: and Pharao tolde them his dreame, but there was none of them that coulde interprete it vnto Pharao.

The spake the chiefe butler vnto Pharao, saying: I do remember my faultes this day:

Pharao beyng angry with his seruauntes, put in warde in the chiefe stewardes house both me, and the chiefe baker.

And we dreamed both of vs in one nyght, and eche mans dreame of a sundry interpretation.

And there was with vs a young man, an Hebrue borne, seruaunt vnto the chiefe stewarde: to whom when we tolde them, he declared our dreames to vs, accordyng to eyther of our dreames.

And as he declared them to vs, euen so it came to passe: For he restored me to myne office agayne, and hanged hym.

Pharao sent therfore and called Ioseph: and they brought him hastyly out of the dungeon. And he shaued himselfe and chaunged his rayment, and came vnto Pharao.

And Pharao sayde vnto Ioseph: I haue dreamed a dreame, & no man can interprete it: & I haue heard say of thee that assoone as thou hearest a dreame, thou canst interprete it.

Ioseph aunswered Pharao, saying: Not I, but God shall geue Pharao an aunswere of peace.

And Pharao sayde vnto Ioseph: In my dreame me thought I stoode by a ryuers syde,

And there came out of the ryuer seuen fat flesshed and well fauoured kyne, and fedde in a medowe.

And then seuen other kyne came out after them, poore, and very yll fauoured and leane flesshed, such as I neuer saw in all the lande of Egypt, they were so yll fauoured.

And the seuen leane and yll fauoured kyne, did eate vp the first seuen fat kine:

And when they had eaten them vp, a man coulde not perceaue that they had eaten them, but they were styll yll fauoured as they were at the begynnyng: and I awoke.

And I saw againe in my dreame, and beholde, seuen eares sprang out of one stalke, full and fayre.

And beholde, seuen eares agayne withered, thinne, and blasted with the east wynde, sprang vp after them.

And the thinne eares deuoured the seuen good eares: and I haue tolde the southsayers, but there was no man that coulde tell what it meaneth.

And Ioseph aunswered Pharao: [both] Pharaos dreames are one, God hath shewed Pharao what he is about to do.

The seuen good kyne, are seuen yeres, and the seuen good eares are seue yeres also: and it is but one dreame.

Lykewyse the seuen thinne and euyll fauoured kine that came vp after them, are seuen yeres, and the seuen emptie & blasted eares with the east wynde, shalbe seuen yeres of famine.

This worde which I haue sayde vnto Pharao, is it that God is about to do, and sheweth it vnto Pharao.

Beholde there come seuen yeres of great plenteousnes throughout all the lande of Egypt.

And agayne, there shall aryse after them seuen yeres of famine, and all the plenteousnes shalbe forgotten in the lande of Egypt: and the famine shall consume the lande.

Neither shall the plenteousnes be knowen in the lande, by reason of that famine that [shall come] after: for it shalbe exceedyng great.

And as concernyng that the dreame was doubled vnto Pharao the seconde tyme: beholde, the thyng is certainly prepared of God, and God wyll shortly bryng it to passe.

Nowe therfore let Pharao prouide for a man of vnderstandyng, and wisedome, & set him ouer the land of Egypt.

And let Pharao do this also, that he make officers ouer the lande, & take vp the fift part of the inheritaunce in ye land of Egypt in the seuen plenteous yeres.

And let them gather all the foode of these good yeres that come: and laye vp corne vnder the hande of Pharao, and let them kepe foode in the cities.

And so shall that foode be for store in the lande agaynst the seuen yeres of famine, which shall come in the lande of Egypt, that ye lande perishe not through famine.

And the saying seemed good in ye eyes of Pharao, and in the eyes of all his seruauntes.

Then saide Pharao vnto his seruauntes: May there be founde a man suche as this is, in whom the spirite of God is?

And Pharao saide vnto Ioseph: Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is no man of vnderstandyng or of wisedome lyke vnto thee.

Thou therfore shalt be ouer my house, and accordyng to thy worde shall all my people be ruled: only in the [kynges] seate wyll I be aboue thee.

And Pharao sayde agayne vnto Ioseph: beholde, I haue set thee ouer all the lande of Egypt.

And Pharao toke of his ryng from his hande, and put it vpon Iosephes hande: & arayed him in cloth of raynes, & put a golden cheyne about his necke.

And set hym vpon the best charet he had saue one: and they cried before him, tender father, and made hym ruler ouer all the lande of Egypt.

And moreouer Pharao said vnto Ioseph: I am Pharao, and without thee shal no man lyft vp his hande or foote in all the lande of Egypt.

And Pharao called Iosephes name Zaphnath Paaneach, & he gaue hym to wyfe Asnath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. Then went Ioseph ouer the lande of Egypt.

(And he was thirtie yere olde when he stoode before Pharao king of Egypt) And Ioseph departyng from the presence of Pharao, went throughout all the lande of Egypt.

And in the seuen plenteous yeres, the earth brought foorth great store for to lay vp.

And he gathered vp all the foode of the seuen plenteous yeres which were in the lande of Egypt, and layed vp the foode in the cities: the foode of the fieldes that grew rounde about euery citie, layed he vp in the same.

And Ioseph layed vp corne in store lyke vnto the sande of the sea, in multitude out of measure, vntyll he left numbryng: for it was without number.

And vnto Ioseph were borne two sonnes before the yeres of famine came: which Asnath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On, bare vnto hym.

