haueð?

[183]

fles MS.

JACOB LEAVES LABAN SECRETLY.

ðo ſulen him ben for hire numen;
Sep or got, haſwed, arled, or grei,
1724 Ben don fro iacob fer a-wei;
and spotted cattle for his hire.
ðog him boren ðes oneſ bles
Vn-like manige and likeles.
The flocks produced many speckled and spotted.
ðo ſag laban ðat iacob bi-gat
1728 Michil, and him miſlikede ðat;
Laban was greatly displeased.
bi-tagte him ðo ðe ſunder bles,
And it him boren ones bles.
He changed Jacob's hire.
Ten ſiðes ðus binnen .vi. ger,
1732 Shiftede iacob hirdeneſſe her,
And ai was labaneſ herte ſor,
for hiſ agte wex mor & mor.
Ten times within six years he shifted the cattle.
Ðo ſag iacob laban wurð wroð,
1736 Vnder him ben leng iſ him loð,
Jacob saw that Laban was unfriendly towards him,
And wið iſ wiues he takeð red,
And greiðet him deðenward[[184]] wið ſped.
so he determined to leave Padanaram.
Laban ferde to nimen kep,
1740 In clipping time to hiſe ſep,
fro caram in-to vten ſtede,
ðor quiles iacob ðiſ dede dede;
Wið wiues, and childre, & orf he nam,
Laban had left Haran to shear his sheep.
1744 And to ðe munt galaad he bi-cam;
Jacob came to mount Gilead,
ðanne fleg he to meſopotaniam,
[Fol. 34b.]
And drog to-ward cananeam.
And Rachel adde hid and for-olen
and drew towards Canaan.
1748 Hire faderes godes of gold, & ſtolen.
Laban it wiſte on ðe ðridde dai
Rachel had stolen her father's gods.
ðat iacob waſ ðus flogen a-wei;
He toc, and wente, and folwede on,
1752 And ðhogt in mod iacob to ſlon,
Laban, hearing of Jacob's flight, pursues him.
Oc god in ſweuene ſpac him to,
ðat he ſulde iacob non yuel do.
God, in a dream, forbids Laban to harm Jacob.
vij. nigt forð-geden and dais oc,
1756 Or laban iacob ouer-toc;
Laban overtakes Jacob on the seventh day.

[184]

ðeðenward?

THE COVENANT BETWEEN JACOB AND LABAN.

So waſ he frig[t]ed ear in drem,
ðus meðelike ſpac ðiſ em:
"Qui wore ðu fro me for-holen,
1760 And qui aſ ðu min godes ſtolen?
Min mog, min neue, and felage,
Me ne agtes ðu don ſwilc [vn-]lage."
"[I]c was for-dred ðe migte timen,
1764 fro me ðine doutres bi-nimen,
He complains of the wrong done to him.
fro here childre ðhogt hem ſor,
mor for me bi-leuen ðor;
ſtalðe ic for-ſake, ðat iſ min red,
1768 wið quam ðu iſ findes, ðat he be dead."
Jacob denies that he has been guilty of theft.
Of al ðat laban haued[[185]] iſ ſogt,
So woren it hid, ne fond he is nogt.
Laban searched for his idols, but found them not.
Ðo [q]wað iacob, "yuel iſt bi-togen,
1772 Min ſwinc a-buten ðin holðe drogen;
ðu me ranſakes alſ an ðef,
And me was ðin wurðing lef."
[Fol. 35.]
Then said Jacob, "What is my sin that thou ransackest me as a thief?"
ðo quat laban, "frend ſule wit ben,
1776 And trewðe pligt[[186]] nu unc bi-twen,
And make we it her an hil of ſton,
Name of witneſſe be ðer-on;"
ðor-on he eten bliðe and glað,[[187]]
Quoth Laban, "Friends will we be and plight troth between us."
1780 ðat hil iſ hoten galaað;
Laban hem bliſcede, & on nigt
This covenant was made at Gilead.
wente a-gen-ward, or it waſ ligt;
And iacob waſ of weie rad,
1784 Raðe he was fer fro laban ſad.
Laban departed before daylight.
Alſ he cam ner cananeam,
Engel wirð a-gen him cam,
Als it were wopnede here,
1788 Redi to ſilden him fro were;
As Jacob drew near to Canaan, he was met by the angels of God.
ðat ſtede he calde manaim,
ðor ðis wird of engeles metten him.
ðor he bi-lef, and ſente ðeden[[188]]
That place he called Mahanaim.
1792 Sondere men to freinen and queðen
Jacob sends messengers to Esau.

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