The lorde visyted Sara as he had sayde and dyd vnto her acordynge as
he had spoken. And Sara was with childe and bare Abraha a sonne in his
olde age euen the same season which the LORde had appoynted. And
Abraham called his sonnes name that was borne vnto him which Sara bare
him Isaac: & Abra circ[~u]cysed Isaac his sone wh[~e] he was .viij.
dayes olde/ as God commaunded him And Abraha was an hundred yere olde/
when his sonne Isaac was borne vnto him.
And Sara sayde: God hath made me a laughinge stocke: for all y^t
heare/ will laugh at me She sayde also: who wolde haue sayde vnto
Abraham/ that Sara shulde haue geuen childern sucke/ or y^t I shulde
haue borne him a sonne in his olde age: The childe grewe and was
wened/ and Abraham made a great feast/ the same daye that Isaac was
wened.
Sara sawe the sonne of Hagar the Egiptian which she had borne vnto
Abraham/ a mockynge. Then she sayde vnto Abraham: put awaye this
bondemayde and hyr sonne: for the sonne of this bondwoman shall not be
heyre with my sonne Isaac: But the wordes semed verey greavous in
Abrahams syghte/ because of his sonne. Than the LORde sayde vnto
Abraham: let it not be greavous vnto the/ because of the ladd and of
thy bondmayde: But in all that Sara hath saide vnto the/ heare hir
voyce/ for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Moreouer of the sonne of
the Bondwoman will I make a nation/ because he is thy seed.
And Abraham rose vp early in the mornyng and toke brede and a bottell
with water/ and gaue it vnto Hagar/ puttynge it on hir shulders wyth
the lad also/ and sent her awaye. And she departed and wadred vpp and
doune in the wyldernes of Berseba. When the water was spent that was
in the botell/ she cast the lad vnder a bush and went & sate her out
of syghte a great waye/ as it were a bowshote off: For she sayde: I
will not se the lad dye. And she satt doune out of syghte/ and lyfte
vp hyr voyce and wepte.
And God herde the voyce of the childe. And the angell of God called
Hagar out of heaven and sayde vnto her: What ayleth the Hagar? Feare
not/ for God hath herde the voyce of the childe where he lyeth. Aryse
and lyfte vp the lad/ and take hym in thy hande/ for I will make off
him a greate people. And God opened hir eyes and she sawe a well of
water. And she went and fylled the bottell with water/ and gaue the
boye drynke. And God was wyth the lad/ and he grewe and dweld in the
wildernesse/ and became an archer. And he dweld in the wyldernesse of
Pharan. And hys mother gott him a wyfe out of the land of Egypte.
And it chaunced the same season/ that Abimelech and Phicoll his chefe
captayne spake vnto Abraham saynge: God is wyth the in all that thou
doist. Now therfore swere vnto me even here by God/ that thou wylt not
hurt me nor my childern/ nor my childerns childern. But that thou
shalt deale with me and the contre where thou art a straunger/
acordynge vnto the kyndnesse that I haue shewed the. Then sayde
Abraham: I wyll swere.
And Abraham rebuked Abimelech for a well of water/ which Abimelech
servauntes had taken awaye. And Abimelech answered I wyst not who dyd
it: Also thou toldest me not/ nether herde I of it/ but this daye.
And Abraham toke shepe and oxen and gaue them vnto Abimelech. And they
made both of them a bonde together. And Abraham sett vij. lambes by
them selues. And Abimelech sayde vnto Abraham: what meane these .vij.
lambes which thou hast sett by them selues. And he answered: vij.
lambes shalt thou take of my hande/ that it maye be a wytnesse vnto
me/ that I haue dygged this well: Wherfore the place is called
Berseba/ because they sware both of them. Thus made they a bonde to
gether at Berseba.
Than Abimelech and Phicoll his chefe
captayne rose vp and turned agayne vnto the
lande of the Philistines. And Abraham planted
a wodd in Berseba/ and called there/
on the name of the LORde
the everlastynge God: and
dwelt in the Phelistin
lade a longe
season
¶ The .xxij. Chapter.