And Ioseph called the name of the first sonne, Manasse: for God [sayde he] hath made me forget al my labour, and all my fathers housholde.

The name of the seconde called he Ephraim, for God [sayd he] hath caused me to be fruitefull in the lande of my trouble.

And when the seuen yeres of plenteousnesse that was in the land of Egypt, were ended,

Then came the seuen yeres of dearth, according as Ioseph had sayde, and the dearth was in all landes: but in all the lande of Egypt, was there yet foode.

And when the lande of Egypt also began to hunger, the people cryed to Pharao for bread. And Pharao sayde vnto al the Egyptians, go vnto Ioseph: and what he sayeth to you, that do.

And the dearth was throughout all the lande: and Ioseph opened all the barnes wherein was corne, and solde vnto the Egyptians: for the famine waxed sore in the lande of Egypt.

And all countreys came into Egypt to Ioseph, for to bye [corne] because that the famine was so sore in all landes.

Chapter 42
And Iacob seing that there was corne in Egypt, sayde vnto his sonnes: why gape ye one vpon another?

And he said: behold, I haue hearde that there is corne in Egypt: get you downe thyther, and bye vs corne from thence, that we may liue, and not dye.

So went Iosephes ten brethren downe to bye corne in Egypt.

But Beniamin Iosephes brother, woulde not Iacob sende with his other brethren: for he saide, lest peraduenture destruction come vpon hym.

And the sonnes of Irael came to bye corne among other that came: for there was dearth in the lande of Chanaan.

And Ioseph was gouernour in the lande, and solde to all the people of the lande. And Iosephes brethren came and bowed them selues with theyr faces downe to the grounde before him.

When Ioseph sawe his brethren, he knewe them, and made hym selfe straunge vnto them, & spake roughly vnto them, saying: Whence come ye? They aunswered, out of the lande of Chanaan to bye vitayle.

And Ioseph knewe his brethren, but they knewe not him.

And Ioseph remembred his dreames whiche he dreamed of them, and sayde vnto them: ye are spyes, and to see where the lande is weake, is your commyng.

And they sayde vnto hym: nay my Lord, but to bye vitayle thy seruauntes are come.

We are all one mans sonnes, and meane truely, and thy seruauntes are no spyes.

And he sayde vnto them agayne: nay but euen to see where the lande is weake, is your comming.

And they said: we thy seruauntes are twelue brethren, the sonnes of one man in the lande of Chanaan, and beholde, the youngest is this day with our father, & one, no man woteth where he is.

And Ioseph saide vnto them: that is it that I spake vnto you when I sayd, ye are spyes.

Hereby ye shalbe proued: [by] the lyfe of Pharao, ye shall not go hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

Sende out one of you, whiche may fet your brother, and ye shalbe kept in pryson, that your wordes may be proued whether there be any trueth in you: or els [by] the lyfe of Pharao, ye are but spyes.

And he put them altogether in warde three dayes.

And Ioseph said vnto them the thirde day: this do & liue, [for] I feare God.

If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bonde in the house of your pryson: and go ye, carry corne to put away the famine from your housholde.

But bryng your youngest brother vnto me, and so shal your wordes be tryed true, and ye shall not dye: & they dyd so.

And one sayde to another: we haue veryly sinned agaynst our brother, in that we sawe the anguishe of his soule, when he besought vs, and we woulde not heare him: and therfore is this trouble come vpon vs.

And Ruben aunswered them, saying: sayd I not vnto you, that you shoulde not sinne against the lad, and ye would not heare? and see, nowe his blood is required.

They were not aware that Ioseph vnderstoode them: for he spake vnto them by an interpreter.

And he turned from them and wept: and turned to them agayne, and communed with them, and toke out Simeon from amongest them, and bounde him before theyr eyes.

And Ioseph commaunded to fill their sackes with corne, & to put euery mans money in his sacke, and to geue them vitayle to spende by the way? and thus dyd he vnto them.

And they laded theyr asses with the corne, and departed thence.

And as one of them opened his sacke for to geue his asse prouender in the Inne, he espied his money, for it was in his sackes mouth.

And he said vnto his brethren, my money is restored me agayne, for lo, it is euen in my sacke. And their heart fayled them, and they were astonyed, and sayd one to another, why hath God dealt thus with vs?

And they came vnto Iacob their father, vnto the lande of Chanaan, & tolde him all that befell vnto them, saying:

The man, euen the Lord of the lande, spake roughly to vs, and toke vs for spyes of the countrey.

And we sayd vnto him: we meane truely, we neuer were spyes.

We be twelue brethren, sonnes of our father: one is away, and the youngest is this day with our father in the lande of Chanaan.

And the Lorde of the countrey sayde agayne vnto vs, Hereby shall I know that ye meane truely: leaue one of your brethren here with me, and take [foode] to put away the famine fro your householdes, and get you away.

And bring your youngest brother vnto me, that I may knowe that you are no spyes, but meane truely: so wyll I deliuer you your brother, and ye shall occupie in the lande.

And as they emptied theyr sackes, beholde, euery mans bundell of money was in his sacke: And when both they and their father sawe the bundelles of money, they were afrayde.

And Iacob theyr father sayde vnto them: Me haue ye robbed of my children, Ioseph is away, and Simeon is away, & ye will take Beniamin away: all these thinges are agaynst me.

Ruben said vnto his father: slay my two sonnes, yf I bring hym not to thee agayne: deliuer him to my hande, and I will bring him to thee agayne.

