And hiſe ſunes .xxx. daiges,
In clene lif and ali daiges;[232] 2472
[Fol. 48b.]
So ten weeks
passed away and
Jacob had no
burial.
So woren forð .x. wukes gon,
get adde Iacob birigeles non.
And pharaon king cam bode bi-foren,
Pharaoh heard of
Joseph's oath to
his father,
ðat Ioſep haueð his fader ſworen; 2476
And he it hi_m_ gatte ðor he wel dede,
and gave him
leave to bury his
father, and to
take with him
"weaponed"
men.
And bad hi_m_ nimen hi_m_ feres mide,
Wel wopnede men and wiſ of here[n],
dat[233] noman hem bi weie deren; 2480
ðat bere iſ led, ðiſ folc iſ rad,
he foren a-buten bi adad;
ful ſeuene nigt he ðer abiden,
And bi-meni_n_g for iacob deden; 2484
So longe he hauen ðeðen numen,
They crossed the
Jordan, and laid
the body in a
tomb, and Joseph
returned to
Egypt.
To flu_m_ iurdon ðat he ben cumen,
And ou_er_ pharan til ebron;
ðor iſ ðat liche in biriele don, 2488
And Ioſep in-to egipte went,
Wid[234] al iſ folc ut wið him ſent.
His brethren
came to him to
seek forgiveness,
Hiſe breðere comen hi_m_ ðanne to,
And gunnen him bi-ſeken alle ſo; 2492
"Vre fader," he ſeiden, "or he was dead,
Vs he ðiſ bodewurd ſeigen bead,
Hure ſinne ðu hi_m_ for-giue,
Wið-ðanne-ðat we vnder ðe liuen." 2496
and fell down
there before his
feet, and he forgave
and loved
them kindly.
Alle he fellen him ðor to fot,
To beðen meðe and bedden oc;
[Fol. 49.]
And he it for-gaf[235] hem mildelike,
And luuede hem alle kinde-like. 2500
Joseph waxed
old;
[I]Oſep an hundred ger waſ hold,
And hiſ kin wexen manige-fold;
he bad his relations
come before
him ere he died,
He bad ſibbe cumen him bi-foren,
Or he waſ ut of werlde boren; 2504
[232] laiges?
[233] ðat?
[234] wið?
[235] At the bottom of fol. 48b is the catchword—"And he it for-gaff."