A Hyve Fvll of Hunnye :: :: University of Virginia Library

Here Abraham Keturah takes
To be his second VVife:
And many Children doth beget,
And so departes this life.
To whom his goodes he did dispose
This Chapter shal you tel:
Also the Pedagrew here is
Of his Sonne Ismaell.
The Birth of Iacob and Esau
Here vnderstand you may:
How Esau for a messe of Rize
His Birthright solde awaye.

1

And after this, did Abraham
Keturah take to Wyfe:
By whom he many Children got
before he left this lyfe.

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2

And ere eight score and fiftene Yeeres
of Abraham were runne,

Sore sicke hee fel and gaue his Goodes
to Isaac his Sonne.

3

But to those Sonnes that hee begat
by Lemmans his that fell,
He gaue them Gyftes, sent them farre of
from Isaac to dwell.

4

Thus in a goodlye lustie age
when hee ynough had lyu'de,
Death him approacht, and in due time
of Lyfe hee him depriu'de.

5

Then Isaac and Ismael,
when death his lyfe had caught,
Their Fathers Bodie decentlye,
into the Caue it brought.

6

Which Caue doth stand within the Field
of Ephron Zoars Sonne,
Which Abraham before had bought,
and with his monye wonne.

7

Within this Caue was Abraham,
and Sara eke like wise
Entoumbde, with Rites and Obsequies,
as such was then the guyse.

8

And after this, it pleased God
this Isaac to blesse,
That hee a mightie people grew
with infinite increase.

9

Hee did inhabite by the Well
that named was to bee,
The VVel of him that euer liues
and euer seeth mee.

10

These are the Generations
of Ismaell to showe.
Which Hagar bare to Abraham,
his Mayde that was you know.

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11

And by their Townes, and Castels eke
these twelue did take their name,
And of their Housholdes Princes twelue
did spring out from the same.

12

The yeares of lyfe that Ismael
vpon the Earth did beare
Were Iust one hundreth to accompt
and seuen and thirty yeare.

13

Then fel he sicke, his time was come,
no longer might he byde:
And after Death then was he layd
his people them beside.

14

These are the Generations
of Isaac to name,
Who Sonne was vnto Abraham,
for he begat the same.

15

Yeeres Forty old was Isaack
when he to Wyfe did take
Rebecca, who for hym alone
her Parentes did forsake.

16

Shee Daughter was to Bethuel,
the Aramite, you know:
And Labans Sister th' Aramite
this Bethuelles Sonne also.

17

And Isaac wel knowing that
his Wife now barreyn was
Made humble prayer vnto God
and so it came to passe:

18

That God of hym intreated was,
and she conceiued Life,
And both the Babes together stroue
in Bodye of his wife.

19

Said shee therfore, if it bee so
what helpeth it at all
With Childe to bee, when in my wombe
such strife doth them befall?

20

And therfore vnto God she went
to be resolu'de of this,

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To whom God sayd: bee thou content
nothing is there amisse.

21

But in thy wombe two people are
which shall from thee proceede
And Nacions twayne sure shal they bee,
vpon the Earth in deede.

22

The younger shal farre mightier be,
much more then shal the other:
Also the elder shal become
a Seruaunt to his Brother.

23

And when her trauayling time was come,
deliuered for to bee,
Behold two Twynnes forth from her Wombe
into the World brought she.

24

And he that first proceded forth
was Red and rough about:
And Esau they his name did cal
and after him came out

25

His Brother holding Esau hard
with hand vppon his Heele,
And Iacob called they his name
that Brothers Foote did feele.

26

These Children grew, and Esau then
a Hunter good became
Also the Earth did Till and Plow
and play the Husbandman.

27

But Iacob was a perfect man
and in the Tentes did dwell:
But Isaac, Esau his Sonne
did loue exceding wel.

28

Because he Venson often caught,
which he thereof did Eate,
But yet Rebecca Iacob lou'de
and wel did hym encreate.

29

It so befell that Iacob this
of Rice that's red did take:
And did therewith as well he could,
a messe of Potage make.

30

And as from hunting Esau came
and fainty was withall,
Upon the name of Iacob then
his brother did he call

31

And sayd, I pray the brother mine
haue some remorse on me:
And feede thou me with Potage there,
that's made of Rise, I see.

32

For I am weake and feeble too
and faynt as man may be,
And therefore Edom was he cald
as witnesseth Abdye.

33

Sayd Iacob then, sel me this Day
the Birth right that is thyne,
And I for that now wil the giue,
a Messe of Potage myne.

34

Sayd Esau then, behold I am
the Dore of Death hard by,
What profit then can birthright this
do mee, if that I dye?

35

Iacob hym sayd, then sweare to me,
as thou hast sayd before,
That I thy Birthright shal possesse,
from henceforth euermore.

36

And Esau there his hand forth put
vnder his Thighe, and sware,
And sold his brother al his right,
for which he did not care

37

Then Iacob gaue to Esau that,
that did him best content,

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Of Breade, and Pottage made of Rice,
and so away hee went.