Jacob Meets Esau

¹ Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. ² He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear. ³ But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

⁴ Esau, however, ran to him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.

⁵ When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?”

Jacob answered, “These are the children God has graciously given your servant.” ⁶ Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down. ⁷ Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.

⁸ “What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?” asked Esau.

“To find favor in your sight, my lord,” Jacob answered.

⁹ “I already have plenty, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what belongs to you.”

¹⁰ But Jacob insisted, “No, please! If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen^* your face, and it is like seeing^* the face of God,^* since you have received me favorably. ¹¹ Please accept my gift that was brought^* to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” So Jacob pressed him until he accepted.

¹² Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way, and I will go ahead of you.”

¹³ But Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and I must care for sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard for even a day, all the animals will die. ¹⁴ Please let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue^* on slowly, at a comfortable pace for the livestock^* and children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”

¹⁵ “Let me leave some of my people with you,” Esau said.

But Jacob replied, “Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”

¹⁶ So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir, ¹⁷ but Jacob went on to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.

Jacob Settles in Shechem

¹⁸ After Jacob had come from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely^* at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city. ¹⁹ And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.²⁰ There he set up an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.