Genesis 33

Modern

Literal

Jacob Meets Esau

¹Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants.

¹And Jacob lifted up his eyes and he saw, and behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children to Leah and to Rachel and to the two maidservants.

²He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.

²And he put the maidservants and their children first, and Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them.

³But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

³And he himself passed over before them and he bowed himself to the earth seven times, until he came near to his brother.

⁴Esau, however, ran to him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.

⁴And Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and he fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

⁵When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?”

Jacob answered, “These are the children God has graciously given your servant.”

⁵And he lifted up his eyes and he saw the women and the children and he said, “Who are these with you?” And he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”

⁶Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down.

⁶And the maidservants came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.

⁷Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.

⁷And Leah also came near, and her children, and they bowed themselves. And afterward Joseph came near, and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

⁸“What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?” asked Esau.

“To find favor in your sight, my lord,” Jacob answered.

⁸And he said, “What is all this camp to you, that I have met?” And he said, “To find favor in the eyes of my lord.”

⁹“I already have plenty, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what belongs to you.”

⁹And Esau said, “I have much, my brother. Let it be to you what is yours.”

¹⁰But Jacob insisted, “No, please! If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, since you have received me favorably.

¹⁰And Jacob said, “No, please, if now I have found favor in your eyes, then you shall take my gift from my hand, for upon thus I have seen your face which is like seeing the face of God, and you have received me favorably.

¹¹Please accept my gift^a that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” So Jacob pressed him until he accepted.

¹¹Please, take, my blessing that is brought to you, because God has been gracious to me, and because I have all.” And he urged him, and he took it.

¹²Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way, and I will go ahead of you.”

¹²And he said, “Let us journey and go on, and I will go before you.”

¹³But Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and I must care for sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard for even a day, all the animals will die.

¹³And he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender, and the flock and the cattle with me are nursing; and if they are driven hard one day, then all the flock will die.

¹⁴Please let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a comfortable pace for the livestock and children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”

¹⁴Please, let my lord go on before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the work that is before me, and according to the pace of the children, until that I come to my lord in Seir.”

¹⁵“Let me leave some of my people with you,” Esau said.

But Jacob replied, “Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”

¹⁵And Esau said, “Now let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” And he said, “Why this? Let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.”

¹⁶So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir,

¹⁶And Esau turned back that day on his way to Seir.

¹⁷but Jacob went on to Succoth,^a where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.

¹⁷And Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built for himself a house, and for his livestock he made booths. Upon thus he called the name of the place Succoth.

Jacob Settles in Shechem

¹⁸After Jacob had come from Paddan-aram,^a he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city.

¹⁸And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram. And he pitched his tent before the city.

¹⁹And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.^a

¹⁹And he bought the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred kesitah.

²⁰There he set up an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.^a

²⁰And he erected there an altar, and he called it El-Elohe-Israel.