¶ The .xxxij. Chapter.
IAcob sente meessengers before him to Esau his brother/ vnto the londe of Seir and the felde of Edom. And he cõmaunded them saynge: se that ye speake after this maner to my lorde Esau: thy seruaunte Iacob sayth thus. I haue sogerned ãd bene a straunger with Laban vnto this tyme: & haue gotten oxen/ asses and shepe/ menservauntes & wemanseruauntes/ & haue sent to shewe it mi lorde/ that I may fynde grace in thy syghte. And the messengers came agayne to Iacob sainge: we came vnto thi brother Esau/ and he cometh ageynst the and .iiij. hundred men with hĩ. Than was Iacob greatlye afrayde/ and wist not which waye to turne him selfe/ and devyded the people that was with him & the shepe/ oxen and camels/ in to .ij. companies/ and sayde: Yf Esau come to the one parte and smyte it/ the other may saue it selfe.
* Prayer is to cleave vnto the promyses of god with a strõge fayth and to besech god with a fervent desyre that he will fulfyll them for his mercye & truth onlye. As Iacob here doth.
* And Iacob sayde: O god of my father Abraham/ and God of my father Isaac: LORde which saydest vnto me/ returne vnto thy cuntre and to thy kynrede/ and I will deall wel with the. I am not worthy of the leaste of all the mercyes and treuth which thou hast shewed vnto thy seruaunte. For with my staf came I over this Iordane/ and now haue I goten .ij. droves Delyver me from the handes of my brother Esau/ for I feare him: lest he will come and smyte the mother with the childern. Thou saydest that thou woldest surely do me good/ and woldest make mi seed as the sonde of the see which can not be nombred for multitude.
And he taried there that same nyghte/ & toke of that which came to hande/ a preasent/ vnto Esau his brother: ij hundred she gootes ãd xx he gootes: ij hundred shepe and xx rammes: thyrtye mylch camels with their coltes: xl kyne ãd x bulles: xx she asses ãd x foles and delyuered them vnto his seruauntes/ euery drooue by them selues/ ãd sayde vnto them: goo forth before me and put a space betwyxte euery drooue. And he cõmaunded the formest saynge
Whẽ Esau my brother meteth the ãd axeth the saynge: whose seruaũte art thou & whither goost thou/ & whose ar these that goo before ye: thou shalt say/ they be thy seruaunte Iacobs/ & are a present sent vnto my lorde Esau/ and beholde/ he him selfe cometh after vs. And so cõmaunded he the seconde/ ãd euen so the thirde/ and lykewyse all that folowed the drooues sainge/ of this maner se that ye speake vnto Esau whẽ ye mete him/ ãd saye more ouer. Beholde thy seruaunte Iacob cometh after vs/ for he sayde. I will pease his wrath with the present yt goth before me and afterward I will see him myself/ so peradventure he will receaue me to grace.
So went the presẽt before him ãd he taried all that nyghte in the tente/ ãd rose vp the same nyghte ãd toke his .ij. wyves and his .ij. maydens & his .xi. sonnes/ & went ouer the foorde Iabok. And he toke them ãd sent thẽ ouer the ryuer/ ãd sent ouer that he had ãd taried behinde him selfe alone.
And there wrastled a man with him vnto the breakynge of the daye. And when he sawe that he coude not prevayle agaynst him/ he smote hĩ vnder the thye/ and the senowe of Iacobs thy shranke as he wrastled with him. And he sayde: let me goo/ for the daye breaketh. And he sayde: I will not lett the goo/ excepte thou blesse me. And he sayde vnto him: what is thy name? He answered: Iacob. And he sayde: thou shalt be called Iacob nomore/ but Israell. For thou hast wrastled with God and with men ãd hast preuayled.
And Iacob asked him sainge/ tell me thi name. And he sayde/ wherfore dost thou aske after my name? and he blessed him there. And Iacob called the name of the place Peniel/ for I haue sene God face to face/ and yet is my lyfe reserved. And as he went ouer Peniel/ the sonne rose vpon him/ and he halted vpon his thye: wherfore the childern of Israell eate not of the senow that shrancke vnder the thye/ vnto this daye: because that he smote Iacob vnder the thye in the senow that shroncke.