Genesis 33
33
Jacob Meets Esau
1Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female slaves. 2He put the female slaves and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3He himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground # Gn 18:2; 42:6; 43:26 seven times until he approached his brother.
4But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept. # Gn 45:14 5When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you? ”
He answered, “The children God has graciously given your servant.” # Gn 48:9; Ps 127:3; Is 8:18 6Then the female slaves and their children approached him and bowed down. 7Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.
8So Esau said, “What do you mean by this whole procession # Lit camp I met? ” # Gn 32:13-16
“To find favor with you, my lord,” # Gn 32:5 he answered.
9“I have enough, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what you have.”
10But Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face, since you have accepted me. 11Please take my present that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have everything I need.” So Jacob urged him until he accepted.
12Then Esau said, “Let’s move on, and I’ll go ahead of you.”
13Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and I have nursing sheep and cattle. If they are driven hard for one day, the whole herd will die. 14Let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a pace suited to the livestock and the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”
15Esau said, “Let me leave some of my people with you.”
But he replied, “Why do that? Please indulge me, # Lit May I find favor in your eyes my lord.” # Gn 34:11; 47:25; Ru 2:13
16That day Esau started on his way back to Seir, 17but Jacob went on to Succoth. He built a house for himself and stalls for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth. # = Stalls or Huts # Jos 13:27; Jdg 8:5; Ps 60:6
18After Jacob came from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely # Gn 28:21 at Shechem # Jos 24:1; Jdg 9:1; Ps 60:6; Ac 7:16 in the land of Canaan and camped in front of the city. 19He purchased a section of the field where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for 100 qesitahs. # The value of this currency is unknown. # Jos 24:32; Jn 4:5 20And he set up an altar there and called it “God, the God of Israel.” # Or El-Elohe-Israel
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Genesis 33
33
Jacob and Esau Reconciled
1And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Le´ah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. 2And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Le´ah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3And he passed over before 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. 5And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children, and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant. 6Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. 7And Le´ah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves. 8And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. 9And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. 10And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. 11Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. 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 knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me; and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. 14Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant; and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Se´ir.
15And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord. 16So Esau returned that day on his way unto Se´ir. 17And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.#33.17 That is, Booths.
18And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Pa´dan–a´ram; and pitched his tent before the city. 19#Josh 24.32; John 4.5. And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money. 20And he erected there an altar, and called it El–El´ohe–Israel.#33.20 That is, God the God of Israel.
King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.