And he said: My sonne shall not go downe with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if destruction come vpon hym by the way whiche ye go, ye shall bring my gray head with sorowe vnto the graue.

Chapter 43
And the dearth was great in the lande.

And it came to passe when they had eaten vp the corne which they had brought out of the lande of Egypt, theyr father sayde vnto them: go agayne [and] bye vs a litle foode.

Iuda aunswered him, and sayd, The man did solemply protest vnto vs saying: ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

If thou wylt sende our brother with vs, we wyll go downe, and bye thee foode.

But yf thou wylt not sende hym, we wyll not go downe: for the man sayde vnto vs, ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

And Israel sayd: wherefore dealt ye so cruelly with me, as to tell the man that ye had yet a brother?

They aunswered, The man asked vs straytely of our [state] and of our kinrede, saying: Is your father yet aliue? haue ye [not another] brother? And we tolde hym accordyng to the tenour of these wordes: Could we by any meane knowe, that he would say, bryng your brother downe with you?

The said Iuda vnto Israel his father: send the lad with me, that we may arise and go, and that we may liue, & not dye, yea both we & thou, & also our meany.

I wylbe suretie for hym, of my handes shalt thou require hym: yf I bryng hym not to thee agayne, and set him before thine eyes, then let me beare the blame for euer.

Truely except we had made this tarying, by this we had returned the seconde tyme.

And their father Israel sayde vnto them: if it must nedes be so, nowe then do thus. Take of the best fruites of the lande in your vesselles, and bryng ye man a present, a curtsie of bawme, and a curtsie of hony, spyces and mirre, nuttes and almondes.

And take double money in your hande, & the money that was brought agayne in your sackes, take it agayne with you, peraduenture it was some ouersight.

Take also your brother with you, and arise and go agayne vnto the man.

And God almightie geue you mercye in the sight of the man, that he may deliuer you your other brother, & [this] Beniamin: and thus I am as one that is quite robbed of his chyldren.

Thus toke they the present, and twyse so muche more money in their hande, with Beniamin, and rose vp, and went downe to Egypt, & stode before Ioseph.

When Ioseph sawe Beniamin with them, he sayd to the ruler of his house: bryng these men home, and slay, and make redy, for these men shall dyne with me at noone.

And the man did as Ioseph bad, and brought them into Iosephes house.

When the men were brought into Iosephes house, they were afrayde, and said: because of the money that came in our sackes mouthes at the first tyme, are we brought in, that he may seeke occasion agaynst vs, and violently lay handes vpon vs, to bryng vs in bondage, and our asses also.

Therefore came they to the man that was the ruler ouer Iosephes house, and communed with him at the doore of the house,

And sayde: oh sir, we came downe hyther at the fyrst tyme to bye foode.

And as we came to an Inne, we opened our sackes, and behold, euery mans money was in the mouth of his sacke, [euen] our money in ful wayght, and we haue brought it againe in our hande.

And other money haue we brought also in our handes to bye foode: but we can not tell who put our money in our sackes.

And he sayd: peace be vnto you, feare not: your God, and the God of your father, hath geuen you that treasure in your sackes: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out to them.

And the man led them into Iosephes house, and gaue them water to washe their feete, & gaue their asses prouender.

And they made redy their present agaynst Ioseph came at noone: for they hearde [say] that they should eate bread there.

When Ioseph came home, they brought the present into the house to hym, whiche was in their handes, and bowed them selues to the grounde before him.

And he asked them of their welfare, and sayd: Is your father, that old man whiche ye tolde me of, in good health? and is he yet aliue?

They aunswered: Thy seruaunt our father is in good health, & is yet alyue. And they bowing them selues, made theyr obeysaunce.

And he lifting vp his eyes, behelde his brother Beniamin his mothers sonne, and sayd: is this your younger brother of whom ye spake vnto me? And he said: God be mercyfull vnto thee my sonne.

And Ioseph made haste (for his heart did melt vpon his brother) and sought [where] to weepe, and entred into his chaumber and wept there.

And he washed his face, and came out, and refrayned hym selfe, and sayde: set bread on the table.

And they prepared for hym by hym selfe, and for them by them selues, and for the Egyptians which dyd eate with him, by them selues, because the Egyptians may not eate bread with the Hebrewes: for that is an abhomination to the Egyptians.

And they satte before hym the first borne, according to his age, & the youngest according to his youth: and the men merueyled among them selues.

And he sent rewardes vnto them from before him selfe: but Beniamins part was fiue times so muche as any of theirs: and they dronke, and were made mery with him.

Chapter 44
And he commaunded the ruler of his house, saying: fill the mens sackes with foode, as much as they can cary, & put euery mans mony in his sackesmouth:

And put my cup, my siluer cup in the sackes mouth of the youngest, and his corne money also. And he did according to the worde that Ioseph had saide.

And in the morning assoone as it was lyght, the men were let go, they, and their asses.

And when they were out of the citie, and not yet farre away, Ioseph sayde vnto the ruler of his house: vp, and folowe after the men, & when thou doest ouertake them, thou shalt say vnto them: wherfore haue ye rewarded euyl for good?

Is not that the cuppe in the whiche my Lord drinketh? and for the which he consulteth with the propheciers? Ye haue euill done that ye haue done.

And when he ouertoke them, he sayd the same wordes vnto them.

And they aunswered him: wherfore sayeth my Lorde suche wordes? God forbid that thy seruauntes should do so.

