¹ واما يعقوب فمضى في طريقه ولاقاه ملائكة الله.

² وقال يعقوب اذ رآهم هذا جيش الله. فدعا اسم ذلك المكان محنايم

³ وارسل يعقوب رسلا قدامه الى عيسو اخيه الى ارض سعير بلاد ادوم.

⁴ وامرهم قائلا هكذا تقولون لسيدي عيسو. هكذا قال عبدك يعقوب. تغربت عند لابان ولبثت الى الآن.

⁵ وقد صار لي بقر وحمير وغنم وعبيد واماء. وارسلت لاخبر سيدي لكي اجد نعمة في عينيك

⁶ فرجع الرسل الى يعقوب قائلين أتينا الى اخيك الى عيسو. وهو ايضا قادم للقائك واربع مئة رجل معه.

⁷ فخاف يعقوب جدا وضاق به الامر. فقسم القوم الذين معه والغنم والبقر والجمال الى جيشين.

⁸ وقال ان جاء عيسو الى الجيش الواحد وضربه يكون الجيش الباقي ناجيا

⁹ وقال يعقوب يا اله ابي ابراهيم واله ابي اسحق الرب الذي قال لي ارجع الى ارضك والى عشيرتك فاحسن اليك.

¹⁰ صغير انا عن جميع الطافك وجميع الامانة التي صنعت الى عبدك. فاني بعصاي عبرت هذا الاردن والآن قد صرت جيشين.

¹¹ نجّني من يد اخي من يد عيسو. لاني خائف منه ان يأتي ويضربني الام مع البنين.

¹² وانت قد قلت اني احسن اليك واجعل نسلك كرمل البحر الذي لا يعدّ للكثرة

¹³ وبات هناك تلك الليلة واخذ مما اتى بيده هدية لعيسو اخيه.

¹⁴ مئتي عنز وعشرين تيسا مئتي نعجة وعشرين كبشا

¹⁵ ثلاثين ناقة مرضعة واولادها اربعين بقرة وعشرة ثيران عشرين اتانا وعشرة حمير.

¹⁶ ودفعها الى يد عبيده قطيعا قطيعا على حدة. وقال لعبيده اجتازوا قدّامي واجعلوا فسحة بين قطيع وقطيع.

¹⁷ وامر الاول قائلا اذا صادفك عيسو اخي وسألك قائلا لمن انت والى اين تذهب ولمن هذا الذي قدامك

¹⁸ تقول لعبدك يعقوب. هو هدية مرسلة لسيدي عيسو. وها هو ايضا وراءنا.

¹⁹ وامر ايضا الثاني والثالث وجميع السائرين وراء القطعان قائلا بمثل هذا الكلام تكلّمون عيسو حينما تجدونه.

²⁰ وتقولون هوذا عبدك يعقوب ايضا وراءنا. لانه قال استعطف وجهه بالهدية السائرة امامي وبعد ذلك انظر وجهه. عسى ان يرفع وجهي.

²¹ فاجتازت الهدية قدامه. واما هو فبات تلك الليلة في المحلّة

²² ثم قام في تلك الليلة واخذ امرأتيه وجاريتيه واولاده الاحد عشر وعبر مخاضة يبّوق.

²³ اخذهم واجازهم الوادي واجاز ما كان له.

²⁴ فبقي يعقوب وحده. وصارعه انسان حتى طلوع الفجر.

²⁵ ولما رأى انه لا يقدر عليه ضرب حقّ فخذه. فانخلع حقّ فخذ يعقوب في مصارعته معه.

²⁶ وقال اطلقني لانه قد طلع الفجر. فقال لا اطلقك ان لم تباركني.

²⁷ فقال له ما اسمك. فقال يعقوب.

²⁸ فقال لا يدعى اسمك في ما بعد يعقوب بل اسرائيل. لانك جاهدت مع الله والناس وقدرت.

²⁹ وسأل يعقوب وقال اخبرني باسمك. فقال لماذا تسأل عن اسمي. وباركه هناك

³⁰ فدعا يعقوب اسم المكان فنيئيل. قائلا لاني نظرت الله وجها لوجه ونجّيت نفسي.

³¹ واشرقت له الشمس اذ عبر فنوئيل وهو يخمع على فخذه.

³² لذلك لا يأكل بنو اسرائيل عرق النّسا الذي على حقّ الفخذ الى هذا اليوم. لانه ضرب حقّ فخذ يعقوب على عرق النّسا

¹ Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east.

² He looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well's mouth was large.

³ There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well's mouth in its place.

⁴ Jacob said to them, "My relatives, where are you from?" They said, "We are from Haran."

⁵ He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?" They said, "We know him."

⁶ He said to them, "Is it well with him?" They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."

⁷ He said, "Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."

⁸ They said, "We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep."

⁹ While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them.

¹⁰ It happened, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

¹¹ Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

¹² Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

¹³ It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.

¹⁴ Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." He lived with him for a month.

¹⁵ Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"

¹⁶ Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

¹⁷ Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive.

¹⁸ Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

¹⁹ Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."

²⁰ Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.

²¹ Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."

²² Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

²³ It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her.

²⁴ Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid.

²⁵ It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"

²⁶ Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.

²⁷ Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years."

²⁸ Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.

²⁹ Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her handmaid.

³⁰ He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

³¹ Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

³² Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me."

³³ She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, "Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also." She named him Simeon.

³⁴ She conceived again, and bore a son. Said, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore was his name called Levi.

³⁵ She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.