< Genesis 32 >

1 Forsothe Jacob wente forth in the weie in which he began, and the aungels of the Lord metten him.
And Jacob departed for his journey; and having looked up, he saw the host of God encamped; and the angels of God met him.
2 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.
And Jacob said, when he saw them, This is the Camp of God; and he called the name of that place, Encampments.
3 Sotheli Jacob sente bifore him also messangeris to Esau, his brother, in to the lond of Seir, in the cuntrey of Edom;
And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir, to the country of Edom.
4 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;
And he charged them, saying, Thus shall you say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob; I have sojourned with Laban and tarried until now.
5 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.
And there were born to me oxen, and asses, and sheep, and menservants and women-servants; and I sent to tell my lord Esau, that your servant might find grace in your sight.
6 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.
And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother Esau, and behold! he comes to meet you, and four hundred men with him.
7 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;
And Jacob was greatly terrified, and was perplexed; and he divided the people that was with him, and the cows, and the camels, and the sheep, into two camps.
8 and seide, If Esau schal come to o cumpeny, and schal smyte it, the tothir cumpeny which is residue schal be saued.
And Jacob said, If Esau should come to one camp, and strike it, the other camp shall be in safety.
9 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,
And Jacob said, God of my father Abraam, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you [are] he that said to me, Depart quickly to the land of your birth, and I will do you good.
10 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;
Let there be to me a sufficiency of all the justice and all the truth which you have wrought with your servant; for with this my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two camps.
11 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.
Deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him, lest haply he should come and strike me, and the mother upon the children.
12 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.
But you said, I will do you good, and will make your seed as the sand of the sea, which shall not be numbered for multitude.
13 And whanne Jacob hadde slept there in that nyyt, he departide of tho thingis whiche he hadde yiftis to Esau, his brothir,
And he slept there that night, and took of the gifts which he carried [with him], and sent out to Esau his brother,
14 two hundrid geet, and twenti buckis of geet, two hundrid scheep, and twenti rammys,
two hundred she-goats, twenty he-goats, two hundred sheep, twenty rams,
15 camels fulle with her foolis thretti, fourti kyen, and twenti boolis, twenti sche assis, and ten foolis of hem.
milch camels, and their foals, thirty, forty kine, ten bulls, twenty asses, and ten colts.
16 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.
And he gave them to his servants [each] drove apart; and he said to his servants, Go on before me, and put a space between drove and drove.
17 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,
And he charged the first, saying, If Esau my brother meet you, and he ask you, saying, Whose are you? and whither would you go, and whose are these possessions advancing before you?
18 thou schalt answere, Of thi seruaunt Jacob, he hath sent yiftis to his lord Esau, and he cometh aftir vs.
You shall say, Your servant Jacob's; he has sent gifts to my lord Esau, and behold! he is behind us.
19 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,
And he charged the first and the second and the third, and all that went before him after these flocks, saying, Thus shall you speak to Esau when you find him;
20 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.
and you shall say, Behold your servant Jacob comes after us. For he said, I will propitiate his countenance with the gifts going before his presence, and afterwards I will behold his face, for perhaps he will accept me.
21 And so the yiftis yeden bifore hym; sotheli he dwellide in that nyyt in the tentis.
So the presents went on before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.
22 And whanne Jacob hadde arise auysseli, he took hise twei wyues, and so many seruauntessis with enleuen sones, and passide the forthe of Jaboth.
And he rose up in that night, and took his two wives and his two servant-maids, and his eleven children, and crossed over the ford of Jaboch.
23 And whanne alle thingis that perteyneden to hym weren led ouer, he dwellide aloone, and, lo!
And he took them, and passed over the torrent, and brought over all his possessions.
24 a man wrastlide with him til to the morwetid.
And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him till the morning.
25 And whanne the man seiy that he miyte not ouercome Jacob, he touchide the senewe of Jacobis hipe, and it driede anoon.
And he saw that he prevailed not against him; and he touched the broad part of his thigh, and the broad part of Jacob's thigh was benumbed in his wrestling with him.
26 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.
And he said to him, Let me go, for the day has dawned; but he said, I will not let you go, except you bless me.
27 Therfore he seide, What name is to thee? He answeride, Jacob.
And he said to him, What is your name? and he answered, Jacob.
28 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.
And he said to him, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name; for you have prevailed with God, and shall be mighty with men.
29 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.
And Jacob asked and said, Tell me your name; and he said, Therefore do you ask after my name? and he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob clepide the name of that place Fanuel, and seide, Y siy the Lord face to face, and my lijf is maad saaf.
And Jacob called the name of that place, the Face of God; for, [said he, ]I have seen God face to face, and my life was preserved.
31 And anoon the sunne roos to hym, aftir that he passide Fanuel; forsothe he haltide in the foot.
And the sun rose upon him, when he passed the Face of God; and he halted upon his thigh.
32 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.
Therefore the children of Israel will by no means eat of the sinew which was benumbed, which is on the broad part of the thigh, until this day, because [the angel] touched the broad part of the thigh of Jacob—[even] the sinew which was benumbed.

< Genesis 32 >