greet age, and wommans termes ceessiden to be maad to Sare.
12 And she leiyede, seiynge pryueli, after that Y wexede eld, and my lord is eld, schal Y yyue diligence to lust?
13 Forsothe the Lord seide to Abraham, Whi leiyeth Sare, thi wijf, seiynge, whether Y an eld womman schal bere child verili?
14 whether ony thing is hard to God? Bi the biheeste Y schal turne ayen to thee in this same tyme, if Y lyue; and Sara schal haue a sone.
15 Sare was aferd for drede, and denyede, seiynge, Y leiyede not. Forsothe the Lord seide, It is not so, but thou leiyedist.
16 Therfor whanne the men hadden risen fro thennus, thei dressiden the iyen ayens Sodom; and Abraham yede to gidre, ledynge hem forth.
17 And the Lord seide, Wher Y mowe hele fro Abraham what thingis Y schal do,
18 sithen he schal be in to a greet folk and moost strong, and alle naciouns of erthe schulen be blessid in hym?
19 For Y woot that Abraham schal comaunde hise children, and his hows after hym, that thei kepe the weie of the Lord, and that thei do riytfulnesse and dom, that the Lord bringe for Abraham alle thingis whiche he spak to Abraham.
20 And so the Lord seide, The cry of men of Sodom and of men of Gomorre is multiplied, and her synne is agreggid greetli; Y schal come doun,
21 and schal se whether thei han fillid in werk the cry that cam to me, that Y wite whether it is not so.
22 And thei turneden han fro thennus, and yeden to Sodom. Abraham sotheli stood yit bifore the Lord,
23 and neiyede, and seide, Whether thou schalt leese a iust man with the wickid man?
24 if fifti iust men ben in the citee, schulen thei perische togidere, and schalt thou not spare that place for fifti iust men, if thei ben ther ynne?
25 Fer be it fro thee that thou do this thing, and sle a iust man with a wickid man, and that a iust man be maad as a wickid man; this is not thin that demest al erthe; thou schalt not make this doom.
26 And the Lord seide to him, If Y schal fynde in Sodom fifti iust men in the myddis of the citee, Y schal foryyue to al the place for hem.
27 Abraham answerde and seide, For Y bigan onys, Y schal speke to my Lord, sithen Y am dust and aische;
28 what if lesse than fifti iust men bi fyue ben, schalt thou do a wey al the cite for fyue and fourti? And the Lord seide, Y schal not do a wei, if I schal fynde fyue and fourti there.
29 And eft Abraham seide to hym, But if fourti ben there, what schalt thou do? The Lord seide, Y schal not smyte for fourti.
30 Abraham seide, Lord, Y biseche, take thou not to indignacioun, if Y speke; what if thretti be foundun there? The Lord answerde, Y schal not do, if Y schal fynde thretti there.
31 Abraham seide, For Y bigan onys, Y schal speke to my Lord; what if twenti be foundun there? The Lord seide, Y schal not sle for twenti.
32 Abraham seide, Lord, Y biseche, be thou not wrooth, if Y speke yit onys; what if ten be founden there? The Lord seide, Y schal not do a wey for ten.
33 The Lord yede forth, after that he ceesside to speke to Abraham, and Abraham turnede ayen in to his place.
Chapter 19
1 And tweyne aungels camen to Sodom in the euentide, while Loth sat in the yatis of the citee. And whanne he hadde seyn hem, he roos, and yede ayens hem, and worschipide lowe to erthe,
2 and seide, My lordis, Y biseche, bowe ye in to the hous of youre child, and dwelle ye there; waische ye youre feet, and in the morewtid ye schulen go in to youre weie. Whiche seiden, Nay, but we schulen dwelle in the street.
3 He constreynede hem greetli, that thei schulden turne to hym. And whanne thei weren entrid in to his hous, he made a feeste, he bakide therf breed, and thei eten.
4 Forsothe bifore that thei yeden to sleepe, men of the citee compassiden his hows, fro a child `til to an eld man, al the puple togidre;
5 and thei clepiden Loth, and seiden to him, Where ben the men that entriden to thee to nyyt? brynge hem out hidur, that we `knowe hem.
6 And Loth yede out to hem `bihynde the bak, and closide the dore,
7 and seide, Y biseche, nyle ye, my britheren, nyle ye do this yuel.
8 Y haue twey douytris, that knewen not yit man; Y schal lede out hem to you, and mys vse ye hem as it plesith you, so that ye doon noon yuel to these men, for thei entriden vndur the schadewe of my roof.
9 And thei seiden, Go thou fro hennus. And eft thei seiden, Thou entridist as a comelyng; wher that thou deme? therfor we schulen turment thee more than these. And thei diden violentli to Loth ful greetli. Thanne it was nyy that thei wolden breke the doris; and lo!
10 the men puttiden hoond, and ledden in Loth to hem, and thei closiden the dore.
11 And thei smyten with blyndenesse hem that weren withoutforth, fro the leest til to the moost; so that thei myyten not fynde the dore.
12 Forsothe thei seiden to Loth, Hast thou here ony man of thine, hosebonde of thi douyter, ethir sones, ethir douytris; lede thou out of this citee alle men that ben thine,
13 for we schulen do a wey this place, for the cry of hem encreesside bifor the Lord, which sente vs that we leese hem.
14 And so Loth yede out, and spak to the hosebondys of his douytris, that schulden take hise douytris, and seide, Rise ye, and go ye out of this place; for the Lord schal do awey this citee. And he was seyn to hem to speke as pleiynge.
15 And whanne the morewtid was, the aungels constreyneden hym, and seiden, Rise thou, and take thi wijf, and thi twey douytris whiche thou hast, lest also thou perische to gidere in the synne of the citee.
16 While he dissymelide, thei token his hond, and the hond of his wijf, and of his twey doutris; for the Lord sparide hym.
17 And thei ledden out hym, and settiden with out the citee. There thei spaken to him, and seiden, Saue thou thi lijf; nyle thou biholde bihynde thi bac, nether stond thou in al the cuntre aboute, but make thee saaf in the hil; lest also thou perische togidere.
18 And Loth seide to hem, My lord, Y biseche,
19 for thi seruaunt hath founde grace bifore thee, and thou hast magnyfied thi grace and mercy, which thou hast do with me, that thou schuldist saue my lijf; Y may not be saued in the hil, lest perauenture yuel take me, and Y die;
20 a litil citee is here bisidis, to which Y may fle, and Y schal be saued ther ynne; where it is not a litil citee? and my soule schal lyue ther ynne.
21 And he seide to Loth, Lo! also in this Y haue resseyued thi preieris, that Y distrye not the citee, for which thou hast spoke;
22 haste thou, and be thou saued there, for Y may not do ony thing til thou entre thidur. Therfor the name of that citee was clepid Segor.
23 The sunne roos on erthe, and Loth entride in to Segor.
24 Therfor the Lord reynede on Sodom and Gomorre brynston and fier, fro the Lord fro heuene,
25 and distriede these citees, and al the cuntrey aboute; he destriede alle enhabiters of citees, and all grene thingis of erthe.
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