Genesis 33

Jacob Meets Esau

33And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, ^oEsau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants. ²And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. ³He himself went on before them, ^pbowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

^4qBut Esau ran to meet him and embraced him ^rand fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. ⁵And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, ^s“The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” ⁶Then the servants drew near, they and their children, and bowed down. ⁷Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. ⁸Esau said, “What do you mean by ^tall this company¹ that I met?” Jacob answered, ^u“To find favor in the sight of my lord.” ⁹But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” ¹⁰Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. ^vFor I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. ¹¹Please accept my ^wblessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he ^xurged him, and he took it.

¹²Then Esau said, “Let us journey on our way, and I will go ahead of² you.” ¹³But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and that the nursing flocks and herds are a care to me. If they are driven hard for one day, all the flocks will die. ¹⁴Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord ^yin Seir.”

¹⁵So Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “What need is there? ^zLet me find favor in the sight of my lord.” ¹⁶So Esau returned that day on his way to ^aSeir. ¹⁷But Jacob journeyed to ^bSuccoth, and built himself a house and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.³

¹⁸And Jacob came safely⁴ to the city of ^cShechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city. ¹⁹And from the sons of ^dHamor, Shechem’s father, ^ehe bought for a hundred pieces of money⁵ the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent. ²⁰There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.⁶