Delphi Septuagint

by Lancelot C L Brenton (ed)

  [43] And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the cattle are my cattle, and all things which thou seest are mine, and the property of my daughters; what shall I do to them to-day, or their children which they bore? [44] Now then come, let me make a covenant, both I and thou, and it shall be for a witness between me and thee; and he said to him, Behold, there is no one with us; behold, God is witness between me and thee. [45] And Jacob having taken a stone, set it up for a pillar. [46] And Jacob said to his brethren, Gather stones; and they gathered stones and made a heap, and ate there upon the heap; and Laban said to him, This heap witnesses between me and thee to-day. [47] And Laban called it, the Heap of Testimony; and Jacob called it, the Witness Heap. [48] And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and the pillar, which I have set between me and thee; this heap witnesses, and this pillar witnesses; therefore its name was called, the Heap witnesses. [49] And the vision of which he said — Let God look to it between me and thee, because we are about to depart from each other, — [50] If thou shalt humble my daughters, if thou shouldest take wives in addition to my daughters, see, there is no one with us looking on. God is witness between me and thee. [51] And Laban said to Jacob, Behold, this heap, and this pillar are a witness. [52] For if I should not cross over unto thee, neither shouldest thou cross over to me, for mischief beyond this heap and this pillar. [53] The God of Abraam and the God of Nachor judge between us; and Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. [54] And he offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren, and they ate and drank, and slept in the mountain. [55] And Laban rose up in the morning, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them; and Laban having turned back, departed to his place.

  Chapter 32

  [1] And Jacob departed for his journey; and having looked up, he saw the host of God encamped; and the angels of God met him. [2] And Jacob said, when he saw them, This is the Camp of God; and he called the name of that place, Encampments.

  [3] And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir, to the country of Edom. [4] And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye say to my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jacob; I have sojourned with Laban and tarried until now. [5] And there were born to me oxen, and asses, and sheep, and men-servants and women-servants; and I sent to tell my lord Esau, that thy servant might find grace in thy sight. [6] And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and lo! he comes to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. [7] And Jacob was greatly terrified, and was perplexed; and he divided the people that was with him, and the cows, and the camels, and the sheep, into two camps. [8] And Jacob said, If Esau should come to one camp, and smite it, the other camp shall be in safety. [9] And Jacob said, God of my father Abraam, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, thou art he that said to me, Depart quickly to the land of thy birth, and I will do thee good. [10] Let there be to me a sufficiency of all the justice and all the truth which thou hast wrought with thy servant; for with this my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two camps. [11] Deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him, lest haply he should come and smite me, and the mother upon the children. [12] But thou saidst, I will do thee good, and will make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which shall not be numbered for multitude. [13] And he slept there that night, and took of the gifts which he carried with him, and sent out to Esau his brother, [14] two hundred she-goats, twenty he-goats, two hundred sheep, twenty rams, [15] milch camels, and their foals, thirty, forty kine, ten bulls, twenty asses, and ten colts. [16] And he gave them to his servants each drove apart; and he said to his servants, Go on before me, and put a space between drove and drove. [17] And he charged the first, saying, If Esau my brother meet thee, and he ask thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither wouldest thou go, and whose are these possessions advancing before thee? [18] Thou shalt say, Thy servant Jacob’s; he hath sent gifts to my lord Esau, and lo! he is behind us. [19] And he charged the first and the second and the third, and all that went before him after these flocks, saying, Thus shall ye speak to Esau when ye find him; [20] and ye shall say, Behold thy servant Jacob comes after us. For he said, I will propitiate his countenance with the gifts going before his presence, and afterwards I will behold his face, for peradventure he will accept me. [21] So the presents went on before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp. [22] And he rose up in that night, and took his two wives and his two servant-maids, and his eleven children, and crossed over the ford of Jaboch. [23] And he took them, and passed over the torrent, and brought over all his possessions.

