ABRAHAM DWELLS IN GERAR.

To-ward ſodome he ſag ðe roke
1164 And ðe brinfires ſtinken[[145]] ſmoke,
and saw that the city had been destroyed.
And wente a-wei fro mambre dale,
So ſore him reu of ðat bale.
For sorrow he left Mamre's dale
Suðen he wente & wunede in geraris,
1168 bi-twen cade and vr, y-wis;
and went and abode in Gerar.
ðor he ſeide eft, for luue of lif,
ðat ſiſter wore ſarra his wif.
Quilum of[[146]] er [[147]]pharraon hire toc,
1172 Nu takeð abimalech hire oc;
There he said Sarah was his sister.
Sene it was ðat ghe waſ fair wif,
Quan ghe waſ luued in ſo long lif.
Abimalech wurð ſek on-on,
 [Fol. 23b.]
Abimelech took her to wife.
1176 And oðer wreche iſ folc cam on;
Nogt wif-kinnes non birðe ne nam,
ðor quiles he ðor wið-helð ſaram.
On dreme him cam tiding for-quat
Sickness fell on him and on his folk.
1180 He ðrowede and ðolede un-timing ðat;
Al it waſ for abraham-iſ wif,
ðat he hire held ðor wið ſtrif;
ðo bi-ðhogte him ful wel,
1184 And ſente after abraham ðat ilc ſel,
The cause of this evil was made known to him in a dream.
And bi-tagte him hiſ wif a-non,
And hiſ yuel ſort[[148]] waſ ouer-gon.
He sent back Sarah,
His wif and oðere birðe beren,
1188 ða ðe ſwinacie gan him nunmor deren.
Abimalech gaf abraham
Gold, and ſiluer, and lond for-ðan;
his wife and others bore children, and the quinsy no more troubled him.
A ðhuſant plates of ſiluer god
1192 Gaf he ſarra ðat faire blod,
Bad hire ðor hir wið[[149]] heuod ben hid,
for ſwilc timing was hire bi-tid.
Ðo wulde god bi-ſewen ſo
1196 of olde abraham and o ſarra ſo.
Ghe wurd wið child, on elde wac,
Plates of silver he gave to Sarah.
And trimede and cleped it yſaac.
The birth of Isaac.

[145]

for ſtinkende

[146]

read aſ?

[147]

MS. w

[148]

fort in MS.

[149]

read ðor wið hir