1   Forsothe Abraham was eld, and of many daies, and the Lord hadde blessid hym in alle thingis. 2   And he seide to the eldere seruaunt of his hows, that was souereyn on alle thingis that he hadde, Put thou thin hond vndur myn hipe, 3   that Y coniure thee bi the Lord God of heuene and of erthe,

that thou take not a wijf to my sone of the dou&yogh;tris of Chanaan, among whiche Y dwelle; 4   but that thou go to my lond and kynrede, and therof take a wijf to my sone Ysaac. 5   The seruaunt aunswerde, If the womman nyle come with me in to this lond, whether Y owe lede a&yogh;en thi sone to the place, fro which thou &yogh;edist out? 6   Abraham seide, Be war, lest ony tyme thou lede a&yogh;en thidur my sone; 7   the Lord of heuene that took me fro the hows of my fadir, and fro the lond of my birthe, which spak to me, and swoor, and seide, Y schal &yogh;yue this lond to thi seed, he schal sende his aungel bifore thee, and thou schalt take fro thennus a wijf to my sone; forsothe if the womman nyle sue thee, 8    thou schalt not be holdun bi the ooth; netheles lede not a&yogh;en my sone thidur. 9   Therfore the seruaunt puttide his hond vndur the hipe of Abraham, his lord, and swoor to him on this word. 10   And he took ten camels of the floc of his lord, and &yogh;ede forth, and bar with him of alle the goodis of his lord; and he &yogh;ede forth, and cam to Mesopotanye, to the citee of Nachor. 11   And whanne he hadde maad the camels to reste with out the citee, bisidis the pit of watir, in the euentid, in that tyme in which wymmen ben wont to go out to drawe watir, 12   he seide, Lord God of my lord Abraham, Y biseche, meete with me to dai, and do mersi with my lord Abraham. 13   Lo! Y stonde ny&yogh; the welle of watir, and the dou&yogh;tris of enhabiters of this citee schulen go out to drawe watir; 14   therfor the damysel to which Y schal seie, Bowe doun thi watir pot that Y drynke, and schal answere, Drynke thou, but also Y schal &yogh;yue drynke to thi camels, thilke it is which thou hast maad redi to thi seruaunt Ysaac; and bi this Y schal vndirstonde that thou hast do mersi with my lord Abraham. 15   And he hadde not &yogh;it fillid the wordis with ynne hym silf, and

lo! Rebecca, the dou&yogh;tir of Batuel, sone of Melcha, wijf of Nachor, brothir of Abraham, &yogh;ede out, hauynge a watir pot in hir schuldre; 16   a damysel ful comeli, and faireste virgyn, and vnknowun of man. Sotheli sche cam doun to the welle, and fillide the watir pot, and turnide a&yogh;en. 17   And the seruaunt mette hir, and seide, &YOGH;yue thou to me a litil of the watir of thi pot to drynke. 18   Which answerde, Drynke thou, my lord. And anoon sche dide doun the watir pot on hir schuldre, and &yogh;af drynk to hym. 19   And whanne he hadde drunke, sche addide, But also Y schal drawe watir to thi camelis, til alle drynken. 20   And sche helde out the watir pot in trou&yogh;is, and ran a&yogh;en to the pit, to drawe watir, and sche &yogh;af watir drawun to alle the camels. 21   Sotheli he bihelde hir priueli, and wolde wite whether the Lord hadde sped his wei, ethir nay. 22   Therfor after that the camels drunken, the man brou&yogh;te forth goldun eere ryngis, weiynge twei siclis, and as many bies of the arm, in the wei&yogh;te of ten siclis. 23   And he seide to hir, Whos dou&yogh;ter art thou? schewe thou to me, is ony place in the hows of thi fadir to dwelle? 24   Which answerde, Y am the dou&yogh;ter of Batuel, sone of Nachor, whom Melcha childide to him. 25   And sche addide, seiynge, Also ful myche of prouendre and of hey is at vs, and a large place to dwelle. 26   The man bowide hym silf, 27   and worschipide the Lord, and seide, Blessid be the Lord God of my lord Abraham, which God took not aweie his mersy and treuthe fro my lord, and ledde me bi ri&yogh;t weie in to the hous of the brother of my lord. 28   And so the damesel ran, and telde in the hous of hir modir alle thingis whiche sche hadde herd. 29   Sotheli Rebecca hadde a brothir, Laban bi name, whiche &yogh;ede out hastili to the man, where he was with out forth. 30   And whanne he hadde seyn the eere ryngis and byes of the arm

