Jacob Meets Esau

33 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men;s so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants.t 2 He put the female servants and their childrenu in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Josephv in the rear. 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the groundw seven timesx as he approached his brother.

4 But Esauy ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.z And they wept.a 5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. “Who are these with you?” he asked.

Jacob answered, “They are the children God has graciously given your servant.b”

6 Then the female servants and their childrenc approached and bowed down.d 7 Next, Leah and her childrene came and bowed down.f Last of all came Joseph and Rachel,g and they too bowed down.

8 Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”h

“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,”i he said.

9 But Esau said, “I already have plenty,j my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”

10 “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes,k accept this giftl from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God,m now that you have received me favorably.n 11 Please accept the presento that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to mep and I have all I need.”q And because Jacob insisted,r Esau accepted it.

12 Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you.”

13 But Jacob said to him, “My lords knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young.t If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. 14 So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the flocks and herdsu before me and the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.v”

15 Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”

“But why do that?” Jacob asked. “Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.”w

16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.x 17 Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth,y where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth.a

18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram,b z he arrived safely at the city of Shechema in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. 19 For a hundred pieces of silver,c he bought from the sons of Hamor,b the father of Shechem,c the plot of groundd where he pitched his tent.e 20 There he set up an altarf and called it El Elohe Israel.d

Abraham Tested

22 Some time later God testeda Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,”b he replied.

2 Then God said, “Take your sonc, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah.d Sacrifice him there as a burnt offeringe on a mountain I will show you.f”

3 Early the next morningg Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.h”

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac,i and he himself carried the fire and the knife.j As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lambk for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will providel the lambm for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about,n Abraham built an altaro there and arranged the woodp on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar,q on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knifer to slay his son.s 11 But the angel of the Lordt called out to him from heaven,u “Abraham! Abraham!”v

“Here I am,”w he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God,x because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.y”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a rama caught by its horns.z He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.a 14 So Abraham calledb that place The Lordc Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.d”

15 The angel of the Lorde called to Abraham from heavenf a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself,g declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,h 17 I will surely bless youi and make your descendantsj as numerous as the stars in the skyk and as the sand on the seashore.l Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,m 18 and through your offspringb all nations on earth will be blessed,c n because you have obeyed me.”o

19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba.p And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Nahor’s Sons

20 Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor:q 21 Uzr the firstborn, Buzs his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.t” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.u Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.v 24 His concubine,w whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.

The Death of Sarah

23 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arbax (that is, Hebron)y in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.z

3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites.a a He said, 4 “I am a foreigner and strangerb among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.c”

5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty princed among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohare on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah,f which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”

10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittitesg who had come to the gateh of his city. 11 “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I giveb i you the field, and I givec you the cave that is in it. I gived it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekelse of silver,j but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver,k according to the weight current among the merchants.l

17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelahm …