Part 4

And God 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 ad laughte/ and sayd in his harte: shall a childe be borne vnto hym that is an hundred yere olde/ ad shall Sara that is nynetie yere olde/ bere? And Abraha sayde vnto God. O that Ismaell myghte lyve in thy syghte.

Th[~e] sayde God: na/ Sara thy wife shall bere the a sonne/ ad 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 God 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[~e] of Abrahas housse/ and circumcysed the foreskynne of their flesh/ even the selfe same daye/ as God 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 circumcysed. The selfe same daye was Abraha circ[~u]cised & 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 circumcysed 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: ad lo/ thre men stode not farr from hym. And wh[~e] 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 tha goo youre wayes/ for even therfore ar ye come to youre servaunte. And they answered: Do even so as thou hast sayde.

And Abraha went a pace in to his tent vnto Sara ad 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 butter & 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 lust/ and my lorde olde also?

Than sayd the LORde vnto Abraha: 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 ad 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[~e] departed th[~e]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/ ad 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/ ad yet am but dust ad asshes. 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. fo[~u]de 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 fo[~u]de .xxx. there? And he sayde: I will not do it/ yf I finde .xxx. 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[~e] for tw[~e]ties sake. And he sayde: O let not my LORde be angrye/ that I speake yet/ but eu[~e] once more only. What yf ten be founde there? And he sayde: I will not destroy th[~e] for .x. sake.

And the LORde w[~e]t his waye as soone as he had lefte comenynge with Abraha. 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[~e]/ 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 copelled 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.

But before they went to rest/ the men of the cyte of Sodome compassed the house rownde aboute both olde and yonge/ all the people from all quarters. And they called vnto Lot and sayde vnto him: where are the men which came in to thy house to nyghte? brynge th[~e] out vnto vs that we may do oure lust with them.

And Lot went out at doores vnto them and shote the dore after him and sayde: nay for goddes sake brethren/ do no so wekedly. Beholde I haue two doughters which haue knowne no man/ th[~e] will I brynge out vnto you: do with them as it semeth you good: Only vnto these men do nothynge/ for therfore came they vnder the shadowe of my rofe. And they sayde: come hither. And they sayde: camest thou not in to sogeorne/ and wilt thou be now a iudge? we will suerly deale worse with the than with them

And as they preased sore vppon Lot and beganne to breake vp the doore/ the men put forth their handes and pulled Lot in to the house to them and shott to the doore. And the men that were at the doore of the house/ they smote with blyndnesse both small and greate: so that they coude not fynde the doore.

And the men sayde moreover vnto Lot: Yf thou have yet here any sonne in lawe or sonnes or doughters or what so euer thou hast in the cyte/ brynge it out of this place: for we must destroy this place/ because the crye of th[~e] is great before the LORde. Wherfore he hath sent vs to destroy it.

And Lot went out and spake vnto his sonnes in lawe which shulde haue maried his doughters/ and sayde: stonde vpp and get yow out of this place/ for the LORde will destroy the cite. But he semed as though he had mocked/ vnto his sonnes in law.

And as the mornynge arose the angells caused Lot to spede him saynge. Stonde vp/ take thy wyfe and thy two doughters and that that is at hande/ lest thou perish in the synne of the cyte. And as he prolonged the tyme/ the men caught both him/ his wife ad his two doughters by the handes/ because the LORde was mercyfull vnto him/ ad they brought him forth and sette him without the cyte.

When they had brought them out/ they sayde: Saue thy lyfe and loke not behynde the nether tary thou in any place of the contre/ but saue thy selfe in the mountayne/ lest thou perisshe. Than sayde Lot vnto them: Oh nay my lorde: beholde/ in as moch as thy servaunte hath fownde grace in thy syghte/ now make thi mercy great which thou shewest vnto me in savinge my lyfe. For I can not saue my selfe in the mountayns/ lest some misfortune fall vpon me and I dye. Beholde/ here is a cyte by/ to flee vnto/ and it is a lytle one: let me saue my selfe therein: is it not a litle one/ that my soule may lyue?

And he sayde to him: se I haue receaved thy request as concernynge this thynge/ that I will nott overthrowe this cytie for the which thou hast spoken. Haste the/ ad saue thy selfe there/ for I can do nothynge tyll thou be come in thyder. And therfore the name of the cyte is called Zoar. And the sone was vppon the erth when Lot was entred into Zoar.

