Part 7

And Iacob heard the words of Laban's sons how they said: Iacob hath taken away all that was our father's, and of our father's goods, hath he gotten all this honour. And Iacob beheld the countenance of Laban, that it was not toward him as it was in times past. And the LORD said unto Iacob: turn again into the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee. Then Iacob sent and called Rahel and Lea to the field unto his sheep, and said unto them: I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as in times past. Moreover the God of my father hath been with me. And ye know how that I have served your father with all my might. And your father hath deceived {disceaved} me and changed my wages ten times: But God suffered him not to hurt me. When he said the spotted shall be thy wages, then all the sheep bare spotted. If he said, the streaked shall be thy reward, then bare all the sheep streaked: thus hath God taken away your father's cattle and given them me. For in bucking time, I lifted up mine eyes and saw in a dream: and behold, the rams that bucked the sheep were streaked, spotted and party. And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream saying: Iacob?. And I answered: here am I. And he said: lift up thine eyes and see how all the rams that leap upon the sheep are streaked, spotted and party: for I have seen all that Laban doth unto thee. I am the God of Bethel where thou anointedest the stone and where thou vowdest a vow unto me. Now arise and get thee out of this country, and return unto the land where thou wast born. Then answered Rahel and Lea and said unto him: we have no part nor inheritance in our father's house: he counteth us even as strangers, for he hath sold us, and hath even eaten up the price of us. Moreover all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours and our children's. Now therefore whatsoever God hath said unto thee, that do. Then Iacob rose up and set his sons and wives up upon camels, and carried away all his cattle and all his substance which he had gotten in Mesopotamia, for to go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rahel had stolen her father's images. And Iacob went away unknowing to {Iacob stale away the heart of} Laban the Sirian, and told him not that he fled. So fled he and all that he had, and made himself ready, and passed over the rivers, and set his face straight toward the mount Gilead. Upon the third day after, was it told Laban that Iacob was fled. Then he took his brethren with him and followed after him seven days' journey, and overtook him at the mount Gilead. And God came to Laban the Sirian in a dream by night, and said unto him: take heed to thyself, that thou speak not to Iacob ought save good. And Laban overtook Iacob: and Iacob had pitched his tent in that mount. And Laban with his brethren pitched their tent also upon the mount Gilead. Then said Laban to Iacob: why hast thou this done unknowing to me, {done to steal away my heart} and hast carried away my daughters as though they had been taken captive with sword? Wherefore wentest thou away secretly unknown to me and didst not tell me, that I might have brought thee on the way with mirth, singing, timbrels and harps, and hast not suffered me to kiss my children and my daughters?. Thou wast a fool to do it, for I am able to do you evil. But the God of your father spake unto me yesterday saying take heed that thou speak not to Iacob ought save good. And now though thou wentest thy way because thou longest after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? Iacob answered and said to Laba: because I was afraid, and thought that thou wouldest have taken away thy daughters from me. But with whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him die here before our brethren. Seek that thine is by me, and take it to thee: for Iacob wist not that Rahel had stolen them. Then went Laban into Iacob's tent, and into Lea's tent, and into two maidens' tents: but found them not. Then went he out of Lea's tent, and entered into Rahel's tent. And Rahel took the images, and put them in the camel's straw, and sat down upon them. And Laban searched all the tent: but found them not. Then said she to her father: my lord, be not angry that I can not rise up before thee, for the disease of women is come upon me. So searched he, but found them not. Iacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: Iacob also answered and said to him: what have I trespassed or what have I offended, that thou followedest after me? Thou hast searched all my stuff, and what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? put it here before thy brethren and mine, and let them judge betwixt us both. This twenty years that I have been with thee, thy sheep and thy goats have not been barren, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. Whatsoever was torn of beasts I brought it not unto thee, but made it good myself: of my hand didst thou require it, whether it was stolen by day or night. Moreover by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep departed from mine eyes. Thus have I been twenty years in thy house, and served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy sheep, and thou hast changed my reward ten times. And except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the God whom Isaac feareth, had been with me: surely thou hadst sent me away now all empty. But God beheld my tribulation, and the labour of my, hands: and rebuked thee yesterday. Laban answered and said unto Iacob: the daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the sheep are my sheep, and all that thou seest is mine. And what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born? Now therefore come on, let us make a bond, I and thou together, and let it be a witness between thee and me. Then took Iacob a stone and set it up on end, and said unto his brethren, gather stones. And they took stones, and made an heap, and they ate there, upon the heap. And Laban called it Zegar Sahadutha, but Iacob called Gilead. Then said Laban: this heap be witness between thee and me this day (therefore is it called Gilead) and this toot hill which the LORD {lorde} seeth (said he) be witness between me and thee when we are departed one from another: that thou shalt not vex my daughters neither shalt take other wives unto them. Here is no man with us: behold, God is witness betwixt thee and me. And Laban said moreover to Iacob: behold, this heap and this mark which I have set here, betwixt me and thee: this heap be witness and also this mark, that I will not come over this heap to thee, and thou shalt not come over this heap and this mark, to do any harm. The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor and the God of their fathers, be judge betwixt us. And Iacob sware by him that his father Isaac feared. Then Iacob did sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and tarried all night in the hill. And early in the morning Laban rose up and kissed his children and his daughters, and blessed them and departed and went unto his place again.

