700 Cristes helpe be us amonge!
Noe, ſem, arfaxath, ſale,
Heber, phaleth, ðe ſexte iſ he,
Reu, ſaruch, nacor, thare,
704 ðiſ iſ ðe tende fro noe.
The family of Shem.
Ðis oðer werldes elde iſ ſo,
A ðhuſent ger ſeuenti and two.
[Fol. 14b.]
ðe ðridde werldeſ elde cam,
708 Quanne thare bi-gat abram;
for he bi-gat a ſune aram,
Nachor midleſt, laſt abram;
The third age of the world began when Terah begat Abram.
Aram bi-gat loth, and ſarray,
712 And melcham, and waſ ſort leui
Haran begat Lot and Sarai and Milcah.
In lond caldea, hur hicte ðe tun,
Quor deades ſtrenge warp him dun;
They dwelt in Ur of the Chaldees.
ðor fader, and breðere, and childre, and wif,
716 Him bi-ſtoden wið ſorwes ſtrif;
ðo ðogte thare on hiſ mod,
Much strife was there between father and brother, children and wife.
long bigging iſ here nogt god.
Nachor he gaf wif melcam,
720 And trewe ſarray abram.
Terah did not care to remain long in this town.
Quanne abram wurð wiſ and war
ðat ſarray non childre ne bar,
He toc him loth on ſunes ſtede;
724 He waſ hiſe neve, wol wel he dede.
Abram having no children adopted Lot as his son.
Thare let hur, and ðeðen he nam,
And wulde to lond canahan,
Cam into a burgt[[121]] ðat het aram,
728 In londe meſopothaniam.
Terah left Ur and came to Haran in Mesopotamia.
Wið him ledde he nachor, melcam,
Sarray, loth, and abram.
With him he took his sons and daughters.
Tho[[122]] hundred ger and fifue mo,
[Fol. 15.]
732 Thare waſ old, ſtarf he ðo.
Tereſ gliden for herteſ ſor
fro loth, and abram, and nachor;
Terah died when he was two hundred and five years old.
Thare lið biried in aram.
He lies buried in Haran.

[121]

read burg

[122]

read two

ABRAM REACHES CANAAN. HE GOES TO EGYPT.

736 God ſeide wurd to abram:—
"Abram, ðu fare ut of lond and kin
To a lond ic ðe ſal bringen hin."
Sex ger and fiftene mo,
740 Adde Abram on iſ elde ðo.
God then commanded Abram to leave Haran.
Abram tok loth wið ſarray,
Hiſe agte, and erue he ledde him bi,
For in to lond cananeam,
He departed, taking with him Lot and Sarai.
744 And in-to ſichem, a burgt, he nam,
And ðeðen he nam to mirie dale;
fif burgeſ were ðor-inne bi tale,
First he came to Sichem,
ðer-fore it higte pentapolis,
748 Of weledeſ[[123]] fulſum and of bliſ,
Nov iſt a water of loðlic ble,
and afterwards to Pentapolis (the five cities of the plain),
Men callið it ðe dede ſe;
Ilc ðing deieð ðor-inne iſ driuen;
752 Ne may no fiſ ðor-inne liuen;
where now stands the Dead Sea.
for mannes ſinne ðus it iſ went,
brent wið brimfir, ſunken and ſhent.
God quad to abram, "al ðiſ lond
756 ſal cumen in to iſ kinneſ hond."
The cities were destroyed for man's sin.
ðor god him taunede, made habram
An alter, and fro ðeðen he nam.
[Fol. 15b.]
An oðer alter abram ſeli
760 Made bi-twen betel and ai.
Abram raised an altar between Bethel and Ai.
At damaſke iſ ðe ðridde ſtede,
Quer abram iſ bigging dede,
And ðeden for he, for hunger bond,
Damascus was the third place where Abram dwelt.
764 feger ut in to egipte lond;
ðor he ſeide ðat ſarrai
Famine drove him to Egypt.
waſ hiſ ſiſter, al for-ði
for he dredde him to leten iſ lif
768 If he wiſten ghe wore iſ wif;
To save his life he said that Sarai was his sister.
for ghe waſ fai[ge]r witter-like,
And ðat folc luuede lecherlike.
Quan abram was to egipte cumen,
Sarai was fair and Egypt's folk were lecherous.

[123]

werldes?

PHARAOH TAKES AWAY SARAI, AND IS PUNISHED BY A PLAGUE.