Than the LORde rayned vpon Sodome and Gomorra/ brymstone and fyre from the LORde out of heaven/ and overthrewe those cyteis and all the region/ and all that dwelled in the cytes/ and that that grewe vpon the erth. And lots wyfe loked behynde her/ ad was turned in to a pillare of salte.

Abraham rose vp early and got him to the place where he stode before the LORde/ and loked toward Sodome and Gomorra and toward all the londe of that contre. And as he loked: beholde/ the smoke of the contre arose as it had bene the smoke of a fornace. But yet wh[~e] God destroyed the cities of y^e regio/ he thought a pon Abraha: and sent Lot out from the dager of the overthrowenge/ when he overthrewe the cyties where Lot dwelled.

And Lot departed out of Zoar and dwelled in the mountayns ad his .ij. doughters with him for he feared to tary in Zoar: he dweld therfore in a caue/ both he and his .ij. doughters also.

Than sayde the elder vnto the yonger oure father is olde/ and there are no moo men in the erth to come in vnto vs after the maner of all the world. Come therfore/ let vs geue oure father wyne to dryncke/ and let vs lye with him that we may saue seed of oure father. And they gaue their father wyne to drynke that same nyghte. And the elder doughter went and laye with her father. And he perceaued it not/ nether when she laye doune/ nether when she rose vp.

And on the morewe the elder sayde vnto the yonger: beholde/ yesternyghte laye I with my father. Let us geue hym wyne to drinke this nyghte also/ and goo thou and lye with him/ and let us saue seed of oure father. And they gaue their father wyne to drincke that nyghte also. And the yonger arose and laye with him. And he perceaved it not: nether when she laye downe/ nether when she rose vp.

Thus were both the doughters of lot with childe by their father And the elder bare a sone and called hym Moab/ which is the father of the Moabytes vnto this daye. And the yonger bare a sonne and called hym Ben Ammi/ which is the father of the childern of Ammon vnto this daye.

The .xx. Chapter.

And Abraham departed thence towarde the southcontre and dwelled betwene Cades and Sur ad sogeorned in Gerar. And Abraham sayde of Sara his wyfe/ that she was his sister. Than Abimelech kynge of Gerar sent and fett Sara awaye.

And God came to Abimelech by nyghte in a dreame and sayde to him: Se/ thou art but a deed man for the womas sake which thou hast taken awaye/ for she is a mans wyfe. But Abimelech had not yet come nye her/ and therfore sayde: lorde wilt thou sley rightewes people? sayde not he vnto me/ that she was hys sister? yee and sayde not she herself that he was hir brother? wyth a pure herte and innocent handes haue I done this.

And God sayde vnto him in a dreame. I wot it well that thou dydest it in the purenesse of thi herte. And therfore I kepte y^e that thou shuldest not synne agenst me/ nether suffred I the to come nygh her. Now therfore delyuer the ma his wyfe ageyne/ for he is a prophete. And let him praye for the that thou mayst lyue. But and yf thou delyuer her not agayne/ be sure that thou shalt dye the deth/ with all that thou hast.

Than Abimelech rose vp be tymes in the mornynge and called all his servauntes/ and tolde all these thinges in their eares/ and the men were sore a frayde. And Abimelech called Abraham and sayde vnto him: What hast thou done vnto vs/ & what haue I offended the/ that thou shuldest brynge on me and on my kyngdome so greate a synne? thou hast done dedes vnto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech sayde morouer vnto Abraham: What sawest thou that moved the to do this thinge?

And Abraham Answered. I thought that peradv[~e]ture the feare of God was not in this place/ and that they shulde sley me for my wyfes sake: yet in very dede she is my sister/ the doughter of my father/ but not of my mother: and became my wyfe. And after God caused me to wandre out of my fathers house/ I sayde vnto her: This kyndnesse shalt thou shewe vnto me in all places where we come/ that thou saye of me/ how that I am thy brother.

Than toke Abimelech shepe and oxen/ menservauntes and wemenseruauntes and gaue them vnto Abraham/ and delyvered him Sara his wyfe agayne. And Abimelech sayde: beholde the lande lyeth be fore the/ dwell where it pleaseth y^e best. And vnto Sara he sayde: Se I haue geuen thy brother a thousande peeces of syluer/ beholde he shall be a couerynge to thyne eyes vnto all that ar with the and vnto all men and an excuse.

And so Abraham prayde vnto God/ and God healed Abimeleh and his wyfe and hys maydens/ so that they bare. For the LORde had closed to/ all the matryces of the house of Abimelech/ because of Sara Abrahams wyfe.

