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Hebrew / JewishChristianity
The sones of Aser, Jamne, and Jesua, and Jesui, and Beria; and Sara, the sister of hem. The sones of Beria, Heber and Melchiel.
These weren the sones of Zelfa, whom Laban yaf to Lia, his douyter, and Jacob gendryde these sixtene persones.
The sones of Rachel, `wijf of Jacob, weren Joseph and Beniamyn.
And sones weren borun to Joseph in the loond of Egipt, Manasses and Effraym, whiche Asenech, `douytir of Putifar, preest of Helipoleos, childide to hym.
The sones of Beniamin weren Bela, and Becor, and Asbel, Gera, and Naaman, and Jechi, `Ros, and Mofym, and Ofym, and Ared.
These weren the sones of Rachel, whiche Jacob gendride; alle the persones weren fouretene.
The sone of Dan, Vsym.
The sones of Neptalym, Jasiel, and Guny, and Jeser, and Salem.
These weren `the sones of Bala, whom Laban yaf to Rachel his douytir.
And Jacob gendride these; alle the soules weren seuene. And alle the men that entriden with Jacob in to Egipt, and yeden out of his thiy, with out `the wyues of his sones, weren sixti and sixe.
Forsothe the sones of Joseph, that weren borun to hym in `the loond of Egipt, weren two men. Alle the soulis of `the hows of Jacob, that entriden in to Egipt, weren seuenti.
Forsothe Jacob sente Judas bifore hym to Joseph, that he schulde telle to hym, and he schulde `come in to Gessen.
And whanne Jacob hadde come thidir, Joseph stiede in his chare to mete his fadir at the same place. And he siy Jacob, and felde on `his necke, and wepte bitwixe collyngis.
And the fadir seide to Joseph, Now Y schal die ioiful, for Y siy thi face, and Y leeue thee lyuynge.
And Joseph spak to hise brithren, and to al `the hows of his fadir, I schal stie, and `Y schal telle to Farao, and Y schal seie to hym, My britheren, and the hows of my fadir, that weren in the lond of Canaan, ben comun to me,
and thei ben men kepers of scheep, and han bisynesse of flockis to be fed; thei brouyten with hem her scheep and grete beestis, and alle thingis whiche thei miyten haue.
And whanne Farao schal clepe you, and schal seie, What is youre werk?
ye schulen answere, We ben thi seruauntis, men scheepherdis, fro oure childhed til in to present tyme, bothe we and oure fadris. Sotheli ye schulen seye these thingis, that ye moun dwelle in the lond of Gessen, for Egipcians wlaten alle keperis of scheep.
Therfor Joseph entride, and telde to Farao, and seide, My fadir and brethren, the scheep and grete beestis of hem, and alle thingis whiche thei welden, camen fro the lond of Canaan; and lo! thei stonden in the lond of Gessen.
And he ordeynede fyue, the laste men of hise britheren, bifore the kyng,
whiche he axide, What werk han ye? Thei answeriden, We thi seruauntis ben kepers of scheep, bothe we and oure faderis;
we camen in to thi lond to be pilgrymys, for noo gras is to the flockis of thi seruauntis; hungur wexith greuouse in the lond of Canaan, and we axen that thou comaunde vs thi seruauntis to be in the lond of Gessen.
And so the kyng seide to Joseph, Thi fadir and thi britheren camen to thee;
the lond of Egipt is in thi siyt, make thou hem to dwelle in the beste place, and yyue thou to hem the lond of Gessen; that if thou woost that witti men ben in hem, ordeyne thou hem maystris of my beestis.
After these thingis Joseph brouyte in his fader to the king, and settide him bifor the king, which blesside the king;
and he was axid of the king, Hou many ben the daies of the yeeris of thi lijf?
And he answeride, The daies of pilgrymage of my lijf, ben feewe and yuele, of an hundrid and thretti yeer, and tho `camen not til to the daies of my fadris, in whiche thei weren pilgryms.
And whanne he hadde blessid the kyng, he yede out.
Forsothe Joseph yaf to hise fadir and britheren possessioun in Egipt, in Ramasses, the beste soile of erthe, as Farao comaundide;
and he fedde hem, and al the hows of his fadir, and yaf metis to alle.
For breed failide in al the world, and hungur oppresside the lond, moost of Egipt and of Canaan;
of whiche londis he gaderide al the money for the sillyng of wheete, and brouyte it in to the `tresorie of the kyng.
And whanne prijs failide to the bieris, al Egipt cam to Joseph, and seide, Yyue thou `looues to vs; whi shulen we die bifore thee, while monei failith?
To whiche he answeride, Brynge ye youre beestis, and Y schal yyue to you metis for tho, if ye han not prijs.
