The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

and seide, He that touchith the wijf of this man schal die bi deeth.

Forsothe Isaac sowide in that lond, and he foond an hundrid fold in that yeer; and the Lord blesside hym.

And the man was maad riche, and he yede profitynge and encreessynge til he was maad ful greet.

Also he hadde possessioun of scheep and grete beestis, and ful myche of meyne. For this thing Palestyns hadden enuye to hym,

and thei stoppiden in that tyme and filliden with erthe alle the pittis whiche the seruauntis of Abraham his fadir hadden diggid,

in so myche that Abymelech him silf seide to Ysaac, Go thou awei fro vs, for thou art maad greetly myytier than we.

And he yede awei, that he schulde come to the stronde of Gerare, and dwelle there.

And he diggide eft other pittis, whiche the seruauntis of Abraham his fadir hadden diggid, and whiche the Filisteis hadden stoppid sumtyme, whanne Abraham was deed; and he clepide tho pittis bi the same names, bi whiche his fadir hadde clepid bifore.

Thei diggiden in the stronde, and thei founden wellynge watir.

But also strijf of scheepherdis of Gerare was there ayens the scheepherdis of Isaac, and thei seiden, The watir is oure; wherfor of that that bifelde he clepide the name of the pit fals chaleng.

And thei diggiden anothir, and thei stryueden also for that, and Ysaac clepide that pit enemytes.

And he yede forth fro thennus, and diggide another pit, for which thei stryueden not, therfor he clepid the name of that pit largenesse; and seide, Now God hath alargid vs, and hath maad to encreesse on erthe.

Forsothe he stiede fro that place in to Bersabee,

where the Lord God apperide to him in that nyyt; and seide, Y am God of Abraham, thi fadir; nyle thou drede, for Y am with thee, and Y schal blesse thee, and Y schal multiplie thi seed for my seruaunt Abraham.

And so Ysaac bildide ther an auter to the Lord; and whanne the name of the Lord was inwardli clepid, he stretchide forth a tabernacle; and he comaundide hise seruauntis that thei schulden digge pittis.

And whanne Abymelech, and Ochosat, hise frendis, and Ficol, duk of knyytis, hadden come fro Geraris to that place,

Isaac spak to hem, What camen ye to me, a man whom ye hatiden, and puttiden awei fro you?

Whiche answeriden, We seiyen that God is with thee, and therfor we seiden now, An ooth be bitwixe vs, and make we a couenaunt of pees,

that thou do not ony yuel to vs, as we touchiden `not ony thing of thine, nethir diden that that hirtide thee, but with pees we leften thee encressid bi the blessyng of the Lord.

Therfor Isaac made a feeste to hem; and after mete and drynk thei risen eerli,

and sworen ech to other; and Isaac lefte hem peisibli in to her place.

Lo! forsothe in that dai the seruauntis of Ysaac camen, tellynge to him of the pit which thei hadden diggid, and seiden, We han foundun watir.

Wherfor Ysaac clepide that pit abundaunce; and the name of the citee was set Bersabee til in to present dai.

Esau forsothe fourti yeer eld weddide twei wyues, Judith, the douytir of Beeri Ethei, and Bethsamath, the douyter of Elon, of the same place;

whiche bothe offendiden the soule of Isaac and of Rebecca.

Forsothe Isaac wexe eld, and hise iyen dasewiden, and he miyte not se. And he clepide Esau, his more sone, and seide to hym, My sone! Which answerde, Y am present.

To whom the fadir seide, Thou seest that Y haue woxun eld, and Y knowe not the dai of my deeth.

Take thin armeres, `arewe caas, and a bowe, and go out; and whanne thou hast take ony thing bi huntyng,

make to me a seew therof, as thou knowist that Y wole, and brynge that Y ete, and my soule blesse thee bifore that Y die.

And whanne Rebecca hadde herd this thing, and he hadde go in to the feeld to fille the comaundment of the fadir,

sche seide to hir sone Jacob, Y herde thi fadir spekynge with Esau, thi brothir, and seiynge to him, Brynge thou me of thin huntyng,

and make thow metis, that Y ete, and that Y blesse thee bifor the Lord bifor that Y die.

Now therfor, my sone, assent to my counsels,

and go to the floc, and brynge to me tweyne the beste kidis, that Y make metis of tho to thi fadir, whiche he etith gladli;

and that whanne thow hast brouyt in tho metis, and he hath ete, he blesse thee bifore that he die.

To whom Jacob answerde, Thou knowist that Esau my brother is an heeri man, and Y am smethe; if my fadir `touchith and feelith me,

Y drede lest he gesse that Y wolde scorne him, and lest he brynge in cursyng on me for blessyng.

