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

CAP. XVIII.

[verse 1] Forsothe in the valei of Mambre the Lord apperide to Abraham, sittynge in the dore of his tabernacle, in thilke heete of the dai. [verse 2] And whanne he [Abraham S.] hadde reisid [reisid vp. S.] his iȝen, thre men apperiden to hym, and stoden nyȝ hym [Om. BN.] . And whanne he [Abraham E.] hadde seyn hem, he ran fro the dore of his taber|nacle in to the meting of hem, and he [verse 3] worschipide on erthe, and seide, Lord, if Y haue founde grace in thin iȝen, passe [verse 4] thou not thi seruaunt, but I schal brynge [brynge the E.] a litil watir, and ȝoure feet be waischid, [verse 5] and reste ȝe vndur the tre; and Y schal sette a mussel of breed, and ȝoure herte be coumfortid; aftirward ȝe schulen passe; for herfor ȝe bowiden to ȝoure seruaunt. Whiche seiden, Do thou as thou hast spoke. [verse 6] Abraham hastide in to the taber|nacle, to Sare, and seide to hir, Hast thou, meddle thou [Om. D.] thre half buschelis of clene flour; and make thou looues bakun vndur aischis. [verse 7] Forsothe he ran to the droue of beestis, and took therof a calf moost tendre and best, and ȝaf to a child, which hastide, [verse 8] and sethede the calfe; and he took botere, and mylk, and the calf which he hadde sode, and settide [sette S.] bifore hem; forsothe Abraham stood bisidis hem vndur the tre. [verse 9] And whanne thei hadden ete, thei seiden to hym, Where is Sare thi wijf? He an|swerde, Lo! sche is in the tabernacle. [verse 10] To whom the Lord seide, Y schal turne aȝen,

and Y schal come to thee in this tyme, if Y lyue; and Sare, thi wijf, schal haue a sone. Whanne this was herd, Sare leiȝede bihynde the dore of the tabernacle. [verse 11] For|sothe bothe weren olde, and of greet age, and wommans termes ceessiden to be maad to Sare. [verse 12] And she leiȝede, seiynge pryueli, after that Y wexede eld, and my lord is eld, schal Y ȝyue diligence to lust? [verse 13] For|sothe the Lord seide to Abraham, Whi leiȝeth [leiȝide plures.] Sare, thi wijf, seiynge, whether Y [verse 14] an eld womman schal bere child [a child LX sec. m.] verili? whether ony thing is hard to God? Bi the biheeste Y schal turne aȝen to thee in this [the ELP.] same tyme, if Y lyue; and Sara schal haue a sone. [verse 15] Sare was aferd for drede, and denyede, seiynge, Y leiȝede not. Forsothe the Lord seide, It is not so, but thou leiȝedist. [verse 16] Therfor whanne the men hadden risen [be risen L.] fro thennus, thei dressiden the iȝen aȝens Sodom; and Abraham ȝede to gidre, ledynge hem forth. [verse 17] And the Lord seide, Wher Y mowe hele fro Abra|ham [verse 18] what thingis Y schal do, sithen he schal be in to a greet folk and moost strong, and alle naciouns of erthe schulen be blessid in hym? [verse 19] For Y woot that Abra|ham schal comaunde hise children, and his hows after hym, that thei kepe the weie of the Lord, and that thei do riȝtfulnesse and dom, that the Lord bringe for Abraham alle thingis whiche he spak to Abraham. [verse 20] And so the Lord seide, The cry of men of Sodom and of men of Gomorre is mul|tiplied, and her synne is agreggid greetli; [verse 21] Y schal come doun, and schal [Om. KM sec. m. S pr. m. I shal X.] se whether thei han fillid in werk the cry that cam to me, that Y wite whether [wher DGQRTD.] it is not so. [verse 22] And thei turneden han fro thennus, and ȝeden to Sodom. Abraham sotheli [Om. F.] stood ȝit bi|fore [verse 23] the Lord, and neiȝede, and seide, Whether thou schalt leese a iust man with the [a K.] wickid man [Om. S.] ? [verse 24] if fifti iust men ben in the citee, schulen thei perische to gidere [Om. S sec. m.] , and schalt thou not spare that place for fifti iust men, if thei ben ther ynne? [verse 25] Fer

be it fro thee that thou do this thing, and sle a [the S.] iust man [Om. S.] with a [the S.] wickid man [Om. S.] , and that a iust man be maad as a wickid man; this is not thin that demest al erthe; thou schalt not make this doom. [verse 26] And the Lord seide to him, If Y schal fynde in Sodom fifti iust men in the [Om. S.] myddis of the citee, Y schal forȝyue to al the place for hem. [verse 27] Abraham answerde and seide, For Y bigan onys, Y schal speke to my Lord, sithen Y [verse 28] am dust and aische [asshen ELP.] ; what if lesse than fifti iust men bi fyue ben, schalt thou do awey al the cite for fyue and fourti? And the Lord seide, Y schal not do awei, if I schal fynde fyue and fourti there. [verse 29] And [Om. C.] eft Abraham seide to hym, But if fourti ben there, what schalt thou do? The Lord seide, Y schal not smyte [Om. ELP.] for fourti. [verse 30] Abraham seide, Lord, Y biseche, take thou not to [in to S.] indignacioun [dignacioun G.] , if Y speke; what if thretti be foundun there? The Lord an|swerde, Y schal not do, if Y schal fynde thretti there. [verse 31] Abraham seide, For Y bigan onys, Y schal speke to my Lord; what if twenti be foundun there? The Lord seide, Y schal not sle for twenti. [verse 32] Abraham seide, Lord, Y biseche, be thou not wrooth, if Y speke ȝit onys; what if ten be founden there? The Lord seide, Y schal not do awey for ten. [verse 33] The Lord ȝede forth, after that he ceesside to speke to Abraham, and Abraham turnede aȝen in to his place.