Chapter .xxxij.

But Iacob went forth on his journey. And the angels of God came and met him. And when Iacob saw them, he said: this is God's {godes} host: and called the name of that same place Mahanaim. Iacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother, unto the land of Seir and the field of Edom. And he commanded them saying: see that ye speak after this manner to my lord Esau: thy servant, Iacob sayeth thus; I have sojourned and been a stranger with Laban unto this time: and have gotten oxen, asses and sheep, menservants and womenservants, and have sent to shew it my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. And the messengers came again to Iacob saying: we came unto thy brother Esau, and he cometh against thee and four hundred men with him. Then was Iacob greatly afraid, and wist not which way to turn himself, and divided the people that was with him and the sheep, oxen and camels, into two companies, and said: If Esau come to the one part and smite it, the other may save itself. And Iacob said: O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac: LORD, which saidest unto me, return unto thy country and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant. For with my staff came I over this Iordan, and now have I gotten two droves. Deliver me from the hands of my brother Esau, for I fear him: lest he will come and smite the mother with the children. Thou saidest that thou wouldest surely do me good, and wouldest make my seed as the sand of the sea which can not be numbered for multitude. And he tarried there that same night, and took of that which came to hand, a present, unto Esau his brother: Two hundred she goats and twenty he goats: two hundred sheep and twenty rams: thirty milch camels with their colts: forty kine and ten bulls: twenty she asses and ten foals and delivered them unto his servants, every drove by them selves, and said unto them: go forth before me and put a space betwixt every drove. And he commanded the foremost, saying: When Esau my brother meeteth thee and asketh thee saying: whose servant art thou and whither goest thou, and whose are these that go before thee: thou shalt say, they be thy servant Iacob's, and are a present sent unto my lord Esau, and behold, he himself cometh after us. And so commanded he the second, and even so the third, and likewise all that followed the droves saying, of this manner see that ye speak unto Esau when ye meet him, and say moreover. Behold thy servant Iacob cometh after us, for he said. I will pease his wrath with the present that goeth before me and afterward I will see him myself, so peradventure he will receive me to grace. So went the present before him and he tarried all that night in the tent, and rose up the same night and took his two wives and his two maidens and his eleven sons, and went over the ford Iabok. And he took them and sent them over the river, and sent over that he had and tarried behind himself alone. And there wrestled a man with him unto the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he could not prevail against him, he smote him under the thigh, and the sinew of Iacob's thigh shrank as he wrestled with him. And he said: let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said: I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him: what is thy name? He answered: Iacob. And he said: thou shalt be called Iacob no more, but Israel. For thou hast wrestled with God and with men and hast prevailed. And Iacob asked him saying, tell me thy name. And he said, wherefore dost thou ask after my name? and he blessed him there. And Iacob called the name of the place Pheniel, for I have seen God face to face, and yet is my life reserved. And as he went over Peniel, the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh: wherefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew that shrank under the thigh, unto this day: because that he smote Iacob under the thigh in the sinew that shrank.

Chapter .xxxiij.

