"Heuene dew, and erðeſ fetthed,
1548 Of win and olie fulſum-hed,"
And bad him of hiſ kindes louerd ben,
In welðe and migt wurðinge ðen.
Wel bliðe and fagen was iacob ðo,
1552 for bliſced he wente hiſ fader fro.
The dew of heaven, the fatness of the earth, plenty of corn and wine, and the lordship over his brethren.
Quan yſaac it under-nam
ðat eſau to late cam,
And ðat iſ broðer, af-ter boren,
1556 Waſ kumen and hadde iſ bliſcing bi-foren,
Wel ſelkuðlike he wurð for-dred;
When Isaac understood that Esau came too late he was seized with great fear.
And in ðat dred hiſ ðogt waſ led
In to ligtneſſe for to ſen
1560 Quow god wulde it ſulde ben.
In his dread he saw how God would that it should so be.
ðo ſeide yſaac to eſau,
To Esau thus he spoke:
"ðin broðer iacob waſ her nu,
"Thy brother was here just now, and has taken thy blessing, and he shall be blessed."
And toc ðin bliſcing liðer-like,
1564 And he wurð bliſced witterlike."
Quad eſau, "rigt iſ hiſ name
hoten iacob, to min un-frame;
[Fol. 31.]
Or he min firme birðe toc,
1568 Nu haued[[172]] he ſtolen min bliſcing oc;
ðog, fader dere, bidde ic ðe,
ðat ſum bliſcing gif ðu me."
Esau intreats for one blessing.
ðo gan eſau ðengen[[173]] and ſen
1572 Quilc iſ bliſcing migte ben;
In heuene deu, and erðes ſmere,
Gatte him bliſcing ðat him waſ gere;
Isaac promises him that his dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth and of the dew of heaven.
for ydumea, ðat fulſum lond,
1576 Of lewſe god, was in hiſe hond.
Idumea became Esau's inheritance.
Quad eſau, "grot ſal bi-cumen,
And wreche of iacob ſal binumen."
Oc rebecca wiſte ðat ðhogt,
1580 ðat hate waſ in hiſe herte brogt,
Esau threatens Jacob.
for-ði ghe iacob warnen gan,
And ſente him to hiſ broðer laban;
Rebekah warns Jacob of his brother's intentions.

[172]

read haueð

[173]

read ðenken

JACOB IS SENT TO PADAN-ARAM.

"be ðu ðer," quat ghe, "til eſau
1584 Eðe moðed [be], ðe wreðed nu,
And ðu ſalt ðe betre ſped,
If it beð bi ðin faderes red."
Quad rebecca to hire were,
1588 "Eſau wifuede uſ to dere
Rebekah complains to Isaac of Esau's marriage and connection with the Canaanites.
Quan he iuſted & beð ſo mat,
Toc of kin ðe canaan bi-gat,
For-ði he maked him ſtið & ſtrong,
1592 For he beð mengt ðat kin among;
If iacob toke her alſo a wif,
Ne bode ic no lengere werldeſ lif.
[Fol. 31b.]
Yſaac bad iacob him garen,
Isaac blesses Jacob,
1596 And forð ſwiðe to laban faren;
Iacob liſtenede ðo frendes red,
Fro berſabe he ferde wið ſped;
and sends him to Padan-aram.
Long weie he gan to-ward aram,
1600 bi cananeam forð he nam,
Jacob went a long way about,
And wulde nogt ðat folc bi-twen
Herberged in here huſes ben.
in order to avoid the houses of the Canaanites.
He lay bi luzan ut on nigt,
1604 A ſton under hiſe heued rigt,
At Luz he tarried all night.
And ſlep and ſag, an ſoðe drem,
fro ðe erðe up til heuene bem,
A leddre ſtonden, and ðor-on
In a dream he saw a ladder reaching from earth to heaven,
1608 Angeles dun-cumen and up-gon,
And ðe louerd ðor uppe a-buuen
Lened[[174]] ðor-on; and [Jacob] wurð ut-ſuuen,
angels ascending and descending, and the Lord stood above it.
Herde ðat he quad, "god ic am
1612 ðe luued yſaac and abraham;
"I am," He said, "the God of Abraham and of Isaac;
And ðis lond ic ſal giuen ðin ſed,
And in ðis weige don ðe red;
this land will I give thee, and in thy seed shall all mankind be blessed."
And i ſal bringen ðe a-gen,
1616 And of ðin kinde bliſced ðu ſalt ben."
[Fol. 32.]

[174]

read leued = remained?

FROM LUZ HE JOURNEYS TO HARAN.