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 female servants. And he put the
servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children,
and Rachel and Joseph last of all. He himself went on before them,
bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his
brother.
But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck
and kissed him, and they wept. And when Esau lifted up 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.” Then the servants drew near, they and their children, and
bowed down. Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed
down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down.
Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob
answered, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” But Esau said,
“I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” Jacob
said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept
my present from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like
seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. Please accept my
blessing 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.
Then Esau said, “Let us journey on our way, and I will go ahead
of you.” 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. 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 in Seir.”
So Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the people who are
with me.” But he said, “What need is there? Let me find favor in
the sight of my lord.” So Esau returned that day on his way to
Seir. But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house and
made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is
called Succoth.
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. And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, he bought
for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had
pitched his tent. There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-
Israel.
