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 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.

ðeðenward?