Ða wæs þa sume hwíle Godes ege on mancynne æfter þam flode, and wæs án gereord on him eallum. Ða cwædon hi betwux him þæt hi woldon wyrcan ane burh, and ænne stypel binnon þære byrig, swa heahne þæt his hrof astige up to heofenum: and begunnon þa to wyrcenne. Ða com God þærto, þaða hí swiðost worhton, and sealde ælcum men þe ðær wæs synderlice spræce. Þa wæron þær swa fela gereord swa ðær manna wæron; and heora nán nyste hwæt oðer cwæð. And hí ða geswicon þære getimbrunge, and toferdon geond ealne middangeard. Ða siððan wearð mancynn þurh deofol beswicen, and gebiged fram Godes geleafan, swa þæt hí worhton him anlicnyssa, sume of golde, sume of seolfre, sume eac of stanum, sume of treowe, and sceopon him naman; þæra manna naman þe wæron entas and yfel-dæde. Eft ðonne hí deade wæron, þonne cwædon þa cucan þæt hí wæron godas, and wurðodon hí, and him lác offrodon; and comon þa deoflu to heora anlicnyssum, and þæron wunodon, and to mannum spræcon swilce hí godas wæron; and þæt beswicene mennisc feoll on {24} cneowum to þam anlicnyssum, and cwædon, "Ge sind ure godas and we besettað urne geleafan and urne hiht on eow." Ða asprang þis gedwyld geond ealne middangeard, and wæs se soða Scyppend, seðe ána is God, forsewen, and geunwurþod. Ða wæs hwæðere an mægð þe næfre ne abeah to nanum deofolgylde, ac æfre wurðode þone soðan God. Seo mægð aspráng of Nóes eltstan suna, se wæs gehaten Sem: he leofode six hund geara, and his sunu hatte Arfaxað, se leofode þreo hund geara and þreo and þrittig, and his sunu hatte Salé, se leofode feower hund geara and XXXIII.; þa gestrynde he sunu se wæs geháten Ebér, of þam aspráng þæt Ebreisce folc, þe God lufode: and of þam cynne comon ealle heahfæderas and witegan, þa ðe cyðdon Cristes to-cyme to þisum life; þæt hé wolde man beon, fornean on ende þyssere worulde, for ure alysednesse, seðe æfre wæs God mid þam healican Fæder. And þyssere mægðe God sealde and gesette ǽ, and hé hí lædde ofer sǽ mid drium fotum, and hé hí afedde feowertig wintra mid heofenlicum hlafe, and fela wundra on þam folce geworhte; forþan ðe he wolde of þyssere mægðe him modor geceosan. Ða æt nextan, þa se tima com þe God foresceawode, þa asende he his engel Gabrihel to anum mædene of þam cynne, seo wæs María gehaten. Þa com se engel to hire, and hí gegrette mid Godes wordum, and cydde híre, þæt Godes Sunu sceolde beon acenned of hire, buton weres gemanan. And heo þa gelyfde his wordum, and wearð mid cilde. Ðaða hire tíma com heo acende, and þurhwunode mæden. Ðæt cild is tuwa acenned: he is acenned of þam Fæder on heofonum, buton ælcere meder, and eft þaða hé man gewearð, þa wæs hé acenned of þam clænan mædene Marían, buton ælcum eorðlicum fæder. God Fæder geworhte mancynn and ealle gesceafta þurh ðone Sunu, and eft, ðaða we forwyrhte wæron, þa asende hé ðone ylcan Sunu to úre alysednesse. Seo halige moder María þa afedde þæt cild mid micelre arwurðnesse, and hit weox swa swa oðre cild doð, buton synne anum.