Genesis 33
33
Jacob Meets Esau
1Then Jacob looked up, and saw Esau coming with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. 2He put the maids and their children in front, Leah and her children after them, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. 3Then Jacob crossed over [the stream] ahead of them and bowed himself to the ground seven times [bowing and moving forward each time], until he approached his brother.
4But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and hugged his neck and kissed him, and they wept [for joy]. 5Esau looked up and saw the women and the children, and said, “Who are these with you?” So Jacob replied, “They are the children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6Then the maids approached with their children, and they bowed down. 7Leah also approached with her children, and they bowed down. Afterward Joseph and Rachel approached, and they bowed down. 8Esau asked, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he answered, “[These are] to find favor in the sight of my lord.” 9But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” 10Jacob replied, “No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then accept my gift [as a blessing] from my hand, for I see your face as if I had seen the face of God, and you have received me favorably. 11Please accept my blessing (gift) which has been brought to you, for God has dealt graciously with me and I have everything [that I could possibly want].” So Jacob kept urging him and Esau accepted it.
12Then Esau said, “Let us get started on our journey and I will go in front of you [to lead the way].” 13But Jacob replied, “You know, my lord, that the children are frail and need gentle care, and the nursing flocks and herds [with young] are of concern to me; for if the men should drive them hard for a single day, all the flocks will die. 14Please let my lord go on ahead of his servant, and I will move on slowly, governed by the pace of the livestock that are in front of me and according to the endurance of the children, #Jacob must have been concerned about traveling through Edom and used this excuse to avoid following Esau to Seir. Indeed, he heads in the opposite direction.until I come to my lord in Seir [in Edom].”
15Then Esau said, “Please let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But Jacob said, “#Lit Why this?What need is there [for it]? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16So Esau turned back [toward the south] that day on his way to Seir. 17But Jacob journeyed [north] to Succoth, and built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock; so the name of the place is Succoth (huts, shelters).
Jacob Settles in Shechem
18When Jacob came from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely and in peace at the city of Shechem, in the land of Canaan, and camped in front of the [walled] city. 19Then he bought the piece of land on which he had pitched his tents from #Lit the hand of the sons.the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred #Heb qesitah, an uncertain measure of weight; a rabbi once reported hearing the ma’ah, a small coin worth 1/12 of a shekel, called a qesitah.pieces of money. 20There he erected an altar and called it #I.e. God, the mighty God of Israel.El-Elohe-Israel.
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Genesis 33
33
1Jacob saw Esau in the distance, coming towards him with four hundred men. So he split up the children between Leah, Rachel and the two personal maids. 2He placed the two personal maids with their children first, then Leah and her children, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3Then Jacob went ahead of them and bowed low to the ground seven times before approaching his brother. 4Esau ran over to him and hugged him. He put his arms around his neck and kissed him. The two of them wept.
5Then Esau looked around at the women and children. “Who are these people with you?” he asked.
“They are the children God graciously gave your servant,” Jacob replied.
6The personal maids and their children came over and bowed down. 7Then Leah and her children came over and bowed down. Lastly Joseph and Rachel came over and bowed down.
8“What were all the livestock for that I met on the way?” Esau asked.
“They're a gift to you my lord so you'd treat me well,” Jacob answered.
9“I have more than enough, my brother! You keep what you have,” said Esau.
10“No, please!” Jacob insisted. “If you're happy with me, then please accept the gift I'm giving you. Now I've seen your face again it's like seeing the face of God, and you have welcomed me so kindly! 11Please take the gift I've brought to you because God has treated me so well and I have so much.” So Esau accepted it.
12“Let's get on our way,” Esau said. “I'll go ahead of you.”
13“My lord can see that the children are weak,” Jacob responded. “Also, the goats, sheep, and cattle are nursing their young, and if I push them too hard, they'll all die. 14You go on, my lord, and your servant will come along slowly, walking with the children, and I'll meet you at Seir.”
15“Fine, but let me leave some of my men with you,” said Esau.
“You're very kind, but there's no need to do that,” Jacob replied.
16So Esau started on his way back to Seir that day. 17But Jacob headed to Succoth, where he built himself a house and shelters for the livestock. That's why the place is called Succoth.#33:17. “Succoth” means “shelters” or “stalls.”
18Later Jacob continued his journey from Paddan-aram. He arrived safely at Shechem in the country of Canaan where he camped outside the town. 19He bought the plot of ground where he was camping from the sons of Hamor, the founder of Shechem, for 100 pieces of money.#33:19. “Pieces of money”: literally, “kesitah,” whose value is unknown. 20He built an altar there and called it El-Elohe-Israel.#33:20. “El-Elohe-Israel”: meaning “God is the God of Israel.”
Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com