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Hebrew / JewishChristianity
Suppose, if thou coueitedist to go to thi kynesmen, and the hows of thi fadir was in desir to thee, whi hast thou stole my goddis?
Jacob answeride, That Y yede forth while thou wistist not, Y dredde lest thou woldist take awey thi douytris violentli;
sotheli that thou repreuest me of thefte, at whom euer thou fyndist thi goddis, be he slayn bifor oure britheren; seke thou, what euer thing of thine thou fyndist at me, and take awei. Jacob seide these thingis, and wiste not that Rachel stal the idols.
And so Laban entride into the tabernacle of Jacob, and of Lya, and of euer eithir meyne, and foond not; and whanne Laban hadde entrid in to the tente of Rachel,
sche hastide, and hidde the idols vndur the strewyngis of the camel, and sat aboue. And sche seide to Laban, sekynge al the tente and fyndynge no thing,
My lord, be not wrooth that Y may not rise bifore thee, for it bifelde now to me bi the custom of wymmen; so the bisynesse of the sekere was scorned.
And Jacob bolnyde, and seide with strijf, For what cause of me, and for what synne of me, hast thou come so fersly aftir me,
and hast souyt al `the portenaunce of myn hous? What `hast thou founde of al the catel of thin hows? Putte thou here bifore my britheren and thi britheren, and deme thei betwixe me and thee.
Was I with thee herfore twenti yeer? Thi sheep and geet weren not bareyn, Y eet not the rammes of thi flok,
nether Y schewide to thee ony thing takun of a beeste; Y yeldide al harm; what euer thing perischide bi thefte, thou axidist of me;
Y was angwischid in dai and nyyt with heete and frost, and sleep fledde fro myn iyen;
so Y seruede thee bi twenti yeer in thin hows, fourtene yeer for thi douytris, and sixe yeer for thi flockis; and thou chaungidist my mede ten sithis.
If God of my fadir Abraham, and the drede of Isaac hadde not helpid me, perauenture now thou haddist left me nakid; the Lord bihelde my turmentyng and the traueyl of myn hondis, and repreuyde thee yistirdai.
Laban answeride hym, The douytris, and thi sones, and flockis, and alle thingis whiche thou seest, ben myne, what mai Y do to my sones, and to the sones of sones?
Therfor come thou, and make we boond of pees, that it be witnessyng bitwixe me, and thee.
And so Jacob took a stoon, and reiside it in to a signe, and seide to hise britheren,
Brynge ye stoonus; whiche gadriden, and maden an heep, and eten on it.
And Laban clepide it the heep of wittnesse, and Jacob clepide it the heep of witnessyng; euer eithir clepide bi the proprete of his langage.
And Laban seide, This heep schal be witnesse bytwixe me and thee to day, and herfor the name therof was clepid Galaad, that is, the heep of witnesse.
And Laban addide, The Lord biholde, and deme bitwixe vs, whanne we schulen go awei fro yow;
if thou schalt turmente my douytris, and if thou schal brynge yn othere wyues on hem, noon is witnesse of oure word, outakun God, whiche is present, and biholdith.
And eft he seide to Jacob, Lo! this heep, and stoon, whiche Y reiside bitwixe me and thee, schal be witnesse;
sotheli this heep, and stoon be in to witnessyng, forsothe if Y schal passe it, and go to thee, ether thou shalt passe, and thenke yuel to me.
God of Abraham, and God of Nachor, God of the fadir of hem, deme bitwixe vs. Therfor Jacob swoor by the drede of his fadir Ysaac;
and whanne slayn sacrifices weren offrid in the hil, he clepyde his britheren to ete breed, and whanne thei hadden ete, thei dwelliden there.
Forsothe Laban roos bi nyyt, and kisside his sones, and douytris, and blesside hem, and turnede ayen in to his place.
Forsothe Jacob wente forth in the weie in which he began, and the aungels of the Lord metten him.
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.
Sotheli Jacob sente bifore him also messangeris to Esau, his brother, in to the lond of Seir, in the cuntrey of Edom;
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;
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 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.
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 seide, If Esau schal come to o cumpeny, and schal smyte it, the tothir cumpeny which is residue schal be saued.
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,
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;
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.
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.
And whanne Jacob hadde slept there in that nyyt, he departide of tho thingis whiche he hadde yiftis to Esau, his brothir,
two hundrid geet, and twenti buckis of geet, two hundrid scheep, and twenti rammys,
camels fulle with her foolis thretti, fourti kyen, and twenti boolis, twenti sche assis, and ten foolis of hem.
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 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,
thou schalt answere, Of thi seruaunt Jacob, he hath sent yiftis to his lord Esau, and he cometh aftir vs.
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,
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 so the yiftis yeden bifore hym; sotheli he dwellide in that nyyt in the tentis.
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 whanne alle thingis that perteyneden to hym weren led ouer, he dwellide aloone, and, lo!
a man wrastlide with him til to the morwetid.
And whanne the man seiy that he miyte not ouercome Jacob, he touchide the senewe of Jacobis hipe, and it driede anoon.
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.
Therfore he seide, What name is to thee? He answeride, Jacob.
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.
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 clepide the name of that place Fanuel, and seide, Y siy the Lord face to face, and my lijf is maad saaf.
And anoon the sunne roos to hym, aftir that he passide Fanuel; forsothe he haltide in the foot.
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.
Forsothe Jacob reiside hise iyen, and seiy Esau comynge, and foure hundrid men with hym; and he departide the sones of Lia, and of Rachel, and of bothe seruauntessis.
