Genesis 33
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Jacob and Esau Meet
33 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. 2 And he put the maids with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. 3 He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5 And when Esau raised his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the maids drew near, they and their children, and bowed down; 7 Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down; and last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. 8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” 9 But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” 10 Jacob said, “No, I pray you, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand; for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God, with such favor have you received me. 11 Accept, I pray you, my gift that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it.
12 Then Esau said, “Let us journey on our way, and I will go before you.” 13 But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and that the flocks and herds giving suck are a care to me; and if they are overdriven for one day, all the flocks will die. 14 Let my lord pass on before his servant, and I will lead on slowly, according to the pace of the cattle which are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Se′ir.”
15 So Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the men who are with me.” But he said, “What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Se′ir. 17 But Jacob journeyed to Succoth,[a] and built himself a house, and made booths for his cattle; therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
Jacob Reaches Shechem
18 And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram; and he camped before the city. 19 And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money[b] the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent. 20 There he erected an altar and called it El-El′ohe-Israel.[c]
Footnotes
- Genesis 33:17 That is Booths
- Genesis 33:19 Heb a hundred qesitah
- Genesis 33:20 That is God, the God of Israel
Genesis 33
1599 Geneva Bible
33 4 Esau and Jacob meet and are agreed. 11 Esau receiveth his gifts. 19 Jacob buyeth a possession, 20 And buildeth an altar.
1 And as Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men: and he [a]divided the children to Leah, and unto Rachel, and to the two maids.
2 And he put the maids, and their children foremost, and Leah, and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
3 So he went before them and [b]bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, and they wept.
5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women, and the children, and said, Who are these with thee? And he answered, They are the children whom God of his grace hath given thy servant.
6 Then came the maids near, they and their children, and [c]bowed themselves.
7 Leah also with her children came near and made obeisance: and after Joseph and Rachel drew near, and did reverence.
8 Then he said, What meanest thou by all this drove, which I met? Who answered, I have sent it, that I may find favor in the sight of my lord.
9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother: keep that thou hast to thyself.
10 But Jacob answered, Nay, I pray thee, if I have found grace now in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for [d]I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, because thou hast accepted me.
11 I pray thee take my [e]blessing, that is brought thee: for God hath had mercy on me, and therefore I have all things: for he [f]compelled him, and he took it.
12 And he said, Let us take our journey and go, and I will go before thee.
13 Then he answered him, My lord knoweth, that the children are tender, and the ewes and kine with young under mine hand: and if they should overdrive them one day, all the flock would die.
14 Let now my lord go before his servant, and I will drive softly, according to the pace of the cattle, which is before me, and as the children be able to endure, until [g]I come to my lord unto Seir.
15 Then Esau said, I will leave then some of my folk with thee. And he answered, What needeth this? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.
16 ¶ So Esau returned, and went his way that same day unto Seir.
17 And Jacob went forward toward Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore he called the name of the place [h]Succoth.
18 Afterward, Jacob came safe to Shechem a city, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from [i]Padan Aram, and pitched before the city.
19 And there he bought a parcel of ground, where he pitched his tent, at the hand of the sons of Hamor Shechem’s father, for an hundred [j]pieces of money.
20 And he set up there an altar, and called [k]it, The mighty God of Israel.
Footnotes
- Genesis 33:1 That if the one part were assailed, the other might escape.
- Genesis 33:3 By this gesture he partly did reverence to his brother, and partly prayed to God to mitigate Esau’s wrath.
- Genesis 33:6 Jacob and his family are the image of the Church under the yoke of tyrants which for fear are brought to subjection.
- Genesis 33:10 In that that his brother embraced him so lovingly, contrary to his expectation, he accepted it as a plain sign of God’s presence.
- Genesis 33:11 Or, gift.
- Genesis 33:11 By earnest entreaty.
- Genesis 33:14 He promised that which (as seemeth) his mind was not to perform.
- Genesis 33:17 Or, tent.
- Genesis 33:18 Or, Mesopotamia.
- Genesis 33:19 Or, lambs, or money so marked.
- Genesis 33:20 He calleth the sign, the thing which it signifieth, in token that God had mightily delivered him.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