Beholde the money which we founde in our sackes mouthes, we brought agayne vnto thee, out of the land of Chanaan: howe then shoulde we steale out of thy Lordes house eyther siluer or golde?

With whomsoeuer of thy seruauntes it be founde, let him dye, and we also wyll be my Lordes bondmen.

And he said, Nowe also let it be according vnto your wordes: he with whom it is founde, shalbe my seruaunt, and ye shalbe blamelesse.

And at once euery man toke downe his sacke to the ground, and euery man opened his sacke.

And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cuppe was founde in Beniamins sacke.

Then they rent theyr clothes, and laded euery ma his asse, and went againe vnto the citie.

And Iuda and his brethren came to Iosephes house (for he [was] yet there) and they fell before him on the ground.

And Ioseph sayde vnto them: what deede is this that ye haue done? Wote ye not that suche a man as I do consult with propheciers?

Then saide Iuda: what shall we say vnto my lorde? What shall we speake? or howe shall we cleare our selues? God hath founde out the wickednes of thy seruauntes: beholde, we are my lordes seruauntes, both we, yea, and he also with whom the cup is founde.

And he aunswered, God forbid that I shoulde do so: but the man with who the cup is found, he shalbe my seruaunt, and get ye hence vp in peace vnto your father.

Then Iuda went vnto him, and said: Oh my lorde, let thy seruaunt [I pray thee] speake a worde in my lordes eares, and be not inflamed with wrath agaynst thy seruaunt, for thou art euen as Pharao.

My lorde asked his seruauntes, saying: haue ye a father, or a brother?

And we aunswered my lorde: we haue a father that is olde, and a young lad, which he begat in his age: and the brother of the sayd lad is dead, and he is all that is left of his mother, and his father loueth him.

And thou saidest vnto thy seruauntes: bryng him vnto me, that I may set my eyes vpon him.

And we aunswered my Lorde, that the lad could not go from his father, for if he shoulde leaue his father, he were but dead.

Then saydest thou vnto thy seruauntes: except your youngest brother come with you, loke that ye see my face no more.

And when we came vnto thy seruaunt our father, we shewed hym the wordes of my Lorde.

And our father sayde vnto vs: go agayne, and bye vs a litle foode.

And we aunswered, we can not go downe: neuerthelesse, if our youngest brother be with vs, then wyll we go downe, for we may not see the mans face, except our youngest brother be with vs.

And thy seruaunt our father sayd vnto vs: ye knowe that my wyfe bare me two sonnes.

And the one went out from me, and I sayd, of a suretie he is torne in peeces, and I sawe him not since.

And if ye take this also away from me, and destruction come vnto him, ye shall bryng my gray head with sorowe vnto the graue.

Nowe therefore when I come to thy seruaunt my father, and the lad be not with vs (seing that his life hangeth by the laddes life.)

Then shall it come to passe, that assoone as he seeth that the lad is not come, he wyll dye: so shall we thy seruauntes bryng the gray head of thy seruaunt our father with sorowe vnto the graue.

For I thy seruaunt became suretie for the lad before my father, and saide: If I bryng hym not vnto thee agayne, I shal beare the blame vnto my father all my lyfe long.

Nowe therefore I pray thee, let me thy seruaunt byde here for the lad, and be my lordes bondman, and let the lad go vp with his brethren.

For howe can I go vp to my father, if the ladde be not with me? vnlesse I woulde see the wretchednesse that shall come on my father.

Chapter 45
Ioseph coulde no longer refrayne before all the that stoode by hym, wherefore he cryed: cause euery man to auoyde. And there remayned no man with him, whyle Ioseph vttered hym selfe vnto his brethren.

And he wept aloude, and the Egyptians, and the house of Pharao heard.

And Ioseph sayde vnto his brethren: I am Ioseph, doth my father yet lyue? And his brethren could not aunswere him, they were so abashed at his presence.

And Ioseph sayde vnto his brethren, come neare to me I pray you. And they came neare. And he said, I am Ioseph your brother who ye solde into Egypt.

Nowe therefore be not greeued herewith, neither let it seeme a cruel thing in your eyes, that ye solde me hyther: for God did sende me before you to preserue lyfe.

For this is the seconde yere of dearth in the lande, and fiue more are behinde, in the whiche there shall neyther be earyng nor haruest.

Wherfore God sent me before you, to preserue you a posteritie in the earth, and to saue your liues by a great deliueraunce.

So nowe, it was not ye that sent me hyther, but God whiche hath made me a father to Pharao, and lorde of all his house, and ruler throughout all the lande of Egypt.

Haste you, and go vp to my father, and tell him: thus saieth thy sonne Ioseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt, come downe therfore vnto me, tary not.

And thou shalt dwell in the land of Gosen and be a neyghbour vnto me, thou, & thy chyldren, and thy chyldrens children, thy sheepe, and thy beastes, and all that thou hast.

And there wyll I prouide thee sustenaunce (for there remaine yet fiue yeres of dearth) lest thou and thy housholde, & all that thou hast come to pouertie.

And beholde your eyes do see, and the eyes also of my brother Beniamin, that mine own mouth speaketh vnto you.

Therfore tell my father of all my glorie in Egypt, and of all that you haue seene, and make hast, and bryng my father hyther.

And he fel on his brother Beniamins necke, and wept: and Beniamin wept on his necke.

Moreouer he kissed al his brethren, and wept vpon them: and after that, his brethren talked with him.

