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

CAP. XLIX.

[verse 1] Jacob forsothe clepide his sones, and seide to hem, Be ȝe gederid togidris, that Y telle that ben to comen to ȝou in [verse 2] the laste daies; be ȝe gadered togidris,

and here ȝe, the sones of Jacob, here ȝe Yrael ȝoure fader. [verse 3] Ruben, my first getun, thow my strengthe, and the bigyning of my sorwe; first in ȝiftis, and more in co|maundyng; [verse 4] thow art held out as water; ne grow thow, for thow hast steied up the cowche of thi fader, and thow hast defoulid the bedde of hym. [verse 5] Symeon and Leuy, bretheren, the vessels of shrewid|nes, [verse 6] makynge batails; in the counseil of hem come not my soule, and in the cum|panye of hem be not my glorie; for in her woodnes thei slewen a man, and in her owne wil thei vndurdelueden the [verse 7] wal; cursid is the woodnes of hem, for it is stedfast, and the indignacioun of hem, for it is hard; Y shal deuyde hem in Jacob, and I shal scater hem in Yrael. [verse 8] Juda, thee shulen preyse thi britheren, thin hondis in the skulles of thin ene|myes, the sones of thi fader shulen lowte thee. [verse 9] The whelp of lyon Juda; to the prey, sone myne, thow steydist vp; rest|ynge thow ley down as a lyon, and as a lionesse who shal arere hym? [verse 10] The septre fro Juda shal not be takun awey, and a duke fro the leende of hym, to the tyme that he come that is to be sent, and he shal be the abidynge of folk of kynde, [verse 11] byndynge to a vynȝerd his colt, and to a vyn, O [of A.] ! my sone, his [is his H.] she asse; he shal wasshe in wyne his stoole, and in blood of [verse 12] a grape his mantil; fayrer ben the eyen of hym than wyn, and the teeth of hym whitter than mylk. [verse 13] Zabulon in the brynke of the see shal dwelle, and in the stacioun of shippes, arechynge vnto Sidon. [verse 14] Ysa|char, an hee asse strong, liggynge bitwix [verse 15] the teermes, sawȝ rest that it was good, and the loond that it was best, and vn|derputte his shuldur to bere, and he is maad to tributis seruynge. [verse 16] Dan shal

deme his puple, and as another lynage in Yrael. [verse 17] Be maad Dan an eddre of sha|dowe in the weie, and an horned eddre in the path, bitynge the cleen of an hors, that the steyer up of hym falle bac|ward; [verse 18] and thi ȝyuer of helthe [hele E.] Y shal abyde, Lord. [verse 19] Gad gird shal feiȝt bifore hym, and he shal be gird bihynde. [verse 20] Aser, the fat breed of hym, and he shal ȝeue delices to kyngis. [verse 21] Neptalym, the herte sent out, and ȝyuynge the spechis of fayrnes. [verse 22] The sone acreesynge, Joseph, the sone acresynge, and semly in siȝt; the douȝtres [douȝtren BDEFH.] hidir and thider renneden [verse 23] vpon the wal, but thei eggiden hym out, and streuen, and enuyden to hym, hau|ynge dartis. [verse 24] Sat in the strong the bowe of hym, and vnbounden ben the bondis of armes [the armes BDEFH.] , and of the hondis of hym bi the hoond of the myȝti of Jacob; thens a shepherde ȝede out, the stoone of Yrael. [verse 25] God of thi fader shal be thin helper [helpe A pr. m. D.] , and the Almyȝti shal blesse to thee with blessynges of heuene fro aboue, and with blessyngis of the see liggyng beneth, and with blessyngis of tetis, and of the wombe; [verse 26] the blissyngis of thi fader ben coumfortid with the blissyngis of the fadris of hym, to the tyme that were comen the desyre of euerlastynge hillis; ben thei maad in the heed of Joseph, and in the heed of Nazarei amonge his bretheren. [verse 27] Benia|myn, a wulf raumpynge, the morwen tide he shall eete a pray, and the euentide he shal dyuyde spoylis. [verse 28] Alle thes in the lynagis of Irael twelue; thes thingis spak to hem her fader, and blesside hem eche with propre blessyngis. [verse 29] And he comaundide hem, seiynge, Y am gedered to my puple, birye ȝe me with my faders in the dowble spelunk, that is in the feeld [verse 30] of Effron Ethei, aȝens Mambre, in the

loond of Chanaan, that Abraham bouȝte with the feeld of Effron Ethei, into pos|sessioun of a sepulcre. [verse 31] There thei bi|rieden hym, and Sara, the wijf of hym; there also byried is Ysaac, with Rebecca the wijf; there and Lya biried lieth. [verse 32] And endid the maundementis with whiche the sones he enfourmyde, he gederede to|gedere his feet vpon the bed, and dyed, and put he [Om. E.] is to his puple.