CHAPTER 33
1 Forsooth 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, (or and he divided the children between Leah, and Rachel, and the two slave-girls).
2 And he put ever either handmaid, and the free children of them, in the beginning, (or And he put the slave-girls, and their children, at the front); soothly he put Leah, and her sons, in the second place; forsooth he put Rachel and Joseph (at) the last.
3 And Jacob went before (them), and worshipped lowly to the earth seven times (or and bowed low to the ground seven times), till his brother nighed.
4 And so Esau ran against his brother (or And Esau ran to meet his brother), and embraced him, and Esau held his neck, and kissed him, and (they) wept (together).
5 And 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? (or And when Esau raised up his eyes, he saw the women, and their little children, and he said, Who be these? do they pertain to thee?) Jacob answered, They be the little children, which God hath given to me, thy servant.
6 And the handmaids and their sons nighed, and were bowed. (And the slave-girls and their sons came near, and they bowed.)
7 Also Leah nighed with her free children; and when they had worshipped in like manner, Joseph and Rachel last worshipped. (And Leah came near with her children; and when they had bowed before him in like manner, then lastly Joseph and Rachel bowed before him.)
8 And Esau said, What be these companies, which I met? And Jacob answered, (So) That I should find grace before my lord.
9 And he said, My brother, I have full many things, thy things be to thee.
10 And Jacob said, I beseech thee, do not thou (say) 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 (though) I had seen the cheer of God; be thou merciful to me, (And Jacob said, I beseech thee, do not thou say that, but if I have found grace in thine eyes, take thou a little gift from my hands; for I see thy face as if I see the face of God; be thou merciful to me,)
11 and 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 (him), he received (it), (and receive the blessing which I have brought to thee, which blessing God, who giveth all things, hath given to me. Scarcely desiring it, but because his brother compelled him, Esau at last accepted the gifts,)
12 and said, Go we together, and I shall be (a) fellow of thy way. (and he said, Now let us go together, and I shall give thee fellowship on the way.)
13 And 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; (But Jacob said, My lord, thou knowest that I have tender little children with me, and sheep, and cows with their calves, and if I make them go any further this day, all the flocks shall die;)
14 my lord go (on) before his servant, and I shall follow little and little his steps (or and I shall follow his steps little by little), as I see that my little children be able (to go), till I come to my lord, into Seir.
15 Esau answered, I pray thee, that (some) 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. (Esau answered, Then I pray thee, let some of the people who be with me give thee fellowship on the way. But Jacob said, There is no need; yea, I only have need of this one thing, that I find grace in thine eyes, my lord.)
16 And so Esau turned again in that day in the way by which he came, into Seir. (And so Esau returned that day by the way by which he came, back toward Seir.)
17 And 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, tabernacles. (But Jacob went to Succoth, where when he had built a house, and some shelters for his beasts, he called that place Succoth, or Shelters.)
18 And 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. (And then Jacob passed safely into the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, after that he had returned from Paddan-aram, and he lived there in a field beside the city.)
19 And 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. (And he bought part of that field from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred lambs, or for a hundred pieces of money, and he pitched his tents there.)
20 And when he had raised an altar there, he inwardly called on it the full strong God of Israel. (And when he had raised up an altar there, he called it Elelohe-Israel.)