When Jacob looked up, he saw Esau approaching with four hundred men. So he quickly divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. He lined up the maidservants and their children in front, then Leah and her children, then Rachel and Joseph last of all. Then Jacob went ahead of them to face Esau. As he approached his brother, he bowed down to the ground seven times before reaching him.
But Esau ran to Jacob and hugged him! He threw his arms around Jacob’s neck, he kissed him, and they wept in each other’s arms. When Esau looked up and saw the women and the children, he said to Jacob, “Who are all these coming behind you?”
Jacob replied, “These are the children, your niece and nephews, whom God has so graciously given your servant.” Then the maidservants came forward with their children and bowed low before Esau. Leah likewise came forward with her children and bowed down. Finally, Rachel and Joseph came forward and they bowed down to the ground before Esau.
Esau asked Jacob, “Why did you send all these animals to me?”
“I was hoping to find favor with you, my lord,” Jacob replied.
“But my brother,” Esau laughed, “I have plenty. Keep what you have for yourself.”
Jacob replied, “No, please. If I have found favor in your eyes, please take the gifts. For truly, seeing your face after all these years, it’s like looking upon the face of God! Since you have received me so warmly, please accept the blessing I have brought to you, for God has poured his grace over me, and I have everything I want!” So with these words Jacob urged him, and Esau accepted the gifts.
Then Esau said, “Let’s start out on our journey, and I’ll walk alongside you.”
But Jacob replied, “My lord, you can see how tired the children are, and all our flocks and herds are nursing their young. If we drive them too hard for even a day, they will die. Please, my lord, go ahead of your servant. Let me move along slowly with my flocks and herds, to give them a chance to graze. I must think of my children, too, so go ahead of me, my lord, until I catch up with you in Seir.”
Esau said, “Well, at least let me leave you with some of my men.”
“You’re so kind,” Jacob replied, “but there’s no need to do so.”
So that very day Esau and his men left to return to Seir, but Jacob went the opposite direction to Succoth instead, and built himself a house there. He also built shelters for his livestock, and that is why Jacob named the place Succoth.
Jacob’s journey home from Paddan-Aram finally brought him safe and sound to the Canaanite city of Shechem, where he camped just outside of the city. He purchased the field where he pitched his tent from the clan of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of silver. There he set up an altar and named it To the True God, the God of Israel.
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