CAP. XXX.

[verse 1] Forsothe Rachel seiȝ, that sche*. [hir self S.] was vnfruytful, and hadde*. [she hadde S.] enuye*. [enuye, that is, sorewide of hir owne de|faute in com|parisoun of hir sister, that hadde no sich defaute. Lire here. BCN.] to the*. [hire KS.] sis|ter, and seide to hir hosebonde, Ȝyue thou fre children to me, ellis Y schal die. [verse 2] To whom Jacob was wrooth, and answerde, Wher Y am for God, which haue priued [verse 3] thee fro the fruyt of thi wombe? And sche seide, Y haue `a seruauntesse*. [an handmaide S.] Bala, entre thou to hir that she childe on my knees, and that Y haue sones of hir. [verse 4] And sche ȝaf to hym Bala in to matrimony; [verse 5] and whanne the*. [hir S.] hosebonde hadde*. [Om. plures.] entrid to hir, sche conseyuede, and childide a sone. [verse 6] And Rachel seide, the Lord demede*. [hath demede S.] to me, and herde*. [hath herde S.] my preier, and ȝaf a sone to me; and therfor sche clepide his name Dan. [verse 7] And eft Bala conseyuede, and [verse 8] childide anothir sone, for whom Rachel seide, The Lord hath maad*. [com|paride C pr. m. makid F.] me lijk to*. [Om. plures.] my sistir, and Y wexide strong; and sche clepide hym Neptalym. [verse 9] Lya feelide that sche ceesside to bere child, and sche ȝaf Selfa, hir*. [the G.] handmayde, to the*. [hir S.] hosebonde. Page  140 [verse 10] And whanne Selfa aftir conseyuyng*. [the conceyuynge S.] chil|dide [verse 11] a sone, Lya seide, Blessidly; and therfor sche clepide his name Gad. [verse 12] Also [verse 13] Selfa childide anothir sone, and Lia seide, This is for my blis, for alle wymmen schulen seie me blessid; therfor sche clepide hym Aser. [verse 14] Forsothe Ruben ȝede out in to the feeld in the tyme of wheete heruest, and foond*. [he foond S.] mandragis, whiche he brouȝte to Lya, his modir. And Rachel seide, Ȝyue thou to me a*. [Om. I.] part of the*. [thi S.] mandragis of thi sone. [verse 15] Lya answeride, Whether it semeth*. [seme N.] litil to thee, that thou hast rauyschid the*. [my S.] hosebonde fro me, no but thou*. [that thou I.] take also the mandragis of my sone? Rachel seide, The hosebonde sleepe with thee in*. [Om. G.] this nyȝt for the mandragis of thi sone. [verse 16] And whanne Jacob cam aȝen fro the*. [Om. G.] feeld at euentid*. [the euentid S.], Lya ȝede out in to his comyng*. [metynge S.], and seide, Thou shalt entre to me, for Y haue hired thee with hire for the mandragis of my sone. He*. [Jacob S.] slepte [verse 17] with hir*. [Lya S.] in that nyȝt; and God herde hir preiers, and sche conseyuede, and [verse 18] childide the fyuethe sone; and seide, God ȝaf*. [hath ȝouen S.] meede to me, for Y ȝaf myn hand|mayde to myn hosebond; and sche cle|pide his name Isacar. [verse 19] Eft*. [Om. E.] Lia con|seyuede, [verse 20] and childide the sixte sone, and seide, The Lord hath maad me riche with a good dower, also in this tyme myn hose|bonde schal be with me, for Y childide*. [gen|dride plures. haue gendrid S.] sixe sones to hym; and therfore sche*. [Lya S.] clepide his name Sabulon. [verse 21] Aftir whom sche childide a douȝter, Dyna bi name. [verse 22] Also the Lord hadde mynde on Rachel, and herde*. [he herde S.] hir, and openyde hir wombe.*. [pryuy wombe C pr. m.] [verse 23] And sche conseyuede, and childide a sone, and seide, God hath take awey my schen|schipe; [verse 24] and sche clepid his name Joseph, and seide, The Lord ȝyue to me another sone. [verse 25] Sotheli whanne Joseph was borun, Jacob seide to his wyues fadir, Delyuere thou me, that Y turne aȝen in to my cun|trey and to my lond. [verse 26] Ȝyue*. [And ȝyue S.] thou to me Page  141 my wyues and fre*. [my fre S.] children for whiche Y seruede*. [haue seruede S.] thee, that Y go; forsothe thou knowist the seruyce bi which Y seruede*. [haue seruede S.] thee. [verse 27] Laban seide to hym*. [Jacob S.], Fynde Y grace in thi siȝt, Y haue lerned bi expe|rience that God blesside*. [hath blessid S.] me for thee; [verse 28] ordeyne thou the*. [thi ELP.] meede which*. [what S.] Y schal ȝyue to thee. [verse 29] And he*. [Jacob S.] answeride, Thou woost hou Y seruede*. [haue serued S.] thee, and hou