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¹ And Israel yede forth with alle thingis that he hadde, and he cam to the pit of ooth; and whanne sacrifices weren slayn there to God of his fadir Isaac,² he herde God bi a visioun in that nyyt clepynge hym, `and seiynge to hym, Jacob! Jacob! To whom he answeride, Lo! Y am present.³ God seide to hym, Y am the strongeste God of thi fadir; nyle thou drede, go doun in to Egipt, for Y schal make thee there in to a greet folk;⁴ Y schal go doun thidir with thee, and Y schal brynge thee turnynge ayen fro thennus, and Joseph schal sette his hond on thin iyen.

⁵ Jacob roos fro the pit of ooth, and the sones token him, with her litle children, and wyues, in the waynes whiche Farao hadde sent to bere the eld man,⁶ and alle thingis whiche he weldide in the lond of Canaan; and he cam in to Egipt with his seed,⁷ hise sones, and her sones, and douytris, and al the generacioun togidere.⁸ Forsothe thes ben the names of the sones of Israel, that entriden in to Egipte; he with hise fre children. The firste gendrid Ruben;⁹ the sones of Ruben, Enoch, and Fallu, and Esrom, and Carmi.¹⁰ The sones of Symeon, Jemuhel, and Jamyn, and Ahoth, and Jachyn, and Sab, and Saber, and Saul, the sone of a womman of Canaan.¹¹ The sones of Leuy, Gerson, Caath, and Merarie.¹² The sones of Juda, Her and Onam, and Sela, and Fares, and Zara. Forsothe Her and Onam dieden in the lond of Canaan; and the sones of Fares weren borun, Esrom, and Amul.¹³ The sones of Isacar, Thola, and Fua, and Jobab, and Semron.¹⁴ The sones of Zabulon, Sared, and Thelom, and Jahel.¹⁵ These ben the sones of Lia, whiche sche childide in Mesopotanye of Sirie, with Dyna, hir douyter; alle the soules of hise sones and douytris, thre and thretti.¹⁶ The sones of Gad, Sefion, and Aggi, Suny, and Hesebon, Heri, and Arodi, and Areli.¹⁷ The sones of Aser, Jamne, and Jesua, and Jesui, and Beria; and Sara, the sister of hem. The sones of Beria, Heber and Melchiel.¹⁸ These weren the sones of Zelfa, whom Laban yaf to Lia, his douyter, and Jacob gendryde these sixtene persones.¹⁹ The sones of Rachel, `wijf of Jacob, weren Joseph and Beniamyn.<sup>20</sup> And sones weren borun to Joseph in the loond of Egipt, Manasses and Effraym, whiche Asenech, `douytir of Putifar, preest of Helipoleos, childide to hym.²¹ The sones of Beniamin weren Bela, and Becor, and Asbel, Gera, and Naaman, and Jechi, `Ros, and Mofym, and Ofym, and Ared.<sup>22</sup> These weren the sones of Rachel, whiche Jacob gendride; alle the persones weren fouretene.<sup>23</sup> The sone of Dan, Vsym.<sup>24</sup> The sones of Neptalym, Jasiel, and Guny, and Jeser, and Salem.<sup>25</sup> These weren `the sones of Bala, whom Laban yaf to Rachel his douytir.²⁶ And Jacob gendride these; alle the soules weren seuene. And alle the men that entriden with Jacob in to Egipt, and yeden out of his thiy, with out `the wyues of his sones, weren sixti and sixe.<sup>27</sup> Forsothe the sones of Joseph, that weren borun to hym in `the loond of Egipt, weren two men. Alle the soulis of `the hows of Jacob, that entriden in to Egipt, weren seuenti.

²⁸ Forsothe Jacob sente Judas bifore hym to Joseph, that he schulde telle to hym, and he schulde `come in to Gessen.<sup>29</sup> And whanne Jacob hadde come thidir, Joseph stiede in his chare to mete his fadir at the same place. And he siy Jacob, and felde on `his necke, and wepte bitwixe collyngis.³⁰ And the fadir seide to Joseph, Now Y schal die ioiful, for Y siy thi face, and Y leeue thee lyuynge.³¹ And Joseph spak to hise brithren, and to al `the hows of his fadir, I schal stie, and `Y schal telle to Farao, and Y schal seie to hym, My britheren, and the hows of my fadir, that weren in the lond of Canaan, ben comun to me,³² and thei ben men kepers of scheep, and han bisynesse of flockis to be fed; thei brouyten with hem her scheep and grete beestis, and alle thingis whiche thei miyten haue.³³ And whanne Farao schal clepe you, and schal seie, What is youre werk? ³⁴ ye schulen answere, We ben thi seruauntis, men scheepherdis, fro oure childhed til in to present tyme, bothe we and oure fadris. Sotheli ye schulen seye these thingis, that ye moun dwelle in the lond of Gessen, for Egipcians wlaten alle keperis of scheep.