And he puttide euer either handmaide, and the fre children of hem, in the bigynnyng; sotheli he puttide Lia, and her sones, in the secounde place; forsothe he puttide Rachel and Joseph the laste.
And Jacob yede bifore, and worschipide lowli to erthe seuensithis, til his brothir neiyede.
And so Esau ran ayens his brothir, and collide hym, and Esau helde his necke, and kisside, and wepte.
And whanne the iyen weren reisid, he seiy the wymmen, and the litle children of hem, and seide, What wolen these to hem silf? and wher thei pertenen to thee? Jacob answeride, Thei ben the litle children, whiche God hath youe to me, thi seruaunt.
And the handmaydis and her sones neiyeden, and weren bowid.
Also Lya neiyede with hir fre children; and whanne thei hadden worschipid in lijk maner, Joseph and Rachel the laste worschipeden.
And Esau seide, What ben these cumpanyes, whiche Y mette? Jacob answerde, That Y schulde fynde grace bifore my lord.
And he seide, My brother, Y haue ful many thingis, thi thingis be to thee.
And Jacob seide, Y biseche, nyle thou so, but if Y foond grace in thin iyen, take thou a litil yifte of myn hondis; for Y seiy so thi face as I seiy the cheer of God;
be thou merciful to me, and resseyue the blessyng which Y brouyte to thee, and which blessyng God yyuynge alle thingis yaf to me. Vnnethis, while the brothir compellide,
he resseyuede, and seide, Go we to gidere, and Y schal be felowe of thi weie.
And Jacob seide, My lord, thou knowist that Y haue litle children tendre, and scheep, and kien with calue with me, and if Y schal make hem for to trauele more in goynge, alle the flockis schulen die in o dai;
my lord go bifore his seruaunt, and Y schal sue litil and litil hise steppis, as I shal se that my litle children mown, til Y come to my lord, in to Seir.
Esau answeride, Y preie thee, that of the puple which is with me, nameli felowis of thi weie dwelle. Jacob seide, It is no nede; Y haue nede to this o thing oneli, that Y fynde grace in thi siyt, my lord.
And so Esau turnede ayen in that dai in the weie bi which he cam, in to Seir.
And Jacob cam in to Sochot, where whanne he hadde bildid an hows, and hadde set tentis, he clepide the name of that place Sochot, that is, tabernaclis.
And Jacob passide in to Salem, a citee of Sichimis, whiche is in the lond of Canaan, aftir that he turnede ayen fro Mesopotanye of Sirie, and he dwellide besidis the citee.
And he bouyte for an hundrid lambren a part of the feeld, in which he settide tabernaclis, of the sones of Emor, fadir of Sichem.
And whanne he hadde reisid an auter there, he inwardly clepide on it the strongeste God of Israel.
Forsothe Dyna, the douytir of Lya, yede out to se the wymmen of that cuntrey.
And whanne Sichem, the sone of Emor Euey, the prince of that lond, hadde seyn hir, he louede hir, and rauyschide, and sclepte with hir, and oppresside the virgyn bi violence.
And his soule was boundun faste with hir, and he pleside hir sory with flateringis.
And he yede to Emor,
his fadir, and seide, Take to me this damysel a wijf. And whanne Jacob hadde herd this thing, while the sones weren absent, and ocupied in the fedyng of scheep, he was stille, til thei camen ayen.
Sotheli whanne Emor, the fadir of Sichem, was gon out, `that he schulde speke to Jacob, lo!
hise sones camen fro the feeld. And whanne this thing that bifelde was herd, thei weren wroothe greetli; for he wrouyte a foul thing in Israel, and he hadde do a thing vnleueful in the defoulyng of the douyter of Jacob.
And so Emor spak to hem, The soule of my sone Sichem cleuyde to youre douytir, yeue ye hir a wijf to hym,
and ioyne we weddyngis to gidere; yyue ye youre douytris to vs,
and take ye oure douytris, and dwelle ye with vs; the lond is in youre power, tile ye, make ye marchaundise, and welde ye it.
But also Sichem seide to the fadir and britheren of hir, Fynde Y grace bifor you, and what euer thingis ye ordeynen Y schal yyue;
encreesse ye the dower, and axe ye yiftis, Y schal yyue wilfull that that ye axen; oonli yyue ye this damysele a wijf to me.
The sones of Jacob answeriden in gile to Sichem and his fadir, and weren feerse for the defoulyng of maidenhod of the sistir,
We moun not do this that ye axen, nether we moun yyue oure sistir to a man vncircumcidid, which thing is vnleueful and abhomynable anentis vs.
But in this we schulen mowe be boundun in pees, if ye wole be lijk vs, and ech of male kynde be circumcidid in you,
thanne we schulen yyue and take togidre oure douytris and youre; and we schulen dwelle with you, and we schulen be o puple.
Forsothe if ye nylen be circumcidid, we schulen take oure douytir, and schulen go a wei.
The profryng of hem pleside Emor and Sichem,
his sone, and the yong wexynge man dilaiede not, that ne he fillide anoon that that was axid, for he louede the damysele greetli, and he was noble in al `the hous of his fadir.
And thei entriden in to the yate of the citee, and spaken to the puple,
These men ben pesible, and wolen dwelle with vs; make thei marchaundie in the loond, and tile thei it, which is large and brood, and hath nede to tileris; we schulen take her douytris to wyues, and we schulen yyue oure douytris to hem.
O thing is, for which so greet good is dilaied; if we circumciden oure malis, and suen the custom of the folc,