Jacob Meets Esau
33 Then Jacob raised his eyes and looked, and behold, (A)Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children [a]among Leah and Rachel, and the two slave women. 2 He put the slave women and their children [b]in front, and Leah and her children [c]next, and Rachel and Joseph [d]last. 3 But he himself passed on ahead of them and (B)bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and (C)fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5 He raised his eyes and saw the women and the children, and said, “[e]Who are these with you?” So he said, “(D)The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the slave women came forward [f]with their children, and they bowed down. 7 And Leah likewise came forward with her children, and they bowed down; and afterward Joseph came forward with Rachel, and they bowed down. 8 And he said, “What do you mean by (E)all this company which I have met?” And he said, “(F)To find favor in the sight of my lord.” 9 But Esau said, “(G)I have plenty, my brother; let what you have be your own.” 10 Jacob said, “No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then accept my gift from my hand, [g]for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably. 11 Please accept my [h](H)gift which has been brought to you, (I)because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have [i]plenty.” So he urged him, and he accepted it.
12 Then [j]Esau said, “Let’s journey on and go, and I will go ahead of you.” 13 But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds that are nursing are [k]a matter of concern to me. And if they are driven hard just one day, all the flocks will die. 14 Please 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 (J)Seir.”
15 Then Esau said, “Please let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “[l]What need is there? (K)Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. 17 But Jacob journeyed to [m](L)Succoth, and built for himself a house and made booths for his livestock; therefore the place is named Succoth.
Jacob Settles in Shechem
18 Now Jacob came safely to the city of (M)Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from (N)Paddan-aram, and camped before the city. 19 (O)He 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 [n]pieces of money. 20 Then he erected there an altar and called it [o]El-Elohe-Israel.
Footnotes
- Genesis 33:1 Or to
- Genesis 33:2 Lit first
- Genesis 33:2 Lit behind
- Genesis 33:2 Lit behind
- Genesis 33:5 Or What relation are these to you?
- Genesis 33:6 Lit they and
- Genesis 33:10 Lit for therefore I have seen your face like seeing God’s face
- Genesis 33:11 Lit blessing
- Genesis 33:11 Lit all
- Genesis 33:12 Lit he
- Genesis 33:13 Lit upon me
- Genesis 33:15 Lit Why this?
- Genesis 33:17 I.e., booths
- Genesis 33:19 Heb qesitah
- Genesis 33:20 I.e., God, the God of Israel
Cross references
- Genesis 33:1 : Gen 32:6
- Genesis 33:3 : Gen 42:6; 43:26
- Genesis 33:4 : Gen 45:14, 15
- Genesis 33:5 : Gen 48:9; Ps 127:3; Is 8:18
- Genesis 33:8 : Gen 32:13-16
- Genesis 33:8 : Gen 32:5
- Genesis 33:9 : Gen 27:39, 40
- Genesis 33:11 : 1 Sam 25:27
- Genesis 33:11 : Gen 30:43
- Genesis 33:14 : Gen 32:3
- Genesis 33:15 : Ruth 2:13
- Genesis 33:17 : Josh 13:27; Judg 8:5, 14; Ps 60:6
- Genesis 33:18 : Gen 12:6; Josh 24:1; Judg 9:1
- Genesis 33:18 : Gen 25:20; 28:2
- Genesis 33:19 : Josh 24:32; John 4:5