1   After that he herde the wordis of the sonys of Laban, seiynge, Jacob hath takun alle that weren of oure fader, and of the faculte of hym richid is maad noble. 2   And he took hede to the face of Laban, that it was not towards hym as &yogh;istirday and the thrid day hens, 3   moost the Lord seiynge to hym, Turne a&yogh;en into the loond of thi fadrys, and to thi kynred, and Y shal be with thee. 4   And he sente, and clepide Rachel

and Lya into the feeld, where he fedde the flockis, 5   and he seide to hem, Y se the face of &yogh;oure fader, that it is not toward me as &yogh;istirday and the thridde day hens; God forsothe of my fader was with me. 6   And &yogh;e han knowun that with alle my strengthis Y haue seruyd to &yogh;oure fader; 7   but and &yogh;oure fader hath comen aboute me, and chaungide my mede ten sithis; and neuerthelater God hath not letun hym that he shulde anoye to me. 8   If otherwhile he seide, The dyuers colourid shulen be thi medis, alle the sheep beren conseyuyng of dyuers colours; whanne forsothe a&yogh;enward he seith, Alle the whyet thow shalt taak for thi mede, alle the flockis beren whyet; 9   and God hath taak the substaunce of &yogh;oure fader, and &yogh;euen to me. 10   Forsothe bifore that the tyme of conseyuyng of sheep com, Y heuede vp myn eyen, and saw&yogh; in sleep the malis steiyng up vpon femalis, varye, and spotti, and of dyuers colours. 11   And the aungel of the Lord seide to me in slepe, Jacob! and I answeride, Y am ny&yogh;. 12   The which seith, Rere up thin eyen, and se alle the malis steiyng up vpon the femalis, varye, and sprynklid, and spottid; forsothe Y haue seen alle thingis that Laban hath doon to thee; 13   Y am God of Bethéi, where thow anoyntidist the stoon, and thow vowedist auowe to me. Now thanne aryse, and goo out fro this loond, turnynge a&yogh;en into the loond of thi birth. 14   And Rachel and Lya answeryden, Whether han we eny thing of residewe in faculteis and erytage of the hows of oure fader? 15   Whether as aliens hath he not holdun vs, and soold, and hath etun oure pryis? 16   But God hath takun the richessis of oure fader, and &yogh;euun hem to vs, and to oure sonys; wherfor alle thingis that God comaundith to thee, do. 17   Forsothe Jacob aroos, and the fre children and his wyues put vpon camels, &yogh;ede awey; 18   and

took al his substaunce, flockis, and alle thingis that he hadde purchasid in Mesopotany, goynge to Ysaac, his fader, in the loond of Chanaan. 19   That tyme Laban was goon to the sheep that shulden be clippid, and Rachel hadde stolne the mawmetis of hir fadir. 20   And Jacob nolde knowleche to his wyues fader, that he wolde flee; and whanne he was goon, 21   bothe he and alle thingis that weren of his ri&yogh;t, and the flode passid ouer shulde go a&yogh;ens the hil of Galaad, 22   it was tolde to Laban, the thridde day, that Jacob fleei&yogh;. 23   The which, his britheren takun with hym, pursuede hym seuen dayes, and ouertook hym in the hil of Galaad. 24   And he saw&yogh; in his sleep the Lord seiynge to hym, Be war lest eny thing sharply thow speek a&yogh;ens Jacob. 25   And now Jacob hadde strau&yogh;te a tabernacle in the hil; and whan he hadde takun hym with his britheren, in the same hil of Galaad, he ficchide a tent; and he seide to Jacob, 26   Whi didist thow thus, that bisyde me thow dryue awey my dow&yogh;tris as caytyues with swerde? 27   Whi vnwitynge me woldist thow fle, ne shewe to me, that Y my&yogh;te forth folwe thee with ioye, and songis, and tympans, and harpis? 28   Thow suffredist not that Y my&yogh;te kisse my sones and dow&yogh;tris; folily thow hast wrou&yogh;t. 29   And now forsothe myn hoond may &yogh;eeld to thee yuel, but God of thi fader &yogh;istirday seide to me, Be war lest thow speek with Jacob eny thing harder. 30   And if thow coueytidist to goo to thine, and the hows of thi fadir was in desiyr to thee, whi hast thow stoln my goddis? 31   Jacob answeride, That thus fro thee I am goon forth, Y dredde lest violentli thow shuldist taak awey thi dow&yogh;tris; 32   that forsothe thow vndirnymist me of thefte, anentist whom euer thow fyndist thi goddis, be he slaw biforn our britheren; and serch what euer of thi thing anentis me thow fyndist, and taak awey.

