The First Boke of Moses called Genesis Part 4

Than sayd the kynge of Sodome vnto Abram: gyue me the soulles/ and take the goodes to thy selfe. And Abram answered the kynge of Sodome: I lyfte vpp my hande vnto the LORde G.o.d most hygh possessor of heaven d erth/ that I will not take of all y^t is thyne/ so moch as a thred or a shoulachet/ lest thou shuldest saye I haue made Abr ryche. Saue only that which the yonge men haue eaten d the partes of the men which went wyth me. Aner/ Escholl & Mamre. Let them take their partes.

xv. Chapter.

After these deades/ y^e worde of G.o.d came vnto Abram in a vision saynge feare not Abram/ I am thy shilde/ and thy rewarde shalbe exceadynge greate. And Abram answered: LORde Iehouah what wilt thou geue me: I goo childlesse/ and the cater of myne housse/ this Eleasar of Damasco hath a sonne. And Abram sayd: se/ to me hast thou geven no seed: lo/ a lad borne in my housse shal be myne heyre.

And beholde/ the worde of the LORde spake vnto Abram sayenge: He shall not be thyne heyre/ but one that shall come out of thyne awne bodye shalbe thyne heyre. And he brought him out at the doores d sayde.

Loke vpp vnto heaven and tell the starres/ yf thou be able to nbre them. And sayde vnto him Even so shall thy seed be.

And Abram beleved the LORde/ and it was counted to him for rightwesnes.

And he sayde vnto hym: I am the LORde that brought the out of Vr in Chaldea to geue this lande to possesse it.

And he sayde: LORde G.o.d/ whereby shall I knowe that I shall possesse it? And he sayde vnto him: take an heyfer of .iij. yere olde/ and a she gotte of thre yeres olde/ and a thre yere olde ram/ a turtill doue and a yonge pigeon. And he toke all these and devyded them in the myddes/ and layde euery pece/ one over agenst a nother. But the foules devyded he not. And the byrdes fell on the carcases/ but Abr droue th? awaye. And when the sonne was doune/ there fell a s...o...b..r apon Abram. And loo/ feare and greate darknesse came apon hym.

And he sayde vnto Abram: knowe this of a suertie/ that thi seed shalbe a straunger in a lande that perteyneth not vnto th?. And they shall make bondmen of them and entreate them evell iiij. hundred yeares. But the nation whom they shall serue/ wyll I iudge. And after warde shall they come out wyth greate substce. Neuerthelesse thou shalt goo vnto thi fathers in peace/ d shalt be buried when thou art of a good age: d in the fourth generation they shall come hyther agayne/ for the wekednesse of the Amorites ys not yet full.

When the sonne was doune and it was waxed darcke: beholde/ there was a smokynge furnisse and a fyre brand that went betwene the sayde peces.

And that same daye the LORde made a covenaunte with Abram saynge: vnto thy seed wyll I geue thys londe/ fr the ryver of Egypte/ even vnto the greate ryver euphrates: the kenytes/ the kenizites/ the Cadmonites/ the Hethites/ the Pherezites/ the Raphaims/ the Amorytes/ the Canaanites/ the Gergesites and the Iebusites.

The .xvi. Chapter.

Sarai Abrams wyfe bare him no childerne. But she had an hand mayde an Egiptian/ whose name was Hagar. Wherfore she sayde vnto Abram. Beholde the LORde hath closed me/ that I can not bere. I praye the goo in vnto my mayde/ peradu?ture I shall be multiplyed by meanes of her And Abram herde the voyce of Sarai. Than Sarai Abrams wife toke Hagar hyr mayde the Egitian (after Abram had dwelled .x. yere in the lande of Canaan) and gaue her to hyr husbonde Abram/ to be his wyfe.

And he wente in vnto Hagar/ & she conceaved. And when she sawe that she had conceyved hyr mastresse was despised in hyr syghte. Than sayd Sarai vnto Abram: Thou dost me vnrighte/ for I haue geuen my mayde into thy bosome: & now because she seyth that she hath cceaved/ I am despysed in hyr syghte: the LORde iudge betwene the and me. Than sayde Abr to Sarai: beholde/ thy mayde is in thy hande/ do with hyr as it pleaseth the.

And because Sarai fared foule with her/ she fled from her. And the angell of the LORde founde her besyde a fountayne of water in the wyldernes: euen by a well in the way to Sur. And he sayde: Hagar Sarais mayde/ whence comest thou and whether wylt thou goo? And she answered: I flee from my mastresse Sarai. And the angell of the LORde sayde vnto her: returne to thy mastresse agayne/ & submytte thy selfe vnder her handes.

