Genesis 33

Jacob Meets Esau

1 Jacob looked upt and saw that Esau was comingt along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants.2 He put the servants and their children in front, with Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them.s3 But Jacobt himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approachedt his brother.4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept.5 When Esaut looked upt and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacobt replied, “The children whom God has graciously givent your servant.”6 The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down.t

7 Then Leah came forward with her children and they bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down.
8 Esaut then asked, “What did you intendt by sending all these herds to meet me?”t Jacobt replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.”9 But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother. Keep what belongs to you.”10 “No, please take them,” Jacob said.t “If I have found favor in your sight, acceptt my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me,t it is as if I have seen the face of God.ts

11 Please take my presentt that was brought to you, for God has been generoust to me and I have all I need.”t When Jacob urged him, he took it.t
12 Then Esaut said, “Let’s be on our way!t I will go in front of you.”13 But Jacobt said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young,t and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young.t If they are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die.

14 Let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the herds and the children,t until I come to my lord at Seir.”

15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.”t “Why do that?” Jacob replied.t “My lord has already been kind enough to me.”t
16 So that same day Esau made his way backt to Seir.

17 Butt Jacob traveled to Succoths where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was calledt Succoth.s
18 After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped neart the city.19 Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he bought itt from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money.t

20 There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.”t

Genesis 34

Dinah and the Shechemites

1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meett the young woment of the land.2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her,t and sexually assaulted her.t3 Then he became very attachedt to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her.t4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.”t

5 Whent Jacob heard that Shechemt had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silents until they came in.
6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah.t

7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news.t Theyt were offendedt and very angry because Shechemt had disgraced Israelt by sexually assaultingt Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed.t
8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter.t Please give her to him as his wife.9 Intermarry with us.ts Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves.t

10 You may livet among us, and the land will be open to you.t Live in it, travel freely in it,t and acquire property in it.”
11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’st father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of met I’ll give.t

12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive,t and I’ll givet whatever you askt of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”
13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechemt had violated their sister Dinah.14 They said to them, “We cannot givet our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgracet to us.15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must becomet like us by circumcisingt all your males.16 Then we will givet you our daughters to marry,t and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people.

17 But if you do not agree to our termst by being circumcised, then we will taket our sistert and depart.”
18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem.t19 The young man did not delay in doing what they askedt because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinaht badly. (Now he was more importantt than anyone in his father’s household.)t20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gates of their city and spoke to the men of their city,21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enought for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry.t22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demandt that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised.

23 If we do so,t won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”
24 All the men who assembled at the city gatet agreed witht Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gatet was circumcised.25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his swordt and went to the unsuspecting cityt and slaughtered every male.26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left.27 Jacob’s sons killed themt and looted the city because their sister had been violated.t28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields.t

29 They captured as plundert all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruint on me by making me a foul odort among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. It am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!”

31 But Simeon and Levi replied,t “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”

Genesis 35

The Return to Bethel

1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at oncet to Bethel and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”s2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you.t Purify yourselves and change your clothes.s

3 Let us go up at oncet to Bethel. Then I will maket an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distresst and has been with me wherever I went.”t
4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possessiont and the rings that were in their ears.s Jacob buried thems under the oakt near Shechem

5 and they started on their journey.t The surrounding cities were afraid of God,t and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
6 Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.t7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethels because there God had revealed himselft to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

8 (Deborah,s Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was namedt Oak of Weeping.)t
9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him.10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel.ts11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God.t Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants!ts12 The land I gavet to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendantst I will also give this land.”13 Then God went up from the placet where he spoke with him.14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him.t He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it.t

15 Jacob named the places where God spoke with him Bethel.t
16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away,t Rachel went into labort – and her labor was hard.17 When her labor was at its hardest,t the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.”s18 With her dying breath,t she named him Ben-Oni.s But his father called him Benjamin instead.ts19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).s

20 Jacob set up a markert over her grave; it ist the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.
21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.s

22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations withts Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.
Jacob had twelve sons:

23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.

26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre,t to Kiriath Arbat (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.t28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old.t

29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors.t He died an old man who had lived a full life.t His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.