And the fame [thereof] was hearde in Pharaos house, so that they sayde: Iosephes brethre are come. And it pleased Pharao well, and all his seruauntes.

And Pharao spake vnto Ioseph: say vnto thy brethren, this do ye: lade your beastes, and go [and] returne vnto the lande of Chanaan:

Take your father, and your housesholdes, and come vnto me, and I wyll geue you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eate the fat of the lande.

And thou also shalt comaunde [them] this do ye: take charets with you out of the lande of Egypt for your chyldren, and for your wyues, and bryng your father, and come.

Also regarde not your stuffe, for the good of all the lande of Egypt is yours.

And the children of Israel dyd euen so: and Ioseph gaue them charettes, accordyng to the commaundement of Pharao, and gaue them vitayle also to spende by the way.

And he gaue vnto eche of the chaunge of raiment: but vnto Beniamin he gaue three hundred peeces of siluer, and fiue chaunge of rayment.

And vnto his father he sent after the same maner ten asses laden with good out of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corne, & bread, and meate, for his father by the way.

So sent he his brethren away, and they departed: and he sayd vnto them, see that ye fall to no stryfe on the way.

They departed therfore from Egypt, and came into the lande of Chanaan, vnto Iacob theyr father.

And tolde him, saying: Ioseph is yet aliue, and is gouernour ouer al the land of Egypt. And Iacobs heart wauered, for he beleued them not.

And they tolde hym all the wordes of Ioseph, whiche he had said vnto them: And when he sawe the charets whiche Ioseph had sent to cary him, the spirite of Iacob their father reuiued.

And Israel saide: [I haue] inough, that Ioseph my sonne is yet alyue: I will go, and see him, yer that I dye.

Chapter 46
Israel toke his iourney with all that he had, and came to Beer seba, and offred offeringes vnto the God of his father Isahac.

And God spake vnto Israel in a vision by nyght, saying: Iacab, Iacob? And he aunswered: here am I.

And he sayde: I am God, the God of thy father, feare not to go downe into Egypt: for I wyll there make of thee a great people.

I wyll go downe with thee into Egypt: and I wyll surely make thee come vp agayne, and Ioseph shall put his hande vpon thyne eyes.

And Iacob rose vp from Beer-seba: and the sonnes of Israel caryed Iacob their father, and their childre, and their wyues, in the charettes whiche Pharao had sent to cary him.

And they toke their cattell, and the goodes whiche they had gotten in the lande of Chanaan, & came into Egypt, both Icob and all his seede with him,

His sonnes, & his sonnes sonnes with him, his daughters, and his sonnes daughters, and all his seede brought he with him into Egypt.

These are the names of the chyldren of Israel which came into Egypt, [both] Iacob and his sonnes. Ruben Iacobs first borne.

The children of Ruben: Hanoch, and Phallu, Hesron, and Charnu.

The children of Simeon: Iemuel, & Iamin, and Ohad, and Iachin, and Sohar, and Saul the sonne of a Chanaanitishe woman.

The chyldren of Leui: Gerson, Cehath, and Merari.

The children of Iuda: Er, & Onan, Selah, & Phares, and Zarah: but Er and Onan dyed in the lande of Chanaan. The children of Phares also were Hesron and Hamul.

And the children of Isachar: Thola, Puuah, and Iob, and Simron.

The chyldren of Zabulon: Sered, and Elon, and Iahelel.

These be the children of Lea, whiche she bare vnto Iacob in Mesopotamia, with his daughter Dina. All the soules of his sonnes and daughters, [make] thirtie and three.

The children of Gad: Siphion, and Haggi, Suni, and Esbon, Eri, & Arodi, and Areli.

The children of Aser: Imnah, and Iisuah, and Iisui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister. And the chyldren of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel.

These are the sonnes of Zilpha, who Laban gaue to Lea his daughter: and these she bare vnto Iacob, [euen] sixteene soules.

The chyldren of Rachel Iacobs wife: Ioseph and Beniamin.

And vnto Ioseph in the lande of Egypt, were borne Manasses, and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Potipera priest of On bare vnto him.

The children of Beniamin: Bela, and Becher, and Asbel, Gera, & Naaman, Ehi, and Ros, Muppim, and Huppim, and Arde.

These are the chyldren of Rachel which she bare vnto Iacob, foureteene soules altogether.

And the children of Dan: Husim.

The children of Naphthali: Iahseel, and Guni, Ieser, and Sillem.

These are the sonnes of Bilha, which Laban gaue vnto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these vnto Iacob altogether seuen soules.

And so the soules that came with Iacob into Egypt, whiche came out of his loynes, besides Iacobs sonnes wyues, were altogether threscore & sixe soules.

And the sonnes of Ioseph whiche were borne hym in Egypt, were two soules: so that all the soules of the house of Iacob whiche came into Egypt, [were] threscore and ten.]

And he sent Iuda before hym vnto Ioseph, to direct his face vnto Gosen, and they came into the lande of Gosen.

And Ioseph made redy his charet, and went vp to meete Israel his father vnto Gosen, and presented him self vnto him, and he fell on his necke, and wept on his necke a good whyle.

And Israel sayd vnto Ioseph: nowe am I content to dye, insomuche as I haue seene thy face, and because thou art yet aliue.

And Ioseph sayde vnto his brethren, and vnto his fathers house: I wyll go vp, and shewe Pharao, and tell him: my brethren, and my fathers house, whiche were in the lande of Chanaan, are come vnto me.

