4. He commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall tell my lord, Esau : ‘This is what your servant, Jacob , says. I have lived as a foreigner with Laban, and stayed until now.
5. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, men servants, and maid servants. I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.’”
6. The messengers returned to Jacob , saying, “We came to your brother, Esau . Not only that, but he comes to meet you, and four hundred men with him.”
7. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two companies;
8. And he said, “If Esau comes to the one company, and strikes it, then the company which is left will escape.”
9. Jacob said, “God of my father, Abraham , and God of my father, Isaac , יהוה , who said to me, ‘Return to your country, and to your relatives, and I will do you good,’
10. I am not worthy of the least of all the loving kindnesses, and of all the truth, which you have shown to your servant; for with just my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I have become two companies.
11. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau : for I fear him, lest he come and strike me, and the mothers with the children.
12. You said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your seed as the sand of the sea, which can’t be numbered because there are so many.’”
13. He lodged there that night, and took from that which he had with him, a present for Esau , his brother:
14. Two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
15. Thirty milk camels and their colts, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty she donkeys and ten foals.
16. He delivered them into the hands of his servants, every herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put a space between herd and herd.”
17. He commanded the foremost, saying, “When Esau , my brother, meets you, and asks you, saying, ‘Whose are you? Where are you going? Whose are these before you?’
18. Then you shall say, ‘They are your servant, Jacob ’s. It is a present sent to my lord, Esau . Behold, he also is behind us.’”
19. He commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the herds, saying, “This is how you shall speak to Esau , when you find him.
20. You shall say, ‘Not only that, but behold, your servant, Jacob , is behind us.’” For, he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.”
21. So the present passed over before him, and he himself lodged that night in the camp.
22. He rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford of the Jabbok.
23. He took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that which he had.
24. Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day.
25. When he saw that he didn’t prevail against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob ’s thigh was strained, as he wrestled.
26. The man said, “Let me go, for the day breaks.” Jacob said, “I won’t let you go, unless you bless me.”
27. He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “ Jacob .”
28. He said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob , but Israel ; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
29. Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” He said, “Why is it that you ask what my name is?” He blessed him there.
30. Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
31. The sun rose on him as he passed over Peniel, and he limped because of his thigh.
32. Therefore the children of Israel don’t eat the sinew of the hip, which is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob ’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.
Chapter 33
1. Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. He divided the children between Leah , Rachel , and to the two handmaids.
2. He put the handmaids and their children in front, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.
3. He himself passed over in front of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4. Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept.
5. He lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, “Who are these with you?” He said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”
6. Then the handmaids came near with their children, and they bowed themselves.
7. Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves. After them, Joseph came near with Rachel , and they bowed themselves.
8. Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” Jacob said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”
9. Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let that which you have be yours.”
10. Jacob said, “Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me.
11. Please take the gift that I brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” He urged him, and he took it.
12. Esau said, “Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before you.”
13. Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young, and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die.
14. Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir .”
15. Esau said, “Let me now leave with you some of the folk who are with me.” He said, “Why? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”
16. So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir .
17. Jacob traveled to Succoth, built himself a house, and made shelters for his cattle. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
18. Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem , which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan Aram; and encamped before the city.
19. He bought the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor , Shechem 's father, for one hundred pieces of money.
20. He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel.
Chapter 34
1. Dinah , the daughter of Leah , whom she bore to Jacob , went out to see the daughters of the land.
2. Shechem , the son of Hamor , the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her, lay with her, and humbled her.
3. His soul joined to Dinah , the daughter of Jacob , and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady.
4. Shechem spoke to his father, Hamor , saying, “Get me this young lady as a wife.”
5. Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah , his daughter; and his sons were with the cattle in the field. Jacob held his peace until they came.
6. Hamor , the father of Shechem , went out to Jacob to talk with him.
7. The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had done folly in Israel in lying with Jacob ’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done.
8. Hamor talked with them, saying, “The soul of my son, Shechem , longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.
9. Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.
10. You shall dwell with us, and the land will be before you. Live and trade in it, and get possessions in it.”
11. Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you will tell me I will give.
12. Ask me a great amount for a dowry, and I will give whatever you ask of me, but give me the young lady as a wife.”
13. The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit, and spoke, because he had defiled Dinah , their sister,
14. And said to them, “We can’t do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised; for that is a reproach to us.
15. Only on this condition will we consent to you. If you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised;
16. Then will we give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
17. But if you will not listen to us, to be circumcised, then we will take our sister, and we will be gone.”
18. Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem , Hamor ’s son.
19. The young man didn’t wait to do this thing, because he had delight in Jacob ’s daughter, and he was honored above all the house of his father.
20. Hamor and Shechem , his son, came to the gate of their city, and talked with the men of their city, saying,
21. “These men are peaceful with us. Therefore let them live in the land and trade in it. For behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
22. Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
23. Won’t their livestock and their substance and all their animals be ours? Only let us give our consent to them, and they will dwell with us.”
24. All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor , and to Shechem his son; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
25. It happened on the third day, when they were sore, that two of Jacob ’s sons, Simeon and Levi , Dinah ’s brothers, each took his sword, came upon the unsuspecting city, and killed all the males.
26. They killed Hamor and Shechem , his son, with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem ’s house, and went away.
27. Jacob ’s sons came on the dead, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.
28. They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, that which was in the city, that which was in the field,
29. And all their wealth. They took captive all their little ones and their wives, and took as plunder everything that was in the house.
30. Jacob said to Simeon and Levi , “You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my house.”
31. They said, “Should he deal with our sister as with a prostitute?”
Chapter 35
1. God said to Jacob , “Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau , your brother.”
2. Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, change your garments.
