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| [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. |
[1]And the Lorde appeared vnto hym in the playne of Mamre, and he sate in his tent doore in the heate of the day |
| [2]And whanne he hadde reisid his iyen, thre men apperiden to hym, and stoden nyy hym. And whanne he hadde seyn hem, he ran fro the dore of his tabernacle in to the meting of hem, and he worschipide on erthe, |
[2]And he lift vp his eyes and loked, and loe, three men stoode by hym: And when he sawe them, he ranne to meete them from the tent doore, and bowed hym selfe towarde the grounde |
| [3]and seide, Lord, if Y haue founde grace in thin iyen, passe thou not thi seruaunt, |
[3]And sayde: Lorde, yf I haue nowe founde fauour in thy sight, passe not away I praye thee from thy seruaunt |
| [4]but I schal brynge a litil watir, and youre feet be waischid, and reste ye vndur the tre; |
[4]Let a litle water, I pray you, be fet, and washe your feete, and refreshe your selues vnder the tree |
| [5]and Y schal sette a mussel of breed, and youre herte be coumfortid; aftirward ye schulen passe; for herfor ye bowiden to youre seruaunt. Whiche seiden, Do thou as thou hast spoke. |
[5]And I wyll fet a morsell of bread to comfort your heartes withall, and then shall you go your wayes: for euen therefore are ye come to your seruaunt. And they sayde: do euen so as thou hast sayde |
| [6]Abraham hastide in to the tabernacle, to Sare, and seide to hir, Hast thou, meddle thou thre half buschelis of clene flour; and make thou looues bakun vndur aischis. |
[6]And Abraham went apace into the tent vnto Sara, & sayde: Make redy at once three peckes of fine meale, kneade [it] and make cakes vpon the hearth |
| [7]Forsothe he ran to the droue of beestis, and took therof a calf moost tendre and best, and yaf to a child, which hastide, and sethede the calfe; |
[7]And Abraham runnyng vnto his beastes, fet a calfe tender and good, and gaue it vnto a young man, and he hasted to make it redy at once |
| [8]and he took botere, and mylk, and the calf which he hadde sode, and settide bifore hem; forsothe Abraham stood bisidis hem vndur the tre. |
[8]And he toke butter and mylke, and the calfe which he had prepared, and set it before them, and stoode hym selfe by them vnder the tree: & they dyd eate |
| [9]And whanne thei hadden ete, thei seiden to hym, Where is Sare thi wijf? He answerde, Lo! sche is in the tabernacle. |
[9]And they sayde vnto hym: where is Sara thy wife? He aunswered, behold, in the tent |
| [10]To whom the Lord seide, Y schal turne ayen, 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 leiyede bihynde the dore of the tabernacle. |
[10]And he sayde: I wyll certaynely returne vnto thee according to the time of lyfe: and lo, Sara thy wyfe shall haue a sonne. That heard Sara in the tent doore, which was behynde hym |
| [11]Forsothe bothe weren olde, and of greet age, and wommans termes ceessiden to be maad to Sare. |
[11]Abraham and Sara were both olde, and well stryken in age: and it ceassed to be with Sara after the maner as it is with women |
| [12]And she leiyede, seiynge pryueli, after that Y wexede eld, and my lord is eld, schal Y yyue diligence to lust? |
[12]Therefore Sara laughed within her selfe, saying: Nowe I am waxed olde shal I geue my selfe to lust, and my Lorde olde also |
| [13]Forsothe the Lord seide to Abraham, Whi leiyeth Sare, thi wijf, seiynge, whether Y an eld womman schal bere child verili? |
[13]And God said vnto Abraham: wherfore dyd Sara laugh, saying, shall I of a suertie beare a chylde, which am olde |
| [14]whether ony thing is hard to God? Bi the biheeste Y schal turne ayen to thee in this same tyme, if Y lyue; and Sara schal haue a sone. |
[14]Is any thing vnpossible to God? Accordyng to the tyme appoynted wyll I returne vnto thee [euen] according to the time of life: & Sara [shall] haue a sonne |
| [15]Sare was aferd for drede, and denyede, seiynge, Y leiyede not. Forsothe the Lord seide, It is not so, but thou leiyedist. |
[15]The Sara denied it, saying: I laughed not: for she was afrayde. And he sayde: it is not so, but thou laughedst |
| [16]Therfor whanne the men hadden risen fro thennus, thei dressiden the iyen ayens Sodom; and Abraham yede to gidre, ledynge hem forth. |
[16]And the men rysyng vp from thence, loked toward Sodome: and Abraham went with them to bryng them on the way |
| [17]And the Lord seide, Wher Y mowe hele fro Abraham what thingis Y schal do, |
[17]And the Lorde sayde: shall I hyde from Abraham that thing which I do |