  [24] And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him till the morning. [25] And he saw that he prevailed not against him; and he touched the broad part of his thigh, and the broad part of Jacob’s thigh was benumbed in his wrestling with him. [26] And he said to him, Let me go, for the day has dawned; but he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. [27] And he said to him, What is thy name? and he answered, Jacob. [28] And he said to him, Thy name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name; for thou hast prevailed with God, and shalt be mighty with men. [29] And Jacob asked and said, Tell me thy name; and he said, Wherefore dost thou ask after my name? and he blessed him there. [30] And Jacob called the name of that place, the Face of God; for, said he,I have seen God face to face, and my life was preserved. [31] And the sun rose upon him, when he passed the Face of God; and he halted upon his thigh. [32] Therefore the children of Israel will by no means eat of the sinew which was benumbed, which is on the broad part of the thigh, until this day, because the angel touched the broad part of the thigh of Jacob — even the sinew which was benumbed.

  Chapter 33

  [1] And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and beheld, and lo! Esau his brother coming, and four hundred men with him; and Jacob divided the children to Lea and to Rachel, and the two handmaidens. [2] And he put the two handmaidens and their children with the first, and Lea and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last. [3] But he advanced himself before them, and did reverence to the ground seven times, until he drew near to his brother. [4] And Esau ran on to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they both wept. [5] And Esau looked up and saw the women and the children, and said, What are these to thee? And he said, The children with which God has mercifully blessed thy servant. [6] And the maid-servants and their children drew near and did reverence. [7] And Lea and her children drew near and did reverence; and after this drew near Rachel and Joseph, and did reverence. [8] And he said, What are these things to thee, all these companies that I have met? And he said, That thy servant might find grace in thy sight, my lord. [9] And Esau said, I have much, my brother; keep thine own. [10] And Jacob said, If I have found grace in thy sight, receive the gifts through my hands; therefore have I seen thy face, as if any one should see the face of God, and thou shalt be well-pleased with me. [11] Receive my blessings, which I have brought thee, because God has had mercy on me, and I have all things; and he constrained him, and he took them. [12] And he said, Let us depart, and proceed right onward. [13] And he said to him, My lord knows, that the children are very tender, and the flocks and the herds with me are with young; if then I shall drive them hard one day, all the cattle will die. [14] Let my lord go on before his servant, and I shall have strength on the road according to the ease of the journey before me, and according to the strength of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir. [15] And Esau said, I will leave with thee some of the people who are with me. And he said, Why so? it is enough that I have found favour before thee, my lord. [16] And Esau returned on that day on his journey to Seir. [17] And Jacob departs to his tents; and he made for himself there habitations, and for his cattle he made booths; therefore he called the name of that place, Booths.

  [18] And Jacob came to Salem, a city of Secima, which is in the land of Chanaan, when he departed out of Mesopotamia of Syria, and took up a position in fro
nt of the city. [19] And he bought the portion of the field, where he pitched his tent, of Emmor the father of Sychem, for a hundred lambs. [20] And he set up there an alter, and called on the God of Israel.

  Chapter 34

  [1] And Dina, the daughter of Lea, whom she bore to Jacob, went forth to observe the daughters of the inhabitants. [2] And Sychem the son of Emmor the Evite, the ruler of the land, saw her, and took her and lay with her, and humbled her. [3] And he was attached to the soul of Dina the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and he spoke kindly to the damsel. [4] Sychem spoke to Emmor his father, saying, Take for me this damsel to wife. [5] And Jacob heard that the son of Emmor had defiled Dina his daughter (now his sons were with his cattle in the plain). And Jacob was silent until they came. [6] And Emmor the father of Sychem went forth to Jacob, to speak to him. [7] And the sons of Jacob came from the plain; and when they heard, the men were deeply pained, and it was very grievous to them, because the man wrought folly in Israel, having lain with the daughter of Jacob, and so it must not be. [8] And Emmor spoke to them, saying, Sychem my son has chosen in his heart your daughter; give her therefore to him for a wife, [9] and intermarry with us. Give us your daughters, and take our daughters for your sons. [10] And dwell in the midst of us; and, behold, the land is spacious before you, dwell in it, and trade, and get possessions in it. [11] And Sychem said to her father and to her brothers, I would find grace before you, and we will give whatever ye shall name. [12] Multiply your demand of dowry very much, and I will give accordingly as ye shall say to me, only ye shall give me this damsel for a wife.

