1 And at that time Ya’aqoḇ sent messengers to his brother Ĕsaw toward the land of Sĕ’ir, and he spoke to him words of favour.
2 And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you shall say to my master, to Ĕsaw, ‘Thus said your servant Ya’aqoḇ, “Let not my master think that my father’s beraḵah with which he baraḵ me has proved beneficial to me.
3 “For I have been these twenty years with Laḇan, and he deceived me and changed my wages ten times, as it all has been already told to my master.
4 “And I served him in his house with hard labour, and Elohim afterward saw my affliction, my labour and the work of my hands, and He caused me to find favour and kindness in His sight.
5 “And I, through Elohim’s great favour and kindness, afterward acquired oxen and donkeys and cattle, and male servants and female servants.
6 “And now I am coming to my land and my home to my father and mother, who are in the land of Kena’an. And I have sent to let my master know all this in order to find favour in the sight of my master, so that he may not think that I have obtained wealth of myself, or that the beraḵah with which my father baraḵ me has benefited me.” ’ ”
7 And those messengers went to Ĕsaw, and found him on the borders of the land of Eḏom coming toward Ya’aqoḇ, and four hundred men of the children of Sĕ’ir the Ḥorite were standing with drawn swords.
8 And the messengers of Ya’aqoḇ told Ĕsaw all the words that Ya’aqoḇ had spoken to them concerning Ĕsaw.
9 And Ĕsaw answered them with pride and contempt, and said to them, “Indeed I have heard and truly it has been told to me what Ya’aqoḇ has done to Laḇan, who exalted him in his house and gave him his daughters for wives, and he brought forth sons and daughters, and abundantly increased in wealth and riches in Laḇan’s house through his means.
10 “And when he saw that his wealth was abundant and his riches great, he fled with all belonging to him, from Laḇan’s house, and he led Laḇan’s daughters away from the face of their father, as captives taken by the sword without telling him of it.
11 “And Ya’aqoḇ has not only done so to Laḇan, but he has also done so and has caught me by the heel twice, and shall I be silent?
12 “Now therefore I have this day come with my armies to meet him, and I will do to him according to the desire of my heart!”
13 And the messengers returned and came to Ya’aqoḇ and said to him, “We came to your brother, to Ĕsaw, and we told him all your words, and thus has he answered us, and see, he comes to meet you with four hundred men!
14 “Now then know and see what you shall do, and pray before Elohim to deliver you from him.”
15 And when he heard the words of his brother which he had spoken to the messengers of Ya’aqoḇ, Ya’aqoḇ was greatly afraid and he was distressed.
16 And Ya’aqoḇ prayed to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 his Elohim, and he said, “O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim of my fathers, Aḇraham and Yitsḥaq, You spoke to me when I went away from my father’s house, saying,
17 ‘I am 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim of your father Aḇraham and the Elohim of Yitsḥaq, to you do I give this land and your seed after you. And I will make your seed as the stars of the shamayim, and you shall spread forth to the four sides of the shamayim, and in you and in your seed shall all the clans of the earth be baruḵ.’
18 “And You established Your words, and gave to me riches and children and cattle, as the utmost wishes of my heart You gave to Your servant. You gave to me all that I asked from You, so that I lacked nothing.
19 “And You afterward said to me, ‘Return to your genealogy and to your birth place and I will still do well with you.’
20 “And now that I have come, and You delivered me from Laḇan, I shall fall into the hands of Ĕsaw who will slay me, even together with the mothers of my children!
21 “Now therefore, O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim, please deliver me from the hands of my brother Ĕsaw, for I am greatly afraid of him.
22 “And if there is no righteousness in me, do it for the sake of Aḇraham and my father Yitsḥaq.
23 “For I know that through kindness and favour I have acquired this wealth. Now therefore I ask You to deliver me today by Your kindness and to answer me.”
24 And Ya’aqoḇ ceased praying to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and he divided the people that were with him with the flocks and cattle into two camps, and he gave the half into the hand of Dammeseq, son of El’azar, Aḇraham’s servant, for a camp, with his children, and the other half he gave into the hand of his brother Eli’ĕynai son of El’azar, to be for a camp with his children.
25 And he commanded them, saying, “Keep yourselves at a distance with your camps, and do not come too near each other, and if Ĕsaw comes to one camp and smites it, the other camp at a distance from it will escape him.”
26 And Ya’aqoḇ stayed there that night, and during the whole night he gave his servants instructions concerning the camps and his children.
27 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 heard the prayer of Ya’aqoḇ on that day, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 then delivered Ya’aqoḇ from the hands of his brother Ĕsaw.
28 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 sent three messengers of the messengers of the shamayim, and they went before Ĕsaw and came to him.
