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| [1]Forsothe Abraham was eld, and of many daies, and the Lord hadde blessid hym in alle thingis. |
[1]NOW Abraham was old and well advanced in years; and the LORD had blessed him in all things. |
| [2]And he seide to the eldere seruaunt of his hows, that was souereyn on alle thingis that he hadde, Put thou thin hond vndur myn hipe, |
[2]And Abraham called his eldest servant, the steward of his house, who was in charge of everything that he had; and he said to him, Put your hand under my girdle; |
| [3]that Y coniure thee bi the Lord God of heuene and of erthe, that thou take not a wijf to my sone of the douytris of Chanaan, among whiche Y dwelle; |
[3]And I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take to my son a wife of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; |
| [4]but that thou go to my lond and kynrede, and therof take a wijf to my sone Ysaac. |
[4]But that you will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac. |
| [5]The seruaunt aunswerde, If the womman nyle come with me in to this lond, whether Y owe lede ayen thi sone to the place, fro which thou yedist out? |
[5]And the servant said to him, Suppose the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land; must I then take your son back to the land from whence you came? |
| [6]Abraham seide, Be war, lest ony tyme thou lede ayen thidur my sone; |
[6]And Abraham said to him, Beware that you do not take my son thither again. |
| [7]the Lord of heuene that took me fro the hows of my fadir, and fro the lond of my birthe, which spak to me, and swoor, and seide, Y schal yyue this lond to thi seed, he schal sende his aungel bifore thee, and thou schalt take fro thennus a wijf to my sone; forsothe if the womman nyle sue thee, |
[7]The LORD God of heaven, who took me from thence, from my father's household and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me, and who made a covenant with me, saying, To your descendants will I give this land; he shall send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife to my son from there. |
| [8]thou schalt not be holdun bi the ooth; netheles lede not ayen my sone thidur. |
[8]And if the woman will not be willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from this my oath; only you must not take my son there again. |
| [9]Therfore the seruaunt puttide his hond vndur the hipe of Abraham, his lord, and swoor to him on this word. |
[9]So the servant put his hand under the girdle of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter |
| [10]And he took ten camels of the floc of his lord, and yede forth, and bar with him of alle the goodis of his lord; and he yede forth, and cam to Mesopotanye, to the citee of Nachor. |
[10]And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed, carrying with him all kinds of choice things of his master; and he arose, and went to Aram-nahrin (Mesopotamia), to the city of Nahor. |
| [11]And whanne he hadde maad the camels to reste with out the citee, bisidis the pit of watir, in the euentid, in that tyme in which wymmen ben wont to go out to drawe watir, |
[11]And he made his camels to kneel down outside the city by a well of water in the evening, the very time when women go out to draw water. |
| [12]he seide, Lord God of my lord Abraham, Y biseche, meete with me to dai, and do mersi with my lord Abraham. |
[12]And he prayed, saying, O LORD God of my master Abraham, prosper my journey, and show kindness to my master Abraham. |
| [13]Lo! Y stonde nyy the welle of watir, and the douytris of enhabiters of this citee schulen go out to drawe watir; |
[13]Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. |
| [14]therfor the damysel to which Y schal seie, Bowe doun thi watir pot that Y drynke, and schal answere, Drynke thou, but also Y schal yyue drynke to thi camels, thilke it is which thou hast maad redi to thi seruaunt Ysaac; and bi this Y schal vndirstonde that thou hast do mersi with my lord Abraham. |
[14]Let it come to pass that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down your pitcher, that I may drink; and she shall say to me, Drink, and I will water your camels also; let the same be she that thou hast selected for thy servant Isaac; and by this token shall I know that thou hast shown kindness and faithfulness to my master. |
| [15]And he hadde not yit fillid the wordis with ynne hym silf, and lo! Rebecca, the douytir of Batuel, sone of Melcha, wijf of Nachor, brothir of Abraham, yede out, hauynge a watir pot in hir schuldre; |
[15]And it came to pass, before he had finished speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher on her shoulder. |