3. Let us arise, and go up to Bethel. I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.”
4. They gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem .
5. They traveled, and a terror of God was on the cities that were around about them, and they didn’t pursue the sons of Jacob .
6. So Jacob came to Luz , which is in the land of Canaan (the same as Bethel), he and all the people who were with him.
7. He built an altar there, and called the place El Beth El; because there God was revealed to him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
8. Deborah , Rebekah ’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and the name of it was called Allon Bacuth.
9. God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him.
10. God said to him, “Your name is Jacob . Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel .” He named him Israel .
11. God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out from your loins.
12. The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac , I will give it to you, and to your seed after you will I give the land.”
13. God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him.
14. Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it.
15. Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him “Bethel.”
16. They traveled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed. She had hard labor.
17. It happened that when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for now you will have another son.”
18. It happened, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin .
19. Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath (the same is Bethlehem).
20. Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. The same is the Pillar of Rachel ’s grave to this day.
21. Israel traveled, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
22. It happened, while Israel lived in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah , his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
23. The sons of Leah : Reuben ( Jacob ’s firstborn), Simeon , Levi , Judah , Issachar , and Zebulun .
24. The sons of Rachel : Joseph and Benjamin .
25. The sons of Bilhah ( Rachel ’s handmaid): Dan and Naphtali .
26. The sons of Zilpah ( Leah ’s handmaid): Gad and Asher . These are the sons of Jacob , who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
27. Jacob came to Isaac , his father, to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (the same as Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac lived as foreigners.
28. The days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years.
29. Isaac gave up the spirit, and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob , his sons, buried him.
Chapter 36
1. Now this is the history of the generations of Esau (the same as Edom ).
2. Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan : Adah , the daughter of Elon , the Hittite; and Oholibamah , the daughter of Anah , the daughter of Zibeon , the Hivite;
3. And Basemath , Ishmael ’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth .
4. Adah bore to Esau ; Eliphaz . Basemath bore Reuel .
5. Oholibamah bore Jeush , Jalam , and Korah . These are the sons of Esau , who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
6. Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, with his cattle, all his animals, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan, and went into a land away from his brother, Jacob .
7. For their substance was too great for them to dwell together, and the land of their travels couldn’t bear them because of their cattle.
8. Esau lived in the hill country of Seir . Esau is Edom .
9. This is the history of the generations of Esau , the father of the Edomites, in the hill country of Seir :
10. These are the names of Esau ’s sons: Eliphaz ., the son of Adah , the wife of Esau ; and Reuel , the son of Basemath , the wife of Esau .
11. The sons of Eliphaz . were Teman , Omar , Zepho , and Gatam , and Kenaz.
12. Timna was concubine to Eliphaz ., Esau ’s son; and she bore to Eliphaz ; Amalek . These are the sons of Adah , Esau ’s wife.
13. These are the sons of Reuel : Nahath , Zerah , Shammah , and Mizzah . These were the sons of Basemath , Esau ’s wife.
14. These were the sons of Oholibamah , the daughter of Anah , the daughter of Zibeon , Esau ’s wife: she bore to Esau ; Jeush , Jalam , and Korah .
15. These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau : the sons of Eliphaz . the firstborn of Esau : chief Teman , chief Omar , chief Zepho , chief Kenaz,
16. Chief Korah , chief Gatam , chief Amalek : these are the chiefs who came of Eliphaz . in the land of Edom ; these are the sons of Adah .
17. These are the sons of Reuel , Esau ’s son: chief Nahath , chief Zerah , chief Shammah , chief Mizzah : these are the chiefs who came of Reuel in the land of Edom ; these are the sons of Basemath , Esau ’s wife.
18. These are the sons of Oholibamah , Esau ’s wife: chief Jeush , chief Jalam , chief Korah : these are the chiefs who came of Oholibamah , the daughter of Anah , Esau ’s wife.
19. These are the sons of Esau (the same as Edom ), and these are their chiefs.
20. These are the sons of Seir , the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan , Shobal , Zibeon , Anah ,
21. Dishon , Ezer , and Dishan . These are the chiefs who came of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom .
22. The children of Lotan were Hori and Heman . Lotan ’s sister was Timna .
23. These are the children of Shobal : Alvan, Manahath , Ebal , Shepho , and Onam .
24. These are the children of Zibeon : Aiah and Anah . This is Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he fed the donkeys of Zibeon his father.
25. These are the children of Anah : Dishon and Oholibamah , the daughter of Anah .
26. These are the children of Dishon : Hemdan , Eshban , Ithran , and Cheran .
27. These are the children of Ezer : Bilhan , Zaavan , and Akan .
28. These are the children of Dishan : Uz and Aran .
29. These are the chiefs who came of the Horites: chief Lotan , chief Shobal , chief Zibeon , chief Anah ,
30. Chief Dishon , chief Ezer , and chief Dishan : these are the chiefs who came of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir .
31. These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the children of Israel .
32. Bela , the son of Beor , reigned in Edom. The name of his city was Dinhabah.
33. Bela died, and Jobab , the son of Zerah of Bozrah, reigned in his place.
34. Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
35. Husham died, and Hadad , the son of Bedad , who struck Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith.
36. Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.
37. Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the river, reigned in his place.
38. Shaul died, and Baal Hanan , the son of Achbor reigned in his place.
39. Baal Hanan , the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
40. These are the names of the chiefs who came from Esau , according to their families, after their places, and by their names: chief Timna , chief Alvah, chief Jetheth,
41. Chief Oholibamah , chief Elah , chief Pinon,
42. Chief Kenaz , chief Teman , chief Mibzar,
43. Chief Magdiel, and chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession. This is Esau , the father of the Edomites.