Iacob sente meessengers before him to Esau his brother/ vnto the londe of Seir and the felde of Edom. And he cõmaunded them saynge: se that ye speake after this maner to my lorde Esau: thy seruaunte Iacob sayth thus. I haue sogerned ãd bene a straunger with Laban vnto this tyme: & haue gotten oxen/ asses and shepe/ menservauntes & wemanseruauntes/ & haue sent to shewe it mi lorde/ that I may fynde grace in thy syghte. And the messengers came agayne to Iacob sainge: we came vnto thi brother Esau/ and he cometh ageynst the and .iiij. hundred men with hĩ. Than was Iacob greatlye afrayde/ and wist not which waye to turne him selfe/ and devyded the people that was with him & the shepe/ oxen and camels/ in to .ij. companies/ and sayde: Yf Esau come to the one parte and smyte it/ the other may saue it selfe. [Sidenote: * Prayer is to cleave vnto the promyses of god with a strõge fayth and to besech god with a fervent desyre that he will fulfyll them for his mercye & truth onlye. As Iacob here doth.] * And Iacob sayde: O god of my father Abraham/ and God of my father Isaac: LORde which saydest vnto me/ returne vnto thy cuntre and to thy kynrede/ and I will deall wel with the. I am not worthy of the leaste of all the mercyes and treuth which thou hast shewed vnto thy seruaunte. For with my staf came I over this Iordane/ and now haue I goten .ij. droves Delyver me from the handes of my brother Esau/ for I feare him: lest he will come and smyte the mother with the childern. Thou saydest that thou woldest surely do me good/ and woldest make mi seed as the sonde of the see which can not be nombred for multitude. And he taried there that same nyghte/ & toke of that which came to hande/ a preasent/ vnto Esau his brother: ij hundred she gootes ãd xx he gootes: ij hundred shepe and xx rammes: thyrtye mylch camels with their coltes: xl kyne ãd x bulles: xx she asses ãd x foles and delyuered them vnto his seruauntes/ euery drooue by them selues/ ãd sayde vnto them: goo forth before me and put a space betwyxte euery drooue. And he cõmaunded the formest saynge Whẽ Esau my brother meteth the ãd axeth the saynge: whose seruaũte art thou & whither goost thou/ & whose ar these that goo before y^e: thou shalt say/ they be thy seruaunte Iacobs/ & are a present sent vnto my lorde Esau/ and beholde/ he him selfe cometh after vs. And so cõmaunded he the seconde/ ãd euen so the thirde/ and lykewyse all that folowed the drooues sainge/ of this maner se that ye speake vnto Esau whẽ ye mete him/ ãd saye more ouer. Beholde thy seruaunte Iacob cometh after vs/ for he sayde. I will pease his wrath with the present y^t goth before me and afterward I will see him myself/ so peradventure he will receaue me to grace.