And he ſulde ben man migti,
984
And of him kumen folc frigti; | |
Ghe wente agen, and bar ðat child,
And abram wurð wið hire milde. | Hagar returns, and Ishmael is born. |
lxxx. gere and ſexe mo
988
Hadde abram on hiſ elde ðo,
And.xiii. ger ðor after told, | Abram was then fourscore and six years old. |
| ix. and nigneti ger he waſ old, | When Abram was ninety-nine years old God changed his name to Abraham. |
Quuanne him cam bode in ſunder run,
992
fro gode of circumcicioun.
His name ðo wurð a lettre mor,
Hiſ wiueſ leſſe ðan it waſ or,
for ðo wurd abram abraham, | [Fol. 20.] |
996
And ſarray ſarra bi-cam;
And al ðat euere ðe louered bad,
dede abraham redi and rad. | Sarai’s name is also changed to Sarah. |
He him ſelf wurð ðanne circumciſ,
1000
And yſmael hiſ ſune iwiſ;
And of iſ hird euerilc wapman
wurð circumciſ, al-so he it bi-gan, | Circumcision is instituted. |
Quuo ne bar ðanne iſ merk him on
1004
fro godes folc ſulde he be don. | Whoso bore not this mark upon him was to be cut off from God’s folk. |
Siðen, in ðe dale of mambre,
ſag abraham figures ðre,
Sondes ſemlike kumen fro gode;
1008
Abraham he broghten wel bliðe bode.
Abraham he[m] ran wel ſwiðe agon, | Afterwards in the dale of Mamre Abraham saw figures three, seemly messengers from God. |
And of ðe ðre he wurðede ðe ton,
ðe god him dede in herte ſen,
1012
ðe waſ wurði wurðed to ben; | Abraham entertains the angels. |
bred, kalueſ fleiſ, and flures bred,
And buttere, hem ðo sondes bed; | He set before them calves flesh, bread and flour and butter. |
for ðat he bad wið herte fre,
1016
He it nomen in charite; | What he offered with a free heart his guests took in charity, |
So malt ðat mete in hem to nogt,
So a watreſ drope in a fier brogt. | [Fol. 20b.]
though it was but as a drop of water in a fire. |