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

CAP. XXIX.

[verse 1] Therfor Jacob passide forth, and cam in [verse 2] to the eest lond; and seiȝ [he seiȝ S.] a pit in the feeld, and thre flockis of scheep restynge bisidis it [Om. G.] , for whi scheep weren watrid therof, and the mouth therof was closid with a greet stoon. [verse 3] And the custom was that [Om. G.] whanne alle scheep [the scheep S.] weren gaderid togidere, thei schulden turne awei the stoon, and whanne the flockis weren fillid [watrid S.] thei schulden put it [Om. G.] eft on [in G.] the mouth of the pit. [verse 4] And Jacob seide to the scheepherdis, Brithren, of whennus ben ȝe? Whiche answeriden, Of Aran. [verse 5] And he axide hem and seide, Wher ȝe knowen Laban, the sone of Nachor? Thei seiden, We knowen [knowen him S.] . [verse 6] Jacob seide, Is he hool? Thei seiden, He is in good staat; and lo! Rachel, his douȝ|tir, cometh with his flok. [verse 7] And Jacob seide, Ȝit myche of the dai is to come, and it is not tyme that the flockis be led aȝen to the fooldis; sotheli ȝyue ȝe drynk to the scheep, and so lede ȝe hem aȝen to mete. [verse 8] Whiche [The whiche I.] answeriden, We moun not til alle scheep [the scheep S.] be gederid to gidere, and til we re|mouen the stoon fro the mouth of the pit to watir the flockis. [verse 9] Ȝit thei spaken, and lo! Rachel cam with the [Om. plures.] scheep of hir fadir. [verse 10] And whanne Jacob seiȝ hir, and knewe the douȝtir of his modris brothir, and the scheep of Laban his vncle, he re|meuyde the stoon with which the pit was [verse 11] closid; and whanne the flok was watrid, he [Jacob S.] kisside hir [Rachel S.] , and he [she S.] wepte with `vois reisid [hie vois S.] . [verse 12] And he [Om. F. Jacob S.] schewide to hir that he was the brothir of hir fadir, and the sone of Rebecca; and sche hastide, and telde to hir fadir. [verse 13] And whanne he hadde herd, that Jacob, the sone of his sistir, cam, he ran aȝens hym, and he [Laban S.] biclippide Jacob and kisside hym, and ledde [ledde him S.] in to his hows. Forsothe whanne the causis of the

[verse 14] iurney weren herd, Laban answeride, Thou art my boon and my fleisch. And aftir that the daies of o [a DG.] moneth weren fillid [fulfillid S.] , [verse 15] Laban seide to him [Jacob S.] , `Whethir for [wherefore EG.] thou art my brothir, thou schalt serue me frely? seie thou what mede thou schalt take. [verse 16] For|sothe Laban hadde twei douȝtris, the name of the more [eldre S.] was Lya, sotheli the lesse [ȝunger S.] [verse 17] was clepid Rachel; but Lya was blere iȝed, Rachel [and Rachel G.] was of fair face, and semeli [louely ELP.] in siȝt. [verse 18] And Jacob louede Rachel, and seide, Y schal serue thee seuene ȝeer for Rachel thi lesse [ȝunger S.] douȝtir. [verse 19] Laban an|sweride, It is betere that Y ȝyue hir to thee than to anothir man; dwelle thou at [with S.] me. [verse 20] Therfor Jacob seruyde seuene ȝeer for Rachel; and the daies semyden fewe to hym for the greetnesse of loue. [verse 21] And he seide to Laban, Ȝyue thou my wijf to me, for the tyme is fillid [fulfillid S.] that Y entre to hir. [verse 22] And whanne many cumpenyes of freendis weren clepid to the feeste, he made wed|dyngis, [verse 23] and in the euentid Laban brouȝte [verse 24] in [Om. BN.] to hym [Jacob S.] Lya his douȝtir, and ȝaf an handmaide, Selfa bi name, to the [his S.] douȝter. And whanne Jacob hadde entrid to hir bi custom, whanne the morewtid was maad, [verse 25] he seiȝ Lya, and seide [he seide S.] to his wyues fadir, What is it that thou woldist do? wher Y seruede not thee for Rachel? whi hast [verse 26] thou disseyued me [disseyuede me, this is the veri lettre, as Lire seith here, but comyn La|tyn bokis han thus, Whi hast thou priuyly put Lya to me, but this is fals lettre, as Lire selth here.CGQX.] ? Laban answerde, It is not custom in oure place that we ȝyue [verse 27] first the `lesse douȝtris [ȝunger douȝter S.] to weddyngis; fille [fulfille S.] thou the wouke of daies of this [thi GQ.] couplyng [wedding S.] , and Y schal ȝyue to thee also this Rachel, for [and S.] the werk in which thou schalt serue me bi [Om. GQ.] othere seuene ȝeer. [verse 28] Jacob assentide [answerde S.] to the couenaunt, and whanne the wouke [verse 29] was passid, he [Jacob S.] weddide Rachel, to whom the [hir S.] fadir hadde ȝoue Bala seruauntesse [an hondmayde S.] . [verse 30] And at the laste he [Jacob S.] vside the weddyngis desirid, and settide [sette S.] the loue [sone K.] of the `wijf suynge [later wijf S.] bifore the former [first S.] ; and he [Jacob S.] seruede at [Om. S.] Laban seuene othere ȝeer. [verse 31] Forsothe the

Lord seiȝ that he [Jacob. S.] dispiside Lya [that is, louede hir lesse than Rachel. S.] , and openyde [he openyde S.] hir wombe [hir pryuy wombe C pr. m. Lya wombe S.] while the [her S.] sistir dwellide bareyn. [verse 32] And Lia childide a sone conseyued, and clepide [she clepide S.] his name Ruben, and seide, The Lord seiȝ [hath seen S.] my mekenesse; now myn hosebonde schal loue me. [verse 33] And eft sche conseyuede, `and childide [Om. G.] a sone, and seide, For the Lord seiȝ that Y was dispisid, he ȝaf also this sone to me; and sche clepide his name Symeon. [verse 34] And sche conseyuede the thridde tyme, and childide anothir sone, and she seide also, Now myn hosebonde schal be couplid to me, for Y childide [haue childid S.] thre sones to him; and therfor [Om. G.] sche clepide his name Leuy. [verse 35] The fourthe tyme sche conseyuede, and childide a sone, and seide, Now I schal knouleche to the Lord; and herfor she clepide his name Judas; and ceesside [she ceesside KS.] to childe.