29 And these messengers appeared to Ĕsaw and his people as two thousand men, riding on horses equipped with all kinds of weapons. And they appeared in the sight of Ĕsaw and all his men to be divided into four armies, with four chiefs to them.
30 And one army went on and they found Ĕsaw coming with four hundred men toward his brother Ya’aqoḇ. And the army ran toward Ĕsaw and his people and frightened them. And Ĕsaw fell off the horse in alarm, and all his men separated from him in that place, for they were greatly afraid.
31 And the whole of the army shouted after them when they fled from Ĕsaw, and all the men of battle answered, saying,
32 “Indeed we are the servants of Ya’aqoḇ, who is the servant of Elohim, and who then can stand against us?” And Ĕsaw said to them, “O then, my master and brother Ya’aqoḇ is your master, whom I have not seen for these twenty years! And now that I have come this day to see him, do you treat me in this manner?”
33 And the messengers answered him saying, “As 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 lives, were not Ya’aqoḇ of whom you speak your brother, we would not leave one remaining from you and your people, but only because of Ya’aqoḇ will we do nothing to them.”
34 And the army passed from Ĕsaw and his men and went away. And Ĕsaw and his men had gone from them about a mile when the second army came toward him with all kinds of weapons, and they also did to Ĕsaw and his men as the first army had done to them.
35 And when they had left it to go on, see, the third army came toward him and they were all afraid, and Ĕsaw fell off the horse. And the whole army cried out, and said, “Indeed we are the servants of Ya’aqoḇ, who is the servant of Elohim, and who can stand against us?”
36 And Ĕsaw again answered them saying, “O then, Ya’aqoḇ my master and your master is my brother, and for twenty years I have not seen his face. And hearing this day that he was coming, I went this day to meet him, and do you treat me in this manner?”
37 And they answered him, and said to him, “As 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 lives, were not Ya’aqoḇ your brother as you say, we would not leave a remnant from you and your men. But because of Ya’aqoḇ of whom you speak is your brother, we will not strive with you or your men.”
38 And the third army also passed from them. And he still continued his way with his men toward Ya’aqoḇ, when the fourth army came toward him. And they also did to he and his men as the others had done.
39 And when Ĕsaw saw the evil which the four messengers had done to he and to his men, he became greatly afraid of his brother Ya’aqoḇ, and he went to meet him in peace.
40 And Ĕsaw concealed his hatred against Ya’aqoḇ, because he was afraid for his life because of his brother Ya’aqoḇ, and because he thought that the four armies that he had encountered were Ya’aqoḇ’s servants.
41 And Ya’aqoḇ stayed that night with his servants in their camps, and he resolved with his servants to give to Ĕsaw a present from all that he had with him, and from all his property. And Ya’aqoḇ rose up in the morning, he and his men, and they chose from among the cattle a present for Ĕsaw.
42 And this is the amount of the present which Ya’aqoḇ chose from his flock to give to his brother Ĕsaw: and he selected two hundred and forty head from the flocks, and he selected from the camels and donkeys thirty each, and of the herds he chose fifty cattle.
43 And he put them all in ten droves, and he placed each kind by itself, and he delivered them into the hands of ten of his servants, each drove by itself.
44 And he commanded them, and said to them, “Keep yourselves at a distance from each other, and put a space between the droves, and when Ĕsaw and those who are with him shall meet you and ask you, saying, ‘Whose are you, and where do you go, and to whom belongs all this before you?’ You shall say to them, ‘We are the servants of Ya’aqoḇ, and we come to meet Ĕsaw in peace, and see, Ya’aqoḇ comes behind us.
45 ‘And that which is before us is a present sent from Ya’aqoḇ to his brother Ĕsaw.’
46 “And if they shall say to you, ‘Why does he delay behind you, from coming to meet his brother and to see his face?’ Then you shall say to them, ‘Indeed he comes joyfully behind us to meet his brother.’ ” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes to him, and after this I will see his I face. Maybe he will accept me.”
47 So the whole present passed on in the hands of his servants, and went before him on that day, and he lodged that night with his camps by the border of the wadi Yabboq. And he rose up in the middle of the night, and he took his wives and his female servants, and all belonging to him, and that night he passed them over the ford Yabboq.
48 And when he passed all belonging to him over the wadi, Ya’aqoḇ was left by himself, and a Man met him, and he wrestled with Him that night until the breaking of day, and the hollow of Ya’aqoḇ’s thigh was out of joint through wrestling with Him.
49 And at the break of day the Man left Ya’aqoḇ there, and He baraḵ him and went away. And Ya’aqoḇ passed the wadi at the break of day, and he limped on his thigh.
