The Daily Audio Bible

¹³ And when Jacob had slept there in that night, he separated of those things which he had, (as) gifts to Esau, his brother, (And after Jacob had slept there that night, he separated out from the things which he had, as gifts for his brother Esau,)

¹⁴ two hundred (she) goats, and twenty bucks of goats, (and) two hundred sheep, and twenty rams,

¹⁵ camels full with their foals thirty, forty kine, and twenty bulls, twenty she-asses, and [the] ten foals of them. (thirty milk camels with their foals, forty cows, and twenty bulls, and twenty female donkeys, and their ten foals.)

¹⁶ And he sent by the hands of his servants all the flocks by themselves; and he said to his servants, Go ye before me, and (let) a space be betwixt (a) flock and (a) flock.

¹⁷ And he commanded to the former, and said, If thou shalt meet my brother Esau, and he shall ask thee, whose man thou art, or whither thou goest, or whose be these things which thou followest, (And he commanded to the first servant, and said, When thou shalt meet my brother Esau, and he shall ask thee, Whose man art thou? and where goest thou? and whose things be these which thou followest?)

¹⁸ thou shalt answer, (They be) Of thy servant Jacob; he hath sent (them as) gifts to his lord Esau, and he cometh after us.

¹⁹ In like manner, he gave commandments to the second, and to the third (he gave the same orders to the second, and the third servants), and to all that followed the flocks; and said, Speak ye by the same words to Esau, when ye find him,

²⁰ and ye shall add, Also Jacob himself thy servant followeth our way (and ye shall add, And thy servant Jacob himself followeth on our way). For Jacob said, I shall please Esau with (the) gifts that go before (me), and (then) afterward I shall see him; in hap he shall be merciful to me.

²¹ And so the gifts went before him; soothly he dwelled in that night in the tents.

²² And when Jacob had risen hastily, he took his two wives, and so many handmaids, with (his) eleven sons, and he passed (over) the ford of Jabbok. (And during the night Jacob rose up, and hastily he took his two wives, and the two slave-girls, and his eleven sons, and they all crossed over the ford of Jabbok, or the Jabbok Crossing.)

²³ And when all things that pertained to him were led over, (And then he returned, and saw that everything had been taken over,)

²⁴ (and) Jacob dwelled (there) alone, and, lo! a man (came, and) wrestled with him till to the morrowtide.

²⁵ And when the man saw that he might not overcome Jacob, he touched the sinew of Jacob’s hip, and it dried anon (and it dried up at once).

²⁶ And he said to Jacob, Let go thou me, for the morrowtide goeth up now. Jacob answered, I shall not let go thee, no but thou bless me. (And he said to Jacob, Let me go, for the morning cometh now. And Jacob answered, I shall not let thee go, unless thou bless me.)

²⁷ Therefore he said, What name is to thee? (And) He answered, Jacob.

²⁸ And the man said, Thy name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel; for if thou were strong against God, how much more shalt thou have power against men.

²⁹ Jacob asked him, Say thou to me by what name thou art called? He answered, Why askest thou my name, which is wonderful? And he blessed Jacob in the same place. (And Jacob said to him, Tell thou to me by what name thou art called. And he answered, Why askest thou my name? And then he blessed Jacob there.)

³⁰ And Jacob called the name of that place Penuel, and said, I saw the Lord face to face, and my life is made safe. (And Jacob named that place Peniel, or The face of God, saying, For I saw the Lord face to face, and yet my life was spared.)

³¹ And anon the sun rose to him, after that he had passed (over from) Penuel; forsooth he halted in the foot. (And the sun rose up as he left Peniel; and he limped because of his hip.)

³² For which cause the sons of Israel eat not unto this present day the sinew, (like that) that dried in the hip of Jacob (For this reason, the Israelites do not eat the sinew, like that which dried up in Jacob’s hip, unto this present day); for the man touched the sinew of Jacob’s hip, and it dried (up).

