CAP. XXXII.

[verse 1] Jacob forsothe wente in his weie that he biganne, and there weren to hym met aungels of the Lord. [verse 2] Whom whanne he hadde seen, seith, The tentis of God ben thes; and he clepide the name of that place Manaym, that is, tentis. [verse 3] And he sente forsothe messangeris biforn hym to Esau, his brother, into the loond of Seyr, [verse 4] in the regioun of Edom; and he co|maundide to hem, seiynge, Thus spek ȝe Page  147 to my lord Esau, Thes thingis seith thi brother Jacob, At Laban I haue pylgrim|agid, [verse 5] and was vnto the present day; I haue oxen, and assis, and sheep, and ser|uauntis, and handmaydens, and I sende now a message to my lord, that Y fynde grace in thi siȝt. [verse 6] And the messangeris ben comun aȝen to Jacob, seiynge, We comen to Esau, thi brother, and loo! he goth into thin aȝen-comyng, with foure hundrid men. [verse 7] Jacob ful myche dred, and afeerd dyuydide his peple that with him was, the flockis forsothe, and sheep, and oxen, and camels diuydid in two compa|nyes; [verse 8] seiynge, If Esau come to the too companye, and smyte it, the tother com|panye that is lafte shal be sauyd. [verse 9] And Jacob seide, God of my fader Abraham, and God of my fader Ysaac, thow Lord, that seidist to me, Turne aȝen into thi loond, and into the place of thi birthe, and [verse 10] I shal wel do to*. [Om. A.] thee, Y am lasse than alle thi mercyes, and thi treuthe that thow hast fulfillid to thi seruaunt; in my staf I haue passid this Jordan, and now*. [Om. D.] with [verse 11] two companyes Y turne aȝen; delyuer me of the hoond of my brother Esau, for greetly Y drede hym, lest perauen|ture comynge he smyte the moders with the children. [verse 12] Thow hast spokun that thou shuldist wel do to me, and that thow shuldist sprede abrood my seed as the grauel of the see, that for multitude may not be noumbred. [verse 13] And whanne he hadde slept there that nyȝt, he seueride of that that he hadde ȝiftys to Esau, his [verse 14] brother, she geyte two hundrid, hee geyte twenty, sheepe two hundrid, and wetheris [verse 15] twenti, camels fulle with her coltis thretti, kien fourti, and bullis twenti, she assis twenti, and the coltis of hem ten. [verse 16] And he sente bi the hondis of his seruauntis eche oon after other the flockis aside; and he seide to his children, Goo ȝe bi|fore me, and be there a space bitwixe Page  148 flok and flok. [verse 17] And he comaundide to the forther, seiynge, If thow mete my bro|ther Esau, and he aske thee, whos art thow, or whidir thow gost, or whos ben [verse 18] thes that thow folwist, thou shalt an|swere, Of thi seruaunt Jacob, ȝiftis he hath sent to his lord Esau, and he cometh after vs. [verse 19] The same wyse he ȝaue maunde|mentis to the secounde, and the*. [Om. BDEH.] thridde, and to alle that folweden the flockis, sei|ynge, In the same wordis spek ȝe to Esau, [verse 20] whanne ȝe fynden hym, and ȝe shulen adde, And he thi seruaunt Jacob oure weie in folwith. He seide forsothe, Y shal plese hym with ȝiftis that goon bi|fore, and afterward Y shal se hym; per|auenture he shal be maad plesid to me. [verse 21] And so bifore ȝeden the ȝiftis bifore hym; he forsothe dwelte that nyȝt in tentis. [verse 22] And whanne sobirly he was arysun, he toke his two wyues, and as feel ser|uauntis with elleuen sones, and he ouer|passide the foorth of Jaboth. [verse 23] And, ouer|ladde alle thingis that to hym perteyn|eden, [verse 24] he dwelte aloon, and loo! a man wristlide with hym vnto the morwe. [verse 25] The which whanne he sawȝ that he myȝte not ouercome hym, he towchide the synwe of his hip, and anoon it wexe drye. [verse 26] And he seide to hym, Leeue me, forsothe now vpsteyeth the morwetide. He answeride, I shal not leeue thee, but if thow blisse to me. [verse 27] Thanne he seith, What is the name of*. [to B super ras. DEFH.] thee? He answeride, Jacob. [verse 28] And he, No more, he seith, Jacob shal be clepid thi name, but Israel; for if anentis*. [aȝeynst BDEH. aneyst F.] God thow hast ben strong, myche more anentis*. [aȝeynst BDEFH.] men thow shalt haue the may|stri. [verse 29] Jacob askide hym, Sey to me what name art thow clepid? He answeride, Wherto askist thow my name, that is merueilows? And he blisside hym in the same place. [verse 30] And Jacob clepide the name of that place Phanuel, seiynge, I haue seen the Lord face to face, and my soule Page  149 is maad saaf. [verse 31] And anoon is rysun to hym the sunne, after that he was ouer|passid Phanuel; he forsothe haltide with the too foote. [verse 32] For what cause the chil|dren of Israel eten not synwe, that wexe drie in the hipe of Jacob, vnto the day that is now, therthurȝ that he towchide the synwe of his hipe, and it was stoneyd.