A Hyve Fvll of Hunnye :: :: University of Virginia Library

Gods Angels here with Iacob met
and he doth Presentes send
Vnto his Brother by his Men
and doth himselfe cōmend,
Eke with an Angel wrestled he,
and yet receiu'd no fal:
The Angel chaungeth Iacobs name
and doth him Isrel call.

1

But Iacob went his iourney on
and by the way him met
The Angels of Almighty God
in battell order set:

2

And when that Iacob them beheld
he sayd himselfe within,
This is Gods host: and so the place
he namde Mahanaim.

3

And Iacob sent his messengers
vnto the land of Seir,
And to the Field that Edom was
where Esaus Armyes weir.

4

And he commaunded each of them,
thus shal you speake (sayth he)
To Esau my most louing Lord
that brother is to me:

5

Thy seruaunt Iacob hym commendes
In humblest wise he may,
And to your selfe in his behalfe
thus much he bad me say.

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6

I haue longe time a straunger bene
wyth Laban vncle myne,
And twenty yeres haue soiourned
wyth him vntil this tyme.

7

And haue of Oxen, Asses, Shepe,
of men Seruauntes likewyse
Of Women too, and that I may
find fauore in thine eyes,

8

I haue sent word vnto my Lord
to signifie the same,
Accordinge as my dutye byndes
as loth to meritte blame.

9

The Messengers to Esaw went
and came againe wyth spede.
And sayd, thy brother gainst thee brynges
foure hundreth men in deede.

10

This newes made Iacob sore afrayd
he wyst nat what to say
Ne what to do, but yet at last
he dyd deuise the way:

11

His people, sheepe and Cattell al
for to deuide in twayne
And toke great paynes to place the same
in order to remayne.

12

Sayd he: If Esau come and smyte
one part of people myne,
The other parte, may leasure find
to saue it selfe in tyme.

13

To God then Iacob sayd againe.
O God of Abraham,
God of my father Isaac,
from out whose Loines I came:

14

Thou Lord which bad I should returne
vnto my Country backe,

Among my kynred for to dwell
saying thou shalt not lacke:

15

For I my selfe will bee with thee
and do al for the best:
I say thou Lord wilt not forsake
poore Iacob thus distrest:

16

And yet O Lorde I must confesse
no whit I worthye am,
No not the least of mercies thyne
which from thy goodnesse cam:

17

That thou hast shewde thy seruaunte to,
by day and eke by night,
For with my staffe I ouercame
this Iordan by thy might.

18

And now two Droues I gotten haue,
behold Lord where they stand:
Most mighty God deliuer mee
from Brother Esaus hand.

19

For I much feare him, lest he wyl
with wrathful rage possest
With Furie come, and Mother strike
with Children at her breast.

20

Thou sayd'st O Lord I surely wyll
do good and good to thee.
And make thy Seede as is the Sand
within the Sea to see,
The which can not for multitude,
of any numbred bee.

21

And Iacob there abode that night,
and such as came to hand
Hee tooke thereof, and Presents made
for Esau t'vnderstand.

22

Two hundreth Goates of Female kynde,
and twentie Males also,

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Two hundred Ewes and twentye Rammes
did hee appoint to goe,

23

And thirtie Camels Mylke that gaue
their Coltes them passing by,
With Fourtie Kyne, and Bullockes tenne
that fayre were to the eye.

24

Of shee Asses he twentye tooke,
and Coltes tenne, them beside,
Fyue hundred and fourskore were they
that Iacob did prouide.

25

And so into his seruauntes handes,
these Droues deliu'red hee,
And eu'rye Droue was by it selfe
appointed so to bee.

26

And hee vnto his Seruaunts sayd:
before mee passe the way,
And put a space tweene Droue and Droue,
and furthermore did saye,

27

To him that formost was of all
among the Droues to see:
If that my brother doe thee meete
and hap to aske of thee:

28

Whose man art thou? and whose are these?
and whither doest thou goe?
In humble wyse with reuerent speach
thou shalt vnto him showe:

29

Sir these thy Seruaunt Iacobs be,
and are by him assignd
A present sent to thee my Lord,
himselfe comes vs behinde.

30

So likewise to the second Man,
the thyrd, and all the rest,
Commaunded hee with Droues that came
as was to him exprest.

31

And more (sayd hee) thus shall you say,
when you do Esau fynde,
Behold thy seruaunt Iacob comes,
as dutie doth him bynde.

32

For thus hee thought, I wyl his wrath
with giftes before appease,
And after will I see his face
if that my Lord so please:
It may be, hee wil mee accept
with Comfort, Ioy, and Ease.

33

So with these Presentes foorth they went
in order as they might,
But Iacob with the company
abode behynde that night.

34

And in the Night did Iacob ryse
and his two wyues also:
His Maydens twayne, his Children all,
Eleuen which were tho
Ouer the Foord with them he went
that Iabbok is to know.

35

And sent away all that he had
the ryuer for to passe,
But hee himselfe behinde did staye,
for so his goodwill was.

36

And as alone hee stayd behynde
a man him met by th' waye.
That stroue and wrestled styl with him
vntil the breake of daye.

37

And when this man might not preuayle
Iacob to ouerthrow,
He Iacob stroke vnder the Thigh
and sayd, now let me go.
The Sinew then of Iacobs Thigh
did shrinke at that same blowe.

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38

I wylt not let thee go, sayd hee,
what man so ere thou bee,
But wyl thee hold vntil such tyme
thou Blessing geeue to me.

39

Said hee, then tell me whats thy name?
I Iacob am by right:
Thou shalt no more bee called so:
but Israel in Gods sight.

40

For as a Prince thou wrestled hast
with God, and eke with man,
And hast preuayled in the thing
that thou hast tane in hand.

41

Saide Iacob then, thy name also
I pray thee shewe to mee:
Wherfore sayd he, doest thou demaund
what it my name should be?
And in that place he blessed him
and so away went hee.

42

And therfore Iacob, Peniel
did nominate the Place:
For I haue seene this day (sayd he)
my God euen face to face.
And so my lyfe preserued is
by bountie of his grace.

43

As he went ouer Peniel
the Sunne him rose vpon,
So halted hee of that same Thigh,
the Angel stroke him on.

44

The Israelites forbeare to eate
The Synewe to this daye,
That is in that place of the Thighe
where Iacobs Synewe lay:

45

Because the man that stroue with him
did touch the hollow place,

Of Iacobs Thighe, wherein hereby
the shronken Synewe was.