greet [verse 30] thi possessioun was in myn hondis; thou haddist litil bifore that Y cam to thee, and now thou art maad riche, and the Lord blesside thee at myn entryng; therfor it is iust that Y purueye sum tyme also to*. [for S.] myn hows. [verse 31] And Laban seide, What schal Y ȝyue to thee? And Jacob seide, Y wole no thing*. [no thyng, that is, of thi ȝifte. BC.] but if thou*. [that thou K.] doist*. [doo L.] that that Y axe, eft Y schal fede and kepe thi scheep. [verse 32] Cumpasse thou*. [go aboute S.] alle thi flockis, and de|parte thou alle diuerse*. [dyuerse colourd S.] scheep and of spottid*. [the spottid I.] flees*. [fleeces S.], and what euer thing schal be dun*. [of dunn hew S.], and spottid, and dyuerse*. [dyuerse of colour S.], as wel in scheep as in geet*. [geet that schal come forth of scheep and geet of o coloure C pr. m.], it*. [Om. EKLPd. that MSW.] schal be my mede*. [mede and al that schal be of o colour schal be thyn C pr. m.]. [verse 33] And my riȝtfulnesse schal answere to me to morewe, whanne the tyme of couenaunt schal come bifor thee; and alle that*. [thingis that C pr. m. F.] ben not dyuerse and spottid and dunne*. [dunned S.], as well in sheep as in geet, schulen*. [be foundun at me thou schalt C. pr. m. thou shalt plures. thei schulen F sup. ras. K.] repreue me of thefte*. [thefte that is, ȝif eny siche be with me founden. S.]. [verse 34] And Laban seide, Y haue acceptable that that thou axist. [verse 35] And he*. [Laban S.] departide in that dai the*. [Om. S.] geet, and scheep, geet buckis, and rammes, dy|uerse and spottid*. [spot|tid; and puttide in the hondis C pr. m.]. Sothely he bitook al the flok of o coloure, that is, of white and of blak flees in*. [in to S.] the hond of hise sones; [verse 36] and he settide*. [sette S.] the space of weie of thre daies bitwixe hise sones and the hose|bonde of hise douȝtris, that fedde othere*. [his other S.] flockis `of hym*. [Om. S.]. [verse 37] Therfor Jacob took greene ȝerdis of popeleris, and of*. [Om. EM.] almoundis, and of planes, and in parti dide*. [he dide S.] awei the rynde*. [rindes G.] of tho*. [hem NS.], and whanne the ryndis Page  142 weren `drawun a wei*. [drawun awei ether shauede K.], whitnesse apperide in these that weren maad bare; sothely tho that weren hoole dwelliden grene, and bi this maner the coloure*. [coloure of sheep and geet S.] was maad dy|uerse. [verse 38] And Jacob puttide*. [putte S.] tho*. [the B.] ȝerdis in the trowis, where the watir was held out, that whanne the flockis schulden come to drynke, thei schulden haue the ȝerdis bi|for the*. [her S.] iȝen, and schulden*. [thei schulden S.] conseyue in the*. [Om. plures.] siȝt of the ȝerdis. [verse 39] And it was doon that in thilke heete of riding*. [the riding K. riding or gendringe S.] the sheep schulde biholde the*. [tho SW.] ȝerdis, and that thei schulden brynge forth spotti*. [spottid S.] beestis, and dyuerse, and bispreynt with dyuerse co|lour. [verse 40] And Jacob departide*. [the floc, that is, departide the rammes fro the ewes til to the tyme of wateryng. BCG NQX.] the floc, and puttide*. [putte MS.] the ȝerdis in the trowis bifor the iȝen of the rammys. Sotheli alle the white and blake weren Labans; sotheli the*. [alle the S.] othere weren Jacobis; for the flockis weren de|partid bytwixe hem silf. [verse 41] Therfor whanne the scheep weren ridun in the firste tyme, Jacob puttide*. [putte MS.] the ȝerdis in the `trouȝis of watir*. [water trouȝis S. trouȝis of watris plures.] bifor the iȝen of rammys and of scheep*. [ewe scheep S.], that thei schulden conseyue in the siȝt of tho*. [the IX.] ȝerdis. [verse 42] Forsothe whanne the late medlyng*. [med|lynge or gendringe S.] and the laste consey|uyng*. [conceyuyngus S.] weren, Jacob puttide*. [putte S.] not tho ȝerdis; and tho that weren late*. [late gendrid S.], weren maad La|bans, and tho that weren of the*. [Om. G.] firste tyme*. [tyme gendrid S.] weren Jacobis. [verse 43] And he*. [Jacob S.] was maad ful*. [Om. DGN.] riche, and hadde many flockis, hand|maydis*. [hondmaydens plures.], and seruauntis*. [mani seruauntis L. men seru. S.], camels, and assis.