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| [1]Forsothe Rachel seiy, that sche was vnfruytful, and hadde enuye to the sister, and seide to hir hosebonde, Yyue thou fre children to me, ellis Y schal die. |
[1]Rachel when she sawe that she bare Iacob no children, she enuied her sister, and sayde vnto Iacob: Geue me children, or els I am but dead |
| [2]To whom Jacob was wrooth, and answerde, Wher Y am for God, which haue priued thee fro the fruyt of thi wombe? |
[2]And Iacobs anger was kyndled agaynst Rachel, and sayde: Am I in Gods steade, whiche kepeth from thee the fruite of thy wombe |
| [3]And sche seide, Y haue `a seruauntesse Bala, entre thou to hir that she childe on my knees, and that Y haue sones of hir. |
[3]Then she sayde: Here is my mayde Bilha, go in vnto her, & she shall beare vpon my knees, that I also may haue chyldren by her |
| [4]And sche yaf to hym Bala in to matrimony; |
[4]And she gaue him Bilha her handmayde to wyfe: and Iacob went in vnto her |
| [5]and whanne the hosebonde hadde entrid to hir, sche conseyuede, and childide a sone. |
[5]And Bilha conceaued, and bare Iacob a sonne |
| [6]And Rachel seide, the Lord demede to me, and herde my preier, and yaf a sone to me; and therfor sche clepide his name Dan. |
[6]Then saide Rachel: God hath geuen sentence on my side, and hath also heard my voyce, and hath geuen me a sonne: therfore called she hym Dan |
| [7]And eft Bala conseyuede, and childide anothir sone, |
[7]And Bilha Rachels seruant conceaued againe, & bare Iacob another sonne |
| [8]for whom Rachel seide, The Lord hath maad me lijk to my sistir, and Y wexide strong; and sche clepide hym Neptalym. |
[8]And Rachel said: With godly wrastlynges haue I wrastled with my sister, & haue gotten the vpper hande: and she called his name Nephthali |
| [9]Lya feelide that sche ceesside to bere child, and sche yaf Selfa, hir handmayde, to the hosebonde. |
[9]When Lea sawe that she had left bearyng chyldren she toke Zilpha her mayde, and gaue her Iacob to wyfe |
| [10]And whanne Selfa aftir conseyuyng childide a sone, Lya seide, Blessidly; |
[10]And Zilpha Leas mayde bare Iacob a sonne |
| [11]and therfor sche clepide his name Gad. |
[11]Then sayde Lea, Good lucke: and called his name Gad |
| [12]Also Selfa childide anothir sone, |
[12]And Zilpha Leas seruaunt bare Iacob an other sonne |
| [13]and Lia seide, This is for my blis, for alle wymmen schulen seie me blessid; therfor sche clepide hym Aser. |
[13]Then saide Lea: happy am I, for the daughters wyll call me blessed: and called his name Aser |
| [14]Forsothe Ruben yede out in to the feeld in the tyme of wheete heruest, and foond mandragis, whiche he brouyte to Lya, his modir. And Rachel seide, Yyue thou to me a part of the mandragis of thi sone. |
[14]And Ruben went out in the dayes of the wheate haruest, & founde Mandragoras in the fielde, and brought them vnto his mother Lea. Then said Rachel to Lea: Geue me I praye thee of thy sonnes Mandragoras |
| [15]Lya answeride, Whether it semeth litil to thee, that thou hast rauyschid the hosebonde fro me, no but thou take also the mandragis of my sone? Rachel seide, The hosebonde sleepe with thee in this nyyt for the mandragis of thi sone. |
[15]To whom Lea aunswered: Is it not enough that thou hast taken away my husband, but wouldest take away my sonnes Mandragoras also? Then saide Rachel: well, let hym sleepe with thee this night for thy sonnes Mandragoras |
| [16]And whanne Jacob cam ayen fro the feeld at euentid, Lya yede out in to his comyng, and seide, Thou shalt entre to me, for Y haue hired thee with hire for the mandragis of my sone. He slepte with hir in that nyyt; |
[16]And Iacob came from the fielde at euen, and Lea went out to meete hym, and sayde: thou shalt come in to me, for I haue bought thee in deede with my sonne Mandragoras. And he slept with her that same nyght |