To whom the modir seide, My sone, this cursyng be in me; oonly here thou my vois, and go, and brynge that that Y seide.

He yede, and brouyte, and yaf to his modir. Sche made redi metis, as sche knewe that his fadir wolde,

and sche clothide Jacob in ful goode clothis of Esau, whiche sche hadde at home anentis hir silf.

And sche `compasside the hondis with litle skynnys of kiddis, and kyuerede the `nakide thingis of the necke;

and sche yaf seew, and bitook the loouys whiche sche hadde bake.

And whanne these weren brouyt in, he seide, My fadir! And he answerde, Y here; who art thou, my sone?

And Jacob seide, Y am Esau, thi first gendrid sone. Y haue do to thee as thou comaundist to me; rise thou, sitte, and ete of myn huntyng, that thi soule blesse me.

Eft Ysaac seide to his sone, My sone, hou miytist thou fynde so soone? Which answerde, It was Goddis wille, that this that Y wolde schulde come soone to me.

And Isaac seide, My sone, come thou hidir, that Y touche thee, and that Y preue wher thou art my sone Esau, ethir nay.

He neiyede to the fadir; and whanne he hadde feelid hym, Isaac seide, Sotheli the vois is the vois of Jacob, but the hondis ben the hondis of Esau.

And Isaac knew not Jacob, for the heery hondis expressiden the licnesse of the more sone.

Therfor Isaac blesside him, and seide, Art thou my sone Esau? Jacob answerde, Y am.

And Isaac seide, My sone, brynge thou to me metis of thin huntyng, that my soule blesse thee. And whanne Isaac hadde ete these metis brouyt, Jacob brouyte also wyn to Isaac, and whanne this was drunkun,

Isaac seide to him, My sone, come thou hidir, and yyue to me a cos.

Jacob neiyede, and kisside hym; and anoon as Isaac feelide the odour of hise clothis, he blesside him, and seide, Lo! the odour of my sone as the odour of a `feeld ful which the Lord hath blessid.

God yyue to thee of the dewe of heuene, and of the fatnesse of erthe, aboundaunce of whete, and of wyn, and of oile;

and puplis serue thee, and lynagis worschipe thee; be thou lord of thi britheren, and the sones of thi modir be bowid bifor thee; be he cursid that cursith thee, and he that blessith thee, be fillid with blessyngis.

Vnnethis Isaac hadde fillid the word, and whanne Jacob was gon out,

Esau cam, and brouyte in metis sodun of the huntyng to the fadir, and seide, My fadir, rise thou, and ete of the huntyng of thi sone, that thi soule blesse me.

And Isaac seide, Who forsothe art thou? Which answerde, Y am Esau, thi firste gendrid sone.

Isaac dredde bi a greet astonying; and he wondride more, than it mai be bileued, and seide, Who therfor is he which a while ago brouyte to me huntyng takun, and Y eet of alle thingis bifor that thou camest; and Y blesside him? and he schal be blessid.

Whanne the wordis of the fadir weren herd, Esau rorid with a greet cry, and was astonyed, and seide, My fadir, blesse thou also me.

Which seide, Thy brother cam prudentli, and took thi blessyng.

And Esau addide, Justli his name is clepid Jacob, for lo! he supplauntide me another tyme; bifor he took awei `my firste gendride thingis, and now the secounde tyme he rauyschide priueli my blessyng. And eft he seide to the fadir, Wher thou hast not reserued a blessyng also to me?

Ysaac answeride, Y haue maad him thi lord, and Y haue maad suget alle hise britheren to his seruage; Y haue stablischid him in whete, and wyn, and oile; and, my sone, what schal Y do to thee aftir these thingis?

To whom Esau saide, Fadir, wher thou hast oneli o blessyng? Y biseche that also thou blesse me. And whanne Esau wepte with greet yellyng,

Isaac was stirid, and seide to hym, Thi blessyng schal be in the fatnesse of erthe, and in the dew of heuene fro aboue;

thou schalt lyue bi swerd, and thou schalt serue thi brothir, and tyme schal come whanne thou schalt shake awei, and vnbynde his yok fro thi nollis.

Therfor Esau hatide euer Jacob for the blessyng bi which the fadir hadde blessid hym; and Esau seide in his herte, The daies of morenyng of my fadir schulen come, and Y schal sle Jacob, my brothir.

These thingis weren teld to Rebecca, and sche sente, and clepide hir sone Jacob, and seide to hym, Lo! Esau, thi brothir, manaasith to sle thee;

now therfor, my sone, here thou my vois, and rise thou, and fle to Laban, my brother, in Aran;

and thou schalt dwelle with hym a fewe daies, til the woodnesse of thi brother reste,

and his indignacioun ceesse, and til he foryite tho thingis whiche thou hast don ayens hym. Aftirward Y schal sende, and Y schal brynge thee fro thennus hidir. Whi schal Y be maad soneles of euer eithir sone in o dai?