And the angell of y^e LORde sayde vnto her: I will so encrease thy seed/ that it shall not be numbred for mult.i.tude. And the LORdes angell sayd further vnto her: se/ thou art wyth childe and shalt bere a sonne/ and shalt call his name Ismael: because the LORDE hath herde thy tribulation. He will be a wylde man/ and his hande will be agenst every man/ & euery mans hande agenst him. And yet shall he dwell faste by all his brothren.

And she called the name of the LORde that spake vnto her: thou art the G.o.d that lokest on me/ for she sayde: I haue of a suertie sene here the backe parties of him that seith me. Wherfore she called the well/ the well of the lyuynge that seith me which well is betwene Cades & Bared.

And Hagar bare Abram a sonne/ and Abram called his sons name which Hagar bare Ismaell. And Abram was .lx.x.xvi. yere olde/ when Hagar bare him Ismael.

-- The .xvij. Chapter.

When Abram was nynetye yere olde & ix. the LORde apeared to hym sayenge: I am the almyghtie G.o.d: walke before me d be vncorrupte. And I wyll make my bonde betwene the and me/ and wyll multiplye the excedyngly. And Abr fell on his face. And G.o.d talked moreover with hym saynge: I am/ beholde my testam?t is with the/ that thou shalt be a father of many natis. Therfore/ shalt thou no more be called Abram/ but thy name shalbe Abraham: for a father of many nations haue I made the/ and I will multiplye the excedyngly/ and wyll make nations of the: yes and kynges shall sprynge out of the.

Moreover I will make my bonde betwene me and the/ and thy seed after the/ in their tymes to be an everlastynge testament/ So that I wyll be G.o.d vnto the and to thy seed after the. And I will geue vnto the d to thy seed after the/ the lande where in thou arte a straunger: Euen all the lande of Canaan/ for an everlastynge possession/ and wil be their G.o.d.

And G.o.d sayde vnto Abrah: Se thou kepe my testamente/ both thou & thy seed after the in their tymes: This is my testamente which ye shall kepe betwene me and you and thy seed after the/ that ye circucyse all youre men childern Ye shall circ.u.mcyse the foreskynne of youre flesh/ d it shal be a token of the bond betwixte me and you. And euery manchilde when it is viij. dayes olde/ shal be circucysed amonge you in youre generations/ and all seruauntes also borne at home or boughte with money though they be straungers and not of thy seed. The seruaunte borne in thy housse/ d he also that is bought with money/ must needes be circ.u.mcysed/ that my testament may be in youre flesh/ for an everlastynge bonde. Yf there be any vncircuncysed manchilde/ that hath not the forskynne of his flesh cutt of/ his soule shall perish from his people: because he hath brok? my testam?t

And G.o.d sayde vnto Abraham. Sarai thy wyfe shall nomore be called Sarai: but Sara shall hir name be. For I will blesse her & geue the a sonne of her and will blesse her: so that people/ ye and kynges of people shall springe of her. And Abraham fell vpon his face d laughte/ and sayd in his harte: shall a childe be borne vnto hym that is an hundred yere olde/ d shall Sara that is nynetie yere olde/ bere? And Abrah sayde vnto G.o.d. O that Ismaell myghte lyve in thy syghte.

Th? sayde G.o.d: na/ Sara thy wife shall bere the a sonne/ d thou shalt call his name Isaac. And I will make my bonde with him/ that it shall be an everlastynge bonde vnto his seed after him. And as concernynge Ismaell also/ I haue herde thy request: loo/ I will blesse him and encrease him/ and multiplye him excedyngly. Twelve prynces shall he begete/ and I will make a great nation of him. But my bonde will I make with Isaac/ which Sara shall bere vnto the: even this tyme twelue moneth.

And G.o.d left of talkynge with him/ and departed vp from Abraham. And Abraham toke Ismaell his sonne & all the servauntes borne in his housse and all that was bought with money as many as were menchildren amonge the m? of Abrahs housse/ and circ.u.mcysed the foreskynne of their flesh/ even the selfe same daye/ as G.o.d had sayde vnto him.

Abraham was nynetie yere olde and .ix. when he cutt of the foreskynne of his flesh. And Ismaell his sonne was .xiij. yere olde/ when the foreskynne of hys flesh was circ.u.mcysed. The selfe same daye was Abrah circucised & Ismael his sonne. And all the men in his housse/ whether they were borne in his housse or bought wyth money (though they were straungers) were circ.u.mcysed with him.

-- The .xviij. Chapter.