33 Forsooth Jacob raised up his eyes, and saw Esau coming, and four hundred men with him; and he parted the sons of Leah, and of Rachel, and of both the servantesses (and he divided the children between Leah, and Rachel, and the two slave-girls).

² And he put ever either handmaid, and the free children of them, in the beginning (And he put the slave-girls, and their children, at the front); soothly he put Leah, and her sons, in the second place; forsooth he put Rachel and Joseph (at) the last.

³ And Jacob went before (them), and worshipped lowly to the earth seven times (and bowed low to the ground seven times), till his brother nighed.

⁴ And so Esau ran against his brother (And Esau ran to meet his brother), and embraced him, and Esau held his neck, and kissed him, and (they) wept (together).

⁵ And when Esau’s eyes were raised up, he saw the women, and the little children of them, and said, What will these (mean) to themselves? and whether they pertain to thee? (And when Esau raised up his eyes, he saw the women, and their little children, and he said, Who be these? do they pertain to thee?) Jacob answered, They be the little children, which God hath given to me, thy servant.

⁶ And the handmaids and their sons nighed, and were bowed. (And the slave-girls and their sons came near, and they bowed.)

⁷ Also Leah nighed with her free children; and when they had worshipped in like manner, Joseph and Rachel last worshipped. (And Leah came near with her children; and when they had bowed before him in like manner, then lastly Joseph and Rachel bowed before him.)

⁸ And Esau said, What be these companies, which I met? And Jacob answered, (So) That I should find grace before my lord.

⁹ And he said, My brother, I have full many things, thy things be to thee.

¹⁰ And Jacob said, I beseech thee, do not thou (say) so, but if I have found grace in thine eyes, take thou a little gift of mine hands; for I saw so thy face as (though) I had seen the cheer of God; be thou merciful to me, (And Jacob said, I beseech thee, do not thou say that, but if I have found grace in thine eyes, take thou a little gift from my hands; for I see thy face as if I see the face of God; be thou merciful to me,)

¹¹ and receive the blessing which I have brought to thee, and which blessing God giving all things gave to me. Scarcely (desiring it), while the brother compelled (him), he received (it), (and receive the blessing which I have brought to thee, which blessing God, who giveth all things, hath given to me. Scarcely desiring it, but because his brother compelled him, Esau at last accepted the gifts,)

¹² and said, Go we together, and I shall be (a) fellow of thy way. (and he said, Now let us go together, and I shall give thee fellowship on the way.)

¹³ And Jacob said, My lord, thou knowest that I have little children tender, and sheep, and kine with calves with me, and if I shall make them for to travail more in going, all the flocks shall die in one day; (But Jacob said, My lord, thou knowest that I have tender little children with me, and sheep, and cows with their calves, and if I make them go any further this day, all the flocks shall die;)

¹⁴ my lord go (on) before his servant, and I shall follow little and little his steps (and I shall follow his steps little and little), as I see that my little children be able (to go), till I come to my lord, into Seir.

¹⁵ Esau answered, I pray thee, that (some) of the people which is with me, dwell they namely fellows of thy way. Jacob said, It is no need; I have need to this one thing only, that I find grace in thy sight, my lord. (Esau answered, Then I pray thee, let some of the people who be with me give thee fellowship on the way. But Jacob said, There is no need; yea, I only have need of this one thing, that I find grace in thine eyes, my lord.)

¹⁶ And so Esau turned again in that day in the way by which he came, into Seir. (And so Esau returned that day by the way by which he came, back toward Seir.)

¹⁷ And Jacob came into Succoth, where when he had builded an house, and had set tents, he called the name of that place Succoth, that is, tabernacles. (But Jacob went to Succoth, where when he had built a house, and some shelters for his beasts, he called that place Succoth, or Shelters.)

¹⁸ And Jacob passed into Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, after that he turned again from Mesopotamia of Syria, and he dwelled beside the city. (And then Jacob passed safely into the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, after that he had returned from Paddan-aram, and he lived there in a field beside the city.)

