The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And anoon Abynalech roos bi nyyt, and clepide alle his seruauntis, and spak alle these wordis in the eeris of hem; and alle men dredden greetli.

Sotheli Abymalec clepide also Abraham, and seide to hym, What hast thou do to vs? what synneden we ayens thee, for thou hast brouyt in on me and on my rewme a greuouse synne? thou hast do to vs whiche thingis thou ouytist not do.

And eft Abimalech axide, and seide, What thing seiyist thou, that thou woldist do this?

Abraham answerde, Y thouyte with me, and seide, in hap the drede of God is not in this place; and thei schulen sle me for my wijf;

in other maner forsothe and sche is my sister verili, the douyter of my fadir, and not the douyter of my moder; and Y weddide hir in to wijf;

sotheli aftir that God ladde me out of the hous of my fadir, Y seide to hir, Thou schalt do this mercy with me in ech place to which we schulen entre; thou schalt seie, that Y am thi brother.

Therfore Abymelech took scheep, and oxun, and seruauntis, and handmaydenes, and yaf to Abraham; and he yeldide to him Sare, `his wijf, and seide, The lond is bifor you;

dwelle thou, where euere it plesith thee. Forsothe Abymelech seide to Sare, Lo!

Y yaf a thousand platis of siluer to thi brother; this schal be to thee in to hiling of iyen to al men that ben with thee; and whider euere thou goist, haue thou mynde that thou art takun.

Sotheli for Abraham preiede, God curide Abymelech, and his wijf, and handmaydens, and thei childiden;

for God hadde closid ech wombe of the hows of Abymelech, for Sare, the wijf of Abraham.

Forsothe God visitide Sare, as he bihiyte, and fillide tho thingis, that he spak.

And sche conseyuede, and childide a sone in hir eeld, in the tyme wherynne God biforseide to hir.

And Abraham clepide the name of his sone, whom Sare childide to him, Ysaac.

And Abraham circumcidide hym in the eiyte dai, as God comaundide to him,

whanne he was of an hundrid yeer; for Ysaac was borun in this age of the fadir.

And Sare seide, The Lord made leiyynge to me, and who euer schal here schal leiye with me.

And eft sche seide, Who schulde here, and bileue to Abraham, that Sare schulde yyue soukyng to a sone, whom sche childide to him now an eld man?

Therfor the child encreesside, and was wenyd; and Abraham made a greet feeste in the dai of his wenyng.

And whanne Sare seiy the sone of Agar Egipcian pleiynge with Ysaac hir sone, sche seide to Abraham,

Cast thou out the handmayde and hir sone; for the sone of the handmayde schal not be eir with my sone Ysaac.

Abraham took this heuyli for his sone;

and God seide to hym, Be it not seyn scharp to thee on the child, and on thin handmayde; alle thingis whiche Sare seith to thee, here thou hir vois, for in Isaac seed schal be clepid to thee;

but also I schal make the sone of the handmaid in to a greet folk, for he is thi seed.

And so Abraham roos eerli, and took breed, and a botel of watir, and puttide on hir schuldre, and bitook the child, and lefte hir; and whanne sche hadde go, sche yede out of the weie in the wildirnesse of Bersabee.

And whanne the watir in the botel was endid, sche castide awei the child vndur a tre that was there;

and sche yede awei, and sche sat euene ayens as fer as a bowe may caste; for sche seide, Y schal not se the child diynge; and sche sat ayens, and reiside hir vois, and wepte.

Forsothe the Lord herde the vois of the child, and the aungel of the Lord clepide Agar fro heuene, and seide, What doist thou, Agar? nyle thou drede, for God hath herd the vois of the child fro the place where ynne he is.

Rise thou, and take the child, and holde his hoond; for Y schal make hym in to a greet folc.

And God openyde hir iyen, and sche seiy a pit of watir, and sche yede, and fillide the botel, and sche yaf drynk to the child;

and was with him, and he encresside, and dwellide in wildernesse, and he was maad a yong man an archer,

and dwellide in the deseert of Faran; and his modir took to him a wijf of the lond of Egipt.