  [13] And the sons of Jacob answered to Sychem and Emmor his father craftily, and spoke to them, because they had defiled Dina their sister. [14] And Symeon and Levi, the brothers of Dina, said to them, We shall not be able to do this thing, to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for it is a reproach to us. [15] Only on these terms will we conform to you, and dwell among you, if ye also will be as we are, in that every male of you be circumcised. [16] And we will give our daughters to you, and we will take of your daughters for wives to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will be as one race. [17] But if ye will not hearken to us to be circumcised, we will take our daughter and depart. [18] And the words pleased Emmor, and Sychem the son of Emmor. [19] And the young man delayed not to do this thing, for he was much attached to Jacob’s daughter, and he was the most honourable of all in his father’s house. [20] And Emmor and Sychem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke to the men of their city, saying, [21] These men are peaceable, let them dwell with us upon the land, and let them trade in it, and behold the land is extensive before them; we will take their daughters to us for wives, and we will give them our daughters. [22] Only on these terms will the men conform to us to dwell with us so as to be one people, if every male of us be circumcised, as they also are circumcised. [23] And shall not their cattle and their herds, and their possessions, be ours? only in this let us conform to them, and they will dwell with us. [24] And all that went in at the gate of their city hearkened to Emmor and Sychem his son, and they were circumcised in the flesh of their foreskin every male.

  [25] And it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, the two sons of Jacob, Symeon and Levi, Dina’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city securely, and slew every male. [26] And they slew Emmor and Sychem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dina out of the house of Sychem, and went forth. [27] But the sons of Jacob came upon the wounded, and ravaged the city wherein they had defiled Dina their sister. [28] And their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses they took, and all things whatsoever were in the city, and whatsoever were in the plain. [29] And they took captive all the persons of them, and all their store, and their wives, and plundered both whatever things there were in the city, and whatever things there were in the houses. [30] And Jacob said to Symeon and Levi, Ye have made me hateful so that I should be evil to all the inhabitants of the land, both among the Chananites and the Pherezites, and I am few in number; they will gather themselves against me and cut me in pieces, and I shall be utterly destroyed, and my house. [31] And they said, Nay, but shall they treat our sister as an harlot?

  Chapter 35

  [1] And God said to Jacob, Arise, go up to the place, Baethel, and dwell there; and make there an altar to the God that appeared to thee, when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. [2] And Jacob said to his house, and to all that were with him, Remove the strange gods that are with you from the midst of you, and purify yourselves, and change your clothes. [3] And let us rise and go up to Baethel, and let us there make an alter to God who hearkened to me in the day of calamity, who was with me, and preserved me throughout in the journey, by which I went. [4] And they gave to Jacob the strange gods, which were in their hands, and the ear-rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the turpentine tree which is in Secima, and destroyed them to this day. [5] So Israel departed from Secima, and the fear of God was upon the cities round about them, and they did not pursue after the children of Israel. [6] And Jacob came to Luza, which is in the land of Chanaan, which is Baethel, he and all the people that were with him. [7] And he built there an altar, and called the name of the place Baethel; for there God appeared to him, when he fled from the face of his brother Esau.

  [8] And Deborrha, Rebecca’s nurse, died, and was buried below Baethel under the oak; and Jacob called its name, The Oak of Mourning. [9] And God appeared to Jacob once more in Luza, when he came out of Mesopotamia of Syria, and God blessed him. [10] And God said to him, Thy name shall not be called Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name; and he called his name Israel. [11] And God said to him, I am thy God; increase and multiply; for nations and gatherings of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins. [12] And the land which I gave to Abraam and Isaac, I have given it to thee; and it shall come to pass that I will give this land also to thy seed after thee. [13] And God went up from him from the place where he spoke with him. [14] And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God spoke with him, even a pillar of stone; and offered a libation upon it, and poured oil upon it. [15] And Jacob called the name of the place in which God spoke with him, Baethel. [16] [[And Jacob removed from Baethel, and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Gader,]]and it came to pass when he drew nigh to Chabratha, to enter into Ephratha, Rachel travailed; and in her travail she was in hard labour. [17] And it came to pass in her hard labour, that the midwife said to her, Be of good courage, for thou shalt also have this son. [18] And it came to pass in her giving up the ghost (for she was dying), that she called his name, The son of my pain; but his father called his name Benjamin. [19] So Rachel died, and was buried in the way of the course of Ephratha, this is Bethleem. [20] And Jacob set up a pillar on her tomb; this is the pillar on the tomb of Rachel, until this day. [21] And it came to pass when Israel dwelt in that land, that Ruben went and lay with Balla, the concubine of his father Jacob; and Israel heard, and the thing appeared grievous before him.