The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

sle we hym, and sende we into an eld sisterne, and we schulen seie, A wielde beeste ful wickid hath deuourid hym; and thanne it schal appere what hise dremes profiten to hym.

Sotheli Ruben herde this, and enforside to delyuere hym fro her hondis,

and seide, Sle we not the lijf of hym, nether schede we out his blood, but caste ye hym into an eeld cisterne, which is in the wildirnesse, and kepe ye youre hondis gilteles. Forsothe he seide this, willynge to delyuere hym fro her hondis, and to yelde to his fadir.

Therfor anoon as Joseph cam to hise britheren, thei dispuyliden hym of the coote, doun to the heele, and of many colours, and senten into the eeld cisterne,

that hadde no water.

And thei saten `to ete breed; and thei sien that Ismaelitis weigoers camen fro Galaad, and that her camels baren swete smellynge spiceries, and `rosyn, and stacten, into Egipt.

Therfor Judas seide to hise britheren, What schal it profite to vs, if we schulen sle oure brother, and schulen hide his blood?

It is betere that he be seeld to Ismalitis, and oure hondis be not defoulid, for he is oure brother and fleisch. The britheren assentiden to these wordis;

and whanne marchauntis of Madian passiden forth, thei drowen hym out of the cisterne, and seelden hym to Ismaelitis, for thriytti platis of siluer; whiche ledden hym in to Egipt.

And Ruben turnede ayen to the cisterne, and foond not the child;

and he to-rente his closis, and he yede to hise britheren, and seide, The child apperith not, and whidir schal Y go?

Forsothe thei token his coote, and dippiden in the blood of a kide, which thei hadden slayn; and senten men that baren to the fadir,

and seiden, We han founde this coote, se, whether it is the coote of thi sone, ether nai.

And whanne the fader hadde knowe it, he seide, It is the coote of my sone, a wielde beeste ful wickid hath ete hym, a beeste hath deuourid Joseph.

And he to-rente his clothis, and he was clothid with an heire, and biweilide his sone in myche tyme.

Sothely whanne hise fre children weren gaderid to gidere, that thei schulden peese the sorewe of the fadir, he nolde take counfort, but seide, Y schal go doun in to helle, and schal biweile my sone. And the while Jacob contynude in wepyng,

Madianytis seelden Joseph into Egipt to Putifar, chast `and onest seruaunt of Farao, maistir of the chyualrie.

Yn the same tyme Judas yede doun fro his britheren, and turnede to a man of Odolla, Hiram bi name;

and he siy ther a douytir of a man of Canaan, Sue bi name. And whanne he hadde takun hir to wijf,

he entride to hir, and sche conseyuede, and childide a sone, and clepide his name Her.

And eft whanne a child was conseyued, sche nemyde the child borun Onam.

And sche childide the thridde sone, whom sche clepide Cela, and whanne he was borun, sche ceesside to bere child more.

Forsothe Judas yaf a wijf, `Thamar bi name, to his firste gendrid sone Her.

And Her, the firste gendrid sone of Judas, was weiward in the siyt of the Lord, and therfor he was slayn of the Lord.

Therfor Judas seide to Onam, his sone, Entre thou to the wijf of thi brothir, and be thou felouschipid to hir, that thou reise seed to thi brothir.

And he wiste that sones schulden not be borun to him, `and he entride to the wijf of his brother, and schedde seed in to the erthe, lest the fre children schulden be borun bi the name of the brother;

and therfor the Lord smoot hym, for he dide abhomynable thing.

Wherfor Judas seide to Thamar, `wijf of his sone, Be thou widewe in the hous of thi fadir, til Sela my sone wexe, for he dredde lest also he schulde die as hise britheren. And sche yede, and dwellide in the hous of hir fadir.

Forsothe whanne many yeeris weren passid, the douyter of Sue, `the wijf of Juda, diede, and whanne coumfort was takun aftir morenyng, he stiede to the schereris of hise scheep, he and Iras of Odolla, that was kepere of the floc, stieden in to Thampnas.

And it was teld to Thamar, that `the fadir of hir hosebonde stiede to Thampnas, to schere scheep.

And sche dide awei the clothis of widewehod, and sche took a roket, and whanne the clothinge was chaungid, sche sat in the weilot that ledith to Tampna; for Sela hadde woxe, and sche hadde not take hym to hosebonde.

And whanne Judas hadde seyn hir, he supposide hir to be an hoore, for sche hadde hilid hir face, lest sche were knowun.

