1   Forsothe Abraham was oold, and of manye daies, and the Lord in alle thingis had blissid to hym. 2   And he seide to the elder seruaunt of his hows, that was bifore in rulyng to alle thingis that he had, Put thin hoond vndir myn hip, 3   that I adiure thee bi the Lord God of heuene

and of erthe, that thow take not wijf to my sone of the dow&yogh;tris of Chananeys, among the whiche I duelle; 4   but go to the loond and to my cognacioun, and fro thens take a wijf to my sone Ysaac. 5   The seruaunt answeride, If the womman wole not com with me into this loond, whether I shal lede a&yogh;en thi sone to the place, of the which thow were goon out? 6   Abraham seide, Be war, lest ony tyme thow lede a&yogh;en thider my sone; 7   the Lord God of heuene that toke me fro the hows of my fadir, and fro the loond of my birth, the which hath spokun to me, and swore, seiynge, To thi seed I shal &yogh;yue this loond, he shal send his aungel bifore thee, and fro thens thow shalt taak a wijf to my sone; 8   and if the woman wole not folow thee, thow shalt not `be holden to the oth; neuerthelater my sone ne lede thow a&yogh;en thidir. 9   Thanne the seruaunt putte his hoond vndir the hip of Abraham, his lord, and swore to hym vpon this word. 10   And he tok ten camelis of the flok of his lord, and &yogh;ede, berynge with hym of alle the goodis of hym; and goon he &yogh;ede to Mesopotany, to the citee of Nachor. 11   And whan he had maad the camelis resten out of the wallid town, bisydis a pit of watre, at euen, that tyme that womman ben wont to goon out to draw water, 12   seide, Lord God of my lord Abraham, Y preye, to day a&yogh;en-com to me, and do mercy with my lord Abraham. 13   Loo! I stoond ny&yogh; the welle of water, and the dow&yogh;tres of the dwellers of this citee shal goon out to draw watyr; thanne the mayden child, 14   to whom I shal seye, Bouwe down thi water pot that I drynke, and she shal answere, Drynke, but and to thi camels I shal &yogh;yue drynk, she is whom thow hast bifore ordeyned to thi seruaunt Ysaac; and bi this I shal vndurstond that thow shalt do mercy with my lord Abraham. 15   Ne &yogh;it fully with

ynne hym silf he had fulfillid the wordis, and loo! Rabecca &yogh;ede out, the dow&yogh;ter of Batuel, sone of Melche, wijf of Nachor, brother of Abraham, hauynge a water pot in hir shulder; 16   a ful sembly damysel, and moost fayr mayden, and vnknowun to man. She descendide forsothe to the welle, and had fulfild hir water pot, and was turned a&yogh;en. 17   And the seruaunt &yogh;ede a&yogh;ens hir, and seide, &YOGH;yue to me a litle of water to drynk of thi water pot. 18   The which answeride, Drynk, my lord. And anoon she putte down the water pot vpon hir arm, and &yogh;aue drynk to hym. 19   And whanne he had drunkun, she addide to, But and to thi camelis I shal draw water, to the tyme thei han drunkun. 20   And she, heldynge out the water pot into the water trowis, and rennede a&yogh;en to the pit, for to draw water, and drawun she &yogh;aue to alle the camelis. 21   He forsothe biheelde her stilli, wilnyng to wite whether the Lord had maad his weye welsom, or noon. 22   Thanne after that the camelis hadden drunkun, the man brou&yogh;te forth goldun eer ryngis, peisynge two sicles, and as feel arm serclis, peiys of ten siclys. 23   And he seide to hir, Whos dow&yogh;ter art thow? shewe thow to me, is there in the hows of thi fadir place to dwelle? 24   The which answeryde, The dow&yogh;ter of Batuel Y am, sone of Nachor, whom Melcha bar to hym. 25   And she addide, seiynge, Of chaf forsothe and of hey myche there is at vs, and a large place to dwelle. 26   The man bowide hym silf, 27   and onouryde the Lord, seiynge, Blissid be the Lord God of my lord Abraham, the which hath not takun awey mercy and his sothefastnes fro my lord, and in ri&yogh;t wei hath fulli lad me into the hows of the brothir of my lord. 28   And so the damysel rennede, and tolde in the hows of hir modir alle thingis that she hadde herd. 29   Rabecca forsothe hadde a