The .xxj. Chapter

The lorde visyted Sara as he had sayde and dyd vnto her acordynge as he had spoken. And Sara was with childe and bare Abraha a sonne in his olde age euen the same season which the LORde had appoynted. And Abraham called his sonnes name that was borne vnto him which Sara bare him Isaac: & Abra circ[~u]cysed Isaac his sone wh[~e] he was .viij. dayes olde/ as God commaunded him And Abraha was an hundred yere olde/ when his sonne Isaac was borne vnto him.

And Sara sayde: God hath made me a laughinge stocke: for all y^t heare/ will laugh at me She sayde also: who wolde haue sayde vnto Abraham/ that Sara shulde haue geuen childern sucke/ or y^t I shulde haue borne him a sonne in his olde age: The childe grewe and was wened/ and Abraham made a great feast/ the same daye that Isaac was wened.

Sara sawe the sonne of Hagar the Egiptian which she had borne vnto Abraham/ a mockynge. Then she sayde vnto Abraham: put awaye this bondemayde and hyr sonne: for the sonne of this bondwoman shall not be heyre with my sonne Isaac: But the wordes semed verey greavous in Abrahams syghte/ because of his sonne. Than the LORde sayde vnto Abraham: let it not be greavous vnto the/ because of the ladd and of thy bondmayde: But in all that Sara hath saide vnto the/ heare hir voyce/ for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Moreouer of the sonne of the Bondwoman will I make a nation/ because he is thy seed.

And Abraham rose vp early in the mornyng and toke brede and a bottell with water/ and gaue it vnto Hagar/ puttynge it on hir shulders wyth the lad also/ and sent her awaye. And she departed and wadred vpp and doune in the wyldernes of Berseba. When the water was spent that was in the botell/ she cast the lad vnder a bush and went & sate her out of syghte a great waye/ as it were a bowshote off: For she sayde: I will not se the lad dye. And she satt doune out of syghte/ and lyfte vp hyr voyce and wepte.

And God herde the voyce of the childe. And the angell of God called Hagar out of heaven and sayde vnto her: What ayleth the Hagar? Feare not/ for God hath herde the voyce of the childe where he lyeth. Aryse and lyfte vp the lad/ and take hym in thy hande/ for I will make off him a greate people. And God opened hir eyes and she sawe a well of water. And she went and fylled the bottell with water/ and gaue the boye drynke. And God was wyth the lad/ and he grewe and dweld in the wildernesse/ and became an archer. And he dweld in the wyldernesse of Pharan. And hys mother gott him a wyfe out of the land of Egypte.

And it chaunced the same season/ that Abimelech and Phicoll his chefe captayne spake vnto Abraham saynge: God is wyth the in all that thou doist. Now therfore swere vnto me even here by God/ that thou wylt not hurt me nor my childern/ nor my childerns childern. But that thou shalt deale with me and the contre where thou art a straunger/ acordynge vnto the kyndnesse that I haue shewed the. Then sayde Abraham: I wyll swere.

And Abraham rebuked Abimelech for a well of water/ which Abimelech servauntes had taken awaye. And Abimelech answered I wyst not who dyd it: Also thou toldest me not/ nether herde I of it/ but this daye.

And Abraham toke shepe and oxen and gaue them vnto Abimelech. And they made both of them a bonde together. And Abraham sett vij. lambes by them selues. And Abimelech sayde vnto Abraham: what meane these .vij. lambes which thou hast sett by them selues. And he answered: vij. lambes shalt thou take of my hande/ that it maye be a wytnesse vnto me/ that I haue dygged this well: Wherfore the place is called Berseba/ because they sware both of them. Thus made they a bonde to gether at Berseba.

Than Abimelech and Phicoll his chefe captayne rose vp and turned agayne vnto the lande of the Philistines. And Abraham planted a wodd in Berseba/ and called there/ on the name of the LORde the everlastynge God: and dwelt in the Phelistin lade a longe season

¶ The .xxij. Chapter.

After these dedes/ God dyd proue Abraham & sayde vnto him: Abraham. And he answered: here am I. And he sayde: take thy only sonne Isaac whome thou louest/ & get the vnto the lande of Moria/ and sacrifyce him there for a sacrifyce vpon one of the mountayns which I will shewe the Than Abraham rose vp early in the mornynge and sadled his asse/ and toke two of his meyny wyth him/ and Isaac his sonne: ad clove wod for the sacrifyce/ and rose vp and gott him to the place which God had appoynted him.