In the same tyme Abymelech, and Ficol, prince of his oost, seide to Abraham, God is with thee in alle thingis whiche thou doist;

therfore swere thou bi God that thou noye not me, and myn eiris, and my kynrede; but bi the mersi whych Y dide to thee, do thou to me, and to the lond in which thou lyuedist a comelyng.

And Abraham seide, Y schal swere.

And he blamyde Abymelech for the pit of watir, which hise seruauntis token awey bi violence.

And Abymelech answerde, I wiste not who dide this thing, but also thou schewidist not to me, and Y herde not outakun to dai.

And so Abraham took scheep and oxun, and yaf to Abymalech, and bothe smyten a boond of pees.

And Abraham settide seuene ewe lambren of the flok asidis half.

And Abymelech seide to hym, What wolen these seuene ewe lambren to hem silf, whiche thou madist stonde asidis half?

And he seide, Thou schalt take of myn hond seuene ewe lambren, that tho be in to witnessyng to me, for Y diggide this pit.

Therfor thilke place was clepid Bersabee, for euere eithir swore there;

and thei maden boond of pees for the pit of an ooth.

Forsothe Abymelech roos, and Ficol, prince of his chyualrie, and thei turneden ayen in to the lond of Palestyns. Sotheli Abraham plauntide a wode in Bersabee, and inwardli clepide there the name of euerlastinge God;

and he was an erthetiliere ether a comelynge of the lond of Palestynes in many dayes.

And aftir that these thingis weren don, God assaiede Abraham, and seide to hym, Abraham! Abraham! He answerde, Y am present.

God seide to him, Take thi `sone oon gendrid, whom thou louest, Ysaac; and go into the lond of visioun, and offre thou hym there in to brent sacrifice, on oon of the hillis whiche Y schal schewe to thee.

Therfor Abraham roos bi niyt, and sadlide his asse, and ledde with hym twey yonge men, and Ysaac his sone; and whanne he hadde hewe trees in to brent sacrifice, he yede to the place which God hadde comaundid to him.

Forsothe in the thridde dai he reiside hise iyen, and seiy a place afer;

and he seide to hise children, Abide ye here with the asse, Y and the child schulen go thidur; and aftir that we han worschipid, we schulen turne ayen to you.

And he took the trees of brent sacrifice, and puttide on Ysaac his sone; forsothe he bar fier, and a swerd in hise hondis. And whanne thei tweyne yeden togidere, Isaac seide to his fadir, My fadir!

And he answerde, What wolt thou, sone? He seide, Lo! fier and trees, where is the beeste of brent sacrifice?

Abraham seide, My sone, God schal puruey to hym the beeste of brent sacrifice.

Therfor thei yeden to gidere, and camen to the place whiche God hadde schewid to hym, in which place Abraham bildide an auter, and dresside trees a boue; and whanne he hadde bounde to gidere Ysaac, his sone, he puttide Ysaac in the auter, on the heep of trees.

And he helde forth his hond, and took the swerd to sacrifice his sone.

And lo! an aungel of the Lord criede fro heuene, and seide, Abraham! Abraham!

Which answerde, I am present. And the aungel seide to hym, Holde thou not forth thin honde on the child, nether do thou ony thing to him; now Y haue knowe that thou dredist God, and sparidist not thin oon gendrid sone for me.

Abraham reiside hise iyen, and he seiy `bihynde his bak a ram cleuynge bi hornes among breris, which he took, and offride brent sacrifice for the sone.

And he clepide the name of that place, The Lord seeth; wherfore it is seyd, til to dai, The Lord schal see in the hil.

Forsothe the aungel of the Lord clepide Abraham the secounde tyme fro heuene,

and seide, The Lord seith, Y haue swore bi my silf, for thou hast do this thing, and hast not sparid thin oon gendrid for me,

Y schal blesse thee, and Y schal multiplie thi seed as the sterris of heuene, and as grauel which is in the brynk of the see; thi seed schal gete the yatis of hise enemyes;

and alle the folkis of erthe schulen be blessid in thi seed, for thou obeiedist to my vois.

Abraham turnede ayen to hise children, and thei yeden to Bersabee to gidere, and he dwellide there.

