Genesis 33
1 [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.
And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. And he divided the children to Leah, and to Rachel, and to the two handmaids.
2 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.
And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindmost.
3 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.
And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 But Esau ran to Jacob. He hugged him, put his arms around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek. And they both cried.
And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, and they wept.
5 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.”
And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children, and said, Who are these with thee? And he said, The children whom God has graciously given thy servant.
6 Then the female slaves and their children came near and bowed in front of Esau.
Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
7 Then Leah and her children came and bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came near and bowed down.
And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves. And afterward Joseph came near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
8 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.”
And he said, What do thou mean by all this company which I met? And he said, To find favor in the sight of my lord.
9 But Esau replied, “My [younger] brother, I have enough animals! Keep for yourself the animals that you have!”
And Esau said, I have enough, my brother, let that which thou have be thine.
10 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!
And Jacob said, No, I pray thee, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand, inasmuch as I have seen thy face, as any man would see the face of God, and thou were pleased with me.
11 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.
Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.
12 Then Esau said, “Let’s continue traveling together, and I will show the road to you.”
And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
13 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.
And he said to him, My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young, and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die.
14 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].”
Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir.
15 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.”
And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folks that are with me. And he said, What need is it? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.
16 So on that day Esau left to return to Seir.
So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
17 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’].
And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built for him a house, and made booths for his cattle. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
18 [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.
And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and encamped before the city.
19 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.
And he bought the parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred lambs.
20 He built a stone altar there, and named it El-Elohe Israel, [which means ‘God, the God of Israel].’
And he erected an altar there, and called it El-Elohe-Israel.