in the hondis of his sister, and hadde herd alle the wordis of hir tellynge, the man spak to me these thingis, he cam to the man that stood bisidis the camels, and ny&yogh; the welle of watir, 31   and seide to him, Entre thou, the blessid of the Lord; whi stondist thou with outforth? I haue maad redi the hows, and a place to thi camels. 32   And he brou&yogh;te hym in to the ynne, and unsadlide the camels, and &yogh;af prouendre, and hey, and watir to waische the feet of camels, and of men that camen with hym. 33   And breed was set forth in his si&yogh;t, which seide, Y schal not ete til Y speke my wordis. He answerde to the man, Speke thou. 34   And the man seide, Y am the seruaunt of Abraham, 35   and the Lord hath blessid my lord greetli, and he is maad greet; and God &yogh;af to hym scheep, and oxun, siluer, and gold, seruauntis, and handmaides, camels, and assis. 36   And Sare, `the wijf of my lord, childide a sone to my lord in his eelde, and he &yogh;af alle thingis that he hadde to that sone. 37   And my lord chargide me greetli, and seide, Thou schalt not take to my sone a wijf of the dou&yogh;tris of Canaan, in whos lond Y dwelle, 38   but thou schalt go to the hous of my fadir, and of myn kynrede thou schalt take a wijf to my sone. 39   Forsothe Y answerde to my lord, What if the womman nyle come with me? 40   He seide, The Lord in whose si&yogh;t Y go, schal sende his aungel with thee, and he schal dresse thi weie; and thou schalt take a wijf to my sone of my kynrede, and of my fadris hows. 41   Thou schalt be innocent fro my curs, whanne thou comest to my kynesmen, and thei &yogh;yuen not `the womman to thee. 42   Therfor Y cam to day to the welle of watir, and Y seide, Lord God of my lord Abraham, if thou hast dressid my weie in which Y go now, lo! 43   Y stonde bisidis the welle of watir, and the maide that schal go out to drawe watir herith me, &yogh;yue thou to me a litil of water to drynke of thi pot, 44   and seith to me, And

thou drynke, and Y schal drawe watir to thi camels, thilke is the womman which the Lord hath maad redi to the sone of my lord. 45   While Y turnede in thou&yogh;te these thingis with me, Rebecca apperide, comynge with a pot which sche bare in the schuldre; and sche &yogh;ede doun to the welle, and drowe watir. And Y seide to hir, &YOGH;yue thou a litil to me to drynke; and sche hastide, 46   and dide doun the pot of the schuldre, and seide to me, And thou drynke, and Y schal &yogh;yue drynke to thi camels; Y drank, and watride the camels. 47   And Y axide hir, and seide, Whos dou&yogh;tir art thou? Which answerde, Y am the dou&yogh;tir of Batuel, sone of Nachor, whom Melcha childide to him. And so Y hangide eere ryngis to ourne hir face, and Y puttide bies of the arm in hir hondis, 48   and lowliche Y worschipide the Lord, and Y blessid the Lord God of my lord Abraham, which God ledde me bi ri&yogh;t weie, that Y schulde take the dou&yogh;tir of the brothir of my lord to his sone. 49   Wherfor if &yogh;e don mercy and treuthe with `my lord, schewe &yogh;e to me; ellis if othir thing plesith, also seie &yogh;e this, that Y go to the ri&yogh;t side ethir to the left side. 50   Laban and Batuel answeriden, The word is gon out of the Lord; we moun not speke ony other thing with thee without his plesaunce. 51   Lo! Rebecca is bifore thee; take thou hir, and go forth, and be sche wijf of the sone of thi lord, as the Lord spak. 52   And whanne the child of Abraham hadde herd this, he felde doun, and worschipide the Lord in erthe. 53   And whanne vessels of siluer, and of gold, and clothis weren brou&yogh;t forth, he &yogh;af tho to Rebecca for &yogh;ifte, and he &yogh;af &yogh;iftis to hir britheren, and modir. 54   And whanne a feeste was maad, thei eeten and drunken to gider, and dwelliden there. Forsothe the child roos eerli, and spak, Delyuere &yogh;e me, that Y go to my lord. 55   Hir

britheren and modir answerden, The damesele dwelle nameli ten daies at vs, and aftirward sche schal go forth. 56   The child seide, Nyle &yogh;e holde me, for the Lord hath dressid my weie; delyuere &yogh;e me, that I go to my lord. 57   And thei seiden, Clepe we the damysele, and axe we hir wille. 58   And whanne sche was clepid, and cam, thei axiden, Wolt thou go with this man? 59   And sche seide, Y schal go. Therfor they delyueriden hir, and hir nurse, and the seruaunt of Abraham, and hise felowis, and wischiden prosperitees to her sister, 60    and seiden, Thou art oure sister, encreesse thou in to a thousand thousandis, and thi seed gete the &yogh;atis of hise enemyes. 61   Therfor Rebecca and hir damesels stieden on the camels, and sueden the man, which turnede a&yogh;en hasteli to his lord. 62   In that tyme Ysaac walkide bi the weie that ledith to the pit, whos name is of hym that lyueth and seeth; for he dwellide in the south lond. 63   And he &yogh;ede out to thenke in the feeld, for the dai was `bowid thanne; and whanne he hadde reisid the i&yogh;en, he sei&yogh; camels comynge afer. 64   And whanne Ysaac was seyn, Rebecca li&yogh;te doun of the camel, 65   and seide to the child, Who is that man that cometh bi the feeld in to the metyng of vs? And the child seide to hir, He is my lord. And sche took soone a mentil, and hilide hir. 66   Forsothe the seruaunt tolde to his lord Ysaac alle thingis whiche he hadde do; 67   which Ysaac ledde hir in to the tabernacle of Sare, his modir, and took hir to wijf; and so myche he louede hir, that he temperide the sorewe which bifelde of the deeth of the modir.

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