Genesis 33
Young's Literal Translation
33 And Jacob lifteth up his eyes, and looketh, and lo, Esau is coming, and with him four hundred men; and he divideth the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two maid-servants;
2 and he setteth the maid-servants and their children first, and Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last.
3 And he himself passed over before them, and boweth himself to the earth seven times, until his drawing nigh unto his brother,
4 and Esau runneth to meet him, and embraceth him, and falleth on his neck, and kisseth him, and they weep;
5 and he lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the women and the children, and saith, `What [are] these to thee?' And he saith, `The children with whom God hath favoured thy servant.'
6 And the maid-servants draw nigh, they and their children, and bow themselves;
7 and Leah also draweth nigh, and her children, and they bow themselves; and afterwards Joseph hath drawn nigh with Rachel, and they bow themselves.
8 And he saith, `What to thee [is] all this camp which I have met?' and he saith, `To find grace in the eyes of my lord.'
9 And Esau saith, `I have abundance, my brother, let it be to thyself that which thou hast.'
10 And Jacob saith, `Nay, I pray thee, if, I pray thee, I have found grace in thine eyes, then thou hast received my present from my hand, because that I have seen thy face, as the seeing of the face of God, and thou art pleased with me;
11 receive, I pray thee, my blessing, which is brought to thee, because God hath favoured me, and because I have all [things];' and he presseth on him, and he receiveth,
12 and saith, `Let us journey and go on, and I go on before thee.'
13 And he saith unto him, `My lord knoweth that the children [are] tender, and the suckling flock and the herd [are] with me; when they have beaten them one day, then hath all the flock died.
14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant, and I -- I lead on gently, according to the foot of the work which [is] before me, and to the foot of the children, until that I come unto my lord, to Seir.'
15 And Esau saith, `Let me, I pray thee, place with thee some of the people who [are] with me;' and he said, `Why [is] this? I find grace in the eyes of my lord.'
16 And turn back on that day doth Esau on his way to Seir;
17 and Jacob hath journeyed to Succoth, and buildeth to himself a house, and for his cattle hath made booths, therefore hath he called the name of the place Succoth.
18 And Jacob cometh in to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which [is] in the land of Canaan, in his coming from Padan-Aram, and encampeth before the city,
19 and he buyeth the portion of the field where he hath stretched out his tent, from the hand of the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred kesitah;
20 and he setteth up there an altar, and proclaimeth at it God -- the God of Israel.
Genesis 33
English Standard Version
Jacob Meets Esau
33 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, (A)Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants. 2 And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. 3 He himself went on before them, (B)bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 (C)But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him (D)and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5 And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, (E)“The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the servants 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 (F)all this company[a] that I met?” Jacob answered, (G)“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, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. (H)For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. 11 Please accept my (I)blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he (J)urged him, and he took it.
12 Then Esau said, “Let us journey on our way, and I will go ahead of[b] you.” 13 But 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. 14 Let 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 (K)in Seir.”
15 So Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “What need is there? (L)Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16 So Esau returned that day on his way to (M)Seir. 17 But Jacob journeyed to (N)Succoth, and built himself a house and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.[c]
18 And Jacob came safely[d] to the city of (O)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 (P)Hamor, Shechem's father, (Q)he bought for a hundred pieces of money[e] the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent. 20 There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.[f]
Footnotes
- Genesis 33:8 Hebrew camp
- Genesis 33:12 Or along with
- Genesis 33:17 Succoth means booths
- Genesis 33:18 Or peacefully
- Genesis 33:19 Hebrew a hundred qesitah; a unit of money of uncertain value
- Genesis 33:20 El-Elohe-Israel means God, the God of Israel
Genesis 33
Wycliffe Bible
33 Forsooth Jacob raised up his eyes, and saw Esau coming, and four hundred men with him; and he parted the sons of Leah, and of Rachel, and of both the servantesses (and he divided the children between Leah, and Rachel, and the two slave-girls).
