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[verse 1] Forsothe Abraham was oold, and of manye daies, and the Lord in alle thingis had blissid to hym. [verse 2] And he seide to the elder seruaunt of his hows, that was bi|fore in rulyng to alle thingis that he had, [verse 3] Put thin hoond vndir myn hip, that I adiure thee bi the Lord God of heuene
and of erthe, that thow take not wijf [a wijf A pr. m.] to my sone of the dowȝtris of Chananeys, [verse 4] among the whiche I duelle; but go to the loond and to my cognacioun, and fro thens take a wijf to my sone Ysaac. [verse 5] The seruaunt answeride, If the womman wole not com with me into this loond, whether I shal lede aȝen thi sone to the place, of the which thow were goon out? [verse 6] Abra|ham seide, Be war, lest ony tyme thow [verse 7] lede aȝen thider my sone; the Lord God of heuene that toke me fro the hows of my fadir, and fro the loond of my birth, the which hath spokun to me, and swore, seiynge, To thi seed I shal ȝyue this loond, he shal send his aungel bifore thee, and fro thens thow shalt taak a wijf to [verse 8] my sone; and if the woman wole not folow thee, thow shalt not `be holden [bihold A. byholden DH. be holde E pr. m. ben holde sec. m.] to the oth; neuerthelater my sone ne lede thow aȝen [not aȝen BDEFH.] thidir. [verse 9] Thanne the seruaunt putte his hoond vndir the hip of Abra|ham, his lord, and swore to hym vpon this word. [verse 10] And he tok ten camelis of the flok of his lord, and ȝede, berynge with hym of alle the goodis of hym; and goon he ȝede to Mesopotany, to the citee of Nachor. [verse 11] And whan he had maad the camelis resten out of the wallid town, bisydis a pit of watre, at euen, that [thilk BDEFH.] tyme that womman ben wont to goon out to [verse 12] draw water, seide, Lord God of my lord Abraham, Y preye, to day aȝen-com to me, and do mercy with my lord Abra|ham. [verse 13] Loo! I stoond nyȝ the welle of water, and the dowȝtres of the dwellers of this citee shal goon out to draw watyr; [verse 14] thanne the mayden [mayde BD sec. m. EFH.] child, to whom I shal seye, Bouwe down thi water pot that I drynke, and she shal answere, Drynke, but and to thi camels I shal ȝyue drynk, she is whom thow hast bifore ordeyned to thi seruaunt Ysaac; and bi this I shal vn|durstond that thow shalt do mercy with my lord Abraham. [verse 15] Ne ȝit fully with
ynne hym silf he had fulfillid the wordis, and loo! Rabecca ȝede out, the dowȝter of Batuel, sone of Melche, wijf of Na|chor, brother of Abraham, hauynge a [verse 16] water pot in hir shulder; a ful sembly damysel, and moost fayr mayden, and vnknowun to man. She descendide for|sothe to the welle, and had fulfild hir water pot, and was turned aȝen. [verse 17] And the [her A.] seruaunt ȝede aȝens hir, and seide, Ȝyue to me a litle of water to drynk of thi water pot. [verse 18] The which answeride, Drynk, my lord. And anoon [bylyue BDEFH.] she putte down the water pot vpon hir arm, and ȝaue drynk to hym. [verse 19] And whanne he had drunkun, she addide to, But and to thi camelis I shal draw water, to the tyme thei han drunkun [alle dronken BDEFH.] . [verse 20] And she, heldynge out the water pot into the water trowis, and rennede aȝen to the pit, for to draw water, and drawun she ȝaue to alle the camelis. [verse 21] He forsothe biheelde her stilli, wilnyng [wyllynge D.] to wite whether the Lord had maad his weye welsom, or noon. [verse 22] Thanne after that the camelis hadden drunkun, the man brouȝte forth goldun eer ryngis, peisynge two sicles, and as feel arm ser|clis, peiys of ten siclys. [verse 23] And he seide to hir, Whos dowȝter art thow? shewe thow to me, is there in the hows of thi fadir place to dwelle? [verse 24] The which answeryde, The dowȝter of Batuel Y am, sone of Na|chor, whom Melcha bar to hym. [verse 25] And she addide, seiynge, Of chaf forsothe and of hey myche [mochil D.] there is at vs, and a large place to dwelle. [verse 26] The man bowide hym [verse 27] silf, and onouryde [anourid BDEFH.] the Lord, seiynge, Blissid be the Lord God of my lord Abra|ham, the which hath not takun awey mercy and his sothefastnes fro my lord, and in riȝt wei hath fulli [full E.] lad me into the hows of the brothir of my lord. [verse 28] And so the damysel rennede, and tolde in the [Om. D.] hows of hir modir alle thingis that she hadde herd. [verse 29] Rabecca forsothe hadde a
brothir, Laban bi name, the which hiynge ȝede out to the man, where he was with outen. [verse 30] And whan he had seen the eer ryngis and the arm serclis in the hondis of his sister, and he hadde herd alle the wordis of hir tellynge, thes thingis the man spak to me, he com to the man, that stode bisidis the camelis, and nyȝ the welle [verse 31] of water, and seide to hym, Go ynne, thow blissid of the Lord; whi stondist thow with oute? Y haue greithid the hows, and the place to thi camelis. [verse 32] And he ladde hym into the hows of herbergrye, and unsadelynge dischargide the camelis, and ȝaue to hem chaf, and hey, and water for the camelis fete to be wayshun, and mennys whiche comen with hym. [verse 33] And there was sett brede in his siȝt, the which seith, Y shal not eet, to the tyme Y speke my wordis. He answeride