< Genesis 32 >

1 When, Jacob, had gone on his way, there met him, messengers of God.
Forsothe Jacob wente forth in the weie in which he began, and the aungels of the Lord metten him.
2 And Jacob said, when he saw them, the camp of God, is this! So he called the name of that place, Mahanaim.
And whanne he hadde seyn hem, he seide, These ben the castels of God; and he clepide the name of that place Manaym, that is, castels.
3 Then did Jacob send messengers before him unto Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom.
Sotheli Jacob sente bifore him also messangeris to Esau, his brother, in to the lond of Seir, in the cuntrey of Edom;
4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus, shall ye say to my lord to Esau, Thus, saith thy servant Jacob, With Laban, have I sojourned, and tarried until now:
and comaundide to hem, and seide, Thus speke ye to my lord Esau, Thi brothir Jacob seith these thingis, Y was a pilgrym at Laban, `and Y was `til in to present dai;
5 And I have oxen and asses, flocks and men-servants, and maid-servants, So I must needs send to tell my lord, that I might find favour in thine eyes.
Y haue oxun, and assis, and scheep, and seruauntis, and hand maydis, and Y sende now a message to my lord, that Y fynde grace in thi siyt.
6 And the messengers returned unto Jacob, saying, —We came in unto thy brother unto Esau, moreover also he is on his way to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
And the messageris turneden ayen to Jacob, and seiden, We camen to Esau, thi brother, and lo! he hastith in to thi comyng, with foure hundrid men.
7 Then was Jacob greatly afraid, and in distress. So he divided the people that were with him and the flocks and the herds and the camels into two camps,
Jacob dredde greetli, and he was aferd, and departide the puple that was with hym, and he departide the flockis, and scheep, and oxun, and camels, in to twei cumpenyes;
8 And he said. Should Esau come upon the one camp, and smite it, yet shall the camp that is left escape.
and seide, If Esau schal come to o cumpeny, and schal smyte it, the tothir cumpeny which is residue schal be saued.
9 And Jacob said, God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, —Yahweh, who wast saying unto me, —Return to thy land and to thy kindred that I may deal well with thee:
And Jacob seide, A! God of my fadir Abraham, and God of my fadir Isaac, A! Lord, that seidist to me, Turne thou ayen in to thi lond, and in to the place of thi birthe, and Y schal do wel to thee,
10 I am too small for all the lovingkindnesses and for all the faithfulness, which thou hast done unto thy servant, —For with my staff, passed I over this Jordan, But, now, have I become two camps.
Y am lesse than alle thi merciful doyngis, and than thi treuthe which thou hast fillid to thi seruaunt; with my staf Y passide this Jordan, and now Y go ayen with twei cumpanyes;
11 Deliver me I pray thee out of the hand of my brother out of the hand of Esau, for I, am afraid of him, lest he come in and smite mother as well as sons
delyuere thou me fro the hond of my brothir Esau, for Y drede him greetli, lest he come and sle the modris with the sones.
12 But, thou thyself, saidst, —I will deal well with thee. So will I make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which is not to be counted, for multitude.
Thou spakist that thou schuldist do wel to me, and shuldist alarge my seed as the grauel of the see, that mai not be noumbrid for mychilnesse.
13 And he tarried there that night, and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother:
And whanne Jacob hadde slept there in that nyyt, he departide of tho thingis whiche he hadde yiftis to Esau, his brothir,
14 She-goats, two hundred; And he-goats, twenty; Ewes, two hundred; And rams, twenty;
two hundrid geet, and twenti buckis of geet, two hundrid scheep, and twenti rammys,
15 Milch camels, with their colts, thirty; Cows, forty; And bulls, ten; She-asses, twenty; And young he asses ten.
camels fulle with her foolis thretti, fourti kyen, and twenti boolis, twenti sche assis, and ten foolis of hem.
16 And he gave them into the hand of his Servants, each drove by itself, and said unto his servants—Pass over before me, and, a breathing-space, shall ye put betwixt drove and drove.
