THE BIRTH OF ESAU AND JACOB.

Get men seyn[[164]] ðat abraham,
ſiðen calde agar ceturam,
Men say that Abraham called Hagar Keturah.
And ſge bar him ſiðen ſex ſunen;
1448 Abraham dede hem ſiðen ſundri wunen;
fer eſt fro cratonidé,
Weren he ſpred to ðe rede se.
Yſaac he let al hiſ god,
1452 for he waſ bi-geten of kinde blod.
She bore him seven sons.
An hundred ger hold and ſeuenti
And .v. he waſ leid ſarram bi.
boðen yſaac and yſmael
1456 Him bi-ſtoden wurlike and wel.
Abraham died at the age of 175.
On hundred ger and .xxxvij.
Liuede yſmael and waſ ðor bi.
Ishmael was 137 years old when he died.
Yſaac waſ hold .xl. ger
1460 Quanne rebecca cam him ner;
Longe it waſ or ghe him child bar,
[Fol. 29.]
Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife.
And he bad god, quanne he it wurð war,
ðat he ſulde fillen ðat quede
1464 ðat he[[165]] abraham quilum dede.
ðo wurð rebecca childre bere,
Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, who was barren.
ðat ghe felte ful time in gere;
At on burdene ghe under-stod
1468 two ðe weren hire ſibbe blod;
Alſe ðhute hire day and nigt,
Rebekah conceived.
Alſe he wrogten and[[166]] figt,
Queðer here ſulde birðen bi-foren.
The children struggled together within her.
1472 Oc eſau waſ firmeſt boren,
And iacob ſone after, ic wot,
for ðat he heldim bi ðe fot.
Esau was the first born, and Jacob was born soon after.
Sexti ger yſaac waſ old,
1476 Quan ðiſ tidi[n]g him waſ told;
Ghe[[167]] was abraham liues her,
After ðiſ, fiftene ger.
Sixty years was Isaac at this time.

[164]

seyn is at the side in a later hand.

[165]

In a later hand at the side.

[166]

read an?

[167]

read get