| [16]a damysel ful comeli, and faireste virgyn, and vnknowun of man. Sotheli sche cam doun to the welle, and fillide the watir pot, and turnide ayen. |
[16]And the damsel was very beautiful to look upon, a virgin whom no man had known; and she went down to the well and filled her pitcher and came up. |
| [17]And the seruaunt mette hir, and seide, Yyue thou to me a litil of the watir of thi pot to drynke. |
[17]And the servant ran to meet her and said, Let me drink a little water from your pitcher. |
| [18]Which answerde, Drynke thou, my lord. And anoon sche dide doun the watir pot on hir schuldre, and yaf drynk to hym. |
[18]And she said, Drink, my lord; and she hastened and let down the pitcher upon her hands and gave him a drink. |
| [19]And whanne he hadde drunke, sche addide, But also Y schal drawe watir to thi camelis, til alle drynken. |
[19]And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, I will draw water for your camels also, until they are all watered. |
| [20]And sche helde out the watir pot in trouyis, and ran ayen to the pit, to drawe watir, and sche yaf watir drawun to alle the camels. |
[20]So she hastened and emptied her pitcher into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew water for all his camels. |
| [21]Sotheli he bihelde hir priueli, and wolde wite whether the Lord hadde sped his wei, ethir nay. |
[21]And as the man watered his camels he scrutinized her, and waited to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. |
| [22]Therfor after that the camels drunken, the man brouyte forth goldun eere ryngis, weiynge twei siclis, and as many bies of the arm, in the weiyte of ten siclis. |
[22]And it came to pass, when the camels were through drinking, the man took golden earrings weighing a shekel and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, |
| [23]And he seide to hir, Whos douyter art thou? schewe thou to me, is ony place in the hows of thi fadir to dwelle? |
[23]And said to her, Whose daughter are you? tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to lodge? |
| [24]Which answerde, Y am the douyter of Batuel, sone of Nachor, whom Melcha childide to him. |
[24]And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor. |
| [25]And sche addide, seiynge, Also ful myche of prouendre and of hey is at vs, and a large place to dwelle. |
[25]And she said moreover to him, We have plenty of straw and hay, and room to lodge in. |
| [26]The man bowide hym silf, |
[26]And the man knelt on the ground and worshipped the LORD. |
| [27]and worschipide the Lord, and seide, Blessid be the Lord God of my lord Abraham, which God took not aweie his mersy and treuthe fro my lord, and ledde me bi riyt weie in to the hous of the brother of my lord. |
[27]And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld his grace and his truth from my master; while I was on the road, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brother, to take his brother's daughter to his son. |
| [28]And so the damesel ran, and telde in the hous of hir modir alle thingis whiche sche hadde herd. |
[28]Then the damsel ran, and related these things to her father's household |
| [29]Sotheli Rebecca hadde a brothir, Laban bi name, whiche yede out hastili to the man, where he was with out forth. |
[29]And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban; so Laban ran out to the man, to the well. |
| [30]And whanne he hadde seyn the eere ryngis and byes of the arm in the hondis of his sister, and hadde herd alle the wordis of hir tellynge, the man spak to me these thingis, he cam to the man that stood bisidis the camels, and nyy the welle of watir, |
[30]And it came to pass, when he saw the earrings and the bracelets on his sister's hands and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spoke the man to me, he came to the man; and, behold, he was standing by the camels at the well. |
| [31]and seide to him, Entre thou, the blessid of the Lord; whi stondist thou with outforth? I haue maad redi the hows, and a place to thi camels. |
[31]And he said to him, Come in, you blessed of the LORD; why do you stand in the street? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels. |
| [32]And he brouyte hym in to the ynne, and unsadlide the camels, and yaf prouendre, and hey, and watir to waische the feet of camels, and of men that camen with hym. |
[32]So the man came into the house and ungirded the camels and gave straw and hay for the camels, and was given water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. |
