< Genesis 33 >

1 Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. He divided the children between Leah, Rachel, and the two servants.
Then Jacob, lifting up his eyes, saw Esau coming with his four hundred men. So he made a division of the children between Leah and Rachel and the two women-servants.
2 He put the servants and their children in front, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.
He put the servants and their children in front, Leah and her children after them, and Rachel and Joseph at the back.
3 He himself passed over in front of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
And he himself, going before them, went down on his face to the earth seven times till he came near his brother.
4 Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept.
Then Esau came running up to him, and folding him in his arms, gave him a kiss: and the two of them were overcome with weeping.
5 He lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, “Who are these with you?” He said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”
Then Esau, lifting up his eyes, saw the women and the children, and said, Who are these with you? And he said, The children whom God in his mercy has given to your servant.
6 Then the servants came near with their children, and they bowed themselves.
Then the servants and their children came near, and went down on their faces.
7 Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves. After them, Joseph came near with Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
And Leah came near with her children, and then Joseph and Rachel, and they did the same.
8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” Jacob said, “To find favour in the sight of my lord.”
And he said, What were all those herds which I saw on the way? And Jacob said, They were an offering so that I might have grace in my lord's eyes.
9 Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let that which you have be yours.”
But Esau said, I have enough; keep what is yours, my brother, for yourself.
10 Jacob said, “Please, no, if I have now found favour in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me.
And Jacob said, Not so; but if I have grace in your eyes, take them as a sign of my love, for I have seen your face as one may see the face of God, and you have been pleased with me.
11 Please take the gift that I brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” He urged him, and he took it.
Take my offering then, with my blessing; for God has been very good to me and I have enough: so at his strong request, he took it.
12 Esau said, “Let’s take our journey, and let’s go, and I will go before you.”
And he said, Let us go on our journey together, and I will go in front.
13 Jacob 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.
But Jacob said, My lord may see that the children are only small, and there are young ones in my flocks and herds: one day's over-driving will be the destruction of all the flock.
14 Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the livestock that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir.”
Do you, my lord, go on before your servant; I will come on slowly, at the rate at which the cattle and the children are able to go, till I come to my lord at Seir.
15 Esau said, “Let me now leave with you some of the people who are with me.” He said, “Why? Let me find favour in the sight of my lord.”
And Esau said, Then keep some of my men with you. And he said, What need is there for that, if my lord is pleased with me?
16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
So Esau, turning back that day, went on his way to Seir.
17 Jacob travelled to Succoth, built himself a house, and made shelters for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
And Jacob went on to Succoth, where he made a house for himself and put up tents for his cattle: for this reason the place was named Succoth.
18 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.
So Jacob came safely from Paddan-aram to the town of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and put up his tents near the town.
19 He bought the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money.
And for a hundred bits of money he got from the children of Hamor, the builder of Shechem, the field in which he had put up his tents.
20 He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel.
And there he put up an altar, naming it El, the God of Israel.

< Genesis 33 >