Seue nigt ſiðen forð ben numen
1688 Or rachel beð to iacob cumen,
And laban made a feſte oc
Quanne iacob wid[[178]] rachel toc;
And for ghe ðanne cam him ner,
1692 ſeruede he him ſiðen ſeuene ger.
Jacob marries Rachel.
Rachel adde, after londes kire,[[179]]
maiden balaam to ſeruen hire.
[Fol. 33b.]
LIa moder of fowre was,
1696 Ruben, ſymeon, leui, iudas;
Leah was the mother of four sons.
for rachel non birðe ne nam,
Sge[[180]] bi-tagte iacob balaam;
Rachel was barren.
bala two childre bar bi him,
1700 Rachel cald es[[181]] dan(.) neptalim;
Bilhah, her handmaid, bare Dan and Naphtali.
And zelfa two ſunes him ber,
Lia calde iſ(.) Gad(.) and aſſer;
Zilpah bare Gad and Asher.
Lia ſiðen two ſunes bar,
1704 Zabulon(.) laſt(.) or yſakar;
Lia bar laſt dowter dinam,
Sichem, ſiðen, hire ille bi-nam.
Leah afterwards bare Zebulun, Issachar, and Dinah.
Last of rachel iosep was boren,
1708 Beſt of alle ðe oðere bi-foren.
Longe haued[[182]] nu iacob ben her,
wið laban fulle .xiii. ger;
At last Joseph was born of Rachel.
Leue aſkede hem hom to faren,
1712 Wið wiues and childre ðeðen charen,
Jacob desires leave of Laban to depart.
But-if laban him ðelde bet
Hiſe ſeruiſe, and wið-holde him get;
ſerue he ſcriðed ðat .vij. ger,
1716 ðat he bi-leue and ſerue him her;
Laban would not let him depart.
Wel he ſeið him ðat he ſal hauen
for hire, quat-ſo he wile crauen.
He promises him to give him for hire whatever he shall ask.
forward iſ mad of alle ſep,
1720 Of oneſ bles[[183]] iacob nim kep,
[Fol. 34.]
And if of ðo ſpotted cumen,
Jacob is to have all the speckled

[178]

wið?

[179]

Glossed wune in a later hand.

[180]

she?

[181]

caldes MS.

[182]