Genesis 33 - Introduction

1 The kindnesse of Iacob and Esau at their meeting.

17 Iacob commeth to Succoth.

18 At Salem he buyeth a field, and buildeth an Altar called Elohe Israel.

1 And Iacob lifted vp his eyes, and looked, and behold, Esau came, and with him foure hundreth men: and hee diuided the children vnto Leah, and vnto Rachel, and vnto the two handmaids.

2 And he put the handmaides, and their chidren foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Ioseph hindermost.

3 And hee passed ouer before them, and bowed himselfe to the ground seuen times, vntill hee came neere to his brother.

4 And Esau ran to meete him, and imbraced him, and fell on his necke, and kissed him, and they wept.

5 And he lift vp his eyes, and sawe the women, and the children, and said, who are those [Note: Hebrew: To thee.] with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously giuen thy seruant.

6 Then the handmaidens came neere; they and their children, and they bowed themselues.

[Iacob and Esau.]

7 And Leah also with her children came neere, and bowed themselues: and after came Ioseph neere and Rachel, and they bowed themselues.

8 And he said, [Note: Hebrew: what is all this band to thee?] What meanest thou by all this droue, which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.

9 And Esau said, I haue enough: my brother, [Note: cf2\i Hebrew: bee that to thee that is thine.] keepe that thou hast vnto thy selfe.

10 And Iacob saide, Nay, I pray thee: if now I haue found grace in thy sight, then receiue my present at my hand: for therefore I haue seene thy face, as though I had seene the face of God; and thou wast pleased with me.

11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with mee, and because I haue enough: and hee vrged him, and he tooke it.

12 And he said, Let vs take our iourney, and let vs goe, and I will goe before thee.

13 And hee said vnto him, My lord knoweth, that the children are tender, and the flockes and heards with yong are with mee: and if men should ouer-driue them one day, all the flocke will die.

14 Let my lord, I pray thee, passe ouer before his seruant, and I will leade on softly, according [Note: Hebrew: according to the foote of the worke, etc. and according to the foot of the children.] as the cattell that goeth before me, and the children be able to endure, vntill I come vnto my lord vnto Seir.

15 And Esau said, Let me now [Note: Hebrew: Set, or place.] leaue with thee some of the folke that are with me: And hee said, [Note: Hebrew: wherfore is this?] What needeth it? let me finde grace in the sight of my lord.

16 So Esau returned that day, on his way vnto Seir.

17 And Iacob iourneyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made boothes for his cattell: therefore the name of the place is called [Note: That is, boothes.] Succoth.

18 And Iacob came to Shalem, a citie of [Note: Called Acts 7:16 Sychem.] Shechem, which is the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram, and pitched his tent before the Citie.

19 And he bought a parcell of a field where hee had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of [Note: Called Acts 7:16 Emor.] Hamor Shechems father, for an hundred [Note: Or, lambes.] pieces of money.

20 And hee erected there an Altar, and called it [Note: That is, God, the God of Israel.] El-Elohe-Israel.