| [33]And breed was set forth in his siyt, which seide, Y schal not ete til Y speke my wordis. He answerde to the man, Speke thou. |
[33]And there was set food before them to eat; but Abraham's steward said, I will not eat until I have told my errand. And they said, Speak on. |
| [34]And the man seide, Y am the seruaunt of Abraham, |
[34]And he said, I am Abraham's servant. |
| [35]and the Lord hath blessid my lord greetli, and he is maad greet; and God yaf to hym scheep, and oxun, siluer, and gold, seruauntis, and handmaides, camels, and assis. |
[35]And the LORD has blessed my master greatly, so that he has become great; and he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, and camels and asses. |
| [36]And Sare, `the wijf of my lord, childide a sone to my lord in his eelde, and he yaf alle thingis that he hadde to that sone. |
[36]And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has. |
| [37]And my lord chargide me greetli, and seide, Thou schalt not take to my sone a wijf of the douytris of Canaan, in whos lond Y dwelle, |
[37]And my master made me swear, saying, You must not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell; |
| [38]but thou schalt go to the hous of my fadir, and of myn kynrede thou schalt take a wijf to my sone. |
[38]But you shall go to my father's house and to my kindred, and take a wife to my son. |
| [39]Forsothe Y answerde to my lord, What if the womman nyle come with me? |
[39]And I said to my master, Suppose the woman will be unwilling to follow me? |
| [40]He seide, The Lord in whose siyt Y go, schal sende his aungel with thee, and he schal dresse thi weie; and thou schalt take a wijf to my sone of my kynrede, and of my fadris hows. |
[40]And he said to me, The LORD before whom I worship will send his angel with you, and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son of my kindred and of my father's house; |
| [41]Thou schalt be innocent fro my curs, whanne thou comest to my kynesmen, and thei yyuen not `the womman to thee. |
[41]Then you shall be clear from my oath, when you go to my kindred; and if they do not give you a bride, you shall be clear from my oath. |
| [42]Therfor Y cam to day to the welle of watir, and Y seide, Lord God of my lord Abraham, if thou hast dressid my weie in which Y go now, lo! |
[42]And I came today to the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my mission for which I came, |
| [43]Y stonde bisidis the welle of watir, and the maide that schal go out to drawe watir herith me, yyue thou to me a litil of water to drynke of thi pot, |
[43]Behold, I am standing by the well of water, and it shall come to pass that when the damsel comes forth to draw water, and I say to her, Let me drink a little water from your pitcher, |
| [44]and seith to me, And thou drynke, and Y schal drawe watir to thi camels, thilke is the womman which the Lord hath maad redi to the sone of my lord. |
[44]And she say to me, Drink, and I will also draw for your camels, let the same be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master's son. |
| [45]While Y turnede in thouyte these thingis with me, Rebecca apperide, comynge with a pot which sche bare in the schuldre; and sche yede doun to the welle, and drowe watir. And Y seide to hir, Yyue thou a litil to me to drynke; and sche hastide, |
[45]And before I was through speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the fountain, and drew water; and I said to her, Let me drink a little water from your pitcher. |
| [46]and dide doun the pot of the schuldre, and seide to me, And thou drynke, and Y schal yyue drynke to thi camels; Y drank, and watride the camels. |
[46]And she hastened, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will water your camels also; so I drank, and she watered my camels also. |
| [47]And Y axide hir, and seide, Whos douytir art thou? Which answerde, Y am the douytir of Batuel, sone of Nachor, whom Melcha childide to him. And so Y hangide eere ryngis to ourne hir face, and Y puttide bies of the arm in hir hondis, |
[47]Then I asked her, and said, Whose daughter are you? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him; and I put the earrings on her ears and the bracelets on her hands. |
| [48]and lowliche Y worschipide the Lord, and Y blessid the Lord God of my lord Abraham, which God ledde me bi riyt weie, that Y schulde take the douytir of the brothir of my lord to his sone. |
[48]And I knelt and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to the house of my master's brother to take my master's brother's daughter to his son. |
