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

How Iacob vnto Bethel went,
and Images did hide,
And Earynges eke vnder an Oke
that Sichem is beside.
Deboras death. How Rahell dyed
in trauell by the vvay
Is here exprest and how Ruben
wyth fathers Lemman lay.
How Isaac fel sicke and dyed,
this Chapter shal bewray.

1

And God to Iacob sayd, aryse
and vp to Bethel go,
And there prepare thy selfe to Dwell,
an Aulter make also

2

To God that vnto the appear'd
when Esau thou fled fro

Then Iacob to his houshold spake
and all that with him were:
Away wyth your straunge Gods (sayth hee)
that are among you there.

3

Henceforth be cleane your Garm{en}ts chaunge,
for now we wyl arise,
And vp to Bethel wil we goe
and make (in humble wise)

4

An Aulter there vnto the God
that heard me in the Day
Of trouble myne: and was wyth me
where as I went the way.

5

They gaue to Iacob those straunge Gods
that they in handes did beare,
And al those Ringes which in their Eares,
they wonted for to Weare:
And hee them hid vnder an Oke
Which was by Sichem there:

6

Thus when that they departed were,
and on their Iourney gon,
The Townes, and Citties round about
God sent a feare vppon:

7

So that they did not make pursute
to follow any Man.
Whereby they saulfely came to Luz,
in Lande of Canaan.

8

And there an Aulter Builded hee
and so did call the place
The God of Bethell: for because
God of his mighty Grace
Did there appeare, sutch time hee fled
from Brother Esaus Face.

9

But Deborah, Rebeccas Nourse
by Death had such a Stroke,

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As after Death shee buryed was
beneathe vnder an Oke.

10

This Oke did stand beneathe Bethell
and they the Oke did cal
The Oke of Lamentation
to be so knowne of al.

11

And God to Iacob once agayne
appeared and did say
When from Mesopotamia
Iacob was come away

12

God blessed hym and sayd: thy name
is Iacob now I see,
Thou shalt no more be Iacob cal'd
but Isrel named be.

13

God had him grow and multiplye:
for I wil make, sayth hee,
That People great and mighty Kinges
shal growe and sprynge from thee

14

And eke the Land which I did giue
to Abraham before
And to thy father Isaac
and his, for euermore

15

That same Land wil I giue to thee
and to thine after Seede
So God from Iacob did ascend:
and it performde in deede,

16

And in the place where God thus spake
Iacob set vp a stone,
To be a marke, and powred oyle
and drynke offryng theron.

17

And so the place where God thus spake
he Bethel did it cal,
Whych is to say, the House of God
to vnderstand wythall.

18

As they from Bethel traueiled
to Euphrata the way,
Which signifies the house of Breade,
as vnderstand we may:
And Bethelem it is also,
th' Interpreters do say.

19

When they with in a Field bredth were,
then so befel the case,
That Rahel beyng great wyth Chylde
in painful trauel was.

20

And in the peril of her payne
the mydwyfe to her said:
This Sonne is thyne, sayd she also
therefore be not afraid.

21

Then as her soule departing was
and that she nedes must die:
The Child with Trauell that she brought,
shee named Benoni,

22

Benoni the sonne of sorrow
is so to vnderstand:
But Iacob cald him Beniamin
the Sonne of the right hand.

23

Thus Rahel dyde and buryed was
euen in the way they went
To Euphrata, or Bethelem,
and there wyth good entent

24

Did Iacob set vppon her graue
a stone the same to show,
Which Rahels Graue stone called is
for passers by to know.

25

And Israel departed thence,
and pitched vp his Tent
Beyond the Tower of Eder
whereas to dwel he ment.

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26

It chaunced so as Israell
now dwelled in the Land.
That Ruben, Iacobs eldest Sonne,
tooke Bilha by the hand.

27

And lay with her, and knew shee was
his Fathers Concubine.
The which thing came to Israels eare
what Rubin did in fine.

28

Twelue Sonnes in number Iacob had
it wel appeareth so,
Which in Mesopotamia
were borne him all we knowe.

29

So Iacob to his father went
to Mamre after this,
Which is a Cittie of Arbah
and Hebron called is.

30

Where Abraham and Isaac.
as straungers did abyde,
An Hundreth eightie yeares was hee,
when hee fell sicke and dyde.

31

And was his people put vnto,
as Custome then did craue,
By both his Sonnes which buried him
and layd him in his Graue.

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Not reproduced here is a diagrammatical representation of Jacob's genealogy.

Iacob in Padan Aram got these Children, tvvelue that bee,
Eight by his Wiues, four by his Maydes, in order as you see.