And whanne thei hadden brouyt tho, he yaf to hem metis for horsis, and scheep, and oxun, and assis; and he susteynede hem in that yeer for the chaungyng of beestis.
And thei camen in the secunde yeer, and seiden to hym, We helen not fro oure lord, that the while monei failith, also beestis failiden togidere, nether it is hid fro thee, that with out bodies and lond we han no thing;
whi therfor schulen we die, while thou seest? bothe we and oure lond schulen be thine, bie thou vs in to the kyngis seruage, and yyue thou seedis, lest the while the tiliere perischith, the lond be turned in to wildirnesse.
Therfor Joseph bouyte al the lond of Egipt, while all men seelden her possessiouns, for the greetnesse of hungur;
and he made it and alle puplis therof suget to Farao, fro the laste termes of Egipt til to the laste endis therof,
outakun the lond of preestis, that was youun of the kyng to hem, to whiche preestis also metis weren youun of the comun bernys, and therfor thei weren not compellid to sille her possessiouns.
Therfor Joseph seide to the puplis, Lo! as ye seen, Farao weldith bothe you and youre lond; take ye seedis, and `sowe ye feeldis,
that ye moun haue fruytis; ye schulen yyue the fifthe part to the kyng; Y suffre to you the foure residue partis in to seed and in to meetis, to you, and to youre fre children.
Whiche answeriden, Oure helthe is in thin hond; oneli oure God biholde vs, and we schulen ioifuli serue the kyng.
For that tyme til in to present dai, in al the lond of Egipt, the fyuethe part is paied to the kyngis, and it is maad as in to a lawe, with out the lond of preestis, that was fre fro this condicioun.
Therfor Israel dwellide in Egipt, that is, in the lond of Jessen, and weldide it; and he was encreessid and multiplied ful mych.
And he lyuede therynne sixtene yeer; and alle the daies of his lijf weren maad of an hundrid and seuene and fourti yeer.
And whanne he seiy the dai of deeth nyye, he clepide his sone Joseph, and seide to hym, If Y haue founde grace in thi siyt; putte thin hond vndur myn hipe, and thou schal do merci and treuthe to me, that thou birie not me in Egipt;
but `Y schal slepe with my fadris, and take thou awey me fro this lond, and birie in the sepulcre of my grettere. To whom Joseph answeride, Y schal do that that thou comaundist.
And Israel seide, Therfor swere thou to me; and whanne Joseph swoor, Israel turnede to the heed of the bed, and worschipide God.
And so whanne these thingis weren don, it was teld to Joseph, that his fadir was sijk. And he took hise twei sones, Manasses and Effraym, and he disposide to go.
And it was seid to the elde man, Lo! thi sone Joseph cometh to thee; which was coumfortid, and sat in the bed.
And whanne Joseph entride to hym, he seide, Almyyti God apperide to me in Luza, which is in the lond of Canaan, and blesside me,
and seide, Y schal encreesse and multiplie thee, and Y schal make thee in to cumpanyes of puplis, and Y schal yyue to thee this lond, and to thi seed aftir thee, in to euerlastinge possessioun.
Therfor thi twei sones, that ben borun to thee in the lond of Egipt bifore that Y cam hidir to thee, schulen be myne, Effraym and Manasses as Ruben and Symeon schulen be arettid to me;
forsothe the othere whiche thou schalt gendre aftir hem schulen be thine; and thei schulen be clepid bi the name of her britheren in her possessiouns.
Forsothe whanne Y cam fro Mesopotamye, Rachel was deed to me in the lond of Canaan, in thilke weie; and it was the bigynnyng of somer; and Y entride in to Effrata, and beriede hir bisidis the weie of Effrata, which bi anothir name is clepid Bethleem.
Forsothe Jacob seiy the sones of Joseph, and seide to him, Who ben these?
He answeride, Thei ben my sones, whiche God yaf to me in this place. Jacob seide, Brynge hem to me that Y blesse hem.
For `the iyen of Israel, dasewiden for greet eelde, and he myyte not se clereli; and he kisside and collide tho children ioyned to hym, and seide to his sone,
Y am not defraudid of thi siyt; ferthermore God schewide to me thi seed.
And whanne Joseph hadde take hem fro `the fadris lappe, he worschipide lowe to erthe.
And he sette Effraym on his riyt side, that is, on the lift side of Israel; forsothe he settide Manasses in his lift side, that is, on the riyt side of the fadir; and he ioynede bothe to hym.
Which helde forth the riyt hond, and settide on `the heed of Effraym, the lesse brothir; sotheli he settide the left hond on `the heed of Manasses, that was the more thury birthe. Jacob chaungide `the hondes,
and blesside his sone Joseph, and seide, God, in whos siyt my fadris Abraham and Isaac yeden; God, that fedith me fro my yong wexynge age til in to present day;
the aungel that delyuerede me fro alle yuelis, blesse thes children, and my name be clepid on hem, and the names of my fadris Abraham and Ysaac; and wexe thei in multitude on erthe.
