The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

Wherfore diddest thou flie so secretly and steale away from me, and diddest not tel me, that I might haue sent thee foorth with mirth and with songs, with timbrel and with harpe?

But thou hast not suffered me to kisse my sonnes and my daughters: nowe thou hast done foolishly in doing so.

I am able to do you euill: but the God of your father spake vnto me yesternight, saying, Take heed that thou speake not to Iaakob ought saue good.

Nowe though thou wentest thy way, because thou greatly longedst after thy fathers house, yet wherefore hast thou stollen my gods?

Then Iaakob answered, and said to Laban, Because I was afraid, and thought that thou wouldest haue taken thy daughters from me.

But with whome thou findest thy gods, let him not liue. Search thou before our brethre what I haue of thine, and take it to thee, (but Iaakob wist not that Rahel had stolen them)

Then came Laban into Iaakobs tent, and into Leahs tent, and into the two maides tentes, but founde them not. So hee went out of Leahs tent, and entred into Rahels tent.

(Nowe Rahel had taken the idoles, and put them in the camels litter and sate downe vpon them) and Laban searched al the tent, but found them not.

Then said she to her father, My Lord, be not angrie that I cannot rise vp before thee: for the custome of women is vpon me: so he searched, but found not the idoles.

The Iaakob was wroth, and chode with Laban: Iaakob also answered and sayd to Laban, What haue I trespassed? what haue I offended, that thou hast pursued after me?

Seeing thou hast searched all my stuffe, what hast thou foud of all thine houshold stuffe? put it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may iudge betweene vs both.

This twenty yere I haue bin with thee: thine ewes and thy goates haue not cast their yong, and the rammes of thy flocke haue I not eaten.

Whatsoeuer was torne of beasts, I brought it not vnto thee, but made it good my selfe: of mine hand diddest thou require it, were it stollen by day or stollen by night.

I was in the day consumed with heate, and with frost in the night, and my sleepe departed from mine eyes.

Thus haue I bene twentie yeere in thine house, and serued thee fourteene yeeres for thy two daughters, and sixe yeeres for thy sheepe, and thou hast changed my wages tenne times.

Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the feare of Izhak had bene with me, surely thou haddest sent me away nowe emptie: but God behelde my tribulation, and the labour of mine hads, and rebuked thee yester night.

Then Laban answered, and saide vnto Iaakob, These daughters are my daughters, and these sonnes are my sonnes, and these sheepe are my sheepe, and all that thou seest, is mine, and what can I doe this day vnto these my daughters, or to their sonnes which they haue borne?

Nowe therefore come and let vs make a couenant, I and thou, which may be a witnes betweene me and thee.

Then tooke Iaakob a stone, and set it vp as a pillar:

And Iaakob sayde vnto his brethren, Gather stones: who brought stones, and made an heape, and they did eate there vpon the heape.

And Laban called it Iegar-sahadutha, and Iaakob called it Galeed.

For Laban sayd, This heape is witnesse betweene me and thee this day: therefore he called the name of it Galeed.

Also he called it Mizpah, because he said, The Lord looke betweene me and thee, when we shalbe departed one from another,

If thou shalt vexe my daughters, or shalt take wiues beside my daughters: there is no man with vs, beholde, God is witnesse betweene me and thee.

Moreouer Laban sayd to Iaakob, Beholde this heape, and behold the pillar, which I haue set betweene me and thee,

This heape shall be witnesse, and the pillar shall be witnesse, that I will not come ouer this heape to thee, and that thou shalt not passe ouer this heape and this pillar vnto me for euill.

The God of Abraham, and the God of Nabor, and the God of their father be iudge betweene vs: But Iaakob sware by the feare of his father Izhak.

Then Iaakob did offer a sacrifice vpon the mount, and called his brethren to eate bread. and they did eate bread, and taried all night in the mount.

And earely in the morning Laban rose vp and kissed his sonnes and his daughters, and blessed them, and Laban departing, went vnto his place againe.

Nowe Iaakob went forth on his iourney and the Angels of God met him.