¹⁹ And he bought for an hundred lambs a part of the field, in which he set tabernacles, of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. (And he bought part of that field from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred lambs, or for a hundred pieces of money, and he pitched his tents there.)

²⁰ And when he had raised an altar there, he inwardly called on it the full strong God of Israel. (And when he had raised up an altar there, he called it Elelohe-Israel.)

34 Forsooth Dinah, the daughter of Leah, went out to see the women of that country.

² And when Shechem, the son of Hamor (the) Hivite, the prince of that land, had seen her, he loved her, and he ravished her, and (he) slept with her, and oppressed the virgin by violence (and he oppressed the virgin with violence).

³ And his soul was bound fast with her, and he pleased her sorry with flatterings. (But his soul was bound fast to her, and he tried to appease her sorrow with flattery.)

⁴ And he went to Hamor, his father, and said, Take to me this damsel (for) a wife. (And he went to his father Hamor, and said, Get me this young woman for a wife.)

⁵ And when Jacob had heard this thing, while his sons were absent, and occupied in the feeding/in the pasturing of [the] sheep, he was still, till they came again (until they returned home).

⁶ Soothly when Hamor, the father of Shechem, was gone out to speak to Jacob,

⁷ lo! his sons came from the field. And when this thing that befelled was heard, they were wroth greatly; for he had wrought a foul thing in Israel, and he had done a thing unleaveful in the defouling of the daughter of Jacob. (lo! his sons came in from the field. And when they heard what had befallen, they were enraged; for Shechem had done a foul, or a vile, thing in Israel, and he had done an unlawful thing in the defiling of Jacob’s daughter.)

⁸ And so Hamor spake to them (And Hamor said to them), The soul of my son Shechem hath cleaved to your daughter; give ye her (for) a wife to him,

⁹ and (so) join we weddings together; give ye your daughters to us, and take ye our daughters (for yourselves),

¹⁰ and dwell ye with us; (yea,) the land is in your power; till ye, and make ye merchandise, and wield ye it (work ye it, and make ye merchandise, and possess ye it).

¹¹ But also Shechem said to the father and brethren of her, Find I grace before you, and whatever things ye ordain I shall give; (And Shechem said to her father and her brothers, I pray that I find grace before you, and whatever things ye ask for, I shall give you;)

¹² increase ye the dower, and ask ye (for) gifts, and I shall give willfully that that ye ask; only give ye this damsel (for) a wife to me. (increase ye the dowry, and ask ye for gifts, and I shall willingly give what ye ask; only give ye to me this young woman for a wife.)

¹³ The sons of Jacob answered in guile to Shechem and (to Hamor,) his father, and they were (made) fierce for the defouling of the maidenhood of their sister, (And Jacob’s sons answered guilefully, or deceitfully, to Shechem, and to his father Hamor, for they were enraged by the defiling of their sister’s maidenhood,)

¹⁴ We may not do this that ye ask, neither we may give our sister to a man uncircumcised, which thing is unleaveful and abominable with us. (and they said, We cannot do this thing that ye ask, for we cannot give our sister to an uncircumcised man, for such a thing is unlawful and abominable with us.)

¹⁵ But in this we shall be able to be bound in peace, if ye will be like us, and each of male kind be circumcised in you; (But by this we shall make a covenant with thee, if ye will be made like us, and each of your males be circumcised;)

¹⁶ then we shall give and take together our daughters and yours (then we shall give our daughters to you, and we shall take your daughters for ourselves); and we shall dwell with you, and we shall be one people.

¹⁷ Forsooth if ye will not be circumcised, (then) we shall take our daughter, and we shall go away.

¹⁸ The proffering of them pleased Hamor, and Shechem, his son, (And their proffer pleased Hamor, and his son Shechem,)

¹⁹ and the young waxing man delayed not, that not he fulfilled anon that that was asked; for he loved the damsel greatly, and he was (the most) noble in all the house of his father. (and the young man delayed not, but he fulfilled at once what was asked for; for he greatly loved the young woman, and he was the most noble in all of his father’s household.)

