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[1]Aftirthat Jacob herde the wordis of the sones of Laban, that seiden, Jacob hath take awei alle thingis that weren oure fadris, and of his catel Jacob is maad riche, and noble.
[2]AlsoJacob perseyuede the face of Laban, that it was not ayens hym as yistirdai, and the thridde dai agoon,
[3]moostfor the Lord seide to hym, Turne ayen into the lond of thi fadris, and to thi generacioun, and Y shal be with thee.
[4]Hesente, and clepide Rachel, and Lya, in to the feeld, where he kepte flockis, and he seide to hem,
[5]Yse the face of youre fadir, that it is not ayens me as `yisterdai and the thridde dai agoon; but God of my fadir was with me.
[6]Andye witen that with alle my strengthis Y seruede youre fadir;
[7]butand youre fadir disseyuyde me, and chaungide my meede ten sithis; and netheles God suffride not hym to anoye me.
[8]Ifhe seide ony tyme, Dyuerse colourid sheep schulen be thi medis, alle sheep brouyten forth dyuerse colourid lambren; forsothe whanne he seide ayenward, Thou shalte take alle white for mede, alle the flockis brouyten forth white beestis;
[9]andGod took a wey the substaunce of youre fadir, and yaf to me.
[10]Foraftir that the tyme of conseyuyng of sheep cam, Y reiside myn iyen, and seiy in sleep malis dyuerse, and spotti, and of dyuerse colouris, stiynge on femalis.
[11]Andthe aungel of the Lord seide to me in sleep, Jacob! and Y answeride, Y am redy.
[12]Whichseide, Reise thin iyen, and se alle malis dyuerse, byspreynt, and spotti, stiynge on femalis; for Y seiy alle thingis whiche Laban dide to thee;
[13]Yam God of Bethel, where thou anoyntidist a stoon, and madist auow to me. Now therefor rise thou, and go out of this lond, and turne ayen in to the lond of thi birthe.
[14]AndRachel and Lya answeriden, Wher we han ony thing residue in the catels, and eritage of oure fadir?
[15]Wherhe `arettide not vs as aliens, and selde, and eet oure prijs?
[16]ButGod took awei the richessis of oure fadir, and yaf tho to vs, and to oure sones; wherfor do thou alle thingis whiche God hath comaundide to thee.
[17]ForsotheJacob roos, and puttide hise fre children and wyues on camels, and yede forth;
[18]andhe took al his catel, flockis, and what euer thing he hadde gete in Mesopotanye, and yede to Isaac, his fadir, into the lond of Canaan.
[19]Inthat tyme Laban yede to schere scheep, and Rachel stal the idols of hir fadir.
[20]AndJacob nolde knouleche to the fadir of his wijf, that he wolde fle;
[21]andwhanne he hadde go, as wel he as alle thingis that weren of his riyt, and whanne he hadde passid the water, and he yede ayens the hil of Galaad,
[22]itwas teld to Laban, in the thridde dai, that Jacob fledde.
[23]AndLaban took his britheren, and pursuede hym seuene daies, and took hym in the hil of Galaad.
[24]AndLaban seiy in sleep the Lord seiynge to him, Be war that thou speke not ony thing sharpli ayens Jacob.
[25]Andthanne Jacob hadde stretchid forth the tabernacle in the hil; and whanne he hadde sued Jacob with his britheren, `he settide tente in the same hil of Galaad; and he seide to Jacob,
[26]Whihast thou do so, that the while I wiste not thou woldist dryue awey my douytris as caitifs by swerd?
[27]Whiwoldist thou fle the while Y wiste not, nether woldist shewe to me, that Y shulde sue thee with ioie, and songis, and tympans, and harpis?
[28]Thousuffridist not that Y schulde kisse my sones and douytris; thou hast wrouyt folili.
[29]Andnow sotheli myn hond mai yelde yuel to thee, but the God of thi fadir seide to me yisterdai, Be war that thou speke not ony harder thing with Jacob.
