Eliezer Is Sent to Mesopotamia

He wente bliðe and fagen agen,

1344

To berſabe he gunne teen,
Sarra waſ fagen in kindes wune,
ðat [hire] bilef ðat dere ſune.
Abraham went home joyful and glad.

Ðor quiles abraham wunede ðor,

1348

Him cam good tiding of nachor,
ðat melca bar him egte ſunen;
While at Beersheba he heard good tidings of Nahor.

Huſ waſ eldeſt, if we rigt munen.
Huz was Nahor's first-born.

Rigt-wiſ iob cam of hiſ kin,

1352

Hus lond he waſ riche wid-hin;
Job came of his kin.

Of buz, hiſ broðeres kin, cam
Buzites, Eliv, Balaam.
Of Buz came the Buzites, Eliv and Balaam.

Abraham, riche of welðe and wale,

1356

wente a-gen in to manbre dale;
[Fol. 27.]
Abraham went again to Mamre.

Sarra ðo ſtarf, an hundred ger old
And ſeuene and .xx. winter told.
Sarah died being 127 years old.

Abraham ſente eliezer

1360

to lond meſopotanie fer,
To caram ðor iſ fader lay,
(Or he cam ðor waſ manie day)
Abraham sent Eliezer to Mesopotamia,

To fechen yſaac hom a wif,

1364

Of hiſ kinde ðe ðor waſ in lif.
to fetch a wife for Isaac.

Ten kameles ſemeð forð he nam,
Ten camels he took with him.

Wið michel ſwinc he ðider cam
At a welle wið-uten ðe tun;

1368

ðor he leide hiſe ſemes dun,
Eliezer came to a well without the city.

ðor he wulde him reſten and ben,
Sum good tiding heren or ſen.
"Louerd god," quað he mildelike,

1372

"min erdne ðu forðe ſelðhelike,
ðiſ dai me lene hire to ſen,
ðat ſal yſaaces leman ben."
He there prayed to God to send him good speed.

He bad hiſe bede on good ſel.

1376

Rebecca, bi-geten of batuel,
He offered his prayer in a good time.

MS. hire is written over in the later hand.

read wið-hin

MS. "Ob."

read ſemede?