2 And he put ever either handmaid, and the free children of them, in the beginning (And he put the slave-girls, and their children, at the front); soothly he put Leah, and her sons, in the second place; forsooth he put Rachel and Joseph (at) the last.
3 And Jacob went before (them), and worshipped lowly to the earth seven times (and bowed low to the ground seven times), till his brother nighed.
4 And so Esau ran against his brother (And Esau ran to meet his brother), and embraced him, and Esau held his neck, and kissed him, and (they) wept (together).
5 And when Esau’s eyes were raised up, he saw the women, and the little children of them, and said, What will these (mean) to themselves? and whether they pertain to thee? (And when Esau raised up his eyes, he saw the women, and their little children, and he said, Who be these? do they pertain to thee?) Jacob answered, They be the little children, which God hath given to me, thy servant.
6 And the handmaids and their sons nighed, and were bowed. (And the slave-girls and their sons came near, and they bowed.)
7 Also Leah nighed with her free children; and when they had worshipped in like manner, Joseph and Rachel last worshipped. (And Leah came near with her children; and when they had bowed before him in like manner, then lastly Joseph and Rachel bowed before him.)
8 And Esau said, What be these companies, which I met? And Jacob answered, (So) That I should find grace before my lord.
9 And he said, My brother, I have full many things, thy things be to thee.
10 And Jacob said, I beseech thee, do not thou (say) so, but if I have found grace in thine eyes, take thou a little gift of mine hands; for I saw so thy face as (though) I had seen the cheer of God; be thou merciful to me, (And Jacob said, I beseech thee, do not thou say that, but if I have found grace in thine eyes, take thou a little gift from my hands; for I see thy face as if I see the face of God; be thou merciful to me,)
11 and receive the blessing which I have brought to thee, and which blessing God giving all things gave to me. Scarcely (desiring it), while the brother compelled (him), he received (it), (and receive the blessing which I have brought to thee, which blessing God, who giveth all things, hath given to me. Scarcely desiring it, but because his brother compelled him, Esau at last accepted the gifts,)
12 and said, Go we together, and I shall be (a) fellow of thy way. (and he said, Now let us go together, and I shall give thee fellowship on the way.)
13 And Jacob said, My lord, thou knowest that I have little children tender, and sheep, and kine with calves with me, and if I shall make them for to travail more in going, all the flocks shall die in one day; (But Jacob said, My lord, thou knowest that I have tender little children with me, and sheep, and cows with their calves, and if I make them go any further this day, all the flocks shall die;)
14 my lord go (on) before his servant, and I shall follow little and little his steps (and I shall follow his steps little and little), as I see that my little children be able (to go), till I come to my lord, into Seir.
15 Esau answered, I pray thee, that (some) of the people which is with me, dwell they namely fellows of thy way. Jacob said, It is no need; I have need to this one thing only, that I find grace in thy sight, my lord. (Esau answered, Then I pray thee, let some of the people who be with me give thee fellowship on the way. But Jacob said, There is no need; yea, I only have need of this one thing, that I find grace in thine eyes, my lord.)
16 And so Esau turned again in that day in the way by which he came, into Seir. (And so Esau returned that day by the way by which he came, back toward Seir.)
17 And Jacob came into Succoth, where when he had builded an house, and had set tents, he called the name of that place Succoth, that is, tabernacles. (But Jacob went to Succoth, where when he had built a house, and some shelters for his beasts, he called that place Succoth, or Shelters.)
18 And Jacob passed into Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, after that he turned again from Mesopotamia of Syria, and he dwelled beside the city. (And then Jacob passed safely into the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, after that he had returned from Paddan-aram, and he lived there in a field beside the city.)
19 And he bought for an hundred lambs a part of the field, in which he set tabernacles, of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. (And he bought part of that field from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred lambs, or for a hundred pieces of money, and he pitched his tents there.)
20 And when he had raised an altar there, he inwardly called on it the full strong God of Israel. (And when he had raised up an altar there, he called it Elelohe-Israel.)
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Copyright © 2011 by Global Bible Initiative
2001 by Terence P. Noble