Thes thingis seiynge, he knewe not that Rachel hadde stoln the mawmetis. 33   And so Laban, goon into the tabernacle of Jacob, and Lya, and of either meyne, fonde nou&yogh;t; and whan he was goon yn to the tentis of Rachel, 34   she hiynge hidde the mawmetis vndur the literyng of a camele, and sat aboue. And to hym, aserchynge al the tent and no thing fyndynge, 35   she seith, Be not, my lord, wroth that Y may not aryse bifore thee, for after the vsage of wymmen now it is fallun to me; and so bigilid is the bisynes of hym sechinge. 36   And Jacob swellynge, seith with striyf, For what my trespas, and for what my synne, hast thow thus fulbrent after me, 37   and hast enserchid alle my necessaryes of hows? What hast thow foundun of eny substawnce of thin hows? Putte that bifore my britheren and toforn thi bretheren, and deme thei bitwix me and thee. 38   Therfor twenti wynter haue I ben with thee? Thi shep and thi geit weren not barein, the wetheris of thi flok Y ete not, ne takun of beest I shewide to thee; 39   Y al the harm &yogh;olde; al thing of thefte that perishide, of me thow askidist; 40   day and ny&yogh;t with hoot and coolde Y was streynyd, and sleep flei&yogh; fro myn eyen; 41   so thur&yogh; out twenti &yogh;eer in thin hows Y seruede to thee, fourtene for thi dow&yogh;tres, and sixe for thi flockis; forsothe thow chaungedist my mede ten sithis. 42   But the God of my fader Abraham, and the drede of Ysaac hadde ben to me, perauenture nakid now thou haddist laft me; myn affliccioun and the traueil of myn hondis the Lord bihelde, and vndernam thee &yogh;isterday. 43   Laban answeride to hym, My dow&yogh;tres, and sones, and thi flockis, and alle that thow biholdist, ben myne, and what may Y do to my sones, and to my neces? 44   Com thanne, and goo we into couenaunt of pees, that witnesse be bitwixe me and

thee. 45   And so Jacob took a stoon, and areryde it into a title, 46   and seide to his britheren, Bryngith to stoons; the whiche gederynge togidere, maden an hillok, and eten ther vpon. 47   The which Laban clepyde an hillok of witnes, and Jacob an hipil of wytnessyng; either after the proprete of his tunge. 48   And Laban seide, This hillok shal be witnes bitwixe me and thee to day, and therfor the name of it is clepid Galaad, that is, the hillok of witnes. 49   And Laban leide to, The Lord biholde, and deme bitwixen vs, whanne we shulen goo from vs; 50   if thow turmente my dow&yogh;tres, if thow bryngist yn other wyues vpon hem, no man of oure word is witnes, saue God, that present biholdith. 51   And eft he seide to Jacob, Loo! this hillok, and the stoon that I haue rerid bitwixe me and thee, witnes shal be; 52   this hilloc, and the stoon ben into witnessyng, if forsothe I shall passe it goynge to thee, or thow ouerpassist yuel to me thenkynge. 53   God of Abraham, and God of Nachor, deme bitwix vs, the God of the fader of hem. Thanne Jacob swore by the drede of his fader Ysaac; 54   and, offrid slayn sacrifice in the hil, he clepide his britheren that thei shulden eete breed, the whiche whanne thei hadden etun, dwelten there. 55   Laban forsothe at ny&yogh;t arysynge, kisside the sones, and his dou&yogh;tris, and blisside to hem, turnynge a&yogh;en into his place.

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