And he sente bi the hondis of his seruauntis alle flockis bi hem silf; and he seide to hise children, Go ye bifore me, and a space be betwixe flok and flok.
17 And he commanded the first one saying: When Esau my brother shall fall in with thee, and shall ask thee, saying Whose art thou? and whither wouldst thou go? and to whom belong these before thee?
And he comaundide to the formere, and seide, If thou schalt mete my brothir Esau, and he schal axe thee, whos man thou art, ether whidir thou goist, ether whos ben these thingis whiche thou suest,
18 then shalt thou say, To thy servant Jacob: It is, a present, sent to my lord, to Esau; And behold he himself also is behind us,
thou schalt answere, Of thi seruaunt Jacob, he hath sent yiftis to his lord Esau, and he cometh aftir vs.
19 And he commanded the second also, and the third yea all that were going on behind the droves, saying, —According to this word, shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.
In lijk maner, he yaf comaundementis to the secounde, and to the thridde, and to alle that sueden flockis; and seide, Speke ye bi the same wordis to Esau,
20 Then shall ye say, Also, lo! thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said: I must pacify him with the present that goeth on before me. And, after that, will I see his face: Peradventure he will accept me.
whanne ye fynden hym, and ye schulen adde, Also Jacob hym silf thi seruaunt sueth oure weie. For Jacob seide, Y schal plese Esau with yiftis that goon bifore, and aftirward Y schal se hym; in hap he schal be mercyful to me.
21 So the present passed over before him, —whereas he himself tarried that night in the camp.
And so the yiftis yeden bifore hym; sotheli he dwellide in that nyyt in the tentis.
22 And he arose in that night and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons, —and passed over the ford of Jabbok.
And whanne Jacob hadde arise auysseli, he took hise twei wyues, and so many seruauntessis with enleuen sones, and passide the forthe of Jaboth.
23 So he took them, and sent them over the brook, —and sent over that which he had.
And whanne alle thingis that perteyneden to hym weren led ouer, he dwellide aloone, and, lo!
24 And Jacob was left alone, —and there wrestled a man with him, until the uprisings of the dawn.
a man wrastlide with him til to the morwetid.
25 And when he saw, that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh, —and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was put out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
And whanne the man seiy that he miyte not ouercome Jacob, he touchide the senewe of Jacobis hipe, and it driede anoon.
26 Then said he—Let me go, for uprisen hath the dawn. And he said: I will not let thee go, except thou have blessed me
And he seide to Jacob, Leeue thou me, for the morewtid stieth now. Jacob answeride, Y schal not leeue thee, no but thou blesse me.
27 Then he said unto him—What is thy name? And he said—Jacob.
Therfore he seide, What name is to thee? He answeride, Jacob.
28 Then he said—Not Jacob, shall thy name be called any more, but Israel, —For thou hast contended with God and with men and hast prevailed.
And the man seide, Thi name schal no more be clepid Jacob, but Israel; for if thou were strong ayens God, hou miche more schalt thou haue power ayens men.
29 Then asked Jacob and said, Do, I pray thee, tell me thy name! And he said—Wherefore now, shouldest thou ask for my name? And he blessed him there,
Jacob axide him, Seie thou to me bi what name thou art clepid? He answerde, Whi axist thou my name, whiche is wondirful? And he blesside Jacob in the same place.
30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; For I saw God face to face; and my soul was delivered,
And Jacob clepide the name of that place Fanuel, and seide, Y siy the Lord face to face, and my lijf is maad saaf.
31 And the sun rose on him as soon as he had passed over Penuel, —he, moreover was halting upon his thigh,
And anoon the sunne roos to hym, aftir that he passide Fanuel; forsothe he haltide in the foot.
32 For this cause, the sons of Israel eat not of the nerve of the large hip-sinew, which is by the hollow of the thigh, until this day, —because he touched the hollow of the thigh of Jacob, in the nerve of the hip-sinew.
For which cause the sones of Israel eten not `til in to present day the senewe, that driede in the hipe of Jacob; for the man touchide the senewe of Jacobs hipe, and it driede.

< Genesis 32 >