And Rebecca seide to Isaac, It anoieth me of my lijf for the douytris of Heth; if Jacob takith a wijf of the kynrede of this lond, Y nyle lyue.

And so Isaac clepide Jacob, and blesside hym, and comaundide to hym, and seide, Nyle thou take a wijf of the kyn of Canaan; but go thou,

and walke forth in to Mesopotanye of Sirie, to the hows of Batuel, fadir of thi modir, and take to thee of thennus a wijf of the douytris of Laban, thin vncle.

Sotheli Almyyti God blesse thee, and make thee to encreesse, and multiplie thee, that thou be in to cumpanyes of puplis;

and God yyue to thee the blessyngis of Abraham, and to thi seed aftir thee, that thou welde the lond of thi pilgrymage, which he bihiyte to thi grauntsir.

And whanne Ysaac hadde left hym, he yede forth, and cam in to Mesopotanye of Sirie, to Laban, the sone of Batuel of Sirie, the brother of Rebecca, his modir.

Forsothe Esau seiy that his fadir hadde blessid Jacob, and hadde sent him in to Mesopotanye of Sirie, that he schulde wedde a wijf of thennus, and that aftir the blessyng he comaundide to Jacob, and seide, Thou schalt not take a wijf of the douytris of Canaan;

and that Jacob obeiede to his fadir `and modir, and yede in to Sirie;

also Esau preuyde that his fadir bihelde not gladli the douytris of Canaan.

And he yede to Ismael, and weddide a wijf, with out these whiche he hadde bifore, Melech, the douyter of Ismael, sone of Abraham, the sistir of Nabaioth.

Therfor Jacob yede out of Bersabee, and yede to Aran.

And whanne he hadde come to sum place, and wolde reste ther inne aftir the goynge doun of the sunne, he took of the stoonus that laien ther, and he puttide vndur his heed, and slepte in the same place.

And he seiye in sleep a laddir stondynge on the erthe, and the cop ther of touchinge heuene; and he seiy Goddis aungels stiynge vp and goynge doun ther bi,

and the Lord fastned to the laddir, seiynge to hym, Y am the Lord God of Abraham, thi fadir, and God of Isaac; Y schal yyue to thee and to thi seed the lond in which thou slepist.

And thi seed schal be as the dust of erthe, thou schalt be alargid to the eest, and west, and north, and south; and alle lynagis of erthe schulen be blessid in thee and in thi seed.

And Y schal be thi kepere, whidur euer thou schalt go; and Y schal lede thee ayen in to this lond, and Y schal not leeue no but Y schal fil alle thingis whiche Y seide.

And whanne Jacob hadde wakyd of sleep, he seide, Verili the Lord is in this place, and Y wiste not.

And he seide dredynge, Hou worschipful is this place! Here is noon other thing no but the hows of God, and the yate of heuene.

Therfor Jacob roos eerli, and took the stoon which he hadde put vndur his heed, and reiside in to a title, and helde oile aboue.

And he clepide the name of that citee Bethel, which was clepid Lusa bifore.

Also he auowide a vow, and seide, If God is with me, and kepith me in the weie in which Y go, and yyueth to me looues to ete, and clothis to be clothid,

and Y turne ayen in prosperite to the hows of my fadir, the Lord schal be in to God to me.

And this stoon, which Y reiside in to a title, schal be clepid the hows of God, and Y schal offre tithis to thee of alle thingis whiche thou schalt yyue to me.

Therfor Jacob passide forth, and cam in to the eest lond;

and seiy a pit in the feeld, and thre flockis of scheep restynge bisidis it, for whi scheep weren watrid therof, and the mouth therof was closid with a greet stoon.

And the custom was that whanne alle scheep weren gaderid togidere, thei schulden turne awei the stoon, and whanne the flockis weren fillid thei schulden put it eft on the mouth of the pit.

And Jacob seide to the scheepherdis, Brithren, of whennus ben ye? Whiche answeriden, Of Aran.

And he axide hem and seide, Wher ye knowen Laban, the sone of Nachor? Thei seiden, We knowen.

Jacob seide, Is he hool? Thei seiden, He is in good staat; and lo! Rachel, his douytir, cometh with his flok.

And Jacob seide, Yit myche of the dai is to come, and it is not tyme that the flockis be led ayen to the fooldis; sotheli yyue ye drynk to the scheep, and so lede ye hem ayen to mete.