²⁰ And they entered into the gate of the city, and spake to the people, (And so they went to the city gate, and said to the people,)

²¹ These men be peaceable, and will dwell with us; make they merchandise in the land, and till they it, which is large and broad, and hath need to tillers; we shall take their daughters to wives, and we shall give our daughters to them. (These men be peaceful, and will live with us; so let them make merchandise in the land, and let them work it, which is large and broad, and hath need of men to work it; and we shall take their daughters for our wives, and we shall give our daughters to them.)

²² One thing is, for which so great good is delayed; if we circumcise our males, and follow the custom of the folk, (But before that they will live with us, and we become one people, there is one thing which they require us to do; we must first circumcise all our males, and so follow this folk’s custom,)

²³ both their substance, and sheep, and all things which they wield, shall be ours; only assent we in this, that we dwell together, and make one people. (then their chattel, and sheep, and all the things which they possess, shall be ours; so let us assent in this matter, so that we can all live together, and be one people.)

²⁴ And all (the) men assented, and (so) all [the] males were circumcised.

²⁵ And lo! in the third day, when the sorrow of [the] wounds was most grievous, two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, [the] brethren of Dinah, took swords, and entered into the city boldly; and when all [the] males were slain, (And lo! on the third day, when the pain from their wounds was most grievous, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took swords, and boldly entered into the city, and killed all the males;)

²⁶ they killed Hamor and Shechem together, and took Dinah, their sister, from the house of Shechem. And when they were gone out, (and they killed Hamor and Shechem, and took away their sister Dinah from Shechem’s house. And when they had left the city,)

²⁷ [the] other sons of Jacob felled in on the slain men, and rifled the city, for the vengeance of [the] defouling of the virgin (to take vengeance for their sister’s defiling).

²⁸ And they wasted the sheep of those men, and droves of oxen, and asses, and all things that were in the houses and fields, (And they destroyed the sheep of those men, and their herds of oxen, and their donkeys, and all the things that were in their houses and in their fields,)

²⁹ and (they) led away (as) prisoners the little children, and [the] wives of those men. And when these things were done hardily (And when these things were fully done),

³⁰ Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me, and have made me hateful to (the) Canaanites and Perizzites, [the] dwellers of this land; we be few, [and] they shall be gathered together (against me), and shall slay me, and I shall be done away, and mine house. (Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have brought in trouble on me, and have made me to be hated by the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the inhabitants of this land; yea, we be few, and now they shall be gathered together against me, and shall slay me, and I and all of my household, or all of my family, shall be done away.)

³¹ Simeon and Levi answered, Whether they ought to mis-use our sister as a whore? (And Simeon and Levi answered, Should they be allowed to mis-use our sister like a whore?)

⁷ And when they were gone away, Jesus began to say of John to the people [Jesus began to say of John to the companies], What thing went ye out into desert to see? a reed waved with the wind?

⁸ Or what thing went ye out to see? a man clothed with soft clothes [But what thing went ye out to see? whether a man clothed with soft clothings]? Lo! they that be clothed with soft clothes be in the houses of kings.

⁹ But what thing went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say to you, and more than a prophet.

¹⁰ For this is he, of whom it is written, Lo! I send mine angel before thy face, that shall make ready thy way before thee [which shall make ready thy way before thee].

¹¹ Truly I say to you, there rose none more than John Baptist among the children of women; but he that is less in the kingdom of heavens, is more than he. [Truly I say to you, none rose greater than John Baptist among the sons of women; forsooth he that is the least in the kingdom of heavens, is more than he.]

¹² And from the days of John Baptist till now the kingdom of heavens suffereth violence, and violent men snatch it.

¹³ For all [the] prophets and the law till John prophesied;

¹⁴ and if ye will receive, he is Elias that is to come.

¹⁵ He that hath ears of hearing, hear he.

¹⁶ But to whom shall I guess this generation like? It is like to children sitting in the market, that cry to their peers [which, crying to their peers],

¹⁷ and say [say], We have sung to you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wailed.