Forsothe Joseph seiy that his fadir hadde set the riyt hond on the heed of Effraym, and took heuyli, and he enforside to reise the fadris hond takun fro the heed of Effraym, and to bere `ouer on `the heed of Manasses.
And he seide to the fadir, Fadir, it acordith not so; for this is the firste gendrid; sette thi riyt hond on the heed `of hym.
Which forsook and seide, Y woot, my sone, Y woot; and sotheli this child schal be in to puplis, and he schal be multiplied; but his yonger brother schal be more than he, and `his seed schal encreesse in to folkis.
And he blesside hem in that tyme, and seide, Israel schal be blessid in thee, Joseph, and it schal be seid, God do to thee as to Effraym and as to Manasses. And he settide Effraym bifore Manasses;
and seide to Joseph, his sone, Lo! Y die, and God schal be with you, and schal lede you ayen to the lond of youre fadris;
Y yyue to thee o part ouer thi britheren which Y took fro the hand of Amorei, in my swerd and bowe.
Forsothe Jacob clepide hise sones, and seide to hem, Be ye gaderid that Y telle what thingis schulen come to you in the laste daies;
be ye gaderid, `and here, ye sones of Jacob, here ye Israel youre fadir.
Ruben, my firste gendrid sone, thou art my strengthe and the bigynnyng of my sorewe; thou ouytist to be the former in yiftis, the more in lordschip;
thou art sched out as watir; wexe thou not, for thou stiedist on the bed of thi fader, and defoulidist his bed.
Symeon and Leuy, britheren, fiytynge vessils of wickidnesse;
my soule come not in to the councel of hem, and my glorie be not in the congregacioun of hem; for in her woodnesse thei killiden a man, and in her wille thei myneden the wal;
curside be the woodnesse of hem, for it is obstynat, and the indignacioun of hem for it is hard; Y schal departe hem in Jacob, and I schal scatere hem in Israel.
Judas, thi britheren schulen preise thee, thin hondis schulen be in the nollis of thin enemyes; the sones of thi fadir schulen worschipe thee.
`A whelp of lioun `is Judas; my sone thou stiedist to prey; thou restidist, and hast leyn as a lioun, and as a lionesse who schal reise hym?
The septre schal not be takun awey fro Juda, and a duyk of his hipe, til he come that schal be sent, and he schal be abiding of hethene men;
and he schal tye his colt at the vyner, and his femal asse at the vyne; A! my sone, he schal waische his stoole in wyn, and his mentil in the blood of grape;
hise iyen ben fairere than wyn, and hise teeth ben whittere than mylk.
Zabulon schal dwelle in the brenk of the see, and in the stondyng of schipis; and schal stretche til to Sydon.
Isachar, a strong asse,
liggynge bitwixe termes, seiy reste, that it was good and seiy the lond that it was best, and he vndirsettide his schuldre to bere, and he was maad seruynge to tributis.
Dan schal deme his puple, as also another lynage in Israel.
Dan be maad a serpent in the weie, and cerastes in the path, and bite the feet of an hors, that the `stiere therof falle bacward; Lord,
Y schal abide thin helthe.
Gad schal be gird, and schal fiyte bifor hym, and he schal be gird bihynde.
Aser his breed schal be plenteuouse, and he schal yyue delicis to kyngis.
Neptalym schal be an hert sent out, and yyuynge spechis of fairenesse.
Joseph, a sone encreessynge, `a sone encresinge, and fair in biholdyng; douytris runnen aboute on the wal,
but hise brithren wraththeden hym, and chidden, and thei hadden dartis, and hadden enuye to hym.
His bowe sat in the stronge, and the boondis of his armes, and hondis weren vnboundun bi the hond of the myyti of Jacob; of hym a scheepherd yede out, the stoon of Israel.
God of thi fadir schal be thin helpere, and Almyyti God schal blesse thee with blessyngis of heuene fro aboue, and with blessyngis of the see liggynge binethe, with blessyngis of tetis, and of wombe;
the blessyngis of thi fadir ben coumfortid, the blessyngis of his fadris, til the desire of euerlastynge hillis cam; blessyngis ben maad in the heed of Joseph, and in the nol of Nazarei among his britheren.
Beniamyn, a rauyschynge wolf, schal ete prey eerly, and in the euentid he schal departe spuylis.
Alle these weren in twelue kynredis of Israel; her fadir spak these thingys to hem, and blesside hem alle by propre blessyngis,
and comaundide hem, and seide, Y am gaderid to my puple, birie ye me with my fadris in the double denne, which is in the lond of Efron Ethei, ayens Manbre,