Chapter 32
daughters as captives taken by the sword, and he also stole my gods and he fled.
62. And now I have left him in the mountain of the brook of Jabuk, him and all belonging to him; he lacketh nothing.
63. If it be thy wish to go to him, go then and there wilt thou find him, and thou canst do unto him as thy soul desireth; and Laban's messengers came and told Esau all these things.
64. And Esau heard all the words of Laban's messengers, and his anger was greatly kindled against Jacob, and he remembered his hatred and his anger burned within him.
65. And Esau hastened and took his children and servants and the souls of his household, being sixty men, and he went and assembled all the children of Seir the Horite and their people, being three hundred and forty men, and took all this number of four hundred men with drawn swords, and he went unto Jacob to smite him.
66. And Esau divided this number into several parts, and he took the sixty men of his children and servants and the souls of his household as one head, and gave them in care of Eliphaz his eldest son.
67. And the remaining heads he gave to the care of the six sons of Seir the Horite, and he placed every man over his generations and children. 68 And the whole of this camp went as it was, and Esau went amongst them toward Jacob, and he conducted them with speed.
69. And Laban's messengers departed from Esau and went to the land of Canaan, and they came to the house of Rebecca the mother of Jacob and Esau.
70. And they told her, saying, behold thy son Esau has gone against his brother Jacob with four hundred men, for he heard that he was coming, and he is gone to make war with him, and to smite him and to take all that he has.
71. And Rebecca hastened and sent seventy two men from the servants of Isaac to meet Jacob on the road; for she said, peradventure, Esau may make war in the road when he meets him.
72. And messengers, that belonged to Rebecca, went on the road to meet Jacob. They met him in the road of the brook on the opposite side of the brook Jabuk, and Jacob said when he saw them, this camp is destined to me from God, and Jacob called the name of that place Machnayim.
73. And Jacob knew all his father's people, and he kissed them and embraced them and came with them, and Jacob asked them concerning his father and mother, and they said, they were well [Hebr. at peace ].
74. And these messengers said unto Jacob: Rebecca thy mother has sent us to thee, saying, I have heard, my son, that thy brother Esau has gone forth against thee on the road with men from the children of Seir the Horite.
75. And therefore, my son, hearken to my voice and see with thy counsel what thou wilt do, and when he cometh up to thee, supplicate him, and do not speak rashly to him, and give him a present from what thou possesses, and from what God has favored thee with.
76. And when he asketh thee concerning thy affairs, conceal nothing from him, perhaps he may turn from his anger against thee and thou wilt thereby save thy soul, thou and all belonging to thee, for it is thy duty to honor him, for he is thy elder brother.
77. And when Jacob heard the words of his mother which the messengers had spoken to him, Jacob lifted up his voice and wept bitterly, and did as his mother then commanded him.
1. AND at that time Jacob sent messengers to his brother Esau toward the land of Seir, and he spoke to him words of supplication.
2. And he commanded them, saying, thus shall ye say to my lord, to Esau, thus saith thy servant Jacob, let not my lord imagine that my father's blessing with which he did bless me has proved beneficial to me.
3. For I have been these twenty years with Laban, and he deceived me and changed my wages ten times, as it all has been already told unto my lord.
4. And I served him in his house very laboriously, and God afterward saw my affliction, my labor and the work of my hands, and he caused me to find grace and favor in his sight.
5. And I afterward through God's great mercy and kindness acquired oxen and asses and cattle, and men servants and maid servants.
6. And now I am coming to my land and my home to my father and mother, who are in the land of Canaan; and I have sent to let my lord know all this in order to find favor in the sight of my lord, so that he may not imagine that I have of myself obtained wealth, or that the blessing with which my father blessed me has benefited me.
7. And those messengers went to Esau, and found him on the borders of the land of Edom going toward Jacob, and four hundred men of the children of Seir the Horite were stan- 77 . ding with drawn swords.
