Study Desk

And Iacob went on his way, and the Angels of God met him.

And when Iacob saw them, he said, This is Gods hoste: and hee called the name of that place Mahanaim.

And Iacob sent messengers before him, to Esau his brother, vnto the land of Seir, the countrey of Edom.

And he commaunded them, saying, Thus shall ye speake vnto my lord Esau, Thy seruant Iacob saith thus, I haue soiourned with Laban, and stayed there vntill now.

And I haue oxen, and asses, flockes, and men seruants and women seruants: and I haue sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.

And the messengers returned to Iacob, saying, Wee came to thy brother Esau, and also he commeth to meet thee, and foure hundred men with him.

Then Iacob was greatly afraid, and distressed, and he diuided the people that was with him, and the flockes, and herdes, and the camels into two bands,

And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left, shall escape.

And Iacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst vnto me, Returne vnto thy countrey, and to thy kinred, and I will deale well with thee:

I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the trueth, which thou hast shewed vnto thy seruant: for with my staffe I passed ouer this Iordan, and now I am become two bands.

Deliuer me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I feare him, lest he will come, and smite me, and the mother with the children.

And thou saidst, I will surely doe thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbred for multitude.

And he lodged there that same night, and tooke of that which came to his hand, a present for Esau his brother:

Two hundred shee goats, and twentie hee goats, two hundred ewes, and twentie rammes,

Thirtie milch camels with their colts, fortie kine, and ten bulles, twenty shee ashes, and ten foales.

And hee deliuered them into the hand of his seruants, euery droue by themselues, and said vnto his seruants, Passe ouer before me, and put a space betwixt droue and droue.

And he commanded the formost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?

Then thou shalt say, They be thy seruant Iacobs: it is a present sent vnto my lord Esau: and behold also, he is behind vs.

And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droues, saying, On this maner shal you speake vnto Esau, when you find him.

And say ye moreouer, Beholde, thy seruant Iacob is behind vs: for he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peraduenture he will accept of me.

So went the present ouer before him: and himselfe lodged that night in the company.