After these dedes/ God dyd proue Abraham & sayde vnto him: Abraham.
And he answered: here am I. And he sayde: take thy only sonne Isaac
whome thou louest/ & get the vnto the lande of Moria/ and sacrifyce
him there for a sacrifyce vpon one of the mountayns which I will shewe
the Than Abraham rose vp early in the mornynge and sadled his asse/
and toke two of his meyny wyth him/ and Isaac his sonne: ad clove wod
for the sacrifyce/ and rose vp and gott him to the place which God had
appoynted him.
The thirde daye Abraham lyfte vp his eyes and sawe the place a farr
of/ and sayde vnto his yong men: byde here with the asse. I and the
lad will goo yonder and worshippe and come agayne vnto you. And
Abraham toke the wodd of the sacrifyce and layde it vpon Isaac his
sonne/ and toke fyre in his hande and a knyfe. And they went both of
them together.
Than spake Isaac vnto Abraham his father & sayde: My father? And he
answered here am I my sonne. And he sayde: Se here is fyre and wodd/
but where is the shepe for sacrifyce? And Abraham sayde: my sonne/ God
wyll prouyde him a shepe for sacrifyce. So went they both together.
And when they came vnto the place which God shewed him/ Abraha made an
aulter there and dressed the wodd/ ad bownde Isaac his sonne and
layde him on the aulter/ aboue apon the wodd. And Abraham stretched
forth his hande/ and toke the knyfe to haue kylled his sonne.
Than the angell of the LORde called vnto him from heauen saynge:
Abraham/ Abraham. And he answered: here am I. And he sayde: laye not
thy handes apon the childe nether do any thinge at all vnto him/ for
now I knowe that thou fearest God/ in y^t thou hast not kepte thine
only sonne fro me. And Abraham lyfted vp his eyes and loked aboute:
and beholde/ there was a ram caught by the hornes in a thykette. And
he went and toke the ram and offred him vp for a sacrifyce in the
steade of his sonne And Abraham called the name of the place/ the
LORde will see: wherfore it is a com[~e] saynge this daye: in the
mounte will the LORde be sene.
And the Angell of the LORde cryed vnto Abraham from heaven the seconde
tyme saynge: by my selfe haue I sworne (sayth the LORde) because thou
hast done this thinge and hast not spared thy only sonne/ that I will
blesse the and multiplye thy seed as the starres of heaven and as the
sonde vpo the seesyde. And thy seed shall possesse the gates of hys
enymies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the erth be blessed/
because thou hast obeyed my voyce
So turned Abraham agayne vnto his yonge men/ and they rose vp and
w[~e]t to gether to Berseba. And Abraham dwelt at Berseba
And it cha[~u]sed after these th[~i]ges/ that one tolde Abraham
saynge: Beholde/ Milcha she hath also borne childern vnto thy brother
Nachor: Hus his eldest sonne and Bus his brother/ and Kemuell the
father of the Sirians/ and Cesed/ and Haso/ and Pildas/ and Iedlaph/
and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebecca. These .viij. dyd Milcha bere
to Nachor Abrahams brother. And his concubyne called Rheuma she bare
also Tebah/ Gaham/ Thahas and Maacha.
¶The .xxiij. Chapter.
Sara was an hundred and .xxvij. yere olde (for so longe lyued she) and
than dyed in a heade cyte called Hebron in the londe of Canaan. Than
Abraham came to morne Sara and to wepe for her. And Abraham stode vp
from the coorse and talked with the sonnes of heth saynge: I am a
straunger ad a foryner amonge yow/ geue me a possession to bury in
with you/ that I may bury my dead oute of my sighte.