50 And the sun rose upon him when he had passed the wadi, and he came up to the place of his cattle and children.
51 And they went on till midday, and while they were going the present passed on before them.
52 And Ya’aqoḇ lifted up his eyes and looked, and see, Ĕsaw was at a distance, coming along with many men – about four hundred – and Ya’aqoḇ was greatly afraid of his brother.
53 And Ya’aqoḇ hastened and divided his children to his wives and his female servants, and his daughter Dinah he put in a chest, and gave her into the hands of his servants.
54 And he passed before his children and wives to meet his brother, and he bowed down to the ground; he even bowed down seven times until he approached his brother. And Elohim caused Ya’aqoḇ to find favour and kindness in the sight of Ĕsaw and his men, for Elohim had heard the prayer of Ya’aqoḇ.
55 And the fear of Ya’aqoḇ and his dread fell upon his brother Ĕsaw, for Ĕsaw was greatly afraid of Ya’aqoḇ for what the messengers of Elohim had done to Ĕsaw, and Ĕsaw’s wrath against Ya’aqoḇ was turned into kindness.
56 And when Ĕsaw saw Ya’aqoḇ running toward him, he also ran toward him and he embraced him, and he fell upon his neck, and they kissed and they wept.
57 And Elohim put fear and kindness toward Ya’aqoḇ into the hearts of the men that came with Ĕsaw, and they also kissed Ya’aqoḇ and embraced him.
58 And Eliphaz, son of Ĕsaw, with his four brothers, sons of Ĕsaw, also wept with Ya’aqoḇ, and they kissed him and embraced him, for the fear of Ya’aqoḇ had fallen upon them all.
59 And Ĕsaw lifted up his eyes and saw the women with their offspring, the children of Ya’aqoḇ, walking behind Ya’aqoḇ and bowing along the way to Ĕsaw.
60 And Ĕsaw said to Ya’aqoḇ, “Who are these with you, my brother? Are they your children or your servants?” and Ya’aqoḇ answered Ĕsaw and said, “They are my children which Elohim has graciously given to your servant.”
61 And while Ya’aqoḇ was speaking to Ĕsaw and his men, Ĕsaw saw the whole camp, and he said to Ya’aqoḇ, “Where did you get the whole of the company that I met last night?” And Ya’aqoḇ said, “To find favour in the sight of my master, it is that which Elohim graciously gave to your servant.”
62 And the present came before Ĕsaw, and Ya’aqoḇ pressed Ĕsaw, saying, “Please take the present that I have brought to my master.” And Ĕsaw said, “Why is this my purpose? Keep that which you have for yourself.”
63 And Ya’aqoḇ said, “It is necessary for me to give all this, since I have seen your face, that you still live in peace.”
64 And Ĕsaw refused to take the present, but Ya’aqoḇ said to him, “I ask you my master, if now I have found favour in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, for I have therefore seen your face, as though I had seen a face like a mighty one, because you were pleased with me.”
65 And Ĕsaw took the present, and Ya’aqoḇ also gave to Ĕsaw silver and gold and bdellium, for he pressed him so much that he took them.
66 And Ĕsaw divided the cattle that were in the camp, and he gave the half to the men who had come with him, for they had come on hire, and the other half he delivered into the hands of his children.
67 And the silver and gold and bdellium he gave into the hands of Eliphaz his eldest son, and Ĕsaw said to Ya’aqoḇ, “Let us remain with you, and we will go slowly along with you until you come to my place with me, that we may dwell there together.”
68 And Ya’aqoḇ answered his brother and said, “I would do as my master says to me, but my master knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds with their young who are with me, go but slowly, for if they went swiftly they would all die, for you know their burdens and their fatigue.
69 “Therefore let my master pass on before his servant, and I will go on slowly for the sake of the children and the flock, until I come to my master’s place at Sĕ’ir.”
70 And Ĕsaw said to Ya’aqoḇ, “I will place with you some of the people that are with me to take care of you on the way, and to bear your load and burden.” And he said, “What do you need my master, that I may find favour in your sight?
71 “See, I will come to you to Sĕ’ir to dwell there together as you have spoken. Go then with your people for I will follow you.”
72 And Ya’aqoḇ said this to Ĕsaw in order to remove Ĕsaw and his men from him, so that afterward Ya’aqoḇ might go to his father’s house to the land of Kena’an.
73 And Ĕsaw listened to the voice of Ya’aqoḇ, and Ĕsaw returned with the four hundred men that were with him on their way to Sĕ’ir. And Ya’aqoḇ and all belonging to him went that day as far as the boundary of the land of Kena’an in its borders, and he remained there some time.