And they are shepheardes, for theyr trade hath ben to feede cattell: and they haue brought theyr sheepe and theyr cattell, and all that they haue.

And if that Pharao call you, and aske you, what your occupation is?

Ye shal annswere: thy seruauntes haue ben occupied about cattell from our childhood vnto this tyme, we and our fathers: that ye may dwell in the lande of Gosen. For euery one that kepeth cattell, is an abhomination vnto the Egyptians.

Chapter 47
Ioseph came therfore & tolde Pharao, and said: My father & my brethre, theyr sheepe, and theyr cattell, and all that they haue, are come out of ye lande of Chanaan: and beholde, they are in the lande of Gosen.

And Ioseph toke of the company of his brethren [euen] fiue men, and presented them vnto Pharao.

And Pharao sayd vnto his brethren: what is your occupation? And they aunswered Pharao: thy seruauntes are kepers of cattell, both we, and also our fathers.

They said moreouer vnto Pharao, for to soiourne in the land are we come, for thy seruaunts haue no pasture for their cattell, so sore is the famishment in the lande of Chanaan: Nowe therefore let thy seruauntes dwell in the lande of Gosen.

And Pharao sayde vnto Ioseph: thy father & thy brethre are come vnto thee.

The lande of Egypt is before thee: In the best place of the lande make both thy father and thy brethren dwell, eue in the land of Gosen let them dwel. Moreouer, if thou knowest any man of actiuitie amongest them, make them rulers ouer my [cattell].

And Ioseph brought in Iacob his father, and set hym before Pharao: and Iacob blessed Pharao.

And Pharao said vnto Iacob: howe olde art thou?

Iacob sayd vnto Pharao, The dayes of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirtie yeres: Fewe and euill haue the dayes of my life ben, and haue not attayned vnto the yeres of ye lyfe of my fathers, in the dayes of theyr pilgrimage.

And Iacob blessed Pharao, and went out of his presence.

And Ioseph prepared dwellinges for his father, and his brethren, and gaue them possessions in the lande of Egypt, in the best of the land, euen the land of Rameses, as Pharao had comaunded.

And Ioseph made prouision for his father and his brethren, and all his fathers housholde with bread: euen to the mouthes of the young chyldren.

There was no bread in all the lande, for the dearth was exceedyng sore, so that the lande of Egypt, and the land of Chanaan were famished by reason of the dearth.

And Ioseph brought together all the money that was founde in the lande of Egypt and of Chanaan, for the corne which they bought: and he layed vp the money in Pharaos house.

When money fayled in the lande of Egypt and of Chanaan, all the Egyptians came vnto Ioseph, and saide, Geue vs bread: wherefore suffrest thou vs to dye before thee whe our money is spent?

Then sayde Ioseph, Bryng your cattell: and I wyll geue you for your cattell yf money fayle.

And they brought their cattell vnto Ioseph: and Ioseph gaue them bread for horses and sheepe, and oxen, & asses, and fedde them with bread for all their cattell that yere.

But when that yere was ended, they came vnto hym the next yere, and sayde vnto hym: We wyl not hyde it from my lorde, howe that our money is spent: my lorde also had our heardes of cattel, nether is ther ought left in ye sight of my lorde but euen our bodies & our landes.

Wherefore lettest thou vs dye before thine eyes, both we and our lande? bye vs and our land for bread, and both we and our lande wyll be bounde vnto Pharao: onlye geue vs seede, that we may lyue, and not dye, & that the lande go not to waste.

And so Ioseph bought all the lande of Egypt for Pharao: For the Egyptians solde euery man his possessions, because the dearth was so sore vpon them: and so the lande became Pharaos.

And he caused the people to moue from citie to citie, fro one syde of Egypt into the other.

Only the lande of the priestes bought he not: for the priestes had a portion assigned them of Pharao, and dyd eate their portio which Pharao gaue them: wherfore they solde not their landes.

Then Ioseph sayde vnto the folke: beholde, I haue bought you this daye and your lande for Pharao: Lo, here is seede for you, & ye shall sowe the land.

And of the increase you shall geue the fyfth part vnto Pharao, and foure partes shalbe your owne for seede of the fielde, and for you & them of your householdes, and for your chyldren to eate.

And they aunswered: Thou hast saued our lyues, let vs fynde grace in the syght of my lorde, and we wylbe Pharaos seruauntes.

And Ioseph made it a lawe ouer the lande of Egypt vnto this daye, that Pharao shoulde haue the fyft part, except ye lande of the priestes only, which was not Pharaos.

And Israel dwelt in Egypt, euen in they countrey of Gosen, and they had their possessions therin, and grewe and multiplied exceedyngly.

Moreouer Iacob lyued in the lande of Egypt seuenteene yeres, so that ye whole age of Iacob was an hundred and fourtie and seuen yeres.

When the tyme drewe nye that Israel must dye, he sent for his sonne Ioseph and sayde vnto him: If I haue founde grace in thy syght, oh put thy hande vnder my thygh, and deale mercifully and truly with me, that thou bury me not in Egypt.

But I shall sleepe with my fathers, and thou shalt cary me out of Egypt, & bury me in their buryall. And he aunswered: I wyll do as thou hast sayde.

And he sayde: Sweare vnto me. And he sware vnto him. And Israel worshipped towarde the beddes head.

Chapter 48
After these deedes, one tolde Ioseph: beholde, thy father is sicke. And he toke with hym his two sonnes, Manasses and Ephraim.

