Génesis 33

¹When Jacob looked up, he saw Esau approaching with four hundred men. So he shared out the children among Leah, Rachel and the two slave women. ²He placed the slave women with their children at the front, Leah with hers behind them, and Rachel with Joseph at the very back. ³Jacob himself went ahead of them all, and on his way toward his brother he bowed to the ground seven times. ⁴But Esau ran to meet him and hugged him; he held him close and kissed him, and they wept together. ⁵Esau looked up, and when he saw the women and children he asked, “Who are all these with you?” “They are the children God has favored your servant with,” Jacob said. ⁶Then the slave women came forward with their children and bowed low. ⁷Leah and her children came forward next and bowed, and last of all Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed. ⁸“And what were all those herds I ran into?” Esau asked. “They were meant to win my lord’s goodwill,” Jacob replied. ⁹“I have a great deal, my brother,” said Esau. “Let what is yours stay yours.” ¹⁰“Please, no,” Jacob said. “If you look on me with favor, take my gift from my hand. Looking on your face has been like looking on the face of God, so graciously have you received me. ¹¹So take, I beg you, the blessing that was brought to you. God has been good to me, and I lack nothing.” Jacob would not take no for an answer, and Esau accepted it. ¹²Esau said, “Come, let us break camp and move on. I will go alongside you.” ¹³But Jacob said to him, “As my lord can see, the children are small, and I have to look after sheep, goats and cattle that are suckling their young. If they are pushed too hard for even a single day, the whole flock will die. ¹⁴Please, my lord, go on ahead of your servant. I will follow slowly, as fast as the animals in front of me and the children can go, until I reach my lord in Seir.” ¹⁵Esau said, “At least let me leave some of the people who are with me to go with you.” “What need is there for that?” Jacob replied. “Only let me keep my lord’s goodwill.” ¹⁶That day Esau turned back and took the road to Seir. ¹⁷Jacob for his part journeyed on to Succoth. He built a house to live in there and put up booths for his herds, and so the place got the name Succoth.

¹⁸Jacob arrived safe and sound at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, on his return from Paddan-aram, and he set up camp just outside the city.^{a 19}He bought the piece of ground where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, paying a hundred pieces of silver. ²⁰He erected an altar there and gave it the name El-Elohe-Israel, “God is the God of Israel”.