8. And the messengers of Jacob told Esau all the words that Jacob had spoken to them concerning Esau.
9. And Esau answered them with pride and contempt, and said unto them: Surely I have heard and truly it has been told unto me what Jacob has done to Laban, who exalted him in his house and gave him his daughters for wives, and he begat sons and daughters, and abundantly increased in wealth and riches in Laban's house through his means.
10. And when he saw that his wealth was abundant and his riches great he fled with all belonging to him from Laban's house, and he led Laban's daughters away from the face of their father, as captives taken by the sword, without telling him of it.
11. And not only to Laban has Jacob done thus, but also unto me has he done so, and has twice supplanted me, and shall I be silent?
12. Now therefore I have this day come with my camps to meet him, and I will do unto him according to the desire of my heart.
13. And the messengers returned and came to Jacob and said unto him, we came to thy brother, to Esau, and we told him all thy words, and thus has he answered us, and behold he cometh to meet thee with four hundred men.
14. Now then know and see what thou shalt do, and pray before God to deliver thee from him.
15. And when he heard the words of his brother which he had spoken to the messengers of Jacob, Jacob was much frightened and he was distressed.
16. And Jacob prayed to the Lord his God, and he said: O Lord God of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, Thou didst say unto me when I went away from my father's house, saying,
17. I am the Lord God of thy father Abraham and the God of Isaac, unto thee do I give this land and thy seed after thee, and I will make thy seed as the stars of heaven, and thou shalt spread forth to the four sides of heaven, and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
18. And thou didst establish thy words, and didst give unto me riches and children and cattle, as the utmost wishes of my heart didst Thou give unto thy servant; thou didst give unto me all that I asked from thee, so that I lacked nothing.
19. And Thou didst afterward say unto me, return to thy parents and to thy birthplace and I will still do well with thee.
20. And now that I have come, and thou didst deliver me from Laban, I shall fall in the hands of Esau who will slay me, yea, together with the mothers of my children.
21. Now therefore O Lord God deliver me, I pray thee, also from the hands of my brother Esau, for I am greatly afraid of him.
22. And if there is no righteousness in me, do it for the sake of Abraham and my father Isaac.
23. For I know that through kindness and mercy have I acquired this wealth; now therefore I beseech Thee to deliver me this day with thy kindness and to answer me.
24. And Jacob ceased praying to the Lord, and he divided the people that were with him with the flocks and cattle into two camps, and he gave the half to the care of Damesek, the son of Eliezer Abraham's servant, for a camp, with his children, and the other half he gave to the care of his brother Eliarms the son of Eliezer, to be for a camp with his children.
25. And he commanded them, saying, keep yourselves at a distance with your camps, and do not come too near each other, and if Esau come to one camp and slay it, the other camp at a distance from it will escape him.
26. And Jacob tarried there that night, and during the whole night he gave his servants instructions concerning the forces and his children.
27. And the Lord heard the prayer of Jacob on that day, and the Lord then delivered Jacob from the hands of his brother Esau.
28. And the Lord sent four angels [the Hebrew has three ] of the angels of heaven. And they went before Esau and came to him.
29. And these angels appeared unto Esau and his people as two thousand men, riding upon horses furnished with all sorts of war instruments, and they appeared in the sight of Esau and all his men to be divided into four camps, with four chiefs to them.
30. And one camp went on and they found Esau coming with four hundred men toward his brother Jacob, and this camp ran toward Esau and his people and terrified them, and Esau fell off the horse in alarm, and all his men separated from him in that place, for they were much frightened.
31. And the whole of the camp shouted after them when they fled from Esau, and all the warlike men answered, saying,
32. Surely we are the servants of Jacob, who is the servant of God, and who then can stand against us? And Esau said unto them mockingly, O then, my lord and brother Jacob is your lord whom I have not seen for these twenty years, and now that I have this day come to see him, do you treat me in this manner?
33. And the angels answered him, saying, as the Lord liveth, were not Jacob of whom thou spokest thy brother, we had not left one remaining from thee and thy people, but only on account 78 . of Jacob we will do nothing to them.
