1Forsooth 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.

2And he put ever either handmaid, and the free children of them, in the beginning; soothly he put Leah, and her sons, in the second place; forsooth he put Rachel and Joseph the last.

3And Jacob went before, and worshipped or honoured lowly to the earth seven times, till his brother nighed.

4And so Esau ran against his brother, and embraced him, and Esau held his neck, and kissed him, and wept.

5And 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? Jacob answered, They be the little children, which God hath given to me, thy servant.

6And the handmaids and their sons nighed, and were bowed.

7Also Leah nighed with her free children; and when they had worshipped in like manner, Joseph and Rachel last worshipped.

8And Esau said, What be these companies, which I met? And Jacob answered, That I should find grace before my lord.

9And he said, My brother, I have full many things, thy things be to thee.

10And Jacob said, I beseech thee, do not thou 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 if I had seen the cheer of God; be thou merciful to me,

11and 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, he received,

12and said, Go we together, and I shall be a fellow of thy way.

13And 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;

14my lord go before his servant, and I shall pursue [or follow] little and little his steps, as I see that my little children be able, till I come to my lord, into Seir.

15Esau answered, I pray thee, that 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.

16And so Esau turned again in that day in the way by which he came, into Seir.

17And 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, taber-nacles.

18And 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.

19And 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.

20And when he had raised an altar there, he inwardly called on it the full strong God of Israel.

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Genesis 33

1¶ And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, Esau came and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah and unto Rachel and unto the two handmaids.

2And he put the handmaids and their children in front, and Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.

3And he passed over in front of them and bowed himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother.

4And Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

5¶ And he lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children whom God hath graciously given thy slave.

6Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.

7And Leah also with her children came near and bowed themselves; and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they also bowed themselves.

8And he said, What meanest thou by all these droves which I met? And he said, To find grace in the sight of my lord.

9And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep what thou hast unto thyself.

10And Jacob said, No, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present from my hand, that for this I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God; and do me the pleasure.

11Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee because God has dealt graciously with me, and all that is here is mine. And he urged him, and he took it.

12And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.

13And he said unto him, My lord knows that the children are tender, and the sheep and cows with young are with me; and if men should overdrive them, in one day all the sheep will die.

14Let my lord, I pray thee, pass before his slave; and I will lead on softly, according as the property that goes before me and the children are able to endure until I come unto my lord unto Seir.

15And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What for? Let me find grace in the sight of my lord.

16¶ So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

17And Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built himself a house and made booths for his livestock; therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

18And Jacob came safe and sound to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram, and pitched his tent before the city.

19And he bought part of the field where he had spread his tent, from the hand of the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred ewes.

20And there he erected an altar, and called it Elelohe-Israel (the Strong God of Israel).

The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International

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Genesis 33

Genesis 33