And the LORde apeared vnto him in the okegrove of Mamre as he sat in his tent dore in the heate of the daye. And he lyfte vp his eyes and looked: d lo/ thre men stode not farr from hym. And wh? he sawe them/ he ran agenst them from the tent dore/ and fell to the grounde and sayde: LORde yf I haue founde fauoure in thy syght/ goo not by thi seruaunte. Let a litle water be fett/ & wash youre fete/ and rest youre selves vnder the tree: And I will fett a morsell of breed/ to comforte youre hartes wythall. And th goo youre wayes/ for even therfore ar ye come to youre servaunte. And they answered: Do even so as thou hast sayde.

And Abrah went a pace in to his tent vnto Sara d sayde: make redy attonce thre peckes of fyne meale/ kneade it and make cakes. And Abraham ran vnto his beastes and fett a calfe that was tendre and good/ and gaue it vnto a yonge man which made it redy attonce. And he toke b.u.t.ter & mylcke and the calfe which he had prepared/ and sett it before them/ and stode hymselfe by them vnder the tree: and they ate.

And they sayde vnto him: Where is Sara thy wife? And he sayde: in the tent. And he sayde: I will come agayne vnto the as soone as the frute can lyue. And loo: Sara thy wife shall haue a sonne. That herde Sara/ out of the tent doore which was behind his backe. Abraham and Sara were both olde and well stryken in age/ and it ceased to be with Sara after the maner as it is wyth wyves. And Sara laughed in hir selfe saynge: Now I am waxed olde/ shall I geue my selfe to l.u.s.t/ and my lorde olde also?

Than sayd the LORde vnto Abrah: wherfore doth Sara laughe saynge: shal I of a suertie bere a childe/ now when I am olde? is the thinge to harde for the LORde to do? In the tyme appoynted will I returne vnto the/ as soone as the frute can haue lyfe/ And Sara shall haue a sonne. Than Sara denyed it saynge: I laughed not/ for she was afrayde.

But he sayde: yes thou laughtest.

Than the men stode vp from thence and loked towarde Sodome. And Abraham went with them to brynge them on the waye. And the LORde sayde: Can I hyde from Abraham that thinge which I am aboute to do/ seynge that Abraham shalt be a great d a myghtie people/ and all the nations of the erth shalbe blessed in him? For I knowe him that he will commaunde his childern and his housholde after him/ y^t they kepe the waye of the LORde/ to do after righte and conscyence/ that the LORde may brynge vppon Abraham that he hath promysed him.

And the LORde sayde: The crie of Sodome and Gomorra is great/ and there synne is excedynge grevous. I will go downe and see whether they haue done all to gedder acordynge to that crye which is come vnto me or not/ that I may knowe. And the m? departed th?ce and went to Sodomeward. But Abraham stode yet before y^e LORde/ & drewe nere & sayde

Wylt thou destroy the rightwes with the wyked? Yf there be .l.

rightwes within the cyte/ wilt thou destroy it and not spare the place for the sake of .l. rightwes that are therin? That be farre from the/ that thou shuldest be after thys maner/ to sley the rightwes with the weked/ d that the rightwes shulde be as the weked: that be farre from the. Shulde not the iudge of all y^e worlde do acordynge to righte?

And the LORde sayde: Yf I fynde in Sodome .l. rightwes within the cyte/ I will spare all the place for their sakes.

And Abraham answered and sayde: beholde I haue taken vppon me to speake vnto y^e LORde/ d yet am but dust d a.s.shes. What though there lacke .v. of .l. rightwes/ wylt thou destroy all the cyte for lacke of .v? And he sayde: Yf I fynde there .xl. and .v. I will not destroy them.

And he spake vnto him yet agayne and sayde: what yf there be xl.

foude there: And he sayde: I wyll not do it for forties sake. And he sayde: O let not my LORde be angrye/ that I speake. What yf there be foude .x.x.x. there? And he sayde: I will not do it/ yf I finde .x.x.x.

there. And he sayde: Oh/ se/ I haue begonne to speake vnto my LORde/ what yf there be .xx. founde there? And he sayde: I will not distroy th? for tw?ties sake. And he sayde: O let not my LORde be angrye/ that I speake yet/ but eu? once more only. What yf ten be founde there? And he sayde: I will not destroy th? for .x. sake.

And the LORde w?t his waye as soone as he had lefte comenynge with Abrah. And Abraham returned vnto his place

-- The .xix. Chapter.

And there came .ij. angells to Sodome at euen. And Lot satt at the gate of the cyte. And Lot sawe th?/ and rose vp agaynst them/ and he bowed hym selfe to the grounde with his face. And he sayde: Se lordes/ turne in I praye you in to youre servauntes house and tary all nyghte & wash youre fete/ & ryse vp early and go on youre wayes. And they sayde: nay/ but we will byde in the streates all nyghte. And he cpelled them excedyngly. And they turned in vnto hym and entred in to his house/ and he made them a feaste and dyd bake swete cakes/ and they ate.