| [49]Wherfor if ye don mercy and treuthe with `my lord, schewe ye to me; ellis if othir thing plesith, also seie ye this, that Y go to the riyt side ethir to the left side. |
[49]And now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me; so that I may know what to do. |
| [50]Laban and Batuel answeriden, The word is gon out of the Lord; we moun not speke ony other thing with thee without his plesaunce. |
[50]Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceeded from the LORD; we cannot say anything to you good or bad. |
| [51]Lo! Rebecca is bifore thee; take thou hir, and go forth, and be sche wijf of the sone of thi lord, as the Lord spak. |
[51]Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has spoken. |
| [52]And whanne the child of Abraham hadde herd this, he felde doun, and worschipide the Lord in erthe. |
[52]And it came to pass that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth. |
| [53]And whanne vessels of siluer, and of gold, and clothis weren brouyt forth, he yaf tho to Rebecca for yifte, and he yaf yiftis to hir britheren, and modir. |
[53]And the servant brought forth jewels of gold and jewels of silver and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave gifts to her brother and to her mother |
| [54]And whanne a feeste was maad, thei eeten and drunken to gider, and dwelliden there. Forsothe the child roos eerli, and spak, Delyuere ye me, that Y go to my lord. |
[54]And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and spent the night there; and the servant rose up in the morning, and said to them, Send me away to my master. |
| [55]Hir britheren and modir answerden, The damesele dwelle nameli ten daies at vs, and aftirward sche schal go forth. |
[55]And her brother and her mother said to him, Let the damsel stay with us a month, or at least a few days; and then she shall go. |
| [56]The child seide, Nyle ye holde me, for the Lord hath dressid my weie; delyuere ye me, that I go to my lord. |
[56]And he said to them, Do not delay me, seeing the LORD has prospered my errand; send me away that I may go to my master. |
| [57]And thei seiden, Clepe we the damysele, and axe we hir wille. |
[57]And they said, We will call the damsel, and ask her. |
| [58]And whanne sche was clepid, and cam, thei axiden, Wolt thou go with this man? |
[58]So they called Rebekah, and said to her, Will you go with this man? And she said, I will go. |
| [59]And sche seide, Y schal go. Therfor they delyueriden hir, and hir nurse, and the seruaunt of Abraham, and hise felowis, and wischiden prosperitees to her sister, |
[59]And they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men. |
| [60]and seiden, Thou art oure sister, encreesse thou in to a thousand thousandis, and thi seed gete the yatis of hise enemyes. |
[60]And they blessed Rebekah their sister, and said to her, You are our sister, be the mother of thousands and of millions, and let your descendants inherit the lands of their enemies. |
| [61]Therfor Rebecca and hir damesels stieden on the camels, and sueden the man, which turnede ayen hasteli to his lord. |
[61]Then Rebekah arose with her maids, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man; and the servant took Rebekah and went his way |
| [62]In that tyme Ysaac walkide bi the weie that ledith to the pit, whos name is of hym that lyueth and seeth; for he dwellide in the south lond. |
[62]And Isaac had returned from the well of Khaya-khezan; for he dwelt in the south country. |
| [63]And he yede out to thenke in the feeld, for the dai was `bowid thanne; and whanne he hadde reisid the iyen, he seiy camels comynge afer. |
[63]Now Isaac strolled in the field in the evening; and he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, the camels were coming. |
| [64]And whanne Ysaac was seyn, Rebecca liyte doun of the camel, |
[64]And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she leaned over the camel, |
| [65]and seide to the child, Who is that man that cometh bi the feeld in to the metyng of vs? And the child seide to hir, He is my lord. And sche took soone a mentil, and hilide hir. |
[65]And she said to the servant, Who is this man who is walking in the field to meet us? And the servant said, It is my master; therefore she took a veil and covered herself. |
| [66]Forsothe the seruaunt tolde to his lord Ysaac alle thingis whiche he hadde do; |
[66]And the servant told Isaac all the things that she had done. |
| [67]which Ysaac ledde hir in to the tabernacle of Sare, his modir, and took hir to wijf; and so myche he louede hir, that he temperide the sorewe which bifelde of the deeth of the modir. |
[67]And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death |