| [17]and God herde hir preiers, and sche conseyuede, and childide the fyuethe sone; |
[17]And God hearde Lea, that she conceaued, and bare Iacob the fift sonne |
| [18]and seide, God yaf meede to me, for Y yaf myn handmayde to myn hosebond; and sche clepide his name Isacar. |
[18]Then sayde Lea: God hath geuen me a rewarde, because I gaue my mayden to my husbande: and she called him Isachar |
| [19]Eft Lia conseyuede, and childide the sixte sone, |
[19]And Lea conceaued yet agayne, and bare Iacob the sixt sonne |
| [20]and seide, The Lord hath maad me riche with a good dower, also in this tyme myn hosebonde schal be with me, for Y childide sixe sones to hym; and therfore sche clepide his name Sabulon. |
[20]And Lea sayde: God hath endued me with a good dowrie, nowe wyll my husbande dwell with me, because I haue borne hym sixe sonnes: and called his name Zabulon |
| [21]Aftir whom sche childide a douyter, Dyna bi name. |
[21]After that, she bare a daughter, and called her name Dina |
| [22]Also the Lord hadde mynde on Rachel, and herde hir, and openyde hir wombe. |
[22]And God remembred Rachel, & God hearde her, and made her fruitefull |
| [23]And sche conseyuede, and childide a sone, and seide, God hath take a wey my schenschipe; and sche clepid his name Joseph, |
[23]So that she conceaued & bare a sonne: and sayde, God hath taken awaye my rebuke |
| [24]and seide, The Lord yyue to me another sone. |
[24]And she called his name Ioseph, saying: the Lorde geue me yet another sonne |
| [25]Sotheli whanne Joseph was borun, Jacob seide to his wyues fadir, Delyuere thou me, that Y turne ayen in to my cuntrey and to my lond. |
[25]Assoone as Rachel had borne Ioseph, Iacob sayde to Laban: Send me away, that I maye go vnto my owne place, and to my countrey |
| [26]Yyue thou to me my wyues and fre children for whiche Y seruede thee, that Y go; forsothe thou knowist the seruyce bi which Y seruede thee. |
[26]Geue me my wyues and my chyldren for whom I haue serued thee, and let me go: for thou knowest what seruice I haue done thee |
| [27]Laban seide to hym, Fynde Y grace in thi siyt, Y haue lerned bi experience that God blesside me for thee; |
[27]To whom Laban aunswered: I pray thee, yf I haue founde fauour in thy syght [tary]: for I haue proued that the Lorde blessed me for thy sake |
| [28]ordeyne thou the meede which Y schal yyue to thee. |
[28]Also he sayde: Appoynt what thy rewarde shalbe, and I wyll geue [it thee. |
| [29]And he answeride, Thou woost hou Y seruede thee, and hou greet thi possessioun was in myn hondis; |
[29]But he saide vnto him: Thou knowest what seruice I haue done thee, and in what takyng thy cattell haue ben vnder me |
| [30]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 myn hows. |
[30]For that litle which thou haddest before I came, is nowe increased into a multitude, and the Lord hath blessed thee through my trauell: but nowe when shall I make prouision for myne owne house also |
| [31]And Laban seide, What schal Y yyue to thee? And Jacob seide, Y wole no thing but if thou doist that that Y axe, eft Y schal fede and kepe thi scheep. |
[31]And he sayde: What shall I then geue thee? And Iacob aunswered, Thou shalt geue me nothyng at all: yf thou wylt do this thyng for me, then wyll I turne agayne, feede thy sheepe, and kepe them |
| [32]Cumpasse thou alle thi flockis, and departe thou alle diuerse scheep and of spottid flees, and what euer thing schal be dun, and spottid, and dyuerse, as wel in scheep as in geet, it schal be my mede. |
[32]I wyll go about all thy flockes this day, and seperate from them all the cattell that are spotted & of diuers colours: and all the blacke among the sheepe, & the partie & spotted amongst the kiddes [the same] shalbe my rewarde |
