Genesis 33
33
Genesis 33
1¶ And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, Esau came and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah and unto Rachel and unto the two handmaids.
2And he put the handmaids and their children in front, and Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.
3And he passed over in front of them and bowed himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother.
4And Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.
5¶ And he lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children whom God hath graciously given thy slave.
6Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
7And Leah also with her children came near and bowed themselves; and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they also bowed themselves.
8And he said, What meanest thou by all these droves which I met? And he said, To find grace in the sight of my lord.
9And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep what thou hast unto thyself.
10And Jacob said, No, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present from my hand, that for this I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God; and do me the pleasure.
11Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee because God has dealt graciously with me, and all that is here is mine. And he urged him, and he took it.
12And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
13And he said unto him, My lord knows that the children are tender, and the sheep and cows with young are with me; and if men should overdrive them, in one day all the sheep will die.
14Let my lord, I pray thee, pass before his slave; and I will lead on softly, according as the property that goes before me and the children are able to endure until I come unto my lord unto Seir.
15And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What for? Let me find grace in the sight of my lord.
16¶ So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.
17And Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built himself a house and made booths for his livestock; therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
18And Jacob came safe and sound to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram, and pitched his tent before the city.
19And he bought part of the field where he had spread his tent, from the hand of the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred ewes.
20And there he erected an altar, and called it Elelohe-Israel (the Strong God of Israel).
The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International
Genesis 33
33
Jacob Meets Esau
1Later that day Jacob met Esau coming with his 400 men. So Jacob told his children to walk with their mothers. 2The two servant women, Zilpah and Bilhah, together with their children went first, followed by Leah and her children, then by Rachel and Joseph. 3Jacob himself walked in front of them all, bowing to the ground seven times as he came near his brother.
4But Esau ran toward Jacob and hugged and kissed him. Then the two brothers started crying.
5When Esau noticed the women and children he asked, “Whose children are these?”
Jacob answered, “These are the children the Lord has been kind enough to give to me, your servant.”
6Then the two servant women and their children came and bowed down to Esau. 7Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down; finally, Joseph and Rachel also came and bowed down.
8Esau asked Jacob, “Why did you send those herds I met along the road?”
“Master,” Jacob answered, “I sent them so you would be friendly to me.”
9“But, brother, I already have plenty,” Esau replied. “Keep them for yourself.”
10“No!” Jacob said. “Please accept them as a sign of your friendship for me. When you welcomed me and I saw your face, it was like seeing the face of God. 11Please accept these as gifts I brought to you. God has been good to me, and I have everything I need.” Jacob kept insisting until Esau agreed.
12“Let's get ready to travel,” Esau said. “I'll go along with you.”
13But Jacob answered, “Master, you know traveling is hard on children, and I have to look after the sheep and goats that are nursing their young. If my animals travel too much in one day, they will all die. 14Why don't you go on ahead and let me travel along slowly with the children, the herds, and the flocks. We can meet again in the country of Edom.”
15Esau replied, “Let me leave some of my men with you.”
“You don't have to do that,” Jacob answered. “I am happy, simply knowing that you are friendly to me.”
16So Esau left for Edom. 17But Jacob went to Succoth,#33.17 Succoth: In Hebrew “Succoth” means “shelters.” where he built a house for himself and set up shelters for his animals. That's why the place is called Succoth.
Jacob Arrives at Shechem
18After leaving northern Syria,#33.18 northern Syria: See the note at 24.10. Jacob arrived safely at Shechem in Canaan and set up camp outside the city. 19#Js 24.32; Jn 4.5. The land where he camped was owned by the descendants of Hamor, the father of Shechem. So Jacob paid them 100 pieces of silver#33.19 pieces of silver: Or “lambs” or “cattle.” for the property, 20then he set up his tents and built an altar there to honor the God of Israel.
Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
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