the Fourth Week of Advent
Click here to join the effort!
Read the Bible
Bishop's Bible
Genesis 33
1 Iacob lyftyng vp his eyes, looked, and beholde Esau came, hauyng with hym foure hundred men: and he deuided the childre vnto Lea, and vnto Rachel, and vnto the two handmaydens.2 And he put the handmaydens & theyr chyldren formost, and Lea and her children after, and Rachel and Ioseph hindermost.3 And he went before them, and bowed him selfe to the grounde seuen tymes, vntill he came to his brother.4 Esau ranne to meete hym, and imbraced him, and fel on his necke, and kissed him, and they wept.
5 And he lyft vp his eyes, and sawe the women & the children, and said: whence hast thou these? And he aunswered: they are the children which god hath geuen thy seruaunt.6 Then came the handmaydens foorth, and their chyldren, and dyd their obeysaunce.7 Lea also with her children, came and dyd their obeysaunce? And last of all came Ioseph and Rachel, and dyd theyr obeysaunce.8 And he sayde: what is all the droue whiche I met? He aunswered: that I may finde grace in the sight of my lorde.9 And Esau saide: I haue inough my brother, kepe that thou hast vnto thy selfe.10 And Iacob answered: Nay I pray thee, but if I haue founde grace in thy sight, receaue I pray thee my present of my hande: for I haue seene thy face, as though I had seene the face of God, and so thou hast receaued me to grace.11 Oh take my blessyng that is brought thee: for God hath had mercy on me, and I haue inough. And so he compelled him, and he toke it,12 And he saide: let vs take our iourney, and go, I wyll go before thee.13 Iacob aunswered him: my lord, thou knowest that the chyldren are tender, and the small and great cattell with young vnder my handes, which if men should ouerdryue but euen one day, all the flocke wyll dye.14 Oh let my Lorde go before his seruaunt, and I wyll dryue fayre and softly, according as the cattell that goeth before me, and the chyldren be able to endure, vntill I come vnto my Lord vnto Seir.15 And Esau sayd: I will leaue some of my folke with thee. And he aunswered: what needeth it? I shall finde grace in the sight of my Lorde.
16 So Esau went his way agayne that same day vnto Seir.17 And Iacob toke his iourney towarde Suchoth, and buylt him an house, and made boothes for his cattell: and therefore is it, that the name of the place is called Suchoth.18 And Iacob came to Sale, a citie of Sichem, whiche is in the lande of Chanaan, after that he was come from Mesopotamia, and pitched before the citie.19 And bought a parcell of grounde, where he pitched his tent, of the chyldren of Hemor Sichems father, for an hundreth peeces of money.20 And he made there an aulter, and called it, the mightie God of Israel.