Then this message was declared vnto Iacob: beholde, thy sonne Ioseph cometh vnto thee. And Israel toke his strength vnto hym, and sate vpon the bedde.

And Iacob sayd vnto Ioseph: God almyghtie appeared vnto me at Luz in the lande of Chanaan, and blessed me, and sayde vnto me:

Beholde, I wyll make thee fruiteful, and cause thee to multiplie, and wyll make a great number of people of thee, and wyll geue this lande vnto thy seede after thee vnto an euerlastyng possession.

And nowe thy two sonnes Manasses and Ephraim, whiche were borne vnto thee in the land of Egypt before I came vnto thee into Egypt, are myne, euen as Ruben and Simeon are mine.

And the children which thou hast gotten after them, shalbe thyne owne, and shalbe called after the names of their brethren in their inheritaunce.

And when I came from Mesopotamia, Rachel dyed vpon my hande in the land of Chanaan, by the way, when there was but a fieldes breadth to come vnto Ephratha: and I buried her there in the waye to Ephratha, the same is Beth-lehem.

And Israel beheld Iosephes sonnes, and sayde: What are these?

Ioseph sayde vnto his father: They are my sonnes whiche God hath geuen me here. And he sayde: Oh bring them to me, and let me blesse them.

(And the eyes of Israel were dymme for age, so that he coulde not [well] see) And he brought them to hym, and he kyssed them, and imbraced them.

And Israel sayde vnto Ioseph, I had not thought to haue seene thy face: and yet loe, God hath shewed me also thy seede.

And Ioseph toke them away fro his lappe, and he bowed hym selfe with his face towarde the earth.

Then toke Ioseph them both, Ephraim with his ryght hande towarde Israels left hande, and Manasses with his left hande towarde Israels ryght hande, and brought them vnto hym.

And Israel stretched out his ryght hande, and layed it vppon Ephraims head, which was the younger: and his left hande vpon Manasses head, guydyng his hande wyttyngly, for Manasses was the first borne.

And he blessed Ioseph, and sayde: God in whose syght my fathers Abraham & Isahac dyd walke, God which hath fedde me al my lyfe long vnto this day,

And the angell which hath deliuered me from al euyl, blesse these laddes, and let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham & Isahac, & that they may growe into a multitude in the middes of the earth.

When Ioseph sawe that his father layed his ryght hande vpon the head of Ephraim, it displeased hym: and he lift vp his fathers hande, to haue remoued it from Ephraims head vnto Manasses head.

And Ioseph sayde vnto his father, Not so my father, for this is the first borne: put thy right hande vpon his head.

And his father would not, but sayde: I knowe it well my sonne, I knowe it well, he shalbe also a people, and shalbe great: But his younger brother shalbe greater then he, and his seede shall become a great people.

And he blessed them that day, & saide: In thee let Israel blesse & saye, God make thee as Ephraim, & as Manasses. And he set Ephraim before Manasses.

And Israel said vnto Ioseph: behold I dye, & God shalbe with you, & bryng you againe vnto ye land of your fathers.

Moreouer, I haue geuen vnto thee a portion of lande aboue thy brethren, which I gat out of the hand of the Amorite in my sworde, and in my bowe.

Chapter 49
And Iacob called for his sonnes, and sayde: Come together, that I may tell you what shall come on you in the last dayes.

Gather ye together, & heare ye sonnes of Iacob, hearken vnto Israel your father.

Ruben my first borne, thou art my myght, & the beginning of my strength, the noblenesse of dignitie, and the noblenesse of power.

Unstable as water, thou shalt not be the chiefest, because thou wentest vp to thy fathers bedde: for then defiledst thou my couche with goyng vp.

Simeon and Leui brethren, are cruell instrumentes in their habitations.

O my soule, come not thou into their secretes, neither into their congregations let mine honour be vnited: for in their wrath they slewe a man, and in their selfe wyll, they dygge downe a wall.

Cursed be their wrath, for it was shamelesse, and their fiercenesse, for it was cruell: I wyll deuide them in Iacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Iuda, thou art he whom thy brethren shall prayse: Thy hande shalbe in the necke of thine enemies, thy fathers children shall stowpe before thee.

Iuda is a lions whelpe: fro thy spoyle my sonne thou art come on hye. He layed him downe, and couched himselfe as a lion, and as a lionesse: who wyll stirre hym vp?

The scepter shal not depart from Iuda, and a law geuer from betweene his feete, vntyll Silo come: And vnto hym shall the gatheryng of the people be.

He shall bynde his foale vnto ye vine, and his asses colt vnto the braunche: He wasshed his garment in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.

His eyes [shalbe] redde with wine, and his teeth whyte with mylke.

Zabulon shall dwell besyde the hauen of the sea, & nye the haue of shippes, his border shalbe vnto Sidon.

Isachar [is] a strong asse, couchyng hym downe betweene two burthens.

And sawe that rest was good, and the lande that it was pleasaunt: and bowed his shoulder to beare, and became a seruaunt vnto tribute.

Dan shall iudge his people, and one of the tribes of Israel.

Dan shalbe a serpent in the way, an adder in the path, bytyng ye horse heeles, and his ryder fell backewarde.

I haue wayted for thy saluation O Lorde.

Gad, an hoast of men shall ouercome hym: but he shall ouercome [him] at the last.

Out of the fat [lande] of Aser shalbe his bread, and he shall geue pleasures for a kyng.