The thirde daye Abraham lyfte vp his eyes and sawe the place a farr of/ and sayde vnto his yong men: byde here with the asse. I and the lad will goo yonder and worshippe and come agayne vnto you. And Abraham toke the wodd of the sacrifyce and layde it vpon Isaac his sonne/ and toke fyre in his hande and a knyfe. And they went both of them together.

Than spake Isaac vnto Abraham his father & sayde: My father? And he answered here am I my sonne. And he sayde: Se here is fyre and wodd/ but where is the shepe for sacrifyce? And Abraham sayde: my sonne/ God wyll prouyde him a shepe for sacrifyce. So went they both together.

And when they came vnto the place which God shewed him/ Abraha made an aulter there and dressed the wodd/ ad bownde Isaac his sonne and layde him on the aulter/ aboue apon the wodd. And Abraham stretched forth his hande/ and toke the knyfe to haue kylled his sonne.

Than the angell of the LORde called vnto him from heauen saynge: Abraham/ Abraham. And he answered: here am I. And he sayde: laye not thy handes apon the childe nether do any thinge at all vnto him/ for now I knowe that thou fearest God/ in y^t thou hast not kepte thine only sonne fro me. And Abraham lyfted vp his eyes and loked aboute: and beholde/ there was a ram caught by the hornes in a thykette. And he went and toke the ram and offred him vp for a sacrifyce in the steade of his sonne And Abraham called the name of the place/ the LORde will see: wherfore it is a com[~e] saynge this daye: in the mounte will the LORde be sene.

And the Angell of the LORde cryed vnto Abraham from heaven the seconde tyme saynge: by my selfe haue I sworne (sayth the LORde) because thou hast done this thinge and hast not spared thy only sonne/ that I will blesse the and multiplye thy seed as the starres of heaven and as the sonde vpo the seesyde. And thy seed shall possesse the gates of hys enymies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the erth be blessed/ because thou hast obeyed my voyce

So turned Abraham agayne vnto his yonge men/ and they rose vp and w[~e]t to gether to Berseba. And Abraham dwelt at Berseba

And it cha[~u]sed after these th[~i]ges/ that one tolde Abraham saynge: Beholde/ Milcha she hath also borne childern vnto thy brother Nachor: Hus his eldest sonne and Bus his brother/ and Kemuell the father of the Sirians/ and Cesed/ and Haso/ and Pildas/ and Iedlaph/ and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebecca. These .viij. dyd Milcha bere to Nachor Abrahams brother. And his concubyne called Rheuma she bare also Tebah/ Gaham/ Thahas and Maacha.

¶The .xxiij. Chapter.

Sara was an hundred and .xxvij. yere olde (for so longe lyued she) and than dyed in a heade cyte called Hebron in the londe of Canaan. Than Abraham came to morne Sara and to wepe for her. And Abraham stode vp from the coorse and talked with the sonnes of heth saynge: I am a straunger ad a foryner amonge yow/ geue me a possession to bury in with you/ that I may bury my dead oute of my sighte.

And the children of heth answered Abraham saynge vnto him: heare vs lorde/ thou art a prynce of God amonge vs. In the chefest of oure sepulchres bury thy dead: None of vs shall forbydd y^e his sepulcre/ y^t thou shuldest not bury thy deade therein. Abraha stode vp & bowed h[~i] selfe before y^e people of y^e lade y^e childr[~e] of heth.

And he comoned with them saynge: Yf it be youre myndes y^t I shall bury my deade oute of my sighte/ heare me ad speke for me to Ephron the sonne of Zoar: and let him geue me the dubill caue which he hath in the end of his felde/ for as moch money as it is worth/ let him geue it me in the presence of you/ for a possession to bury in. For Hephron dwelled amoge y^e childern of heth.

Than Ephron the Hethite answered Abraham in the audy[~e]ce of the childern of Heth and of all that went in at the gates of his cyte/ saynge: Not so/ my lorde/ but heare me: The felde geue I the/ and the caue that therein is/ geue I the also/ And even in the presence of the sonnes of my people geve I it the to bury thy deede in. Than Abraham bowed himselfe before the people of the lade and spake vnto Ephro in the audyence of the people of the contre saynge: I praye the heare me/ I will geue sylver for the felde/ take it of me/ ad so will I bury my deed there.

Ephron answered Abraha saynge vnto him My lorde/ harken vnto me. The lande is worth iiij. hundreth sycles of syluer: But what is that betwixte the and me? bury thy deede. And Abraham harkened vnto Ephron and weyde him the sylver which he had sayde in the audyence of the sonnes of Heth. Euen .iiij. h[~u]dred syluer sycles of currant money amonge marchauntes