[30]Suppose,if thou coueitedist to go to thi kynesmen, and the hows of thi fadir was in desir to thee, whi hast thou stole my goddis?
[31]Jacobansweride, That Y yede forth while thou wistist not, Y dredde lest thou woldist take awey thi douytris violentli;
[32]sothelithat thou repreuest me of thefte, at whom euer thou fyndist thi goddis, be he slayn bifor oure britheren; seke thou, what euer thing of thine thou fyndist at me, and take awei. Jacob seide these thingis, and wiste not that Rachel stal the idols.
[33]Andso Laban entride into the tabernacle of Jacob, and of Lya, and of euer eithir meyne, and foond not; and whanne Laban hadde entrid in to the tente of Rachel,
[34]schehastide, and hidde the idols vndur the strewyngis of the camel, and sat aboue. And sche seide to Laban, sekynge al the tente and fyndynge no thing,
[35]Mylord, be not wrooth that Y may not rise bifore thee, for it bifelde now to me bi the custom of wymmen; so the bisynesse of the sekere was scorned.
[36]AndJacob bolnyde, and seide with strijf, For what cause of me, and for what synne of me, hast thou come so fersly aftir me,
[37]andhast souyt al `the portenaunce of myn hous? What `hast thou founde of al the catel of thin hows? Putte thou here bifore my britheren and thi britheren, and deme thei betwixe me and thee.
[38]WasI with thee herfore twenti yeer? Thi sheep and geet weren not bareyn, Y eet not the rammes of thi flok,
[39]netherY schewide to thee ony thing takun of a beeste; Y yeldide al harm; what euer thing perischide bi thefte, thou axidist of me;
[40]Ywas angwischid in dai and nyyt with heete and frost, and sleep fledde fro myn iyen;
[41]soY seruede thee bi twenti yeer in thin hows, fourtene yeer for thi douytris, and sixe yeer for thi flockis; and thou chaungidist my mede ten sithis.
[42]IfGod of my fadir Abraham, and the drede of Isaac hadde not helpid me, perauenture now thou haddist left me nakid; the Lord bihelde my turmentyng and the traueyl of myn hondis, and repreuyde thee yistirdai.
[43]Labanansweride hym, The douytris, and thi sones, and flockis, and alle thingis whiche thou seest, ben myne, what mai Y do to my sones, and to the sones of sones?
[44]Therforcome thou, and make we boond of pees, that it be witnessyng bitwixe me, and thee.
[45]Andso Jacob took a stoon, and reiside it in to a signe, and seide to hise britheren,
[46]Bryngeye stoonus; whiche gadriden, and maden an heep, and eten on it.
[47]AndLaban clepide it the heep of wittnesse, and Jacob clepide it the heep of witnessyng; euer eithir clepide bi the proprete of his langage.
[48]AndLaban seide, This heep schal be witnesse bytwixe me and thee to day, and herfor the name therof was clepid Galaad, that is, the heep of witnesse.
[49]AndLaban addide, The Lord biholde, and deme bitwixe vs, whanne we schulen go awei fro yow;
[50]ifthou schalt turmente my douytris, and if thou schal brynge yn othere wyues on hem, noon is witnesse of oure word, outakun God, whiche is present, and biholdith.
[51]Andeft he seide to Jacob, Lo! this heep, and stoon, whiche Y reiside bitwixe me and thee, schal be witnesse;
[52]sothelithis heep, and stoon be in to witnessyng, forsothe if Y schal passe it, and go to thee, ether thou shalt passe, and thenke yuel to me.
[53]Godof Abraham, and God of Nachor, God of the fadir of hem, deme bitwixe vs. Therfor Jacob swoor by the drede of his fadir Ysaac;
[54]andwhanne slayn sacrifices weren offrid in the hil, he clepyde his britheren to ete breed, and whanne thei hadden ete, thei dwelliden there.
[55]ForsotheLaban roos bi nyyt, and kisside his sones, and douytris, and blesside hem, and turnede ayen in to his place.
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