And the children of heth answered Abraham saynge vnto him: heare vs
lorde/ thou art a prynce of God amonge vs. In the chefest of oure
sepulchres bury thy dead: None of vs shall forbydd y^e his sepulcre/
y^t thou shuldest not bury thy deade therein. Abraha stode vp & bowed
h[~i] selfe before y^e people of y^e lade y^e childr[~e] of heth.
And he comoned with them saynge: Yf it be youre myndes y^t I shall
bury my deade oute of my sighte/ heare me ad speke for me to Ephron
the sonne of Zoar: and let him geue me the dubill caue which he hath
in the end of his felde/ for as moch money as it is worth/ let him
geue it me in the presence of you/ for a possession to bury in. For
Hephron dwelled amoge y^e childern of heth.
Than Ephron the Hethite answered Abraham in the audy[~e]ce of the
childern of Heth and of all that went in at the gates of his cyte/
saynge: Not so/ my lorde/ but heare me: The felde geue I the/ and the
caue that therein is/ geue I the also/ And even in the presence of the
sonnes of my people geve I it the to bury thy deede in. Than Abraham
bowed himselfe before the people of the lade and spake vnto Ephro in
the audyence of the people of the contre saynge: I praye the heare me/
I will geue sylver for the felde/ take it of me/ ad so will I bury my
deed there.
Ephron answered Abraha saynge vnto him My lorde/ harken vnto me. The
lande is worth iiij. hundreth sycles of syluer: But what is that
betwixte the and me? bury thy deede. And Abraham harkened vnto Ephron
and weyde him the sylver which he had sayde in the audyence of the
sonnes of Heth. Euen .iiij. h[~u]dred syluer sycles of currant money
amonge marchauntes
Thus was the felde of Ephron where in the dubbill caue is before
Mamre: euen the felde & the caue that is therein and all the trees of
the felde which growe in all the borders rounde aboute/ made sure vnto
Abraham for a possession/ in the syghte of the childern of Heth and of
all that went in at the gates of the cyte. And then Abraham buried
Sara his wyfe in the double caue of the felde that lyeth before Mare/
otherwise called Ebron in the lande of Canaan. And so both the felde
ad the caue that is therein/ was made vnto Abraham/ a sure possession
to bury in/ of the sonnes of Heth.
¶ The .xxiiij. Chapter
Abraham was olde and stryken in dayes/ and the LORde had blessed him
in all thinges. And he sayde vn to his eldest servaunte of his house
which had the rule over all that he had: Put thy hande vnder my thye
that I maye make the swere by the LORde that is God of heauen and God
of the erth/ that thou shalt not take a wyfe vnto my sonne/ of the
doughters of the canaanytes/ amonge which I dwell. But shalt goo vnto
my contre and to my kynred/ and there take a wyfe vnto my sonne Isaac.
Tha sayde the seruaunte vnto him: what ad yf the woma wyll not agree
to come with me vnto this lade/ shall I brynge thy sonne agayne vnto
the lande which thou camest out of? And Abraha sayde vnto him: bewarre
of that/ that thou br[~i]ge not my sonne thither. The LORde God of
heauen which toke me from my fathers house and from the lande where I
was borne/ and which spake vnto me and sware vnto me saynge: vnto thy
seed wyll I geue this lande/ he shall sende his angell before the/ y^t
thou mayst take a wife vnto my sonne from thence. Neuerthelesse yf the
woma will not agree to come with the than shalt thou be with out
daunger of this ooth. But aboue all thinge brynge not my sonne thyther
agayne. And the seruaunte put his hand vnder the thye of Abraham and
sware to him as concernynge that matter.
And the seruaunte toke .x. camels of the camels of his master and
departed/ and had of all maner goodes of his master with him/ and
stode vp and went to Mesopotamia/ vnto the cytie of Nahor. And made
his camels to lye doune without the cytie by a wels syde of water/ at
euen: aboute the tyme that women come out to drawe water/ and he
sayde.
