The Middle English Metrical Paraphrase of the Old Testament is a retelling of the Old Testament in Middle English rhyme for lay people, dated to the early fifteenth century, c. 1400-1410.
Over 18,000 verses long, it exists in two manuscripts from the middle of the fifteenth century, both written in a Northern dialect from the Yorkshire area.
The poem contains 1531 stanzas of twelve lines usually rhyming ABABABABCDCD, for a total of 18,372 verses.
The two manuscripts containing the Metrical Paraphrase are MS Selden supra 52 (Bodleian 3440), fols.
According to Kalén, the Midland scribe who produced L purposely adapted the language to be more easily read by non-Northern readers.