Genesis 33
33
Jacob Meets Esau
1Then Jacob raised his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children #33:1 Or toamong Leah and Rachel, and the two slave women. 2He put the slave women and their children #33:2 Lit firstin front, and Leah and her children #33:2 Lit behindnext, and Rachel and Joseph #33:2 Lit behindlast. 3But he himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5He raised his eyes and saw the women and the children, and said, “#33:5 Or What relation are these to you?Who are these with you?” So he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6Then the slave women came forward #33:6 Lit they andwith their children, and they bowed down. 7And Leah likewise came forward with her children, and they bowed down; and afterward Joseph came forward with Rachel, and they bowed down. 8And he said, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” 9But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother; let what you have be your own.” 10Jacob said, “No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then accept my gift from my hand, #33:10 Lit for therefore I have seen your face like seeing God’s facefor I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably. 11Please accept my #33:11 Lit blessinggift which has been brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have #33:11 Lit allplenty.” So he urged him, and he accepted it.
12Then #33:12 Lit heEsau said, “Let’s journey on and go, and I will go ahead of you.” 13But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds that are nursing are #33:13 Lit upon mea matter of concern to me. And if they are driven hard just one day, all the flocks will die. 14Please let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will proceed at my leisure, at the pace of the cattle that are ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”
15Then Esau said, “Please let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “#33:15 Lit Why this?What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. 17But Jacob journeyed to #33:17 I.e., boothsSuccoth, and built for himself a house and made booths for his livestock; therefore the place is named Succoth.
Jacob Settles in Shechem
18Now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and camped before the city. 19He bought the plot of land where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred #33:19 Heb qesitahpieces of money. 20Then he erected there an altar and called it #33:20 I.e., God, the God of IsraelEl-Elohe-Israel.
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Genesis 33
33
Jacob Meets Esau
1Jacob looked and saw Esau coming with 400 men. Jacob divided his family into four groups. Leah and her children were in one group, Rachel and Joseph were in one group, and the two maids and their children were in two groups. 2Jacob put the maids with their children first. Then he put Leah and her children behind them, and he put Rachel and Joseph in the last place.
3Jacob himself went out before them. While he was walking toward his brother Esau, he bowed down to the ground seven times.
4When Esau saw Jacob, he ran to meet him. He put his arms around Jacob, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both cried. 5Esau looked up and saw the women and children. He said, “Who are all these people with you?”
Jacob answered, “These are the children that God gave me. God has been good to me.”
6Then the two maids and the children with them went to Esau. They bowed down before him. 7Then Leah and the children with her went to Esau and bowed down. And then Rachel and Joseph went to him and bowed down.
8Esau said, “Who were all those people I saw while I was coming here? And what were all those animals for?”
Jacob answered, “These are my gifts to you so that you might accept me.”
9But Esau said, “You don’t have to give me gifts, brother. I have enough for myself.”
10Jacob said, “No, I beg you! If you really accept me, please accept the gifts I give you. I am very happy to see your face again. It is like seeing the face of God. I am very happy to see that you accept me. 11So I beg you to also accept the gifts I give you. God has been very good to me. I have more than I need.” Because Jacob begged Esau to take the gifts, he accepted them.
12Then Esau said, “Now you can continue your journey. I will go with you.”
13But Jacob said to him, “You know that my children are weak. And I must be careful with my flocks and their young animals. If I force them to walk too far in one day, all the animals will die. 14So you go on ahead. I will follow you slowly. I will go slowly enough for the cattle and other animals to be safe and so that my children will not get too tired. I will meet you in Seir.”
15So Esau said, “Then I will leave some of my men to help you.”
But Jacob said, “That is very kind of you, but there is no need to do that.” 16So that day Esau started on his trip back to Seir. 17But Jacob went to Succoth.#33:17 Succoth A town east of the Jordan River. This name means “temporary shelters.” There he built a house for himself and small barns for his cattle. That is why the place was named Succoth.
18Jacob safely ended his trip from Paddan Aram when he came to the town of Shechem in Canaan. He made his camp in a field near the city. 19He bought the field where he camped from the family of Hamor, father of Shechem. He paid 100 pieces of silver for it. 20He built an altar there to honor God. He named the place “El,#33:20 El A Hebrew name for God. the God of Israel.”
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