And Jacob lifting up his eyes, saw Esau coming, and with him four hundred men; and he divided the children of Lia, and of Rachel, and of the two handmaids:

Elevans autem Jacob oculos suos, vidit venientem Esau, et cum eo quadringentos viros: divisitque filios Liæ et Rachel, ambarumque famularum:

And now Jacob looked in front of him, and there was Esau coming towards him, with four hundred men at his back. So he divided up his children into families, Lia’s sons and Rachel’s and those of the two serving-women.

And he put both the handmaids and their children foremost: and Lia and her children in the second place: and Rachel and Joseph last.

et posuit utramque ancillam, et liberos earum, in principio: Liam vero, et filios ejus, in secundo loco: Rachel autem et Joseph novissimos.

He put these first, with their children, and Lia second with hers; Rachel and Joseph came last of all.

And he went forward and bowed down with his face to the ground seven times until his brother came near.

Et ipse progrediens adoravit pronus in terram septies, donec appropinquaret frater ejus.

He himself, as he came up, prostrated himself seven times before his brother reached him.

Then Esau ran to meet his brother, and embraced him: and clasping him fast about the neck, and kissing him, wept.

Currens itaque Esau obviam fratri suo, amplexatus est eum: stringensque collum ejus, et osculans flevit.

Seeing this, Esau ran to meet his brother, embraced him, clung to his neck and kissed him, in tears.

And lifting up his eyes, he saw the women and their children, and said: What mean these? And do they belong to thee? He answered: They are the children which God hath given to me thy servant.

Levatisque oculis, vidit mulieres et parvulos earum, et ait: Quid sibi volunt isti? et si ad te pertinent? Respondit: Parvuli sunt quos donavit mihi Deus servo tuo.

Then, as he looked round him and saw the women with their sons, he asked, What are these? Are they part of thy company? And he was told, They are the children God has granted to thy servant.

Then the handmaids and their children came near, and bowed themselves.

Et appropinquantes ancillæ et filii earum, incurvati sunt.

So the serving-women and their children came up first, and made their obeisance,

Lia also with her children came near, and bowed down in like manner, and last of all Joseph and Rachel bowed down.

Accessit quoque Lia cum pueris suis: et cum similiter adorassent, extremi Joseph et Rachel adoraverunt.

then Lia with her children; and when they had done the like, Joseph and Rachel made theirs last of all.

And Esau said: What are the droves that I met? He answered: That I might find favour before my lord.

Dixitque Esau: Quænam sunt istæ turmæ quas obviam habui? Respondit: Ut invenirem gratiam coram domino meo.

And when Esau asked, What of those companies I met on my way? Jacob answered, A gift, my lord, to secure me thy good will.

But he said: I have plenty, my brother, keep what is thine for thyself.

At ille ait: Habeo plurima, frater mi, sint tua tibi.

I have abundance, said he; keep what is thine.

And Jacob said: Do not so I beseech thee, but if I have found favour in thy eyes, receive a little present at my hands: for I have seen thy face, as if I should have seen the countenance of God: be gracious to me,

Dixitque Jacob: Noli ita, obsecro: sed si inveni gratiam in oculis tuis, accipe munusculum de manibus meis. Sic enim vidi faciem tuam, quasi viderim vultum Dei: esto mihi propitius,

But Jacob said, No, I entreat thee; do me the favour to accept this present of mine; to gain audience with thee is like gaining audience with God himself. Assure me of thy favour

And take the blessing, which I have brought thee, and which God hath given me, who giveth all things. He took it with much ado at his brother’s earnest pressing him,

et suscipe benedictionem quam attuli tibi, et quam donavit mihi Deus tribuens omnia. Vix fratre compellente, suscipiens,

by receiving the offering I have brought thee, God’s gift to me, who has given me all I have. So at last Esau consented, overcome by his brother’s persuasions;

And said: Let us go on together, and I will accompany thee in thy journey.

ait: Gradiamur simul, eroque socius itineris tui.

then he said, Let us travel on together, so that I can be the companion of thy journey.

And Jacob said: My lord, thou knowest that I have with me tender children, and sheep, and kine with young: which if I should cause to be overdriven, in one day all the flocks will die.

Dixitque Jacob: Nosti, domine mi, quod parvulos habeam teneros, et oves, et boves fœtas mecum: quas si plus in ambulando fecero laborare, morientur una die cuncti greges.

But Jacob answered, My lord, bethink thee that I have young children with me; that I have ewes here in lamb, and cows in calf, so that I may lose a whole herd if I overdrive them.

May it please my lord to go before his servant: and I will follow softly after him, as I shall see my children to be able, until I come to my lord in Seir.

Præcedat dominus meus ante servum suum: et ego sequar paulatim vestigia ejus, sicut videro parvulos meos posse, donec veniam ad dominum meum in Seir.

Pass on, my lord, in advance of thy servant; I will follow slowly, at whatever pace suits these children of mine, and meet thee again, my lord, in Seir.

Esau answered: I beseech thee, that some of the people at least, who are with me, may stay to accompany thee in the way. And he said: There is no necessity: I want nothing else but only to find favour, my lord, in thy sight.

Respondit Esau: Oro te, ut de populo qui mecum est, saltem socii remaneant viæ tuæ. Non est, inquit, necesse: hoc uno tantum indigeo, ut inveniam gratiam in conspectu tuo, domine mi.

Pray then, said Esau, take some of my followers to escort thee on thy journey. No need for that, answered Jacob; enough for me, my lord, that I should have thy good will.

So Esau returned, that day, the way that he came, to Seir.

Reversus est itaque illo die Esau itinere quo venerat in Seir.

So that day, Esau went back to Seir the way he had come;

And Jacob came to Socoth: where having built a house, and pitched tents, he called the name of the place Socoth, that is, Tents.

Et Jacob venit in Socoth: ubi ædificata domo et fixis tentoriis appellavit nomen loci illius Socoth, id est, Tabernacula.

Jacob went as far as Socoth, and there built himself a house, with sheds for his cattle; that is why he called the place Socoth, which means Sheds.

And he passed over to Salem, a city of the Sichemites, which is in the land of Chanaan, after he returned from Mesopotamia of Syria: and he dwelt by the town:

Transivitque in Salem urbem Sichimorum, quæ est in terra Chanaan, postquam reversus est de Mesopotamia Syriæ: et habitavit juxta oppidum.

He passed on from there to Salem, a city belonging to Sichem, thus returning to Chanaan after his journey to Mesopotamia of the Syrians. Here he dwelt near the town;

And he bought that part of the field, in which he pitched his tents, of the children of Hemor, the father of Sichem for a hundred lambs.

Emitque partem agri, in qua fixerat tabernacula, a filiis Hemor patris Sichem centum agnis.

he bought the piece of ground where he encamped from the men of Hemor’s clan, that was father to Sichem, at the price of a hundred lambs.

And raising an altar there, he invoked upon it the most mighty God of Israel.

Et erecto ibi altari, invocavit super illud fortissimum Deum Israël.

And here he built an altar, and dedicated it to the almighty God, the God of Israel.