A   When Rahel sawe that she bare Iacab no chyldren, she enuied hyr sister, and sayd vnto Iacob Geue me children, or els I am but dead. Then was Iacob wroth wyth Rahel saying. Am I in Godds stede whyche kepeth from the, the fruite of thy wombe? Then she said: here is my maid Bylha: go in vnto hyr, that she maye beare vpon my lappe, that I may be encreased by hyr. And she gaue hym Bilha hyr handmaid to wyfe. And Iacob wente in vnto hyr: and Bylha conceaued and bare Iacob a sonne. Then said Rahel. God hath gyuen sentence on my syde, ∧ hath also heard my voyce, and hath geuen me a sonne. Therefore called she him Dan. And Bylha Rahels mayd c&obar;ceaued agayne, and bare Iacob an other sonne. And Rahel sayd: God is turned, and I haue made a chaunge wyth my syster, and haue gotten the vpper hande. And she called hys name: Nepthaly.

B   When Lea sawe that she had left bearing she toke Silpha hyr mayd, and gaue hyr Iacob to wyfe. And Silpha Leas mayed bare Iacob a sonne. Then sayed Lea: Good luck: ∧ called his name Gad. And Silpha Leas mayd bare Iacob an other sonne. Th&ebar; sayd Lea: happy am I, for the doughters wil call me blessed. And called his name Asser.

And Ruben wente out in the wheate haruest, and founde05Q0078 mandragoras in the fyldes, and brought them vnto his mother Lea Then sayd Rahel to Lea giue me of thy sonnes mandragoras. And Lea answered. Is it not inoughe that thou haste taken away my husband, but wouldest take away my sons mandragoras also. C   Then sayed Rahel: wel, let hym slepe wyth the thys nyghte, for thy sonnes mandragoras. And wh&ebar; Iacob came from the fyeldes at euen, Lea wente oute to mete hym, and sayed: come in to me, for I haue bought the wyth my sonnes mandragoras.

And he slept wyth hyr that nyght. And God hearde Lea, that shee conceaued and bare vnto Iacob the fyft sonne. Then sayed Lea. God hath geuen me my rewarde, bycause I gaue my mayden to my husbande, and she called hym Isachar. And Lea c&obar;nceaued yet agayne, and bare Iacob the syxt sonne. Then sayed she. God hath endewed

Iacob. me wyth a good dowrye. Nowe wyll my husbande dwell wyth me, bycause I haue borne him syxe sonnes: and called hys name Zabulon. After that she bare a daughter, ∧ called hyr Dina.

D    ^noteAnd God remembred Rahel, heard hir, ∧ made hyr fruitefull: so þt; she c&obar;ceaued ∧ bare a sonne ∧ said: God hath taken away my rebuke. And she called hys name Ioseph, saying. The Lord giue me yet an other s&obar;ne. As sone as Rahel had borne Ioseph, Iacob said to Laban. Send ^note me awaye that I may go vnto myne own place ∧ c&obar;trey, gyue me my wiues ∧ my childr&ebar; for whom I haue serued the, and let me goo: for thou knowest what seruice I haue done the. Then sayd Laban vnto hym: If I haue founde fauoure in thy syght (for I suppose that the Lorde hath blessed me for thy sake) ^note apoint what thy rewarde shall be, and I will geue it the. But he sayde vnto hym: thou knoweste what seruyce I haue done the, and in what takyng the catell haue bene vnder me: For it was but lytle þt; þu; haddest before I came, ∧ now it is increased into a multytude, ∧ the Lord hath blessed the for my sake. But now when shal I make prouision for myne owne house also. And he sayd: what shall I then geue the? E   And Iacob answered: thou shalt geue me nothyng at al, if thou wylt do thys one thynge for me: and then wyll I turne agayne, and fede thy shepe and kepe them.

I will go aboute all thy shepe thys day, ∧ seperate fr&obar; them all the shepe that are spotted ∧ of diuers colours, ∧ all blacke sheepe among the lambes, ∧ the party, and the spotted am&obar;g the kyddes: ∧ the same shall be my reward. So shall my05Q0079 ryghtuousnes answere for me: when the tyme cometh that I shal receiue mi reward of the: so þt; whatsoeuer is not speckled ∧ party am&obar;ge the gotes ∧ blacke among the lambes, let that be theft with me. Then sayd Laban: Loo, I am content, that it be accordyng as thou hast sayed. And he toke out that same daye þe; he gootes that were party ∧ of diuers colours, and all the she gootes that were spotted, ∧ party coloured, ∧ all that had whyte in th&ebar;, ∧ all the blacke amonge the Lambes: ∧ put theim in the kepynge of hys Sonnes, F   and sette three dayes iourney betwyxte hym selfe and Iacob. Ind so Iacob kepte the reste of Labans shepe.

Iacob toke roddes of grene popular, hasel ∧ of chestnottrees, ∧ pylled white strakes in them, ∧ made the white apeare in the staues: And he put the staues whiche he had pilled, eu&ebar; before the shepe in þe; gutters ∧ watring troughes, when the shepe came to dryncke: that they shold conceyue when they came to drynke. And the shepe conceyued before the staues, ∧ brought forth straked, spotted, and party. G   Then Iacob parted the lambes and turned the faces of þe; shepe toward the spotted things, ∧ toward al maner of blake thinges thorow out the flockes of Lab&abar;. And he made him flockes of his own by them selfe, whiche he put not vnto the flockes of Lab&abar;.

And alwaye in firste buckinge tyme of the shepe, Iacob put the staues before the shepe in the gutters, that they might conceyue before the staues: but in the later bucking time he put them not ther: so the laste brode was Labans, ∧ the fyrst Iacobs. And the manne became exceading rich and had many shepe, mayedseruauntes, menseruauntes, camels and asses.

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