Jacob Meets Esau

1Iacob lift vp his eyes, & sawe his brother Esau comynge with foure hundreth men: and he deuyded his children vnto Lea vnto Rachel, and to both the maydes, 2and set the maydens with their children before, and Lea with hir childre after, and Rachel with Ioseph hynder most. 3And he wente before them, and bowed him self to the grounde seuen tymes, tyll he came to his brother.

4But Esau ranne to mete him, and enbraced him, and fell aboute his neck, & kyssed him, and wepte, 5and lift vp his eyes, and sawe the wyues with the children, and sayde: What are these with the? He answered: They are the children, which God hath geuen vnto thy seruaunt. 6And the maydens came forth with their children, and dyd their obeysaunce vnto him. 7Lea came forth also with hir childre, and kneled vnto him. Afterwarde came Ioseph and Rachel forth, and kneled vnto him likewyse. 8And he sayde: What meanest thou wt all the droue that I met? He answered: that I might fynde grace in the sight of my lorde, 9Esau sayde: I haue ynough my brother, kepe that thou hast. 10Iacob answered: Oh nay, but yf I haue founde grace in yi sight, receaue my present of my hande (for I sawe thy face, as though I had sene the face of God) and be at one with me. 11Take this present in good worth, that I haue brought ye, for God hath geuen it me, & I haue ynough of all thinges. So he compelled him to take it.

12And he sayde: Let vs go on and take oure iourney, I wyll go in thy company. 13But he sayde vnto him: My lorde, thou knowest that I haue tender children by me, and small and greate catell also, which are yet but yonge: yf they shulde be dryue ouer in one daye, the whole flocke wolde dye. 14Let my lorde go on before his seruaut. I wyll dryue after fayre and softly, (there after as the catell & the children can go,) tyll I come to my lorde in Seir.

15Esau sayde: Yet wil I leaue some of my people with the. He answered: What nede is it? Let me but onely fynde grace in the sight of my lorde. 16So Esau departed againe the same daye towarde Seir, 17and Iacob toke his iourney towarde Sucoth, and buylded him an house, and made tetes for his catell. Therfore is the place called Sucoth.

Jacob Settles in Shechem

18Afterwarde came Iacob peaceably vnto the cite of Sichem, which lyeth in ye lande of Canaan, after that he was come agayne out of Mesopotamia, and pitched before the cite, 19and bought a pece of londe of the children of Hemor ye father of Sichem for an hundreth pens. There pitched he his tent, 20and there he set vp an altare, and called vpon the name of the mightie God of Israel.