← The Story of Genesis and Exodus: An Early English Song, about 1250 A.D.
Chapter 58
From Luz He Journeys to Haran
Iacob abraid, & ſeide frigtilike:—
"God in ðis ſtede iſ wittirlike,
Her, dredful ſtede, her, godeſ hus,
1620
Her, heuenegate amonguſ us;
Jacob awoke. "Surely," he said, "here is God's house.
Louerd, if ic mote a-gen cumen,
Of ðis ſtede ic ſal in herte munen;"
(Sette he up ðat ſton for muniging,
1624
And get on olige for tok-ning)
If I may come again to my father's house,
"He ſal euere min louerd ben,
ðat dede me her ðis ſigt[e] ſen,
the lord shall be my God,
Her ic ſal offrendes here don
1628
And tigðes wel gelden her-up-on;
And wel ſal luz wurðed ben,
for ic gan her ðis ſigðhe ſen."
here I shall brake offerings, and yield tithes."
Iacob calde ðat ſtede betel;
1632
Quor-fore he it dede, he wiſte wel.
Longe weie he ſiðen ouer-cam,
Jacob called the place Bethel.
And longe time or he ſag tharam.
Quane he cam ner, fond he ðor-on
Jacob pursues his journey.
1636
A welle wel helid under a ſton,
And ðre flockes of ſep dor-bi,
He finds a well at Haran; three flocks of sheep were lying by it.
ðat ðor abiden al for-ði;
ðor waſ nogt wune on & on,
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ðat orf ðor to water gon,
The cattle did not go to water one by one, but were all collected together at one time.
Oc at ſet time he ſulden ſamen,
ðor hem-ſelf & here orf framen.
[Fol. 32b.]
Iacob ðes hirdes freinen gan,
1644
Hu fer iſt heðen to laban;
Wel he ſeiden and ſwiðe wel,
Jacob asks the herdsmen the way to Laban's house.
"loc! her hiſ dogter rachel."
Sep he driuen ðiſ welle ner,
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for ghe hem wulde wattre ðer.
They answered, "Here is Rachel his daughter." She came to bring the sheep to the well.
Iacob wið hire wente ðat ſton,
And let hire ſep to water gon;
Jacob rolled the stone from the well's mouth.
And kidde he was hire mouies ſune,
1652
And kiſte hire aftre kindes wune;
He made known his relationship to Rachel.
So in MS.
read ðor-bi