And when Iaakob saw them, he said, This is Gods hoste, and called the name of the same place Mahanaim.

Then Iaakob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother, vnto the land of Seir into the countrey of Edom:

To whom he gaue commandement, saying, Thus shall ye speake to my lorde Esau: thy seruant Iaakob sayeth thus, I haue bene a stranger with Laban, and taried vnto this time.

I haue beeues also and Asses, sheepe, and men seruantes, and women seruantes, and haue sent to shew my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.

So ye messengers came againe to Iaakob, saying, We came vnto thy brother Esau, and hee also commeth against thee and foure hundreth men with him.

Then Iaakob was greatly afraid, and was sore troubled, and deuided the people that was with him, and the sheepe, and the beeues, and the camels into two companies.

For he said, If Esau come to ye one company and smite it, the other companie shall escape.

Moreouer Iaakob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Izhak: Lord, which saydest vnto me, Returne vnto thy coutrey and to thy kinred, and I will do thee good,

I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and al the trueth, which thou hast shewed vnto thy seruant: for with my staffe came I ouer this Iorden, and now haue I gotte two bads.

I pray thee, Deliuer me from the hande of my brother, from the hande of Esau: for I feare him, least he will come and smite me, and the mother vpon the children.

For thou saydest; I will surely doe thee good, and make thy seede as the sande of the sea, which can not be nombred for multitude.

And he taryed there the same night, and tooke of that which came to had, a present for Esau his brother:

Two hundreth shee goates and twenty hee goates, two hundreth ewes and twentie rammes:

Thirtie mylche camels with their coltes, fourtie kine, and ten bullockes, twentie she asses and ten foles.

So he deliuered them into the hande of his seruants, euery droue by themselues, and saide vnto his seruants, Passe before me, and put a space betweene droue and droue.

And he commanded the formost, saying, If Esau my brother meete thee, and aske thee, saying, Whose seruant art thou? And whither goest thou? And whose are these before thee?

Then thou shalt say, They be thy seruant Iaakobs: it is a present sent vnto my lord Esau: and beholde, he him selfe also is behinde vs.

So likewise commanded he the seconde and the thirde, and all that followed the droues, saying, After this maner, ye shall speake vnto Esau, when ye finde him.

And ye shall say moreouer, Beholde, thy seruant Iaakob commeth after vs (for he thought, I will appease his wrath with the present that goeth before me, and afterwarde I will see his face: it may be that he will accept me.)

So went the present before him: but he taried that night with the companie.

And he rose vp the same night, and tooke his two wiues, and his two maides, and his eleuen children, and went ouer the forde Iabbok.

And he tooke them, and sent them ouer the riuer, and sent ouer that he had.

Now when Iaakob was left him selfe alone, there wrestled a man with him vnto the breaking of the day.

And he sawe that he could not preuaile against him: therefore he touched the holowe of his thigh, and the holowe of Iaakobs thigh was loosed, as he wrestled with him.

And he saide, Let me goe, for the morning appeareth. Who answered, I will not let thee go except thou blesse me.

Then said he vnto him, What is thy name? And he said, Iaakob.

Then said he, Thy name shalbe called Iaakob no more, but Israel: because thou hast had power with God, thou shalt also preuaile with men.

Then Iaakob demaded, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore now doest thou aske my name? and he blessed him there

And Iaakob called the name of the place, Peniel: for, saide he, I haue seene God face to face, and my life is preserued.

And the sunne rose vp to him as he passed Peniel, and he halted vpon his thigh.

Therefore the children of Israel eate not of the sinewe that shranke in the hollowe of the thigh, vnto this day: because he touched the sinew that shranke in the holow of Iaakobs thigh.

And as Iaakob lift vp his eyes, and looked, behold, Esau came, and with him foure hundreth men: and he deuided the children to Leah, and to Rahel, and to the two maides.

And he put the maides, and their children formost, and Leah, and her children after, and Rahel, and Ioseph hindermost.