to hym, Spek. [verse 34] And he, The seruaunt, he seith, Y am of [verse 35] Abraham, and the Lord hath blissid to my lord ful myche, and he is magnyfied; and he hath ȝouun to hym sheep, and oxen, siluer, and gold, seruauntis, and hand maydens, camelis, and assis. [verse 36] And Sara, the wijf of my lord, hath born a sone to my lord in his eeld, and he hath ȝyuun to hym al that he had. [verse 37] And my lord hath adiurid me, seiynge, Thow shalt not take to my sone a wijf of the dowȝ|tres of Chananeis, in whos loond Y dwel, [verse 38] but thow shalt go to the hows of my fa|dir, and of my cognacyoun thow shalt take a wijf to my sone. [verse 39] I forsothe an|sweride to my lord, What if the womman wole not go with me? [verse 40] The Lord, he seith, in whos siȝt Y goo, shal sende his aungel with thee, and shal make redi thi weye; and thow shalt take a wijf to my sone of my kynredun, and of the hows of my fa|dir. [verse 41] Thow shalt be ynnocent fro my curse, whan thow shalt com to my nyȝ kyn, and thei ȝyue not to thee. [verse 42] I com thanne to day to the welle of water, and seyde, The Lord God of my lord Abra|ham, if thow hast maad redy my weye,
[verse 43] in the which now Y go, loo! I stonde bysides the welle of the [Om. BDEFH.] water, and the maydyn that shal goon out to draw watre here of me, ȝyue to me a lytil of water to [verse 44] drynke of thi watre pot, and she seye [seide D.] to me, And thow drynke, and Y shal draw water to thi camelis, she is the womman that the Lord hath maad redi to the sone [loue A.] of my lord. [verse 45] While thes thingis Y turn|ede stilly with my silf, Rebecca aperide, comynge with the water pot that she bare in hir shuldir; and she descendide to the welle, and drowe water. And Y seide [say BDEF.] [verse 46] to hir, Ȝyf to me a litil to drynk; the which hiynge dide down hir water pot fro hir shulder, and seide to me, And thow drynk, and to thi camelis Y shal ȝyue drink; and [Om. BDEFH.] I drank, and she wateryde the camelis. [verse 47] And I askide hir, and seide, Whos dowȝter art thow? The which an|sweryde, The dowȝter of Batuel Y am, sone of Nachor, whom bare to hym Mel|cha. And so I hengide [hynge D.] eer ryngis to honoure [anourne BDF. anoure H.] the face of hir, and arm serclis I [verse 48] putte in the hondis of hir, and bowid I honowride [anourideB DEFH.] the Lord, blissynge to the Lord God of my lord Abraham, the which hath ful lad me the ryȝt weye, that I shulde take the dowȝter of the brother `of my lord [Om. A sec. m. BFH.] to the sone of hym. [verse 49] Wherfor if ȝe doon mercy and sothenes with my lord, shewith to me; if forsothe other thing plesith, and that seie [sigge BDEFH.] ȝee, that Y go to the ryȝt or to the left. [verse 50] Laban and Batuel answeryden, Fro the Lord the word is goon out; we mown not out of the plesyng of hym ony thing othir speke with thee. [verse 51] Loo! Rebecca is bifore thee; taak hir, and go, and be she the wijf of the sone of thi lord, as the Lord hath spokun. [verse 52] The which whan the child of Abraham hadde herd, fallynge down in the [Om. BDEFH.] erthe honowrede [anouride BDEFH.] the Lord. [verse 53] And vesselys of siluer, and of gold, and clothis
brouȝt forth, ȝaue hem to Rebecca for ȝifte, and to the britheren of hir and to the modir he offride ȝiftis. [verse 54] And the feest bigun, thei etynge to gideris and drynk|ynge dwelliden there. The child forsothe rysynge eerly, spak, Lat me, that Y go to my lord. [verse 55] The britheren of hir and the modir answeryden, The mayde child at the leest dwelle ten dayes anentis vs, and aftirward sche shal go. [verse 56] Wiln [wyl D.] ȝe not, he seith, me aȝen-holde, for the Lord hath maad redi my weie; late ȝe me, that Y go to my lord. [verse 57] And thei seiden, Clepe we the maydyn [meyde BDEFH.] child, and aske we the wil of hir. [verse 58] And whan she clepid was comun, thei askiden, Wolt thow with this man go? She seide, I shal go. [verse 59] Thanne thei leten hir, and Delbora, hir noryshe, and the seruaunt of Abraham, and the [verse 60] withfolweris of hyr, inwardli preyinge weelsom thingis of her sistyr, and seiynge, Oure sistir thou art, growe thow into thowsand thowsandis, and welden thi seed the ȝatis of thin enemyes. [verse 61] Thanne Re|becca and the damysels of hir, the camelis steied vp, foleweden the man, the which hyinge turnede aȝen to his lord. [verse 62] That tyme Ysaac ȝede bi the weye that ledith to the pit, whos name is of hym lyuynge and seiynge; forsothe he dwellide in the sowth loond. [verse 63] And he was goon out to bithenk in the feeld, the day now goon doun; and whan he had houun vp the eyen, he sawȝ camelis comynge afer. [verse 64] And Rebecca, Ysaac biholdyd, descendide of [verse 65] the camel, and seith to the child, Who is this man that cometh bi the feeld in aȝen comyng to vs? And he seide to hir, He is my lord. And she anoon, takynge a mantel, coueride hir. [verse 66] And the seruaunt alle thingis that he had doon tolde to his [verse 67] lord Ysaac; the which led hir with ynne into the tabernacle of Sara, his modir, and toke hir to wijf; and in so mych he louede hir, that the sorowe that of the deth of the moder felle it [Om. A sec. m. BDE pr. m. FH.] swagid.
