Four Hundred Men on the Horizon
33 1 Jacob lifted his eyes and looked — and there was Esau, coming with 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants. 2 He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. 3 Then he himself went on ahead of them, bowing to the ground seven times until he came near his brother.
4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him, and they wept. 5 When Esau lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, "Who are these with you?" Jacob said, "The children whom our Father has graciously given your servant."
6 Then the female servants drew near with their children, and they bowed down. 7 Leah also drew near with her children, and they bowed down. Last of all Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down.
8 Esau said, "What do you mean by all this company that I met?" Jacob said, "To find favor in the eyes of my lord."
9 But Esau said, "I have plenty, my brother; keep what is yours for yourself."
10 Jacob said, "No, please — if I have found favor in your eyes, accept my gift from my hand. For I have seen your face like seeing the face of our Father, and you have received me kindly. 11 Please accept the blessing I have brought you, because our Father has been gracious to me and because I have plenty." So he urged him, and he took it.
12 Then Esau said, "Let us journey on our way, and I will go ahead of you."
13 But Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are frail, and that the flocks and herds are nursing their young in my care. If they are driven hard for a single day, all the flocks will die. 14 Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, at the pace of the livestock that go before me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir."
15 So Esau said, "Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me." But Jacob said, "What need is there? Let me find favor in the eyes of my lord."
16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. 17 But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and there he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Succoth. a a v17 Succoth is Hebrew for 'shelters,' which is why Jacob named the place after the structures he built there.
18 Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped within sight of the city. 19 From the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, he bought the plot of ground where he had pitched his tent, for 100 pieces of silver. b b v19 A qesitah was an ancient unit of payment, possibly weighed silver, of uncertain modern equivalent. 20 There he set up an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel — "the Sovereign Father of Israel." c c v20 Jacob set up this altar after our Father gave him the new name Israel — claiming Jacob and his children as his own family forever.