So he went before them and bowed him selfe to the ground seuen times, vntill he came neere to his brother.

Then Esau ranne to meete him, and embraced him, and fell on his necke, and kissed him, and they wept.

And he lift vp his eyes, and sawe the women, and the children, and saide, Who are these with thee? And he answered, They are ye childre whome God of his grace hath giuen thy seruant.

Then came the maides neere, they, and their children, and bowed themselues.

Leah also with her children came neere and made obeysance: and after Ioseph and Rahel drew neere, and did reuerence.

Then he said, What meanest thou by all this droue, which I met? Who answered, I haue sent it, that I may finde fauour in the sight of my lorde:

And Esau said, I haue ynough, my brother: keepe that thou hast to thy selfe.

But Iaakob answered, Nay, I pray thee: if I haue found grace nowe in thy sight, then receiue my present at mine hande: for I haue seene thy face, as though I had seene the face of God, because thou hast accepted me.

I pray thee take my blessing, that is brought thee: for God hath had mercie on me, and therefore I haue all things: so he compelled him, and he tooke it.

And he saide, Let vs take our iourney and go, and I will goe before thee.

Then he answered him, My lord knoweth, that the children are tender, and the ewes and kine with yong vnder mine hande: and if they should ouerdriue them one day, all the flocke would die.

Let now my lord go before his seruant, and I will driue softly, according to ye pase of ye cattel, which is before me, and as the children be able to endure, vntill I come to my lord vnto Seir.

Then Esau said, I will leaue then some of my folke with thee. And he answered, what needeth this? let me finde grace in the sight of my lorde.

So Esau returned, and went his way that same day vnto Seir.

And Iaakob went forwarde towarde Succoth, and built him an house, and made boothes for his cattell: therefore he called the name of the place Succoth.

Afterward, Iaakob came safe to Sheche a citie, which is in the lande of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram, and pitched before the citie.

And there he bought a parcell of ground, where hee pitched his tent, at the hande of the sonnes of Hamor Shechems father, for an hundreth pieces of money.

And he set vp there an altar, and called it, The mightie God of Israel.

Then Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare vnto Iaakob, went out to see the daughters of that countrey.

Whome when Shechem the sonne of Hamor the Hiuite lorde of that countrey sawe, hee tooke her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

So his heart claue vnto Dinah the daughter of Iaakob: and he loued the maide, and spake kindely vnto the maide.

Then said Shechem to his father Hamor, saying, Get me this maide to wife.

(Nowe Iaakob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter, and his sonnes were with his cattell in the fielde: therefore Iaakob helde his peace, vntill they were come.)

Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out vnto Iaakob to commune with him.

And whe the sonnes of Iaakob were come out of the fielde and heard it, it grieued the men, and they were very angry, because he had wrought villenie in Israel, in that he had lyen with Iaakobs daughter: which thing ought not to be done.

And Hamor communed with them, saying, the soule of my sonne Shechem longeth for your daughter: giue her him to wife, I pray you.

So make affinitie with vs: giue your daughters vnto vs, and take our daughters vnto you,

And ye shall dwell with vs, and the lande shalbe before you: dwell, and doe your businesse in it, and haue your possessions therein.

Shechem also said vnto her father and vnto her brethren, Let me finde fauour in your eyes, and I will giue whatsoeuer ye shall appoint me.

Aske of me abundantly both dowrie and giftes, and I will giue as ye appoint me, so that ye giue me the maide to wife.

Then the sonnes of Iaakob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, talking deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister,

And they said vnto them, We can not do this thing, to giue our sister to an vncircumcised man: for that were a reproofe vnto vs.

But in this will we consent vnto you, if ye will be as we are, that euery man childe among you be circumcised:

Then will we giue our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to vs, and will dwell with you, and be one people.

But if ye will not hearken vnto vs to be circumcised, then will we take our daughter and depart.

Nowe their wordes pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamors sonne.

And the yong man deferd not to doe the thing because he loued Iaakobs daughter: he was also the most set by of all his fathers house.