And Judas entride to hir, and seide, Suffre me that Y ligge with thee; for he wiste not that sche was the wijf of his sone. And whanne sche answeride, What schalt thou yyue to me, that thou ligge bi me?

he seide, Y schal sende to thee a kide of the flockis. And eft whanne sche seide, Y schal suffre that that thou wolt, if thou schalt yyue to me a wed, til thou sendist that that thou bihetist.

Judas seide, What wolt thou that be youun to thee for a wed? She answeride, Thi ryng, and thi bie of the arm, and the staaf which thou holdist in the hond. Therfor the womman conseyuide at o liggyng bi, and sche roos, and yede;

and whanne the clooth was `put awei which sche hadde take, sche was clothid in the clothis of widewhod.

Forsothe Judas sente a kide bi his scheepherde of Odolla, that he schulde resseyue the wed which he hadde youe to the womman; and whanne he hadde not founde hir,

he axide men of that place, Where is the womman that sat in the weie lot? And whanne alle men answeriden, An hoore was not in this place; he turnede ayen to Judas,

and seide to hym, Y foond not hir, but also men of that place seiden to me, that an hoore sat neuere there.

Judas seide, Haue sche to hir silf, certis sche may not repreue vs of a leesyng; Y sente the kyde which Y bihiyte, and thou foundist not hir.

Lo! sotheli aftir thre monethis thei telden to Judas, and seiden, Thamar, `wijf of thi sone, hath do fornycacioun, and hir womb semeth to wexe greet. Judas seide, Brynge ye hir forth, that sche be brent.

And whanne sche was led to peyne, sche sente to `the fadir of hir hosebonde, and seide, Y haue conseyued of the man, whose these thingis ben; knowe thou whose is the ryng, and bie of the arm, and staf?

And whanne the yiftis weren knowun, he seide, Sche is more iust than Y, for Y yaf not hir to Sela, my sone; netheles Judas knewe hir no more fleischli.

Sotheli whanne the childberyng neiyede, twei chyldren apperiden in the wombe, and in that birthe of children, oon brouyte forth the hond, in which the mydwijf boond a reed threed,

and seide, This schal go out `the formere.

Sotheli while he withdrowe the hond, the tother yede out, and the womman seide, Whi was the skyn in which the child lay in the wombe departid for thee? And for this cause sche clepide his name Fares.

Afterward his brothir yede out, in whos hond was the reed threed, whom sche clepide Zaram.

Therfor Joseph was led in to Egipt, and Putifar, `chast and onest seruaunt of Farao, prince of the oost, a man of Egipt, bouyte hym of the hondis of Ismaelitis, of which he was brouyt.

And the Lord was with hym, and he was a man doynge with prosperite in alle thingis. And Joseph dwellide in `the hows of his lord,

which knew best that the Lord was with Joseph, and that alle thingis whiche he dide, weren dressid of the Lord in `the hond of hym.

And Joseph foond grace bifor his lord, and `mynystride to hym, of whom Joseph was maad souereyn of alle thingis, and gouernede the hows bitaken to hym, and alle thingis that weren bitakun to hym.

And the Lord blesside the `hows of Egipcian for Joseph, and multipliede al his catel, as wel in howsis as in feeldis;

nether he knew ony other thing no but `breed which he eet. Forsothe Joseph was fair in face, and schapli in siyt.

And so aftir many daies the ladi castide hir iyen in to Joseph, and seide, Slepe thou with me;

which assentide not to the vnleueful werk, and seide to hir, Lo! while alle thingis ben bitakun to me, my lord woot not what he hath in his hows,

nether ony thing is, which is not in my power, ether which `he hath not bitake to me, outakun thee, which art his wijf; how therfor may Y do this yuel, and do synne ayens my lord?

Thei spaken siche wordis `bi alle daies, and the womman was diseseful to the yong waxynge man, and he forsook auoutrie.

Forsothe it bifelde in a dai, that Joseph entride in to the hows, and dide sum werk with out witnessis.

And sche took `the hem of his clooth, and sche seide, Slepe thou with me; and he lefte the mentil in hir hoond, and he fledde, and yede out.

And whanne the womman hadde seyn the clooth in hir hondis, and that sche was dispisid,

sche clepide to hir the men of hir hows, and seide to hem, Lo! my lord hath brouyt in an Ebrew man, that he schulde scorn vs; he entride to me to do leccherie with me, and whanne Y criede, and he herde my vois,

he lefte the mentil which Y helde, and he fledde out.

