Jacob Meets Esau and Settles at Shechem

¹ And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, Esau was coming and four hundred men were with him. And he¹ divided the children among Leah and among Rachel, and among the two of his female servants.

1. That is, Jacob

² And he put the female slaves and their children first, then Leah and her children next, then Rachel with Joseph last.

³ And he himself passed on before them and bowed down to the ground seven times until he came to his brother.

⁴ But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

⁵ Then Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children and said, “Who are these with you?” And he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”

⁶ Then the female servants drew near, they and their children, and they bowed down.

⁷ Then Leah and her children drew near and bowed down, and afterward Joseph and Rachel drew near and they bowed down.

⁸ And he¹ said, “⌞What do you mean by⌟² all this company that I have met?” Then he said, “To find favor in the eyes of my lord.”

1. That is, Esau
2. Literally “What to you?”

⁹ Then Esau said, “⌞I have enough⌟¹ my brother; ⌞keep what you have⌟.”²

1. Literally “There is to me abundance”
2. Literally “let what is to you be to you”

¹⁰ And Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, you must take my gift from my hand, for then I have seen your face which is like seeing the face of God, and you have received me.

¹¹ Please take my gift which has been brought to you, for God has dealt graciously with me, and because ⌞I have enough⌟.”¹ And he urged him, so he took it.

1. Literally “There is to me abundance”

¹² Then he¹ said, “Let us journey and go on, and I will go ahead of you.”

1. That is, Esau

¹³ But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and the flocks and the cattle which are nursing are a concern to me. Now if they drove them hard for a day all the flocks would die.

¹⁴ Let my lord pass on before his servant and I will move along slowly at the pace¹ of the livestock that are ahead of me, and at the pace² of the children until I come to my lord in Seir.”

1. Or “foot”
2. Or “foot”

¹⁵ And Esau said, “Let me leave some of my people with you.” But he said, “⌞What need is there⌟?¹ Let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.”

1. Literally “What is this?”

¹⁶ So Esau turned that day on his way to Seir.

¹⁷ But Jacob traveled on to Succoth, and he built for himself a house, and he made shelters for his livestock. Therefore he called the name of the place Succoth.

¹⁸ And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan, ⌞on his way⌟¹ from Paddan-Aram. And he camped before the city.

1. Literally “at his coming”

¹⁹ And he bought a piece of land where he pitched his tent for one hundred pieces of money¹ from the hand of the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem.

1. Hebrew kesitah

²⁰ And there he erected an altar and called it “El Elohe Israel.”¹

1. That is, “El the God of Israel”