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SARAI BEING BARREN GIVES HAGAR TO ABRAM.
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948
ðat ðogte abram wel iwel don, | |
| kagte iſ wei, quan it waſ nigt, ðo cam on him vgging and frigt; | Abram drove them away. Then came on him fear and fright. |
| A michel fier he ſag, and an brigt, 952 gliden ðor twen ðo doles rigt. | A great and bright fire he saw glide down between the pieces. |
| God ſeide him ðor a ſoðe drem ðe timinge of iſ beren-tem, And hu he ſulde in pine ben, 956 And uten erdes ſorge ſen; fowre hundred ger ſulden ben gon, | In a dream God showed Abram the future condition of his descendants. |
| Hor he ſulden wel cumen a-gon, oc ſiðen ſulde in here hond, 960 bi-cumen ðat hotene lond. | Canaan is promised as his inheritance. |
| ðo wiſte abram wel michel mor Quat waſ to cumen ðan he wiſte or. | Then knew Abram much more of what was to come than he ever knew before. |
| Siðen bi-fel ðat ſarrai, 964 for ghe waſ longe untuderi, | Sarai, being barren, gives Hagar to Abram. |
| Ghe bitagte abre maiden agar; Ghe wurð wið childe and hem two bar; forð ſiðen ghe bi abram ſlep, | [Fol. 19b.] |
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Of hire leuedi nam ghe no kep; And ſarrai wuldet nogt ðolen ðat agar wore ðuſ to-bolen; | Hagar having conceived, despised her mistress. |
| Ghe held hire hard in ðralleſ wune, 972 And dede hire ſorge and anger mune; | Sarai afflicts her thrall. |
| ðo fleg agar fro ſarray, wimman wið childe, one and ſori, In ðe diſerd, wil and weri, 976 And an angel cam ðor hire bi, wiſte hire drogen ſori for ðriſt, | Hagar flees from Sarai into the desert homeless and weary. |
| At a welle quemede hire liſt, And bad hire ſone wenden agen, 980 And to hire leuedi buxum ben; | An angel commands her to return and be buxom to her lady. |
| And ſeide ghe ſulde ſunen wel And timen, and clepen it ſmael,[[136]] | He tells her of her child. |
A metrical licence for "iſmael."
ISHMAEL IS BORN. CIRCUMCISION IS INSTITUTED.
| And he ſulde ben man migti, 984 And of him kumen folc frigti; | |
| Ghe wente agen, and bar ðat child, And abram wurð wið hire milde. | Hagar returns, and Ishmael is born. |
| lxxx. gere and ſexe mo 988 Hadde abram on hiſ elde ðo, And .xiii. ger ðor after told, | Abram was then fourscore and six years old. |
| ix. and nigneti[[137]] ger
he waſ old, | When Abram was ninety-nine years old God changed his name to Abraham. |
| Quuanne him cam bode in ſunder run, 992 fro gode of circumcicioun. His name ðo wurð a lettre mor, Hiſ wiueſ leſſe ðan it waſ or, for ðo wurd abram abraham, | [Fol. 20.] |
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And ſarray ſarra bi-cam; And al ðat euere ðe louered bad, dede abraham redi and rad. | Sarai's name is also changed to Sarah. |
| He him ſelf wurð ðanne circumciſ, 1000 And yſmael hiſ ſune iwiſ; And of iſ hird euerilc wapman wurð circumciſ, al-so he it bi-gan, | Circumcision is instituted. |
| Quuo ne bar ðanne iſ merk him on 1004 fro godes folc ſulde he be don. | Whoso bore not this mark upon him was to be cut off from God's folk. |
| Siðen, in ðe dale of mambre, ſag abraham figures ðre, Sondes ſemlike kumen fro gode; 1008 Abraham he broghten wel bliðe bode. Abraham he[m] ran wel ſwiðe agon, | Afterwards in the dale of Mamre Abraham saw figures three, seemly messengers from God. |
| And of ðe ðre he wurðede ðe ton, ðe god him dede in herte ſen, 1012 ðe waſ wurði wurðed to ben; | Abraham entertains the angels. |
| bred, kalueſ fleiſ, and flures bred, And buttere, hem ðo sondes bed; | He set before them calves flesh, bread and flour and butter. |
| for ðat he bad wið herte fre, 1016 He it nomen in charite; | What he offered with a free heart his guests took in charity, |
| So malt ðat mete in hem to nogt, So a watreſ drope in a fier brogt. | [Fol. 20b.] though it was but as a drop of water in a fire. |