34. And this camp passed from Esau and his men and it went away, and Esau and his men had gone from them about a league when the second camp came toward him with all sorts of weapons, and they also did unto Esau and his men as the first camp had done to them.
35. And when they had left it to go on, behold the third camp came toward him and they were all terrified, and Esau fell off the horse, and the whole camp cried out, and said, surely we are the servants of Jacob, who is the servant of God, and who can stand against us?
36. And Esau again answered them mockingly, saying, O then, Jacob my lord and your lord is my brother, and for twenty years I have not seen his countenance, and hearing this day that he was coming, I went this day to meet him, and do you treat me in this manner?
37. And they [the angels] answered him, and said unto him, as the Lord liveth, were not Jacob thy brother as thou didst say, we had not left a remnant from thee and thy men, but on account of Jacob of whom thou spokest being thy brother, we will not meddle with thee or thy men.
38. And the third camp also passed from them, and he still continued his road with his men toward Jacob, when the fourth camp came toward him, and they also did unto him and his men as the others had done.
39. And when Esau beheld the evil [implied: alarm and confusion ] which the four angels had done to him and to his men, he became greatly afraid of his brother Jacob, and he went to meet him in peace.
40. And Esau concealed his hatred against Jacob, because he was afraid of his life on account of his brother Jacob, and because he imagined that the four camps that he had lighted upon were Jacob's servants.
41. And Jacob tarried that night with his servants in their camps, and he resolved with his servants to give unto Esau a present from all that he had with him, and from all his property; and Jacob rose up in the morning, he and his men, and they chose from amongst the cattle a present for Esau.
42. And this is the amount of the present which Jacob chose from his flock to give unto his brother Esau; and he selected two hundred and forty head from the flocks, and he selected from the camels and asses thirty each, and of the herds he chose fifty kine.
43. And he put them all in ten droves, and he placed each sort by itself, and he delivered them into the hands of ten of his servants, each drove by itself.
44. And he commanded them, and said unto them, keep yourselves at a distance from each other, and put a space between the droves, and when Esau and those who are with him shall meet you and ask you, saying, whose are you, and whither do you go, and to whom belongeth all this before you, you shall say unto them, we are the servants of Jacob, and we come to meet Esau in peace, and behold Jacob cometh behind us.
45. And that which is before us is a present sent from Jacob to his brother Esau.
46. And if they shall say unto you, why doth he delay behind you, from coming to meet his brother and to see his face, then you shall say unto them, surely he cometh joyfully behind us to meet his brother, for he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth to him, and after this I will see his face, peradventure he will accept of me. 47a. So the whole present passed on in the hands of his servants, and went before him on that day. 47b. And he lodged that night with his camps by the border of the brook of Jabuk, and he rose up in the midst of the night, and he took his wives and his maid servants, and all belonging to him, and that night he passed them over the ford Jabuk.
48. And when he had passed all belonging to him over the brook, Jacob was left by himself, and a man met him, and he wrestled with him that night until the breaking of the day, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint through wrestling with him.
49. And at the break of day the man left Jacob there, and he blessed him and went away, and Jacob passed the brook at the break of day, and he halted upon his thigh.
50. And the sun rose upon him when he had passed the brook, and he came up to the place of his cattle and children.
51. And they went on till midday, and whilst they were going the present was passing on before them.
52. And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold Esau was at a distance, coming along with many men, about four hundred, and Jacob was greatly afraid of his brother.
53. And Jacob hastened and divided his children unto his wives and his handmaids, and his daughter Dinah he put in a chest, and delivered her into the hands of his servants.
54. And he passed before his children and wives to meet his brother, and he bowed down to the ground, yea he bowed down seven times until he approached his brother, and God caused Jacob to find grace and favor in the sight of Esau and his men, for God had heard the prayer of Jacob.
55. And the fear of Jacob and his terror fell upon his brother Esau, for Esau was greatly afraid of Jacob for what the angels of God had done to Esau, and Esau's anger against Jacob was turned into kindness.
56. And when Esau saw Jacob running toward him, he also ran to-