The First Boke of Moses called Genesis

by Unknown

¶ The .xxx. Chapter

WHen Rahel sawe that she bare Iacob no childern/ she enuied hir sister & sayde vnto Iacob: geue me childern/ or ells I am but deed. Than was Iacob wrooth with Rahel saynge: Am I in godes steade which kepeth frõ the the frute of thi wõbe? Thẽ she sayde: here is my mayde Bilha: go in vnto her/ that she maye beare vpõ my lappe/ that I maye be encreased by her. And she gaue him Bilha hir hãdmayde to wife. And Iacob wẽt in vnto her/ And Bilha conceaued and bare Iacob a sonne. Than sayde Rahel. God hath geuen sentẽce on my syde/ and hath also herde my voyce/ and hath geuen me a sonne. Therfore called she him Dan. And Bilha Rahels mayde cõceaued agayne and bare Iacob a nother sonne. And Rahel sayde. God is turned/ and I haue made a chaunge with my sister/ & haue gotẽ y^e vpper hãde. And she called his name Nepthali

Whẽ Lea sawe that she had left bearinge/ she toke Silpha hir mayde and gaue her Iacob to wiffe. And Silpha Leas mayde bare Iacob a sonne. Than sayde Lea: good lucke: and called his name Gad. And Silpha Leas mayde bare Iacob an other sonne. Thã sayd Lea: happy am I/ for the doughters will call me blessed. And called his name Asser.

And Rubẽ wẽt out in the wheat haruest & foũde mandragoras in the feldes/ and brought thẽ vnto his mother Lea. Than sayde Rahel to Lea geue me of thy sonnes mãdragoras. And Lea answered: is it not ynough/ y^t thou hast takẽ awaye my housbõde/ but woldest take awaye my sonnes mandragoras also? Than sayde Rahel well/ let him slepe with the this nyghte/ for thy sonnes mandragoras. And whẽ Iacob came from the feldes at euen/ Lea went out to mete him/ & sayde: come in to me/ for I haue bought the with my sonnes mandragoras.

And he slepte with her that nyghte. And God herde Lea/ y^t she cõceaved and bare vnto Iacob y^e .v. sonne. Than sayde Lea. God hath geuẽ me my rewarde/ because I gaue my maydẽ to my housbõd/ and she called him Isachar. And Lea cõceaued yet agayne and bare Iacob the sexte sonne. Than sayde she: God hath endowed me with a good dowry. Now will my housbond dwell with me/ because I haue borne him .vi. sonnes: and called his name Zabulõ. After that she bare a daughter and called her Dina.

And God remẽbred Rahel/ herde her/ and made her frutefull: so that she cõceaued and bare a sonne and sayde God hath takẽ awaye my rebuke. And she called his name Ioseph saynge The lorde geue me yet another sonne.

As soone as Rahel had borne Ioseph/ Iacob sayde to Laban: Sẽde me awaye y^t I maye goo vnto myne awne place and cũtre/ geue me my wives and my childern for whome I haue serued the/ and let me goo: for thou knowest what seruyce I haue done the. Than sayde Laban vnto hĩ: If I haue fownde fauoure in thy syghte (for I suppose y^t the LORde hath blessed me for thy sake) appoynte what thy rewarde shalbe/ and I will geue it y^e. But he sayde vnto hym/ thou knowest what seruyce I haue done y^e/ & in what takynge thy catell haue bene vnder me: for it was but litle that thou haddest before I came/ and now it is encreased in to a multitude/ and the LORDE hath blessed the for my sake. But now when shall I make provysion for myne awne house also? And he sayde: what shall I geue the? And Iacob answerd: thou shalt geue me nothinge at all/ yf thou wilt do this one thinge for me: And then will I turne agayne & fede thy shepe and kepe them.

I will go aboute all thy shepe this daye/ and separate frõ thẽ all the shepe that are spotted and of dyverse coloures/ and all blacke shepe amonge the lambes and the partie and spotted amonge the kyddes: And then such shalbe my rewarde. So shall my rightwesnes answere for me: when the tyme commeth that I shall receaue my rewarde of the: So that what soeuer is not speckeld and partie amonge the gootes and blacke amonge the lambes/ let that be theft with me.

Than sayde Laban: loo/ I am contẽte/ that it be acordinge as thou hast sayde. And he toke out that same daye the he gootes that were partie & of dyuerse coloures/ & all the she gootes that were spotted and partie coloured/ & all that had whyte in thẽ/ & all the blacke amonge the lambes: ãd put thẽ in the kepinge of his sonnes/ & sett thre dayes iourney betwixte hĩselfe & Iacob. And so Iacob kepte y^e rest of Labãs shepe.

Iacob toke roddes of grene popular/ hasell/ & of chestnottrees/ & pilled whyte strakes in thẽ & made the white apere in the staues: And he put the staues which he had pilled/ euẽ before y^e shepe/ in the gutters & watrynge troughes/ whẽ the shepe came to drynke: y^t they shulde cõceaue whẽ they came to drynke. And the shepe cõceaued before the staues & brought forth straked/ spotted & partie. Thẽ Iacob parted the lãbes/ & turned the faces of the shepe toward spotted thinges/ & toward allmaner of blacke thinges thorow out the flockes of Labã. And he made him flockes of his owne by thẽ selfe/ which he put not vnto the flockes of Labã. And allwaye in the first buckinge tyme of the shepe/ Iacob put the staues before the shepe in the gutters/ y^t they myghte conceaue before the staues/ But in the latter buckynge tyme/ he put them not there: so the last brode was Labãs and the first Iacobs. And the man became excedynge ryche & had many shepe/ maydeseruauntes/ menseruauntes/ camels & asses.