brothir, Laban bi name, the which hiynge &yogh;ede out to the man, where he was with outen. 30   And whan he had seen the eer ryngis and the arm serclis in the hondis of his sister, and he hadde herd alle the wordis of hir tellynge, thes thingis the man spak to me, he com to the man, that stode bisidis the camelis, and ny&yogh; the welle of water, 31   and seide to hym, Go ynne, thow blissid of the Lord; whi stondist thow with oute? Y haue greithid the hows, and the place to thi camelis. 32   And he ladde hym into the hows of herbergrye, and unsadelynge dischargide the camelis, and &yogh;aue to hem chaf, and hey, and water for the camelis fete to be wayshun, and mennys whiche comen with hym. 33   And there was sett brede in his si&yogh;t, the which seith, Y shal not eet, to the tyme Y speke my wordis. He answeride to hym, Spek. 34   And he, The seruaunt, he seith, Y am of Abraham, 35   and the Lord hath blissid to my lord ful myche, and he is magnyfied; and he hath &yogh;ouun to hym sheep, and oxen, siluer, and gold, seruauntis, and hand maydens, camelis, and assis. 36   And Sara, the wijf of my lord, hath born a sone to my lord in his eeld, and he hath &yogh;yuun to hym al that he had. 37   And my lord hath adiurid me, seiynge, Thow shalt not take to my sone a wijf of the dow&yogh;tres of Chananeis, in whos loond Y dwel, but thow shalt go to the hows of my fadir, 38    and of my cognacyoun thow shalt take a wijf to my sone. 39   I forsothe answeride to my lord, What if the womman wole not go with me? 40   The Lord, he seith, in whos si&yogh;t Y goo, shal sende his aungel with thee, and shal make redi thi weye; and thow shalt take a wijf to my sone of my kynredun, and of the hows of my fadir. 41   Thow shalt be ynnocent fro my curse, whan thow shalt com to my ny&yogh; kyn, and thei &yogh;yue not to thee. 42   I com thanne to day to the welle of water, and seyde, The Lord God of my lord Abraham, if thow hast maad redy my weye,

in the which now Y go, loo! 43   I stonde bysides the welle of the water, and the maydyn that shal goon out to draw watre here of me, &yogh;yue to me a lytil of water to drynke of thi watre pot, 44   and she seye to me, And thow drynke, and Y shal draw water to thi camelis, she is the womman that the Lord hath maad redi to the sone of my lord. 45   While thes thingis Y turnede stilly with my silf, Rebecca aperide, comynge with the water pot that she bare in hir shuldir; and she descendide to the welle, and drowe water. And Y seide to hir, &YOGH;yf to me a litil to drynk; 46   the which hiynge dide down hir water pot fro hir shulder, and seide to me, And thow drynk, and to thi camelis Y shal &yogh;yue drink; and I drank, and she wateryde the camelis. 47   And I askide hir, and seide, Whos dow&yogh;ter art thow? The which answeryde, The dow&yogh;ter of Batuel Y am, sone of Nachor, whom bare to hym Melcha. And so I hengide eer ryngis to honoure the face of hir, and arm serclis I putte in the hondis of hir, 48   and bowid I honowride the Lord, blissynge to the Lord God of my lord Abraham, the which hath ful lad me the ry&yogh;t weye, that I shulde take the dow&yogh;ter of the brother `of my lord to the sone of hym. 49   Wherfor if &yogh;e doon mercy and sothenes with my lord, shewith to me; if forsothe other thing plesith, and that seie &yogh;ee, that Y go to the ry&yogh;t or to the left. 50   Laban and Batuel answeryden, Fro the Lord the word is goon out; we mown not out of the plesyng of hym ony thing othir speke with thee. 51   Loo! Rebecca is bifore thee; taak hir, and go, and be she the wijf of the sone of thi lord, as the Lord hath spokun. 52   The which whan the child of Abraham hadde herd, fallynge down in the erthe honowrede the Lord. 53   And vesselys of siluer, and of gold, and clothis

brou&yogh;t forth, &yogh;aue hem to Rebecca for &yogh;ifte, and to the britheren of hir and to the modir he offride &yogh;iftis. 54   And the feest bigun, thei etynge to gideris and drynkynge dwelliden there. The child forsothe rysynge eerly, spak, Lat me, that Y go to my lord. 55   The britheren of hir and the modir answeryden, The mayde child at the leest dwelle ten dayes anentis vs, and aftirward sche shal go. 56   Wiln &yogh;e not, he seith, me a&yogh;en-holde, for the Lord hath maad redi my weie; late &yogh;e me, that Y go to my lord. 57   And thei seiden, Clepe we the maydyn child, and aske we the wil of hir. 58   And whan she clepid was comun, thei askiden, Wolt thow with this man go? 59   She seide, I shal go. Thanne thei leten hir, and Delbora, hir noryshe, and the seruaunt of Abraham, and the withfolweris of hyr, 60   inwardli preyinge weelsom thingis of her sistyr, and seiynge, Oure sistir thou art, growe thow into thowsand thowsandis, and welden thi seed the &yogh;atis of thin enemyes. 61   Thanne Rebecca and the damysels of hir, the camelis steied vp, foleweden the man, the which hyinge turnede a&yogh;en to his lord. 62   That tyme Ysaac &yogh;ede bi the weye that ledith to the pit, whos name is of hym lyuynge and seiynge; forsothe he dwellide in the sowth loond. 63   And he was goon out to bithenk in the feeld, the day now goon doun; and whan he had houun vp the eyen, he saw&yogh; camelis comynge afer. 64   And Rebecca, Ysaac biholdyd, descendide of the camel, 65   and seith to the child, Who is this man that cometh bi the feeld in a&yogh;en comyng to vs? And he seide to hir, He is my lord. And she anoon, takynge a mantel, coueride hir. 66   And the seruaunt alle thingis that he had doon tolde to his lord Ysaac; 67   the which led hir with ynne into the tabernacle of Sara, his modir, and toke hir to wijf; and in so mych he louede hir, that the sorowe that of the deth of the moder felle it swagid.

Previous section

Next section