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

¹⁹ The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Lo! a man a glutton, and a drinker of wine, and a friend of publicans and of sinful men [and friend of publicans and sinful men]. And wisdom is justified of her sons.

²⁰ Then Jesus began to say reproof to cities, in which full many works of power of him were done [in which full many virtues of him were done], for they did not penance.

²¹ Woe to thee! Chorazin, woe to thee! Bethsaida; for if the works of power [for if the virtues] that be done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, sometime they had done penance in haircloth and ashes.

²² Nevertheless I say to you, it shall be less pain to Tyre and Sidon in the day of doom, than to you.

²³ And thou, Capernaum, whether thou shalt be araised up into heaven? Thou shalt go down into hell. For if the works of power that be done in thee, had been done in Sodom, peradventure they should have dwelled till into this day. [And thou, Capernaum, whether till into heaven thou shalt be reared up? Thou shalt go down till into hell. For if the virtues that be done in thee, had been done in Sodom, peradventure they should have dwelled till unto this day.]

²⁴ Nevertheless I say to you, that to the land of Sodom it shall be less pain in the day of doom, than to thee.

²⁵ In that time Jesus answered, and said, I acknowledge to thee, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for thou hast hid these things from wise men, and ready [In that time, Jesus answering said, I acknowledge to thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for thou hast hid these things from wise men and prudent], and hast showed them to little children;

²⁶ so, Father, for so it was pleasing before thee.

²⁷ All things be given to me of my Father; and no man knew the Son, but the Father, neither any man knew the Father, but the Son, and to whom the Son would show.^[a]

²⁸ All ye that travail, and be charged, come to me, and I shall fulfill you [and I shall refresh, or fulfill, you].

²⁹ Take ye my yoke on you [Take ye my yoke upon you], and learn ye of me, for I am mild and meek in heart; and ye shall find rest to your souls.

³⁰ For my yoke is soft, and my charge is light [and my charge is light, or easy].

14 To the victory, [the psalm] of David. The unwise man said in his heart, God is not. They be corrupt, and they be made abominable in their studies; none there is that doeth good, none is till to one. (To victory, the song of David. The fool said in his heart, There is no God. Such men be corrupt, and they be made abominable in their deeds; there is no one who doeth good, no not one.)^[a]

² The Lord beheld from heaven on the sons of men; that he see, if any is understanding, either seeking God. (The Lord looked down from heaven on the sons and daughters of men; to see if there is anyone who hath understanding, or is seeking God.)

³ All bowed away, (al)together they be made unprofitable; none is that doeth good, none is till to one (But they all have turned away, they all be made utterly unredeemable; there is no one who doeth good, no not one). The throat of them is an open sepulchre, they did guilefully with their tongues; the venom of snakes is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet be swift to shed out blood. Sorrow and cursedness is in the ways of them, and they knew not the way of peace; the dread of God is not before their eyes.

⁴ Whether all men that work wickedness shall not know; that devour my people, as (the) meat of bread? They called not the Lord; (Surely all those, who do evil, already know this; yea, they who devour my people, like men eat bread. They do not call on the Lord;)

⁵ they trembled there for dread, where was no dread; for the Lord is in a rightful generation. (but they trembled there in fear, like never before. For the Lord is with the upright generation.)

⁶ Thou hast shamed the counsel of a poor man; for the Lord is his hope. (Ye evil-doers, ye have frustrated the plans of the poor; but the Lord is their hope.)

⁷ Who shall give from Zion health to Israel? When the Lord hath turned away the captivity of his people; Jacob shall fully be joyful/Jacob shall (make) full out joy, and Israel shall be glad. (Who shall give victory/Who shall give salvation, or deliverance, to Israel out of Zion? When the Lord hath returned the prosperity of his people, then Jacob shall rejoice; yea, Israel shall be glad.)

¹⁹ The Lord founded the earth by (his) wisdom; he stablished (the) heavens by (his) prudence.

²⁰ The depths of waters brake out by his wisdom; and (the) clouds waxed (al)together with dew.