| [18]sithen he schal be in to a greet folk and moost strong, and alle naciouns of erthe schulen be blessid in hym? |
[18]Seyng that Abraham shall surely be a great and a myghtie nation, and all the nations of the earth shalbe blessed in hym |
| [19]For Y woot that Abraham schal comaunde hise children, and his hows after hym, that thei kepe the weie of the Lord, and that thei do riytfulnesse and dom, that the Lord bringe for Abraham alle thingis whiche he spak to Abraham. |
[19]I knowe this also, that he wyll commaunde his chyldren and his householde after him, that they kepe the way of the Lord, and to do iustice and iudgement, that the Lorde may bryng vppon Abraha that he hath spoken vnto him |
| [20]And so the Lord seide, The cry of men of Sodom and of men of Gomorre is multiplied, and her synne is agreggid greetli; Y schal come doun, |
[20]And the lorde saide: because the crye of Sodome and Gomorrhe is great, and because their sinne is exceding greeuous |
| [21]and schal se whether thei han fillid in werk the cry that cam to me, that Y wite whether it is not so. |
[21]I wyll go downe nowe, and see whether they haue done altogether accordyng to that crye whiche is come vnto me: and yf not, I wyll knowe |
| [22]And thei turneden han fro thennus, and yeden to Sodom. Abraham sotheli stood yit bifore the Lord, |
[22]And the men departed thence, & went to Sodomeward: but Abraham stoode yet before the Lorde |
| [23]and neiyede, and seide, Whether thou schalt leese a iust man with the wickid man? |
[23]And Abraham drewe neare, and said: Wylt thou also destroye the righteous with the wicked |
| [24]if fifti iust men ben in the citee, schulen thei perische togidere, and schalt thou not spare that place for fifti iust men, if thei ben ther ynne? |
[24]If there be fiftie ryghteous within the citie, wylt thou destroye and not spare the place for the sake of fiftie ryghteous that are therein |
| [25]Fer be it fro thee that thou do this thing, and sle a iust man with a wickid man, 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. |
[25]That be farre from thee that thou shouldest do after this maner, and slaye the ryghteous with the wicked, & that the ryghteous should be as the wicked, that be farre from thee: Shall not the iudge of all the worlde do accordyng to ryght |
| [26]And the Lord seide to him, If Y schal fynde in Sodom fifti iust men in the myddis of the citee, Y schal foryyue to al the place for hem. |
[26]And the Lorde sayde: If I fynde in Sodome fiftie ryghteous within the citie, I wyll spare all the place for their sakes |
| [27]Abraham answerde and seide, For Y bigan onys, Y schal speke to my Lord, sithen Y am dust and aische; |
[27]And Abraham aunsweryng, sayde: beholde I haue taken vppon me to speake vnto the Lorde, whiche am but dust and asshes |
| [28]what if lesse than fifti iust men bi fyue ben, schalt thou do a wey al the cite for fyue and fourti? And the Lord seide, Y schal not do a wei, if I schal fynde fyue and fourti there. |
[28]If there shall lacke fiue of fiftie ryghteous, wylt thou destroy all the citie for [lacke] of fiue? And he saide: If I fynde there fourtie and fiue I wyl not destroy them |
| [29]And eft Abraham seide to hym, But if fourti ben there, what schalt thou do? The Lord seide, Y schal not smyte for fourti. |
[29]And he proceaded to speake vnto hym agayne, and sayde: What yf there shall be fourtie founde there? He aunswered: I wyll not do it for fourties sake |
| [30]Abraham seide, Lord, Y biseche, take thou not to indignacioun, if Y speke; what if thretti be foundun there? The Lord answerde, Y schal not do, if Y schal fynde thretti there. |
[30]He sayde vnto hym agayne: O let not my lord be angry that I speake: What yf there shall thirtie be founde there? And he sayde: I wyll do nothyng yf I fynde thirtie there |
| [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. |
[31]He sayde agayne: O see I haue taken vppon me to speake nowe also vnto my Lord: What if there shalbe twentie founde there? He aunswered, I wyll not destroy [them] for twenties sake |
| [32]Abraham seide, Lord, Y biseche, be thou not wrooth, if Y speke yit onys; what if ten be founden there? The Lord seide, Y schal not do a wey for ten. |
[32]And he sayde: O let not my Lorde be angry, and I wyll speake yet but this once: What if ten shalbe found there? He aunswered, I wil not destroy [them] for tennes sake |
| [33]The Lord yede forth, after that he ceesside to speke to Abraham, and Abraham turnede ayen in to his place. |
[33]And the Lorde went his way assoone as he had left communyng with Abraham, and Abraham [also] turned vnto his place |