LORde God of my master Abraha/ sende me good spede this daye/ & shewe
mercy vnto my master Abraham. Lo I stonde here by the well of water
and the doughters of the men of this citie will come out to drawe
water: Now the damsell to whome I saye/ stoupe doune thy pytcher and
let me drynke. Yf she saye/ drynke/ and I will geue thy camels drynke
also/ y^e same is she that thou hast ordened for they servaunte Isaac:
yee & therby shall I knowe that thou hast shewed mercy on my master.
And it came to passe yer he had leeft spakynge/ that Rebecca came
out/ the doughter of Bethuell/ sonne to Melcha the wife of Nahor
Abrahams brother/ and hir pytcher apon hir shulder: The damsell was
very fayre to loke apon/ and yet a mayde and vnknowen of man. And she
went doune to the well and fylled hyr pytcher and came vp agayne. Then
the seruaunte ranne vnto her and sayde: let me syppe a litle water of
thi pitcher. And she sayde: drynke my lorde.
And she hasted and laie downe her pytcher apon hyr arme and gaue him
drinke. And wh[~e] she had geven hym drynke/ she sayde: I will drawe
water for thy camels also/ vntill they haue dronke ynough. And she
poured out hyr pitcher in to the trough hastely and ranne agayne vnto
the well/ to fett water: and drewe for all his camels.
And the felowe wondred at her. But helde his peace/ to wete whether
the LORde had made his iourney prosperous or not. And as the camels
had lefte drynckynge/ he toke an earynge of halfe a sicle weght and
.ij golden bracelettes for hyr hades/ of .x. sycles weyght of gold and
sayde vnto her: whose doughter art thou? tell me: ys there rowme in
thy fathers house/ for vs to lodge in? And she sayde vnto him: I am
the doughter of Bethuell the sonne of Milcha which she bare vnto
Nahor: and sayde moreouer vnto him: we haue litter and prauonder
ynough and also rowme to lodge in.
And the man bowed himselfe and worshipped the LORde and sayde: blessed
be the LORde God of my master Abraham which ceasseth not to deale
mercyfully and truly with my master/ And hath brought me the waye to
my masters brothers house. And the damsell ranne & tolde them of her
mothers house these thinges. And Rebecca had a brother called Laban.
And Laban ranne out vnto the man/ to the well: for as soone as he had
sene the earynges and the bracelettes apon his sisters handes/ ad
herde the wordes of Rebecca his sister saynge thus sayde the man vnto
me/ than he went out vnto the man. And loo/ he stode yet with the
camels by the well syde. And Laban sayde: come in thou blessed of the
LORde. Wherfore stondest thou without? I haue dressed the house and
made rowme for the camels. And than the ma came in to the house. And
he vnbrydeld the camels: and brought litter and prauonder for the
camels/ and water to weshe his fete and their fete that were with him/
and there was meate sett before him to eate.
[Sidenote: * God blesseth vs wh[~e] he geveth vs his benefites: and
curseth vs/ when he taketh them awaye.]
But he sayde: I will not eate/ vntill I haue sayde myne ear[~e]de: And
he sayde/ saye on. And he sayde: I am Abrahas servaunte/ & the LORDE
hath * blessed my master out of measure that he is become greate
and hath geven him shepe oxen/ syluer and golde/ menservauntes/
maydeservauntes/ camels ad asses. And Sara my masters wyfe bare him a
sonne/ wh[~e] she was old: and vnto him hath he geven all that he
hath.
And my master made me swere saynge: Thou shalt not take a wyfe to my
sonne/ amonge the doughters of the cananytes in whose lade I dwell.
But thou shalt goo vnto my fathers house and to my kynred/ and there
take a wyfe vnto my sonne. And I sayde vnto my master. What yf the
wyfe will not folowe me? And he sayde vnto me: The LORde before whome
I walke/ will sende his angell with the and prosper thy iourney that
thou shalt take a wyfe for my sonne/ of my kynred and of my fathers
house. But and yf (when thou comest vnto my kynred) they will not geue
the one/ tha shalt though bere no perell of myne oothe.