And so whanne these thingis weren don, it was teld to Abraham that also Melcha hadde bore sones to Nachor his brother;

Hus the firste gendrid, and Buz his brothir, and Chamuhel the fadir of Sireis,

and Cased, and Asan, and Feldas,

and Jedlaf, and Batuhel, of whom Rebecca was borun; Melcha childide these eiyte to Nachor brother of Abraham.

Forsothe his concubyn, Roma bi name, childide Thabee, and Gaon, and Thaas, and Maacha.

Forsothe Sare lyuede an hundrid and seuene and twenti yeer,

and diede in the citee of Arbee, which is Ebron, in the lond of Chanaan; and Abraham cam to biweyle and biwepe hir.

And whanne he hadde rise fro the office of the deed bodi, he spak to the sones of Heth, and seide,

Y am a comelyng and a pilgrym anentis you; yyue ye to me riyt of sepulcre with you, that Y birie my deed body.

And the sones of Heth answeriden, and seiden, Lord, here thou vs;

thou art the prince of God anentis vs; birie thou thi deed bodi in oure chosun sepulcris, and no man schal mow forbede thee, that ne thou birie thi deed bodi in the sepulcre of him.

And Abraham roos, and worschipide the puple of the lond, that is, the sones of Heth.

And he seide to hem, If it plesith youre soule that Y birie my deed bodi, here ye me, and preie ye for me to Efron, the sone of Seor,

that he yyue to me the double caue, whiche he hath in the vttirmoste part of his feeld; for sufficiaunt money yyue he it to me bifore you into possessioun of sepulcre.

Forsothe Efron dwellide in the myddis of the sones of Heth. And Efron answerde to Abraham, while alle men herden that entriden bi the yate of that citee,

and seide, My lord, it schal not be doon so, but more herkne thou that that Y seie; Y yyue to thee the feeld, and the denne which is therine, while the sones of my puple ben present; birie thou thi deed bodi.

Abraham worschipide bifor the Lord, and bifor the puple of the lond,

and he spak to Efron, while his puple stood aboute, Y biseche, that thou here me; Y schal yyue money for the feeld, resseyue thou it, and so Y schal birie my deed bodi in the feeld.

And Efron answerde, My lord,

here thou me, the lond which thou axist is worth foure hundrid siclis of siluer, that is the prijs bitwixe me and thee, but hou myche is this? birie thou thi deed bodi.

And whanne Abraham hadde herd this, he noumbride the monei which Efron axide, while the sones of Heth herden, foure hundrid siclis of siluer, and of preuyd comyn monei.

And the feeld that was sumtyme of Efron, in which feeld was a double denne, biholdinge to Mambre, as wel thilke feeld as the denne and alle the trees therof, in alle termes therof bi cumpas, was confermed to Abraham in to possessioun,

while the sones of Heth seiyen and alle men that entriden bi the yate of that citee.

And so Abraham biriede Sare, his wijf, in the double denne of the feeld, that bihelde to Mambre; this is Ebron in the lond of Chanaan.

And the feeld, and the denne that was therynne, was confermyd of the sones of Heth to Abraham, in to possessioun of sepulcre.

Forsothe Abraham was eld, and of many daies, and the Lord hadde blessid hym in alle thingis.

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,

that Y coniure thee bi the Lord God of heuene and of erthe, that thou take not a wijf to my sone of the douytris of Chanaan, among whiche Y dwelle;

but that thou go to my lond and kynrede, and therof take a wijf to my sone Ysaac.

The seruaunt aunswerde, If the womman nyle come with me in to this lond, whether Y owe lede ayen thi sone to the place, fro which thou yedist out?

Abraham seide, Be war, lest ony tyme thou lede ayen thidur my sone;

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 yyue 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,

thou schalt not be holdun bi the ooth; netheles lede not ayen my sone thidur.

Therfore the seruaunt puttide his hond vndur the hipe of Abraham, his lord, and swoor to him on this word.

And he took ten camels of the floc of his lord, and yede forth, and bar with him of alle the goodis of his lord; and he yede forth, and cam to Mesopotanye, to the citee of Nachor.

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,