Therfor in to the preuyng of trouthe, sche schewide the mantil, holdun to the hosebonde turnynge ayen hoom.

And she seide, The Ebrew seruaunt, whom thou brouytist, entride to me to scorne me; and whanne he siy me crye,

he lefte the mentil which Y helde, and he fledde out.

And whanne these thingis weren herd, the lord bileuyde ouer myche to the wordis of the wijf, and was ful wrooth;

and he bitook Joseph in to prisoun, where the bounden men of the kyng weren kept, and he was closid there.

Forsothe the Lord was with Joseph, and hadde mercy on hym, and yaf grace to hym in the siyt of the prince of the prisoun,

which bitook in the hond of Joseph alle prisoneris that weren holdun in kepyng, and what euer thing was doon, it was vndur Joseph, nethir the prince knewe ony thing,

for alle thingis weren bitakun to Joseph; for the Lord was with hym, and dresside alle his werkis.

Whanne these thingis weren doon so, it bifelde that twei geldyngis, the boteler and the baker `of the kyng of Egipt, synneden to her lord.

And Farao was wrooth ayens hem, for the toon was `souereyn to boteleris, the tother was `souereyn to bakeris.

And he sente hem in to the prisoun of the prince of knyytis, in which also Joseph was boundun.

And the keper of the prisoun bitook hem to Joseph, which also `mynystride to hem. Sumdel of tyme passide, and thei weren hooldun in kepyng, and bothe sien a dreem in o nyyt,

bi couenable expownyng to hem.

And whanne Joseph hadde entrid to hem eerli, and hadde seyn hem sori,

he axide hem, and seide, Whi is youre `face soriere to dai than it ys wont?

Whiche answeriden, We seiyen a dreem, and `noon is that expowneth to vs. And Joseph seide to hem, Whether expownyng is not of God? Telle ye to me what ye han seyn.

The `souereyn of boteleris telde first his dreem; Y seiy that a vyne bifore me,

in which weren thre siouns, wexide litil and litil in to buriounnyngis, and that aftir flouris grapys wexiden ripe,

and the cuppe of Farao was in myn hond; therfor Y took the grapis, and presside out in to the cuppe which Y helde, and Y yaf drynk to Farao.

Joseph answerde, This is the expownyng of the dreem; thre siouns ben yit thre daies,

aftir whiche Farao schal haue mynde of thi seruyce, and he schal restore thee in to the firste degree, and thou schal yyue to hym the cuppe, bi thin office, as thou were wont to do bifore.

Oneli haue thou mynde on me, whanne it is wel to thee, and thou schalt do merci with me, that thou make suggestioun to Farao, that he lede me out of this prisoun;

for theefli Y am takun awei fro the lond of Ebrews, and here Y am sent innocent in to prisoun.

The `maister of bakeris seiye that Joseph hadde expowned prudentli the dreem, and he seide, And Y seiy a dreem, that Y hadde thre panyeris of mele on myn heed,

and Y gesside that Y bar in o panyere, that was heiyere, alle metis that ben maad bi craft of bakers, and that briddis eeten therof.

Joseph answerde, This is the expownyng of the dreem; thre panyeris ben yit thre daies,

aftir whiche Farao schal take awei thin heed, and he schal hange thee in a cros, and briddis schulen todrawe thi fleischis.

Fro thennus the thridde dai was the dai of birthe of Farao, which made a greet feeste to hise children, and hadde mynde among metis on the maistir `of boteleris, and on the prince of bakeris;

and he restoride the oon in to his place, that he schulde dresse cuppe to `the kyng,

and he hangide `the tothir in a gebat, that the treuthe of `the expownere schulde be preued.

And netheles whanne prosperitees bifelden, the `souereyn of boteleris foryat `his expownere.

Aftir twei yeer Farao seiy a dreem; he gesside that he stood on a flood,

fro which seuene faire kiyn and ful fatte stieden, and weren fed in the places of mareis;

and othere seuene, foule and leene, camen out of the flood, and weren fed in thilk brenke of the watir, in grene places;

and tho deuoureden thilke kien of whiche the fairnesse and comelynesse of bodies was wondurful.

Farao wakide, and slepte eft, and seiy another dreem; seuen eeris of corn ful and faire camen forth in o stalke,

and othere as many eeris of corn, thinne and smytun with corrupcioun of brennynge wynd,

camen forth, deuourynge al the fairenesse of the firste. Farao wakide aftir reste,