Nephthalim is a hynde sent for a present geuyng goodly wordes.

Ioseph is lyke a floryshyng bough, a bough floryshyng by a well syde [whose] small boughes ran vpon the wall.

The archers haue greeuously prouoked hym, and shot him through with dartes, they haue hated him to his hinderaunce.

But his bowe abode fast, and the armes of his handes were made strong by the handes of the myghtie God of Iacob: Out of him shal come an heardman, a stone in Israel.

From thy fathers God which hath helped thee, and from the almyghtie which hath blessed thee with blessinges from heauen aboue, with blessynges of the deepe that lyeth vnder, & with blessynges of the brestes and of the wombe.

The blessynges of thy fathers shall be stronger then the blessinges of my elders: vnto the vtmost of the hylles of the worlde, they shalbe on the head of Ioseph, and on the toppe of the head of hym that was seperate from his brethren.

Beniamin shall rauishe as a wolfe: In the mornyng he shall deuour the pray, and at nyght he shall deuide the spoyle.

All these are the twelue tribes of Israel: and this their father spake vnto them, and blessed them, euery one of them blessed he with a seueral blessing.

And he charged them, and sayde vnto them: When I shalbe gathered vnto my people, bury me with my fathers in the caue that is in the field of Ephron the Hethite,

In the caue that is in the fielde of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the lande of Chanaan, which Abraham bought with the fielde of Ephron the Hethite for a possession to bury in.

Where as were buried Abraham and Sara his wyfe, and where as were buried Isahac and Rebecca his wife: & there I buried Lea.

The fielde and the caue that is therin was bought of the chyldren of Heth.

And when Iacob had made an ende of commaundyng all that he would vnto his sonnes, he plucked vp his feete vnto the bedde, and dyed: and was put vnto his people.

Chapter 50
And Ioseph fell vpon his fathers face, and wept vpon him, and kyssed hym.

And Ioseph comaunded his seruauntes the phisitians to imbawme his father. And the phisitians enbawmed Israel.

And fourtie dayes were continued (for so long doth the imbawmyng last) and the Egyptians mourned for him thre score and ten dayes.

And when the dayes of mournyng were ended, Ioseph spake vnto ye house of Pharao, saying: If I haue founde fauour in your eyes, speake I pray you in the eares of Pharao, saying:

My father made me sweare, & sayde, Lo I dye, bury me in the graue which I haue made me in the lande of Chanaan. Nowe therfore let me go vp I pray thee, and bury my father, and then wyl I come agayne.

And Pharao sayde: Go vp, and bury thy father, accordyng as he made thee sweare.

And Ioseph went vp to bury his father, and with hym went all the seruautes of Pharao that were the elders of his house, and all the elders of the lande of Egypt:

And all the house of Ioseph and his brethren, and his fathers house: onlye their chyldren, and their sheepe, & their cattell, left they behynde in the lande of Gosen.

And there went with hym also charrettes and horsemen: and it was an exceedyng great companie.

And they came to the corne floore of Atad, which is beyonde Iordane, and there they made a great and exceedyng sore lamentation: and he mourned for his father seuen dayes.

And when the inhabiters of the lande [euen] the Chananites, sawe the mournyng in the corne floore of Atad, they sayde: This is a great mournyng vnto the Egyptians. Wherefore the name of the place is called, The mournyng of the Egyptians, & it is beyond Iordane.

And his sonnes dyd vnto hym accordyng as he had commaunded them.

For his sonnes caryed hym into the lande of Chanaan, & buryed hym in the caue of the fielde Machpelah, whiche fielde Abraham bought to be a place to bury in of Ephron the Hethite, before Mamre.

And Ioseph returned into Egypt agayne, he and his brethren, and all that went vp with hym to bury his father, assoone as he had buryed hym.

And when Iosephes brethren sawe that their father was dead, they saide: Ioseph may peraduenture hate vs, & rewarde vs againe all the euyll whiche we dyd vnto hym.

And they dyd sende a message vnto Ioseph, saying: Thy father dyd commaunde before he dyed, saying:

This wyse shall ye say vnto Ioseph, Forgeue [I pray thee] the trespasse of thy brethren, and their sinne: for they rewarded thee euyll. And nowe we praye thee forgeue the trespasse of the seruauntes of the God of thy father. And Ioseph wept when they spake vnto hym.

Also his brethren came vnto hym, and fell flat before his face, saying: beholde, we be thy seruauntes.

To whom Ioseph sayde: Feare not, am I God?

Ye thought euil against me, but God turned it vnto good, to bryng to passe as it is this day, and to saue muche people alyue.

Feare not therefore, nowe I wyll noryshe you and your chyldren. And he comforted them, and spake kyndly vnto them.

Ioseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his fathers house: and Ioseph lyued an hundred and ten yeres.

And Ioseph sawe Ephraims children euen vnto the thirde generation: and vnto Machir the sonne of Manasses, were chyldren borne on Iosephes knees.

And Ioseph sayde vnto his brethren, I dye, & God wyll surely visite you, and bryng you out of this lande, vnto the lande whiche he sware vnto Abraham, Isahac, and Iacob.

And Ioseph toke an othe of the chyldren of Israel, saying: God wyll not fayle but visite you, and ye shall cary my bones hence.

And so Ioseph dyed when he was an hundred and ten yeres olde: And they imbawmed hym with spyces, puttyng hym in a chest in Egypt.