Iacob lift up his eyes and saw his brother Esau come, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Lea and unto Rahel and unto the two maidens. And he put the maidens and their children foremost, and Lea and her children after, and Rahel and Ioseph hindermost. And he went before them and fell on the ground seven times, until he came unto his brother. Esau ran against {to meet} him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. And he lift up his eyes and saw the wives and their children, and said: what are these which thou there hast? And he said: they are the children which God hath given thy servant. Then came the maidens forth, and did their obeisance. Lea also and her children came and did their obeisance. And last of all came Ioseph and Rahel and did their obeisance. And he said: what meanest thou with all the droves which I met? And he answered: to find grace in the sight of my lord. And Esau said: I have enough my brother, keep that thou hast unto thyself. Iacob answered: oh nay but if I have found grace in thy sight, receive my present of my hand: for I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God: wherefore receive me to grace and take my blessing that I have brought thee, for God hath given it me freely. And I have enough of all things. And so he compelled him to take it. And he said: let us take our journey and go, and I will go in thy company. And he said unto him: my lord knoweth that I have tender children, ewes and kine with young, under mine hand, which if men should overdrive but even one day, the whole flock would die. Let my lord therefore go before his servant and I will drive fair and softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children, be able to endure: until I come to my lord unto Seir. And Esau said: let me yet leave some of my folk with thee. And he said: what needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord. So Esau went his way again that same day unto Seir. And Iacob took his journey toward Sucoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: whereof the name of the place is called Sucoth. And Iacob went to Salem {came peaceably in} to the city of Sichem in the land of Canaan, after that he was come from Mesopotamia, and pitched before the city, and bought a parcel of ground where he pitched his tent, of the children of Hemor Sichem's father, for an hundred lambs; And he made there an altar, and there called upon the mighty God of Israel.

Chapter .xxxiiij.

Dina the daughter of Lea which she bare unto Iacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And Sichem the son of Hemor the Hevite lord of the country, saw her, and took her, and lay with her, and forced her: and his heart lay unto Dina the daughter of Iacob. And he loved the damsel and spake kindly unto her, and spake unto his father Hemor saying, get me this maiden unto my wife. And Iacob heard that he had defiled Dina his daughter, but his sons were with the cattle in the field, and therefore he held his peace, until they were come. Then Hemor the father of Sichem went out unto Iacob, to commune with him. And the sons of Iacob came out of the field as soon as they heard it, for it grieved them, and they were not a little wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel, in that he had lain with Iacob's daughter, which thing ought not to be done. And Hemor communed with them saying: the soul of my son Sichem longeth for your daughter: give her him to wife, and make marriages with us: give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you, and dwell with us, and the land shall be at your pleasure, dwell and do your business, and have your possessions therein. And Sichem said unto her father and her brethren: let me find grace in your eyes, and whatsoever ye appoint me, that will I give. Ask freely of me both the dowry and gifts, and I will give according as ye say unto me, and give me the damsel to wife. Then the sons of Iacob answered to Sichem and Hemor his father deceitfully, because he had defiled Dina their sister. And they said unto them, we can not do this thing, that we should give our sister to one that is uncircumcised, for that were a shame unto us. Only in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that all the men children among you be circumcised, then will we give our daughter to you and take yours to us, and will dwell with you and be one people. But and if ye will not hearken unto us to be circumcised, than will we take our daughter and go our ways. And their words pleased Hemor and Sichem his son. And the young man deferred not for to do the thing, because he had a lust to Iacob's daughter: he was also most set by of all that were in his father's house. Then Hemor and Sichem went unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city saying: These men are peaceable with us, and will dwell in the land and do their occupation therein; And in the land is room enough for them, let us take their daughters to wives and give them ours: only herein will they consent unto us for to dwell with us and to be one people: if all the men children that are among us be circumcised as they are. Their goods and their substance and all their cattle are ours, only let us consent unto them, that they may dwell with us. And unto Hemor and Sichem his son hearkened all that went out at the gate of his city. And all the men children were circumcised whatsoever went out at the gates of his city. And the third day when it was painful to them, two of the sons of Iacob, Simeon and Levi Dina's brethren, took either of them his sword and went into the city boldly, and slew all that was male, and slew also Hemor and Sichem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dina their sister out of Sichem's house, and went their way. Then came the sons of Iacob upon the deed, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister: and took their sheep, oxen, asses and whatsoever was in the city and also in the fields. And all their goods, all their children and their wives took they captive, and made havoc of all that was in the houses. And Iacob said to Simeon and Levi: ye have troubled me and made me stink unto the inhabiters of the land, both to the Cananites and also unto the Pherezites. And I am few in number. Wherefore they shall gather them selves together against me and slay me, and so shall I and my house be destroyed. And they answered: should they deal with our sister as with an whore?

Chapter .xxxv.