1Jacob raised his eyes and saw Esau coming towards him with four hundred men; so he divided the children between Leah and Rachel and the two slave-girls. 2He put the slave-girls with their children in front, Leah with her children next, and Rachel with Joseph last. 3He then went on ahead of them, bowing low to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. 4Esau ran to meet him and embraced him; he threw his arms round him and kissed him, and they wept. 5When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he said, 'Who are these with you?' Jacob replied, 'The children whom God has graciously given to your servant.' 6The slave-girls came near, each with her children, and they bowed low. 7Then Leah with her children came near and bowed low, and afterwards Joseph and Rachel came near and bowed low also. 8Esau said, 'What was all that company of yours that I met?' And he answered, 'It was meant to win favour with you, my lord.' 9Esau answered, 'I have more than enough. Keep what is yours, my brother.' 10But Jacob said, 'On no account: if I have won your favour, then, I pray, accept this gift from me; for, you see, I come into your presence as into that of a god, and you receive me favourably. 11Accept this gift which I bring you; for God has been gracious to me, and I have all I want.' So he urged him, and he accepted it.
12Then Esau said, 'Let us set out, and I will go at your pace.' 13But Jacob answered him, 'You must know, my lord, that the children are small; the flocks and herds are suckling their young and I am concerned for them, and if the men overdrive them for a single day, all my beasts will die. 14I beg you, my lord, to go on ahead, and I will go by easy stages at the pace of the children and of the livestock that I am driving, until I come to my lord in Seir.' 15Esau said, 'Let me detail some of my own men to escort you', but he replied, 'Why should my lord be so kind to me?' 16That day Esau turned back towards Seir, 17but Jacob set out for Succoth; and there he built himself a house and made shelters for his cattle. Therefore he named that place Succoth .
18On his journey from Paddan-aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in Canaan and pitched his tent to the east of it. 19The strip of country where he had pitched his tent he bought from the sons of Hamor father of Shechem for a hundred sheep . 20There he set up an altar and called it El-Elohey-Israel .
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