Read the Bible

¹ Therfor Sarai, wijf of Abram, hadde not gendrid fre children; but sche hadde a seruauntesse of Egipt, Agar bi name, and seide to hir hosebonde, Lo!² the Lord hath closid me, that Y schulde not bere child; entre thou to my seruauntesse, if in hap Y schal take children, nameli of hir. And whanne he assentide to hir preiynge, sche took Agar Egipcian,³ hir seruauntesse, after ten yeer aftir that thei begunne to enhabite in the lond of Chanaan, and sche yaf Agar wiif to hir hosebonde.

⁴ And Abram entride to Agar; and Agar seiy that sche hadde conseyued, and sche dispiside hir ladi.⁵ And Saray seide to Abram, Thou doist wickidli ayens me; I yaf my seruauntesse in to thi bosum, which seeth, that sche conseyuede, and dispisith me; the Lord deme betwixe me and thee.⁶ And Abram answerde and seide to hir, Lo! thi seruauntesse is in thin hond; vse thou hir as `it likith. Therfor for Sarai turmentide hir, sche fledde awei.

⁷ And whanne the aungel of the Lord hadde founde hir bisidis a welle of watir in wildernesse, which welle is in the weie of Sur in deseert,⁸ he seide to hir, Fro whennus comest thou Agar, the seruauntesse of Sarai, and whidur goist thou? Which answerde, Y fle fro the face of Sarai my ladi.⁹ And the aungel of the Lord seide to hir, Turne thou ayen to thi ladi, and be thou mekid vndur hir hondis.

¹⁰ And eft he seide, Y multipliynge schal multiplie thi seed, and it schal not be noumbrid for multitude.¹¹ And aftirward he seide, Lo! thou hast conseyued, and thou schalt bere a sone, and thou schalt clepe his name Ismael, for the Lord hath herd thi turment;¹² this schal be a wielde man; his hond schal be ayens alle men, and the hondis of alle men schulen be ayens him; and he schal sette tabernaclis euene ayens alle his britheren.¹³ Forsothe Agar clepide the name of the Lord that spak to hir, Thou God that seiyest me; for sche seide, Forsothe here Y seiy the hynderere thingis of him that siy me.¹⁴ Therfor sche clepide thilke pit, the pit of hym that lyueth and seeth me; thilk pit is bitwixe Cades and Barad.

¹⁵ And Agar childide a sone to Abram, which clepide his name Ismael.¹⁶ Abram was of `eiyti yeere and sixe, whanne Agar childide Ysmael to hym.