An abridgeme[n]t of all the canonical books of the olde Testament written in Sternholds meter by VV. Samuel minister. The names of the books are in the next leaf following.

In. G. Ex. L.N. and D, The fiue book{is} of Moyses contayned bée.

¶The i. Chapiter.

ALmighty God did make the heauens and set therin these light{is} The Sun, the Moon, & all the starres appéering in our sight{is}. The earth, the Sea, and all therin, all these his woord did make: With man made last and yet set first, his wil on them to take.

The ij. Chapiter.

BEgin did then the Lord to rest, From making of suche things And pointed Adam to a place. a garden ful of springs. One trée denied, and man dooth name the beast{is} after his wil: In sléep to him his make was made, whiche did his minde fulfil.

The iij. Chapiter.

CAused was man by Sathans sleight Gods wil to break outright: The hée, the shée, and the Serpent are curst and driuen out quite.

For fear lest man should then dispair, with his wife and to hel: The womans séed y^t whiche was Christe shall come and make all wel.

The iiii. chapiter.

DOwn fel Abel, Cain him slue, in offering to the Lord: The iust was slain of the vniust, as scripture dooth record. Then is he curst and dooth dispair, after his wicked déed: The genealogie of Adams sonnes, and their sonnes dooth procéed.

The v. chapiter.

EUery yéer that Adam liued, is there moste plainly tolde: Whose age was then euen nine hundred and ful thirtie yéer olde. And so from him vnto iust Noe, the chapter dooth expresse: The names & yéeres how long they liued with muche of their successe.

The vi. chapiter.

FUl wicked were the people tho, a flud was threat of God:

With a precept to make an ark, euen as the Lord had bod. And then did Noe prepare the ship, after the Lords deuise: And redy prest as he was wild against the flud should rise.

The vii. chapiter.

GOd spake these woords to Noe his mā and we therto must hark: Go thou and all thy familie, with spéed into the ark. Euen so did Noe as God him bad, and took of eche kinde twain: His wife, his sonnes, and all their wiues, and then began the rain.

The viii. chapiter.

HUndreth dayes and od fiftie, the flud began to end: A Rauen and eke a Dooue also, Noe, foorth for newes did send. Then went Noe forthe and did offer, to God burnt sacrifice: Whiche liked wel the God on hie, when the smel did arise.

The ix. chapiter.

IN fauour then was Noe and blest, and murther is denide: A rainbowe sent, and promise made with water not destroyd. Then Noe fel drunk and lay vnhilde, and Ham his sonne was glad: The other hilde him and were blest, But Ham his cursing had.

The x. chapiter.

KNowe ye may of Noe his sonnes, As Sem, Ham and Iapheth: Chus, Hams sonne begot Nemrod, a hunter on the heath. Of these thrée sonnes & their sōnes sōnes the earth was storde again: In tungs & kindes with realms & lands, But moste of them were vain.

The xi. chapiter.

LEwdly forth went this rout to build, Babel that great hie toure The Lord came down & chaūgd their tungs in lesse space then an houre. The kinde of Sem again is tolde, vnto iust Abraham: Whiche went with Lot his fathers sonne and dwelled at Haran.

The xij. chapiter.

MUche fauour God shewd to Abram, dwelling in Canaan: Whiche God him plight, then came a dearth, to Egipt went he than. Then willed he Sarai his wife, to call him brother tho: The king her took and was plaged, whose name hight Pharao.

The xiii. chapiter.

NEighbourlike yode Lot and hée, And toward the south they went▪ Then parted they their land and good that God had to them lent. The promise then to Abram is, repeated once again: That hée and his séed after him, the blest land should obtain.

The xiiij. chapiter.

OF foren kings Lot taken was, whiche ward and wan that land: But then Abram did them destroy, and took him from their hand. Melchisedech with bread and wine, him met with mickle boste:

He gaue him tenth and paid the king, of Sodome all he lost.

The xv. chapiter.

PErforme would God the land he had, to Abram promised: A sonne to haue he dooth beléeue, and so is iustified. How that his féed in bondage should, in Egipt there remain: And be restorde vnto their land, and so sent home again.

The xvi. chapiter.

QUite barren Sara thought shée was and gaue Abram her maid: Whiche did conceiue and béeing proud her mistres did vpbraid. Her mistres chod, and shée to go, for faring with her fel: An Angel her returnd again, and plight her Ismael.

The xvii. chapiter.

REmooue did God then Abrams name, and calld him Abraham: And Sarai is named Sara, of whom tho Isaac came.

The sacrament is héer begun of Circumcision: Isaac is plight, and Abraham for Ismael dooth mone.

The xviii. chapiter.

SO vnto him thrée men apéerd, like trauaylers of miles: Sara did hear that shée should bear, and womanlike shée smiles. The ouerthrowe of Sodome then, to Abraham they tolde: He prayeth to them beeing one God, his vengeance to with holde.

The xix. chapiter.

TWo Angels lodg'd, and Sodome men would then haue them defilde: Blinded they were and after stroyd, saue Lot and his vnfilde. His wife to salte was turned tho, for breaking Gods precept: His daughters he begat with childe when drunklike he had slept.

The xx. chapiter.

WHen Abraham did flit he dwelt, In the land of Gerar:

His wife was fair, he feard his life and called her sister. Abimeleck sent for her then, his plesure for to haue: God him denide and then the king, Muche riches to her gaue.

The xxi. chapiter.

ALmightie God to Sara sent, Isaac her onely sonne: And Agar with her childe put out, no longer there to wonne. An Angel did her comfort tho, being in wildernes About a wel, Abimeleck and Abraham made peace.

The xxij. chapiter.

BEing then wild, to kil his sonne, and hée therto was prest: God tolde him that for his great faith in him all should be blest. Nachor brother to Abraham, had eyght sonnes by Milcha: One of her sonnes was Bethuel▪ Father to Rebecca.

The xxiij. chapiter.

COmmend to God, did Sara then her soule that was so milde: At her ful yéeres shée fel on sléep. and died vndefilde. Then Abram bought a plat of ground, of Ephron the Hethite: He layd his wife into the caue, when it was his by right.

The xxiiij. chapiter.

DEcrée did Abram to his man, and sware him by an othe: To séek a wife for Isaac méet and so he did for trothe. He went and came with Rebecca, whiche Isaac took to wife: So liued they together bothe, and led an honest life.

The xxv. chapiter.

EFtsoones did Abram take a wife, whiche bare him children more: He died and gaue Isaac his sonne his good and all his store. Then Isaacs wife euen at one birthe, Iacob and Esau bare: And Esau solde him land and right, And yet small was his fare.

¶Thus haue you heard of Genesis, The pith and halfe the some: Twentie and fiue in chapters past, Sith that the first begun.