Jacob Meets Esau

33 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men;^(A) so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants.^{(B) 2} He put the female servants and their children^(C) in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph^(D) in the rear. ³ He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground^(E) seven times^(F) as he approached his brother.

⁴ But Esau^(G) ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.^(H) And they wept.^{(I) 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.^(J)”

⁶ Then the female servants and their children^(K) approached and bowed down.^{(L) 7} Next, Leah and her children^(M) came and bowed down.^(N) Last of all came Joseph and Rachel,^(O) and they too bowed down.

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

“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,”^(Q) he said.

⁹ But Esau said, “I already have plenty,^(R) my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”

¹⁰ “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes,^(S) accept this gift^(T) from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God,^(U) now that you have received me favorably.^{(V) 11} Please accept the present^(W) that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me^(X) and I have all I need.”^(Y) And because Jacob insisted,^(Z) Esau accepted it.

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

¹³ But Jacob said to him, “My lord^(AA) knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young.^(AB) 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 herds^(AC) before me and the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.^(AD)”

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.”^(AE)

¹⁶ So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.^{(AF) 17} Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth,^(AG) 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](AH) he arrived safely at the city of Shechem^(AI) in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. ¹⁹ For a hundred pieces of silver,^[c] he bought from the sons of Hamor,^(AJ) the father of Shechem,^(AK) the plot of ground^(AL) where he pitched his tent.^{(AM) 20} There he set up an altar^(AN) and called it El Elohe Israel.^[d]

Dinah and the Shechemites

34 Now Dinah,^(AO) the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. ² When Shechem^(AP) son of Hamor^(AQ) the Hivite,^(AR) the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.^{(AS) 3} His heart was drawn to Dinah^(AT) daughter of Jacob;^(AU) he loved^(AV) the young woman and spoke tenderly^(AW) to her. ⁴ And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”^(AX)

⁵ When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled,^(AY) his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.

⁶ Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.^{(AZ) 7} Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked^(BA) and furious,^(BB) because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in^[e] Israel^(BC) by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.^(BD)

⁸ But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.^{(BE) 9} Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.^{(BF) 10} You can settle among us;^(BG) the land is open to you.^(BH) Live in it, trade^[f] in it,^(BI) and acquire property in it.^(BJ)”

¹¹ Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes,^(BK) and I will give you whatever you ask. ¹² Make the price for the bride^(BL) and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”

¹³ Because their sister Dinah had been defiled,^(BM) Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully^(BN) as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. ¹⁴ They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised.^(BO) That would be a disgrace to us. ¹⁵ We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition^(BP) only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.^{(BQ) 16} Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves.^(BR) We’ll settle among you and become one people with you.^{(BS) 17} But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”

¹⁸ Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. ¹⁹ The young man, who was the most honored^(BT) of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.^{(BU) 20} So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city^(BV) to speak to the men of their city. ²¹ “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it;^(BW) the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.^{(BX) 22} But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised,^(BY) as they themselves are. ²³ Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours?^(BZ) So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.^(CA)”

²⁴ All the men who went out of the city gate^(CB) agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.

²⁵ Three days later, while all of them were still in pain,^(CC) two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon^(CD) and Levi,^(CE) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords^(CF) and attacked the unsuspecting city,^(CG) killing every male.^{(CH) 26} They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword^(CI) and took Dinah^(CJ) from Shechem’s house and left. ²⁷ The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city^(CK) where^[g] their sister had been defiled.^{(CL) 28} They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys^(CM) and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields.^{(CN) 29} They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children,^(CO) taking as plunder^(CP) everything in the houses.^(CQ)

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble^(CR) on me by making me obnoxious^(CS) to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.^(CT) We are few in number,^(CU) and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”

³¹ But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?^(CV)”