Genesis 33
1 Then Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo! Esau, coming in, —and with him, four hundred men. So he divided the children—unto Leah and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids;
[Then Jacob joined the rest of his family]. [Later that day] Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and there were 400 men with him. [Jacob was worried because of that], so he separated the children. He put Leah’s children with Leah, Rachel’s children with Rachel, and the two female slaves’ children with their mothers.
2 and put the handmaids and their children first, —and Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph next;
He put the two female slaves and their children in front. He put Leah and her children next. He put Rachel and Joseph at the rear.
3 but he himself, passed over before them, and bowed himself to the earth seven times, until he had come near unto his brother.
He himself went ahead of them all, and as he continued to approach his older brother, he prostrated himself with his face on the ground seven times.
4 Then ran Esau to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, —and they wept.
But Esau ran to Jacob. He hugged him, put his arms around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek. And they both cried.
5 Then lifted he up his eyes, and beheld the women and the children, and said What are these to thee? And he said—The children wherewith God hath favoured thy servant,
Then Esau looked up and saw the women and the children. He asked, “Who are these people who are with you?” Jacob replied, “These are the wives and children that God has graciously/kindly given to me.”
6 Then came near the handmaids, they—and their children, —and bowed themselves.
Then the female slaves and their children came near and bowed in front of Esau.
7 Then came near Leah also with her children, —and they bowed themselves. And afterwards, came near Joseph with Rachel, and they bowed themselves,
Then Leah and her children came and bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came near and bowed down.
8 Then said he, What to thee is all this camp, which I have fallen in with? And he said, —To find favour in the eyes of my lord.
Esau asked, “What is the meaning of all the animals that I saw?” Jacob replied, “I am giving them to you, sir, so that you will feel good toward me.”
9 Then said Esau, I have an abundance, —my brother, be thine what thou hast!
But Esau replied, “My [younger] brother, I have enough animals! Keep for yourself the animals that you have!”
10 Then said Jacob, Nay, I pray thee, if, I pray thee, I have found favour in thine eyes, then thou wilt take my present at my hand, —For on this account, hath my seeing thy face been like seeing the face of God in that thou wast well-pleased with me.
But Jacob said, “No, please, if you feel good toward me, accept these gifts from me. You have greeted me very kindly. Seeing your smiling face assures me [that you have forgiven me]. It is like seeing the face of God!
11 Take, I pray thee my blessing which hath been brought in to thee, because God hath shewed me favour and because I have everything. So he was urgent with him and he took it.
Please accept these gifts that I have brought to you, because God has acted kindly toward me, and I still have plenty of animals!” Jacob kept on urging him to accept the animals, and finally he accepted them.
12 Then he said, Let us break up and go, and let me go on before thee.
Then Esau said, “Let’s continue traveling together, and I will show the road to you.”
13 And he said unto him, My lord, is taking note, that, the children are tender, —and the flocks and the herds are giving suck with me, —and, should I overdrive them a single day, then would all the flocks die.
Jacob [had no intention to go with Esau], but he said, “You know, sir, that the children are weak, and that I must take care of the female sheep and cows that are (sucking their mother’s milk/nursing their young). If I force them to walk fast for a long distance in just one day, the animals will all die.
14 Let my lord, I pray thee pass over before his servant, and let, me, lead on in my own easy way, at the pace of the cattle that are before me, and at the pace of the children, until that I come in unto my lord, towards Seir.
You go ahead of me. I will lead the animals slowly, but I will walk as fast as the children and animals can walk. I will catch up with you in Seir, [in the land where the descendants of Edom live].”
15 Then said Esau: Let me leave, I pray thee, along with thee, some of the people who are with me! And he said—Why so? let me find favour in the eyes of my lord!
Esau said, “Then allow me to leave with you some of the men who came with me, [to protect you].” But Jacob replied, “(Why do that?/There is no need to do that!) [RHQ] The only thing that I want is for you to act friendly toward me.”
16 So Esau returned, that day, to his journey towards Mount Seir.
So on that day Esau left to return to Seir.
17 But, Jacob, brake up towards Succoth, and built for himself a house, for his cattle, made he places of shelter, for which cause, the name of the place was called, Succoth.
But [instead of going to Seir], Jacob and his family went to [a place called] Succoth. There he built a house for himself and his family, and built shelters for his livestock. That is the reason they named the place Succoth, [which means ‘shelters’].
18 And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, —when he came in from Padan-aram, —and he encamped before the city.
[Some time later, ] Jacob and his family left Paddan-Aram [in Mesopotamia], and they traveled safely to the Canaan region. There they set up their tents in a field near Shechem city.
19 And he bought the portion of the field where he had spread out his tent, at the hand of the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, —for a hundred kesitahs.
One of the leaders of the people in that area was named Hamor. Hamor had several sons. Jacob paid the sons of Hamor 100 pieces of silver for the piece of ground on which they set up their tents.
20 And he set up there an altar, —and called it, El-elohe-Israel.
He built a stone altar there, and named it El-Elohe Israel, [which means ‘God, the God of Israel].’