| [33]And my riytfulnesse schal answere to me to morewe, whanne the tyme of couenaunt schal come bifor thee; and alle that ben not dyuerse and spottid and dunne, as well in sheep as in geet, schulen repreue me of thefte. |
[33]So shall my ryghteousnes aunswere for me in time to come: for it shal come for my rewarde before thy face. And euery one that is not specked and partie amongst the goates, & blacke amongst the sheepe, let it be compted theft in me |
| [34]And Laban seide, Y haue acceptable that that thou axist. |
[34]And Laban sayde: go to, would God it myght be accordyng to thy saying |
| [35]And he departide in that dai the geet, and scheep, geet buckis, and rammes, dyuerse and spottid. Sothely he bitook al the flok of o coloure, that is, of white and of blak flees in the hond of hise sones; |
[35]Therfore he toke out the same day the hee goates that were ryngstraked and of diuers colours, & all the shee goates that were spotted and coloured, and all that had whyte in them, & all the blacke amongst the sheepe, and put them in the kepyng of his sonnes |
| [36]and he settide the space of weie of thre daies bitwixe hise sones and the hosebonde of hise douytris, that fedde othere flockis` of hym. |
[36]And set three dayes iourney betwixte himselfe and Iacob: and so Iacob kept the rest of Labans sheepe |
| [37]Therfor Jacob took greene yerdis of popeleris, and of almoundis, and of planes, and in parti dide awei the rynde of tho, and whanne the ryndis weren `drawun a wei, whitnesse apperide in these that weren maad bare; sothely tho that weren hoole dwelliden grene, and bi this maner the coloure was maad dyuerse. |
[37]Iacob toke roddes of greene populer, hasell, and chesse nut trees, and pilled whyte strakes in them, and made the whyte appeare in the roddes |
| [38]And Jacob puttide tho yerdis in the trowis, where the watir was held out, that whanne the flockis schulden come to drynke, thei schulden haue the yerdis bifor the iyen, and schulden conseyue in the siyt of the yerdis. |
[38]And put the roddes which he had pilled, [euen] before the sheepe, in the gutters and watryng throughes when the sheepe came to drynke, that they should conceaue when they came to drynke |
| [39]And it was doon that in thilke heete of riding the sheep schulde biholde the yerdis, and that thei schulden brynge forth spotti beestis, and dyuerse, and bispreynt with dyuerse colour. |
[39]And the sheepe conceaued before the roddes, & brought foorth lambes ryngstraked, spotted, and partie |
| [40]And Jacob departide the floc, and puttide the yerdis in the trowis bifor the iyen of the rammys. Sotheli alle the white and blake weren Labans; sotheli the othere weren Jacobis; for the flockis weren departid bytwixe hem silf. |
[40]And Iacob did seperate these lambes, and turned the faces of the sheepe whiche were in the flocke of Laban, towarde these ryngstraked, and al maner of blacke: and so put his owne flockes by them selues, and put them not with Labans cattell |
| [41]Therfor whanne the scheep weren ridun in the firste tyme, Jacob puttide the yerdis in the `trouyis of watir bifor the iyen of rammys and of scheep, that thei schulden conseyue in the siyt of tho yerdis. |
[41]And in euery conceauyng tyme of the stronger cattel, Iacob layed the roddes before the eyes of the cattell in the gutters, namely that they myght conceaue before the roddes |
| [42]Forsothe whanne the late medlyng and the laste conseyuyng weren, Jacob puttide not tho yerdis; and tho that weren late, weren maad Labans, and tho that weren of the firste tyme weren Jacobis. |
[42]But when the cattell were feeble, he put them not in: and so the feebler were Labans, and the stronger Iacobs |
| [43]And he was maad ful riche, and hadde many flockis, handmaydis, and seruauntis, camels, and assis. |
[43]And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattell, and mayde seruauntes, and man seruauntes, and camels, and asses |