Genesis 33
1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and saw, and behold! Esau his brother coming, and four hundred men with him; and Jacob divided the children to Lea and to Rachel, and the two handmaidens.
[Then Jacob joined the rest of his family]. [Later that day] Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and there were 400 men with him. [Jacob was worried because of that], so he separated the children. He put Leah’s children with Leah, Rachel’s children with Rachel, and the two female slaves’ children with their mothers.
2 And he put the two handmaidens and their children with the first, and Lea and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last.
He put the two female slaves and their children in front. He put Leah and her children next. He put Rachel and Joseph at the rear.
3 But he advanced himself before them, and did reverence to the ground seven times, until he drew near to his brother.
He himself went ahead of them all, and as he continued to approach his older brother, he prostrated himself with his face on the ground seven times.
4 And Esau ran on to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they both wept.
But Esau ran to Jacob. He hugged him, put his arms around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek. And they both cried.
5 And Esau looked up and saw the women and the children, and said, What are these to you? And he said, The children with which God has mercifully blessed your servant.
Then Esau looked up and saw the women and the children. He asked, “Who are these people who are with you?” Jacob replied, “These are the wives and children that God has graciously/kindly given to me.”
6 And the maidservants and their children drew near and did reverence.
Then the female slaves and their children came near and bowed in front of Esau.
7 And Lea and her children drew near and did reverence; and after this drew near Rachel and Joseph, and did reverence.
Then Leah and her children came and bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came near and bowed down.
8 And he said, What are these things to you, all these companies that I have met? And he said, That your servant might find grace in your sight, my lord.
Esau asked, “What is the meaning of all the animals that I saw?” Jacob replied, “I am giving them to you, sir, so that you will feel good toward me.”
9 And Esau said, I have much, my brother; keep your own.
But Esau replied, “My [younger] brother, I have enough animals! Keep for yourself the animals that you have!”
10 And Jacob said, If I have found grace in your sight, receive the gifts through my hands; therefore have I seen your face, as if any one should see the face of God, and you shall be well-pleased with me.
But Jacob said, “No, please, if you feel good toward me, accept these gifts from me. You have greeted me very kindly. Seeing your smiling face assures me [that you have forgiven me]. It is like seeing the face of God!
11 Receive my blessings, which I have brought you, because God has had mercy on me, and I have all things; and he constrained him, and he took [them].
Please accept these gifts that I have brought to you, because God has acted kindly toward me, and I still have plenty of animals!” Jacob kept on urging him to accept the animals, and finally he accepted them.
12 And he said, Let us depart, and proceed right onward.
Then Esau said, “Let’s continue traveling together, and I will show the road to you.”
13 And he said to him, My lord knows, that the children are very tender, and the flocks and the herds with me are with young; if then I shall drive them hard one day, all the cattle will die.
Jacob [had no intention to go with Esau], but he said, “You know, sir, that the children are weak, and that I must take care of the female sheep and cows that are (sucking their mother’s milk/nursing their young). If I force them to walk fast for a long distance in just one day, the animals will all die.
14 Let my lord go on before his servant, and I shall have strength on the road according to the ease of the journey before me, and according to the strength of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir.
You go ahead of me. I will lead the animals slowly, but I will walk as fast as the children and animals can walk. I will catch up with you in Seir, [in the land where the descendants of Edom live].”
15 And Esau said, I will leave with you some of the people who are with me. And he said, Why so? it is enough that I have found favour before you, [my] lord.
Esau said, “Then allow me to leave with you some of the men who came with me, [to protect you].” But Jacob replied, “(Why do that?/There is no need to do that!) [RHQ] The only thing that I want is for you to act friendly toward me.”
16 And Esau returned on that day on his journey to Seir.
So on that day Esau left to return to Seir.
17 And Jacob departs to his tents; and he made for himself there habitations, and for his cattle he made booths; therefore he called the name of that place, Booths.
But [instead of going to Seir], Jacob and his family went to [a place called] Succoth. There he built a house for himself and his family, and built shelters for his livestock. That is the reason they named the place Succoth, [which means ‘shelters’].
18 And Jacob came to Salem, a city of Secima, which is in the land of Chanaan, when he departed out of Mesopotamia of Syria, and took up a position in front of the city.
[Some time later, ] Jacob and his family left Paddan-Aram [in Mesopotamia], and they traveled safely to the Canaan region. There they set up their tents in a field near Shechem city.
19 And he bought the portion of the field, where he pitched his tent, of Emmor the father of Sychem, for a hundred lambs.
One of the leaders of the people in that area was named Hamor. Hamor had several sons. Jacob paid the sons of Hamor 100 pieces of silver for the piece of ground on which they set up their tents.
20 And he set up there an altar, and called on the God of Israel.
He built a stone altar there, and named it El-Elohe Israel, [which means ‘God, the God of Israel].’
