The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XVIII.

[verse 1] The Lord forsothe aperyde to hym in the valey of Mambre, sittynge in the dore of his tabernacle, in that heet of the day. [verse 2] And whan he had areride vp the eyen, thre men stondynge nyȝ hym aperiden to hym. Whom whan he had seen, he ranne into the aȝen comyng of hem fro the dore of his tabernacle, and he low|tide [verse 3] into [in BDEFH.] the erthe, and seide, Lord, if I haue foundun grace in thin eyen, ouer|passe [verse 4] thow not thi seruaunt, but I shal bringe to a litil mesure of water, and ȝoure fete be wayshid, and reste thow [ȝou BDEFH.] [verse 5] vnder a tree; and I shal sett a morsel of breed, and ȝoure herte be coumfortid; aftyrward ȝe shulen passe forthe; and therfor forsothe ȝe boweden down to ȝoure seruant. The whiche seiden, Do as thow hast spokun. [verse 6] Abraham hyede into the tabernacle, to Sara, and seide to hir, Hye, and mynge togidre thre half buysshelis of clene flowre; and make looues bakun vndur ayshen. [verse 7] He forsothe ranne [rennyd BEFH. rennyng D.] to the droue, and toke thens a calf moost tendre and best, and ȝaue a child, the which hyede, and sethede it; [verse 8] and toke butter, and mylk, and the calf the which he had sothun, and sette bifore hem; he forsothe stode biside hem vndir the tre. [verse 9] And whanne thei hadden etun, thei seiden to hym, Where is Sara thi wijf? He answeride, Loo! in hir taber|nacle

she is. [verse 10] To whom he seide, Turn|ynge aȝen I shal com to thee this tyme, the lijf ledere; and Sara, thi wijf, shal haue a sone. The which thing herd, Sara lowȝ bihynde the dore of the taber|nacle. [verse 11] Forsothe thei weren bothe oold, and of greet age, and to Sara fluxis of blood hadden laft to be maad. [verse 12] The which lowȝ priueli, seiynge, After that I am bicom oold, and my lord is an olde man, shal I ȝyue bysynes to lust? [verse 13] The Lord forsothe seide to Abraham, Whi lowȝ Sara, thi wijf, seiynge, whe|ther I an oold woman am verreily to bere child? [verse 14] whether eny thing is to God hard? Aftir the sawe bitwix vs I shal turne aȝen to thee this [Om. D.] same tyme, the lijf leder; and Sara shal haue a sone. [verse 15] Sara denyede, seiynge, I lowȝ not, thurȝ drede afeerd. The Lord forsothe, It is not, he seide [seyth E sec. m.] , so, but thow lowȝ. [verse 16] Thanne whanne the men were rysun thens, thei dressiden her eyen aȝens Sodom; and Abraham ȝede with, ledynge forth hem. [verse 17] And the Lord seide, Whether I mow hide fro Abraham thingis that Y am to [verse 18] do, sith he is to be into a greet folk of kynde and moost strong, and alle na|ciouns of the [Om. BDEFH.] erthe ben to be blissid in hym? [verse 19] I woot forsothe that he is to co|maunde his sones, and to his hows aftir hym, that thei kepen the wey of the Lord, and that thei do ryȝtwisnes, and dom, that the Lord brynge to for Abra|ham alle thingis that he hath spokun to hym. [verse 20] And so the Lord seide, The cry of Sodom and Gomor is multiplied, and [verse 21] the synne of hem is myche agredgyd; I shal go down, and se whether the cry that is comen to me thei han fulfillid in dede, or it [whether it E pr. m.] is not so that I wyte. [verse 22] And thei turneden hem silf [seluen BDEFH.] thens, and ȝeden awey [Om. F.] to Sodom. Abraham forsothe ȝit [verse 23] stode bifore the Lord, and neiȝynge seith, Whether thow shalt lese the riȝtwis with the wickyd? [verse 24] if there ben [Om. D.] fifti riȝtwis in

the citee, shulen thei peryshe to gidere, and shalt thow not spare to that place for fifti riȝtwis, if thei shulen be in it? [verse 25] Be it fer fro thee that thow do this thing, and sle the ryȝtwis with the wickid, and the riȝtwis be maad as the wickid; this is not thin that demyst al the erthe; thow shalt not do that dom. [verse 26] And the Lord seide to hym, If Y shal fynde in Sodom fifti riȝtwis in the myddil of the cytee, I shal forȝyue to al the place for hem. [verse 27] Abraham answeride and seith [seyde E sec. m.] , For oons I bigan, I shal speke to the Lord my God, whan Y am powder and [verse 28] aske [asches D.] ; what if there weren bi fyue lesse than fifti ryȝtwis, shalt thow do awey al the cite for fyue and fourty? And he seith, I shal not do awey, if I shal fynde there fyue and fourti. [verse 29] And eftsonys he spake to hym, If forsothe fourti weren foundun there, what shalt [shal A.] thow do? He seith, I shal not smyte for fourti. [verse 30] Y bi|seche thee, he seith, ne indeyne thow, Lord, if I speke; what if there weren foundun thretti? He answeryde, I shal not do, if I shal fynde thretti [ther thretti BDEFH.] . [verse 31] For onus, he seith, I bigan, I shal speke to my Lord; what if there weren foundun twenti? He seyde [seith BDFH.] , I shal not sle for twenti. [verse 32] I biseche, he seith, Lord, be thow not wrooth, if ȝit oons I speke; what if there be foundun ten? He seide, I shal not do awey for ten. [verse 33] The Lord ȝede aweie, after that he had ceesid to speke to Abraham, and he was turnyd aȝen into his place.