The 32nd Chapter
Jacob 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 you speak after this manner to my lord Esau: your servant Jacob says 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 show it my lord, that I may find grace in your sight. And the messengers came again to Jacob saying: we came unto your brother Esau, and he comes against you and four hundred men with him. Then was Jacob greatly afraid, and knew 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 Jacob said: O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac: Lord, which said unto me, return unto your country and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and truth which you have showed unto your servant. For with my staff came I over this Jordan, and now have I gotten two droves. Deliver me from the hands of my brother Esau: for I fear him: least he will come and smite the mother with the children. You said that you would surely do me good, and would make my seed as the sand of the sea which cannot 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 milk camels with their colts: forty kine and ten bulls: twenty she asses and ten foals and delivered them unto his servants, every drove by themselves, and said unto them: go forth before me and put a space between every drove. And he commanded the foremost, saying:
When Esau my brother meets you and asks you saying: whose servant are you and where goes you, and whose are these that go before you: you shall say, they be your servant Jacobs, and are a present sent unto my lord Esau, and behold, he himself comes 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 you speak unto Esau when you meet him, and say moreover. Behold your servant Jacob comes after us, for he said. I will pease his wrath with the present that goes 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 Jabok. 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 Jacobs thigh shrank as he wrestled with him. And he said: let me go, for the day breaks. And he said: I will not let you go, except you bless me. And he said unto him: what is your name? He answered: Jacob. And he said: you shall be called Jacob no more, but Israel. For you have wrestled with God and have prevailed.
And Jacob asked him saying, tell me your name. And he said, wherefore do you ask after my name? and he blessed him there. And Jacob 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 Jacob under the thigh in the sinew that shrank.
The 33rd Chapter
Jacob lifted 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 Joseph hindermost. And he went before them and fell on the ground seven times, until he came unto his brother.
Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. And he lifted up his eyes and saw the wives and their children, and said: what are these which you there hast? And he said: they are the children which God has given your 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 Joseph and Rahel and did their obeisance.
And he said: what mean you 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 you have unto yourself. Jacob answered: oh no, but if I have found grace in your sight, receive my present of my hand: for I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God: wherefore receive me to grace and take my blessing that I have brought you, for God has given it me. 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 your company. And he said unto him: my lord knows 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 go 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 you. And he said: what need is it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord. So Esau went his way again the same day unto Seir. And Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Sichems father, for an hundred lambs, And he made there an altar, and there called upon the mighty God of Israel.
The 34th Chapter
Dina the daughter of Lea which she bare unto Jacob, 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 Jacob. And he loved the damsel and spoke kindly unto her, and spoke unto his father Hemor saying, get me this maiden unto my wife. And Jacob 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 Jacob, to commune with him. And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacobs daughter, which thing ought not to be done. And Hemor communed with them saying: the soul of my son Sichem longs 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 you appoint me, that will I give. Ask freely of me both the dowry and gifts, and I will give according as you say unto me, and give me the damsel to wife.
Then the sons of Jacob answered to Sichem and Hemor his father deceitfully, because he had defiled Dina their sister. And they said unto them, we cannot 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 you 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 you 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 Jacobs daughter: he was also most set by of all that were in his fathers 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 Jacob, Simeon and Levi Dinas 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 Sichems house, and went their way.
Then came the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: you 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 themselves 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?
The 35th Chapter
And God said unto Jacob, arise and get you up to Bethel, and dwell there. And make there an altar unto God that appeared unto you, when you fled from: Esau your brother. Then said Jacob unto his household and to all that were with him, put away the strange gods that are among you and make yourselves clean, and change your garments, and let us arise and go up to Bethel, that I may make an altar there, unto God which heard me in the day of my tribulation and was with me in the way which I went.
And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were under their hands, and all their earrings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under an oak at Sichem. And they departed. And the fear of God fell upon the cities that were round about them, that they durst not follow after the sons of Jacob. So came Jacob to Lus in the land of Canaan, otherwise called Bethell, with all the people that was with him. And he builded there an altar, and called the place Bethel: because that God appeared unto him there, when he fled from his brother.
Then died Debora Rebeccas nurse, and was buried beneath Bethel under an oak. And the name of it was called the oak of lamentation. And God appeared unto Jacob again after he came out of Mesopotamia and blessed him and said unto him: your name is Jacob. Notwithstanding you shall be no more called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name. And so was his name called Israel.
And God said unto him: I am God allmighty, grow and multiply: for people and a multitude of people shall spring of you, yea and kings shall come out of your loins. And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, will I give unto you, and unto your seed after you will I give it also. And God departed from him in the place where he talked with him. And Jacob set up a mark in the place where he talked with him: even a pillar of stone, and poured drink offering theron and poured also oil theron, and called the name of the place where God spoke with him Bethell.
And they departed from Bethel, and when he was but a field breadth from Ephrath, Rahel began to travail. And in travailing she was in peril. And as she was in pains of her labor, the midwife said unto her: fear not, for you shall have this son also. Then as her soul was departing, that she must die: she called his name Ben Oni. But his father called him Ben Jamin. and thus died Rahel and was buried in the way to Ephrath which now is called Bethlehem. And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave, which is called Rahels grave pillar unto this day. And Israel went then and pitched up his tent beyond the tower of Eder. And it chanced as Israel dwelt in that land, that Ruben went and lay with Bilha his fathers concubine, and it came to Israels ear. The sons of Jacob were twelve in number. The sons of Lea: Ruben, Jacobs eldest son, and Simeon, Levi, Juda, Isachar, and Zabulon. The sons of Rahel: Joseph and Ben Jamin. The sons of Bilha Rahels maid: Dan and Nephtali. The sons of Zilpha Leas maid Gad and Asser. These are the sons which were born him in Mesopotamia.
Then Jacob went unto Isaac his father to Mamre a principal city, otherwise called Hebron: where Abraham and Isaac sojourned as strangers. And the days of Isaac were an hundred and eighty years: and then fell he sick and died, and was put unto his people being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.