# Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader/Cædmon's Genesis: The Offering of Isaac

[From the Genesis attributed to Cædmon, preserved in MS. Junius XI of the Bodleian Library.]
Þā þæs rinces   sē rīca ongan Cyning costigan,   cunnode georne hwilc þæs æðelinges   ellen wǣre, stīðum wordum   spræc him stefne tō:
'Gewit þū ofestlīce,   Abraham, fēran, lāstas lecgan   and þē lǣde mid þīn āgen bearn;   þū scealt Īsaac mē onsecgan, sunu þīnne,   sylf tō tībre! Siððan þū gestīgest   stēape dūne,
hrincg þæs hēan landes,   þe ic þē heonon getǣce, ūp þīnum āgnum fōtum,   þǣr þū scealt ād gegærwan, bǣlfȳr bearne ðīnum,   and blōtan sylf sunu mid sweordes ecge,   and ðonne sweartan līge lēofes līc forbærnan   and mē lāc bebēodan.'
Ne forsæt hē þȳ siðe,   ac sōna ongann fȳsan tō fōre:   him wæs Frēan engla word ondrysne,   and his Waldend lēof. Ðā sē ēadga   Abraham sīne nihtreste ofgeaf:   nālles Nergendes
hǣse wiðhogode,   ac hine sē hālga wer gyrde grǣgan sweorde,   cȳðde ðæt him gāsta Weardes egesa on brēostum wunode.   Ongan ðā his esolas bǣtan, gamolferhð goldes brytta,   heht hine geonge twēgen men mid sīðian;   mǣg wæs his āgen þridda
and hē fēorða sylf.   Þā hē fūs gewāt from his āgenum hofe   Īsaac lǣdan, bearn unweaxen,   swā him bēbēad Metod. Efste ðā swīðe   and ōnette forð foldwege,   swā him Frēa tǣhte
wegas ofer wēsten,   oð þæt wuldortorht, dæges þriddan ūp   ofer dēop wæter ord ārǣmde.   Þā sē ēadega wer geseah hlīfigan   hēa dūne swā him sægde ǣr   swegles Aldor.
Þā Abraham spræc   tō his ombihtum, 'Rincas mīne,   restað incit hēr on ðissum wīcum;   wit eft cumað, siððan wit ǣrende   uncer twēga Gāstcyninge   āgifen habbað.'
Gewāt him þā sē æðeling,   and his āgen sunu, tō þæs gemearces   þe him Metod tǣhte, wadan ofer wealdas;   wudu bær sunu, fæder fȳr and sweord.   Þā ðæs fricgean ongann wer wintrum geong   wordum Abraham:
'Wit hēr fȳr and sweord,   frēa mīn, habbað; hwǣr is þæt tīber,   þæt þū torht Gode tō þām brynegielde   bringan þencest?' Abraham maðelode   (hæfde on ān gehogod þæt hē gedǣde   swā hine Drihten hēt):
'Him þæt Sōðcyning   sylfa findeð, moncynnes Weard,   swā him gemet þinceð.' Gestāh þā stīðhȳdig   stēape dūne ūp mid his eaforan,   swā him sē ēca bēbēad, þæt hē on hrōfe gestōd   hēan landes,
on þǣre [stōwe]   þe him sē stranga tō, wǣrfæst Metod,   wordum tǣhte. Ongan þā ād hladan,   ǣled weccan, and gefeterode   fēt and honda bearne sīnum   and þā on bǣl āhōf
Īsaac geongne,   and þā ǣdre gegrāp sweord be gehiltum:   wolde his sunu cwellan folmum sīnum,   fȳre scencan mǣges drēore.   Þā Metodes ðegn, ufan engla sum,   Abraham hlūde
stefne cȳgde.   Hē stille gebād āres sprǣce   and þām engle oncwæð. Him ðā ofstum tō,   ufan of roderum wuldorgāst Godes   wordum mǣlde: 'Abraham lēofa,   ne sleah þīn āgen bearn,
ac þū cwicne ābregd   cniht of āde, eaforan þīnne:   him an wuldres God. Mago Ebrēa,   þū mēdum scealt þurh þæs hālgan hand,   Heofoncyninges, sōðum sigorlēanum   selfa onfōn,
ginfæstum gifum.   þe wile gāsta Weard lissum gyldan   þæt þē wæs lēofre his sibb and hyldo   þonne þīn sylfes bearn.' Ād stōd onǣled;   hæfde Abrahame Metod moncynnes,   mǣge Lōthes,
brēost geblissad,   þā hē him his bearn forgeaf, Īsaac cwicne.   Þā sē ēadega bewlāt, rinc ofer exle,   and him ðǣr rom geseah unfeor ðanon,   ǣnne standan, brōðor Arōnes,   brembrum fæstne;
þone Abraham genam,   and hine on ad āhōf ofestum miclum,   for his āgen bearn. Ābrægd ðā mid ðȳ bille,   brynegield onhrēad, rēocendne wēg   rommes blōde, onblēot þæt lāc Gode,   sægde lēana þanc and ealra þāra [sælða]   þe hē him sīð and ǣr gifena Drihten,   forgifen hæfde.