And I came this daye vnto the well and sayed: O LORde/ the God of my
master Abraha/ yf it be so that thou makest my iourney which I go/
prosperous: behold/ I stode by this well of water/ And when a virgyn
cometh forth to drawe water/ and I saye to her: geue me a litle water
of thi pitcher to drynke/ and she saye agayne to me: dryncke thou/ and
I will also drawe water for thy camels: that same is the wife/ whom
the LORde hath prepared for my masters sonne.
And before I had made an ende of speakynge in myne harte: beholde
Rebecca came forth/ and hir pitcher on hir shulder/ and she went doune
vnto the well and drewe. And I sayde vnto her geue me dryncke. And she
made hast and toke doune hir pitcher from of hir/ ad sayd: drinke/ and
I will geue thy camels drynke also. And I asked her saynge: whose
doughter art thou? And she answered: the doughter of Bathuell Nahors
sonne whome Milca bare vnto him.
And I put the earynge vpon hir face and the bracelettes apon hir
hondes. And I bowed my selfe and worshepped the LORde and blessed the
LORde God of my master Abraha which had brought me the right waye/ to
take my masters brothers doughter vnto his sonne. Now therfore yf ye
will deall mercyfully and truly with my master/ tell me. And yf no/
tell me also: that I maye turne me to the right hande or to the left.
Than answered Laban and Bathuel saynge: The thinge is proceded even
out of the lorde/ we can not therfore saye vnto the/ ether good or
bad: Beholde Rebecca before thy face/ take her and goo/ and let her be
thy masters sonnes wife/ euen as the LORde hath sayde. And wh[~e]
Abrahams servaunte herde their wordes/ he bowed himselfe vnto the
LORde/ flatt vpon the erth. And the servaunte toke forth iewells of
syluer and iewelles of gold and rayment/ and gaue them to Rebecca: But
vnto hir brother & to hir mother/ he gaue spyces. And then they ate
and dranke/ both he and the men that were with him/ and taried all
nyghte and rose vp in the mornynge.
And he sayde: let me de parte vnto my master. But hir brother and hir
mother sayde: let the damsell abyde with vs a while/ ad it be but even
.x. dayes/ and than goo thy wayes. And he sayde vnto them/ hinder me
not: for the lorde hath prospered my iourney. Sende me away y^t I maye
goo vnto my master. And they sayde: let vs call the damsell/ and witt
what she sayth to the matter. And they called forth Rebecca ad sayde
vnto her: wilt thou goo with this ma? And she sayde: Yee.
[Sidenote: * To bless a mas neyboure is to praye for him ad to wisshe
him goode and not to wagge .ij. f[~i]gers ouer him.]
Than they broughte Rebecca their sister on the waye and her norse and
Abrahas servaunte/ and the men that were wyth him. And they *
blessed Rebecca & sayde vnto her: Thou are oure sister/ growe in to
thousande thousandes/ & thy seed possesse y^e gates of their enimes.
And Rebecca arose & hir damsels/ & satt th[~e] vp apo the camels &
went their waye after the man. And y^e servaunte toke Rebecca & went
his waye
And Isaac was a com[~i]ge from the well of y^e lyvynge & seynge/ for
he dwelt in the south cotre/ & was gone out to walke in his meditatios
before y^e eu[~e] tyde. And he lyfte vp his eyes & loked/ & beholde
y^e camels were cominge. And Rebecca lyfte vp hir eyes/ & wh[~e] she
sawe Isaac/ she lyghted of the camel ad sayde vnto y^e servaunte: what
ma is this y^t cometh agenst vs in the feld? And the serva[~u]te
sayde: it is my master. And then she toke hir mantell ad put it aboute
her. And the serva[~u]te tolde Isaac all that he had done. Th[~e]
Isaac broughte her in to his mother Saras tente/ ad toke Rebecca & she
became his wife/ & he loved her: & so was Isaac coforted over his
mother.