¹ And He crieth in mine ears -- a loud voice -- saying, `Drawn near have inspectors of the city, and each his destroying weapon in his hand.'

² And lo, six men are coming from the way of the upper gate, that is facing the north, and each his slaughter-weapon in his hand, and one man in their midst is clothed with linen, and a scribe's inkhorn at his loins, and they come in, and stand near the brazen altar.

³ And the honour of the God of Israel hath gone up from off the cherub, on which it hath been, unto the threshold of the house.

⁴ And He calleth unto the man who is clothed with linen, who hath the scribe's inkhorn at his loins, and Jehovah saith unto him, `Pass on into the midst of the city, into the midst of Jerusalem, and thou hast made a mark on the foreheads of the men who are sighing and who are groaning for all the abominations that are done in its midst.'

⁵ And to the others he said in mine ears, `Pass on into the city after him, and smite; your eye doth not pity, nor do ye spare;

⁶ aged, young man, and virgin, and infant, and women, ye do slay -- to destruction; and against any man on whom [is] the mark ye do not go nigh, and from My sanctuary ye begin.'

⁷ And they begin among the aged men who [are] before the house, and He saith unto them, `Defile the house, and fill the courts with the wounded, go forth.' And they have gone forth and have smitten in the city.

⁸ And it cometh to pass, as they are smiting, and I -- I am left -- that I fall on my face, and cry, and say, `Ah, Lord Jehovah, art Thou destroying all the remnant of Israel, in Thy pouring out Thy wrath on Jerusalem?'

⁹ And He saith unto me, `The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah [is] very very great, and the land is full of blood, and the city hath been full of perverseness, for they have said: Jehovah hath forsaken the land, and Jehovah is not seeing.

¹⁰ And I also, Mine eye doth not pity, nor do I spare; their way on their own head I have put.'

¹¹ And lo, the man clothed with linen, at whose loins [is] the inkhorn, is bringing back word, saying, `I have done as Thou hast commanded me.'

¹ Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. He divided the children between Leah, Rachel, and the two handmaids.

² He put the handmaids and their children in front, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.

³ He himself passed over in front of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

⁴ Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept.

⁵ He lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, "Who are these with you?" He said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant."

⁶ Then the handmaids came near with their children, and they bowed themselves.

⁷ Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves. After them, Joseph came near with Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

⁸ Esau said, "What do you mean by all this company which I met?" Jacob said, "To find favor in the sight of my lord."

⁹ Esau said, "I have enough, my brother; let that which you have be yours."

¹⁰ Jacob said, "Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me.

¹¹ Please take the gift that I brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough." He urged him, and he took it.

¹² Esau said, "Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before you."

¹³ Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young, and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die.

¹⁴ Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the livestock that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord to Seir."

¹⁵ Esau said, "Let me now leave with you some of the folk who are with me." He said, "Why? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord."

¹⁶ So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

¹⁷ Jacob traveled to Succoth, built himself a house, and made shelters for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

¹⁸ Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan Aram; and encamped before the city.

¹⁹ He bought the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for one hundred pieces of money.

²⁰ He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel.