• Torah (T): Bereshiyt (Genesis) 33:1-20
• Prophets (P): Isaiah 49:1-26
• Apostolic (A): Matthew 5:21-26
• Additional (ADD): Jubilees 29:13-20

RELATED SCRIPTURES

• 1 Kings 18:31 (T)
• Hosea 12:1-6 (T)
• 2 Kings 17:34 (T)
• Judges 13:2-22 (T)
• Genesis 32:29-31 – Hebrew Bible Translation (T)
• Genesis 33:18 LXX (T)
• John 1:14-18; John 5:37; 1 Timothy 6:16; 1 John 4:12 (T)
• Genesis 17:1-8, 15-16 (T)
• Numbers 13:16 (T)
• 2 Samuel 12:24-25 (T)
• Ezekiel 35:15 (T, H)
• Acts 8:1 (P)
• Romans 5:3 (P)
• Isaiah 49:6 (P)
• John 7:35-36 (P)
• 1 Peter 1:1 (P)

RELATED ADDITIONAL REA.D.INGS

• Reworked Pentateuch 4Q158 (T)
• Enoch 40:9; Enoch 54:6; Enoch 71:1-13 (T)
• Genesis 32:3 – 33:17 from the Jerusalem Targum aka Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (T)
• Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus 1.20.1-3 (T)

Note: (T) means the verse relates to that week’s Torah portion. (H) means the verse relates to that week’s Haftarah portion. (A) means the verse relates to that week’s Apostolic portion. (ADD) means the verse relates to that week’s Additional portion.

Torah Portion (T)

Genesis 33:1-20

Bereshiyt (Genesis) 33:1-20

33:1 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 servants. 2 He put the servants 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 Elohim has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the servants 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 camp 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 Elohim, and you were pleased with me. 11 Please take the gift that I brought to you, because Elohim has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” He urged him, and he took it. 12 Esau said, “Let's take our journey, and let's 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 cross 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 people 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 Sukkot, built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Sukkot. 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, the father of Shechem , for one hundred pieces of money. 20 He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel.

Prophets Portion (P)

Isaiah 49:1-26

49:1 Listen, islands, to me. Listen, you [nations],^(LXX) from afar: YHWH has called me from the womb; from the inside of my mother, he has mentioned my name. 2 He has made my mouth like a sharp sword. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. He has made me a polished shaft. He has kept me close in his quiver. 3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” 4 But I said, “I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength in vain for nothing; yet surely the justice due to me is with YHWH, and my reward with my Elohim.” 5 Now YHWH, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, says to bring Jacob again to him, and to gather Israel to him, for I am honorable in the eyes of YHWH, and my Elohim has become my strength. 6 Indeed, he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give you as a light to the nations, that you may be [salvation]^(LXX) to the end of the land.” (cf. Acts 13:47) 7 YHWH, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, [to the one who is despised],^(DSS) to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and rise up, princes, and they shall worship, because of YHWH who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” 8 YHWH says, “I have answered you in an acceptable time. I have helped you in a day of salvation. (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:2) I will preserve you and give you for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritage, 9 saying to those who are bound, ‘Come out!’; to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves!’ “They shall feed along the paths, and their pasture shall be on all treeless heights. 10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun strike them, for he who has mercy on them will lead them. He will guide them by springs of water. 11 I will make all [mountains]^(LXX) a road, and my highways shall be exalted. 12 Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of [Syene].”^(DSS) 13 Sing, heavens, and be joyful, land! Break out into singing, mountains! For YHWH has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted. 14 But Zion said, “YHWH has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.” 15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you! 16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are continually before me. 17 Your [builders]^(DSS)(LXX) hurry. Your destroyers and those who devastated you will leave you. 18 Lift up your eyes all around, and see: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live,” says YHWH, “you shall surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament, and dress yourself with them, like a bride. 19 “For, as for your waste and your desolate places, and your land that has been destroyed, surely now that land will be too small for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away. 20 The children of your bereavement will say in your ears, ‘This place is too small for me. Give me a place to live in.’ 21 Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children and am alone, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought these up? Behold, I was left alone. Where were these?’ ” 22 [YHWH]^(DSS)(LXX) says, “Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and lift up my banner to the peoples. They shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders. 23 Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down to you with their faces to the land, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am YHWH; and those who wait for me won’t be disappointed.” 24 Shall the plunder be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered? 25 But YHWH says, “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the plunder retrieved from the fierce, for I will contend with him who contends with you and I will save your children. 26 I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they will be drunk on their own blood, as with sweet wine. Then all flesh shall know that I, YHWH, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Apostolic Portion (A)

5:21 “You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘Do not murder’ (cf. Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17) and ‘whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment. Whoever says to his brother, ‘Reka!’ will be in danger of the council. Whoever says, ‘Naval!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehinnom. 23 “If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Additional Portion (ADD)

Between 1947 and 1956 approximately 15 Jubilees scrolls were found in five caves at Qumran, all written in Hebrew. The large number of manuscripts (more than for any biblical books except for Psalms, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Exodus, and Genesis, in descending order) indicates that Jubilees was widely used at Qumran. A comparison of the Qumran texts with the Ethiopic version, performed by James VanderKam, found that the Ethiopic was in most respects an accurate and literalistic translation. Scholars have dated Jubilees to have been written sometime around 160-150 B.C..

29:13. And he passed over the Jabbok in the ninth new moon, on the eleventh thereof. And on that day Esau, his brother, came to him, and he was reconciled to him, and departed from him unto the land of Seir, but Jacob dwelt in tents. 14. And in the first year of the fifth week in this jubilee [2136 A.M.] he crossed the Jordan, and dwelt beyond the Jordan, and he pastured his sheep from the sea †of the heap† unto Bethshan, and unto Dothan and unto the †forest† of Akrabbim. 15. And he sent to his father Isaac of all his substance, clothing, and food, and meat, and drink, and milk, and butter, and cheese, and some dates of the valley, 16. And to his mother Rebecca also four times a year, between the times of the new moons, between ploughing and reaping, and between autumn and the rain (season) and between winter and spring, to the tower of Abraham. 17. For Isaac had returned from the Well of the Oath and gone up to the tower of his father Abraham, and he dwelt there apart from his son Esau. 18. For in the days when Jacob went to Mesopotamia, Esau took to himself a wife Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, and he gathered together all the flocks of his father and his wives, and went up and dwelt on Mount Seir, and left Isaac his father at the Well of the Oath alone. 19. And Isaac went up from the Well of the Oath and dwelt in the tower of Abraham his father on the mountains of Hebron, 20. And thither Jacob sent all that he did send to his father and his mother from time to time, all they needed, and they blessed Jacob with all their heart and with all their soul.

Related Scriptures

18:31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of YHWH came, saying, “Israel will be your name.”

Hosea 12:1-6 (T)

12:1 Ephraim feeds on wind, and chases the east wind. He continually multiplies lies and desolation. They cut a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried into Egypt. 2 YHWH also has a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his deeds he will repay him. 3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he contended with Elohim. 4 Indeed, he contended with the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication to him. He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with us— 5 even YHWH, the Elohim of Armies. YHWH is his name of renown! 6 Therefore turn to your Elohim. Keep kindness and justice, and wait continually for your Elohim.

17:34 To this day they do what they did before. They don’t fear YHWH, and they do not follow the statutes, or the ordinances, or the law, or the commandment which YHWH commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel.

13:2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and childless.  3  the angel of YHWH appeared to the woman, and said to her, “See now, you are barren and childless; but you will conceive, and bear a son.  4  Now therefore please beware and drink no wine nor strong drink, and don’t eat any unclean thing:  5  for, behold, you will conceive, and give birth to a son. No razor will come on his head; for the child will be a Nazirite to Elohim from the womb. He will begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”  6  Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A man of Elohim came to me, and his face was like the face of the angel of Elohim, very awesome. I didn’t ask him where he was from, neither did he tell me his name;  7  but he said to me, ‘Behold, you will conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink. Don’t eat any unclean thing; for the child will be a Nazirite to Elohim from the womb to the day of his death.’”  8  Then Manoah entreated YHWH, and said, “Oh, Lord, please let the man of Elohim whom you sent come again to us, and teach us what we should do to the child who will be born.”  9  Elohim listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of Elohim came again to the woman as she sat in the field, but Manoah, her husband, wasn’t with her.  10  The woman hurried and ran, and told her husband, and said to him, “Behold, the man who came to me that day has appeared to me,”  11  Manoah arose, and followed his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” He said, “I am.”  12  Manoah said, “Now let your words happen. What will the child’s way of life and mission be?”  13  the angel of YHWH said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her beware.  14  She may not eat of anything that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. Let her observe all that I commanded her.”  15  Manoah said to the angel of YHWH, “Please stay with us, that we may make a young goat ready for you.”  16  the angel of YHWH said to Manoah, “Though you detain me, I won’t eat your bread. If you will prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to YHWH.” For Manoah didn’t know that he was the angel of YHWH.  17  Manoah said to the angel of YHWH, “What is your name, that when your words happen, we may honor you?”  18  the angel of YHWH said to him, “Why do you ask about my name, since it is incomprehensible?”  19  So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to YHWH. Then the angel did an amazing thing as Manoah and his wife watched.  20  For when the flame went up toward the heavens from off the altar, the angel of YHWH ascended in the flame of the altar. Manoah and his wife watched; and they fell on their faces to the ground.  21  But the angel of YHWH didn’t appear to Manoah or to his wife any more. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of YHWH.  22  Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, because we have seen Elohim.”

John 5:37 The Father himself, who sent me, has witnessed about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form.

1 Timothy 6:16 He alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen nor can see, to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.

1 John 4:12 No one has seen Elohim at any time. If we love one another, Elohim remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.

Genesis 32:29 as translated from the Jewish Bible with a Modern English Translation

32:29 And he said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, because you have commanding power with [an angel of] Elohim and with men, and you have prevailed.” 30 And Jacob asked and said, “Now tell me your name,” and he said, “Why is it that you ask for my name?” And he blessed him there. 31 And Jacob named the place Peniel, for [he said,] “I saw an angel face to face, and my soul was saved.”

33:18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he returned back from Mesopotamia Syria, and he camped before the face of the city.

Genesis 17:1-8, 15-16 (T)

17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, YHWH appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Walk before me and be perfect. 2 I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Abram fell on his face. Elohim talked with him, saying, 4 “As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 Your name will no more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be an Elohim to you and to your seed after you. 8 I will give to you, and to your seed after you, the land where you are traveling, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. I will be their Elohim…15 Elohim said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you will not call her name Sarai, but her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her.”

Numbers 13:16 (T)

13:16 These are the names of the men who Moses sent to spy out the land. Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.

2 Samuel 12:24-25 (T)

12:24 David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her, and lay with her. She bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. YHWH loved him; 25 and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah, for the sake of YHWH.

35:15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so I will do to you. You will be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it. Then they will know that I am YHWH.

8:1 Shaul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the emissaries.

5:3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance.

49:6 Indeed, he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give you as a light to the nations, that you may be my salvation to the end of the land.”

7:35 The Judeans therefore said among themselves, “Where will this man go that we won’t find him? Will he go to the Diaspora among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this word that he said, ‘You will seek me, and won’t find me;’ and ‘Where I am, you can’t come’?”

1:1 Peter, an emissary of Yeshua the Messiah, to the chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Diaspora in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

Additional Readings​

The Reworked Pentateucha (4Q158) is also known as 4QPPa. 4Q158 is grouped with 4Q364-7, and together are called the Reworked Pentateuch, consisting of five Hebrew manuscripts from Cave 4 at Qumran. It contains portions of Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy. Most lines are exactly as they appear in the Torah and some are extrabiblical. In general, 4Q158 parallels quotes from the Torah with minor additions.

… And [J]ac[ob] w[as left a]lone there. And [a man] wrestl[ed with him. When the man did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his thigh; and Jacob’s thigh was put out of joint] as he wrestled with him and he seized him. And he said to hi[m, What is your name? … And he said to him, Jacob. And he said, Your name will be Israel, for you have striven with Elohim and with] men and have prevailed. And Jacob asked [and] sai[d, Tell me, pray, what is your name. And he said, Why is it that you ask my name, and he bless]ed him there. And he said to him, ‘May the Lo[rd] make you fruitful [and multiply] you. [May he grant you kn]owledge and understanding and may he save you from all violence and … until this day and until everlasting generations. And he went on his way after he had blessed him there. And he … [And] the sun [rose] upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his thigh. … on this day. And he said, You will not e[at the sinew of the hip which is] upon the two hollows of the thigh until [this day.

The Book of Enoch (also known as 1 Enoch) was written during the second century B.C.. The older sections (mainly in the Book of the Watchers) of the text are estimated to date from about 300–200 B.C., and the latest part (Book of Parables) probably to 100 B.C.. Various Aramaic fragments found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as Koine Greek and Latin fragments, were proof that The Book of Enoch was known by early Jews and Christians.

You will note some abbreviations, brackets, and symbols specially used in the translation of 1 Enoch:

• ⌈ ⌉. The use of these brackets means that the words so enclosed are found in the Greek Version preserved In Syncellus but not in the Ethiopic Version.
• ⌈⌈ ⌉⌉. The use of these brackets means that the words so enclosed are found in E the Ethiopic Version but not in the Greek Version preserved In Syncellus or the Greek Version discovered at Akhmîm.
• 〉. The use of these brackets means that the words so enclosed are restored.
• [ ] The use of these brackets means that the words so enclosed are interpolations.
• ( ). The use of these brackets means that the words so enclosed are supplied by the editor.
• The use of thick type denotes that the words so printed are emended.
• † † corruption in the text.
• . . . = some words which have been lost.

Enoch 40:9 And he said to me: ‘This first is Michael, the merciful and long-suffering: and the second, who is set over all the diseases and all the wounds of the children of men, is Raphael: and the third, who is set over all the powers, is Gabriel: and the fourth, who is set over the repentance unto hope of those who inherit eternal life, is named Phanuel.’ And these are the four angels of the Lord of Spirits and the four voices I heard in those days.

Enoch 54:6 And Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael, and Phanuel will take hold of them on that great day, and cast them on that day into the burning furnace, that the Lord of Spirits may take vengeance on them for their unrighteousness in becoming subject to Satan and leading astray those who dwell on the land.’

Enoch 70:1 And it came to pass after this that my spirit was translated And it ascended into the heavens: And I saw the holy sons of Elohim. They were stepping on flames of fire: Their garments were white [and their raiment], And their faces shone like snow. 2. And I saw two streams of fire, And the light of that fire shone like hyacinth, And I fell on my face before the Lord of Spirits. 3. And the angel Michael [one of the archangels] seized me by my right hand, And lifted me up and led me forth into all the secrets, And he showed me all the secrets of righteousness. 4. And he showed me all the secrets of the ends of the heavens, And all the chambers of all the stars, and all the luminaries, Whence they proceed before the face of the holy ones. 5. And he translated my spirit into the heavens of the heavens, And I saw there as it were a structure built of crystals, And between those crystals tongues of living fire. 6. And my spirit saw the girdle which girt that house of fire, And on its four sides were streams full of living fire, And they girt that house. 7. And round about were Seraphin, Cherubic, and Ophannin: And these are they who sleep not And guard the throne of His glory. 8. And I saw angels who could not be counted, A thousand thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand, Encircling that house. And Michael, and Raphael, and Gabriel, and Phanuel, And the holy angels who are above the heavens, Go in and out of that house. 9. And they came forth from that house, And Michael and Gabriel, Raphael and Phanuel, And many holy angels without number. 10. And with them the Head of Days, His head white and pure as wool, And His raiment indescribable. 11. And I fell on my face, And my whole body became relaxed, And my spirit was transfigured; And I cried with a loud voice, . . .with the spirit of power, And blessed and glorified and extolled. 12. And these blessings which went forth out of my mouth were well pleasing before that Head of Days. 13. And that Head of Days came with Michael and Gabriel, Raphael and Phanuel, thousands and ten thousands of angels without number.

Genesis 33:1-20 from the Jerusalem Targum aka Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (T)

Composed in Talmudic Israel (c.150 – c.250 AD). Targum Pseudo-Jonathan is a western targum (translation) of the Torah (Pentateuch) from the land of Israel (as opposed to the eastern Babylonian Targum Onkelos). Its correct title was originally Targum Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Targum), which is how it was known in medieval times. But because of a printer’s mistake it was later labeled Targum Jonathan, in reference to Jonathan ben Uzziel. Some editions of the Pentateuch continue to call it Targum Jonathan to this day. Most scholars refer to the text as Targum Pseudo-Jonathan. This targum is more than a mere translation. It includes much Aggadic material collected from various sources as late as the Midrash Rabbah as well as earlier material from the Talmud. It is effectively a combination of a commentary and a translation. In the portions where it is pure translation, it often agrees with the Targum Onkelos. The date of its composition is disputed. It cannot have been completed before the Arabic conquest as it refers to Mohammad’s wife Fatimah, but might have been initially composed in the 4th Century AD. However, some scholars date it in the 14th Century.

Chapter 33 And Jakob lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men of war. And be divided the children unto Leah, and to Rahel, and to the two concubines, and placed the concubines and their sons foremost; for he said, If Esau come to destroy the children and abuse the women, he will do it with them, and meantime we will arise and encounter him in fight; and Leah and her children after, and Rahel and Joseph after them. And he himself went over before them, praying and asking mercy before the Lord; and he bowed upon the land seven times, until he met with his brother. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him, and they wept. Esau wept on account of the pain of his teeth which were shaken; but Jakob wept because of the pain of his neck. [JERUSALEM. And Esau ran to meet him, and hugged him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him. Esau wept for the crushing of his teeth, and Jakob wept for the tenderness of his neck.]

And he lifted up his eyes and saw the wives and the children, and said, Who are these with thee? And he said, They are the souls which have been given to me through mercy from before the Lord upon thy servant. And the concubines came near, they and their children, and bowed themselves; and Leah also approached, and her children, and bowed; and afterward Joseph came near and stood before Rahel, and hid her by his stature, and they bowed. And he said, What to thee is all this troop that I have met? And he said, It is a present I have sent to find mercy in the eyes of my lord. And Esau said, I have much substance, my brother; let what thou hast be confirmed to thee. And Jakob said, Say not so, I beseech thee. If now I have found favor in thy eyes, accept my present from my hand; because I have seen the look of thy face, and it is to me as the vision of the face of thy angel; for, lo, thou art propitious to me. Receive now the present which is brought to thee, because it hath been given me through mercy from before the Lord, and because I have much substance. And he urged upon him, and he received.

And he said, Let us journey and proceed, and I will go along with thee, till thou come to the house of thy habitation. And he said to him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and kine giving milk are with me; and if I overdrive them one day, all the flock may die. Let me beseech my lord to pass over and journey before thy servant, and I will lead oil quietly alone, according to the foot of the work which is before me, and according to the foot of the instruction of the children; until the time that I come to my lord at Gabla. [JERUSALEM. That the children are tender.]

And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the soldiers who are with me. But he said, Why this? Let me find favour before thee, my lord. And a miracle was wrought for Jakob, and that day Esau returned on his way to Gabla.

And Jakob journeyed to Sukkot, and sojourned there the twelve new moons of the year; and he builded in it a midrasha, and for his flocks he made booths; therefore he called the name of the place Sukkot…

Josephus was born Joseph ben Mattathias in 37 AD in Jerusalem of a priestly and royal family. He excelled in his studies of Jewish law and studied with the Sadducees, Pharisees, and the Essenes, eventually aligning himself with the Pharisees. In 62 AD he went to Rome to free some imprisoned priests. After accomplishing this mission through the intercession of Nero’s wife, Poppaea, he returned to Jerusalem in 65 AD to find the country in revolt against Rome. Josephus shrewdly reinterpreted the Messianic prophecies. He predicted that Vespasian would become the ruler of the ‘entire world’. His prophecy became true in 68 AD when Nero committed suicide and Vespasian became Ceasar. As a result, Josephus was freed; he moved to Rome and became a Roman citizen, taking the Vespasian family name Flavius. Vespasian commissioned Josephus to write a history of the war, which he finished in 78 AD, the Jewish War. His second major work, the Antiquities of the Jews, was completed in 93 AD. The extant manuscripts of the book Antiquities of the Jews contain two references to Yeshua of Nazareth (18.3.3. and 20.9.1.) and one reference to the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist (18.5.2.).

1.20.1. Now as Jacob was proceeding on his journey to the land of Canaan, angels appeared to him, and suggested to him good hope of his future condition; and that place he named the Camp of Elohim. And being desirous of knowing what his brother’s intentions were to him, he sent messengers, to give him an exact account of every thing, as being afraid, on account of the enmities between them. He charged those that were sent, to say to Esau, “Jacob had thought it wrong to live together with him while he was in anger against him, and so had gone out of the country; and that he now, thinking the length of time of his absence must have made up their differences, was returning; that he brought with him his wives, and his children, with what possessions he had gotten; and delivered himself, with what was most dear to him, into his hands; and should think it his greatest happiness to partake together with his brother of what Elohim had bestowed upon him.” So these messengers told him this message. Upon which Esau was very glad, and met his brother with four hundred men. And Jacob, when he heard that he was coming to meet him with such a number of men, was greatly afraid: however, he committed his hope of deliverance to Elohim; and considered how, in his present circumstances, he might preserve himself and those that were with him, and overcome his enemies if they attacked him injuriously. He therefore distributed his company into parts; some he sent before the rest, and the others he ordered to come close behind, that so, if the first were overpowered when his brother attacked them, they might have those that followed as a refuge to fly unto. And when he had put his company in this order, he sent some of them to carry presents to his brother. The presents were made up of cattle, and a great number of four-footed beasts, of many kinds, such as would be very acceptable to those that received them, on account of their rarity. Those who were sent went at certain intervals of space asunder, that, by following thick, one after another, they might appear to be more numerous, that Esau might remit of his anger on account of these presents, if he were still in a passion. Instructions were also given to those that were sent to speak gently to him.

1.20.2. When Jacob had made these appointments all the day, and night came on, he moved on with his company; and, as they were gone over a certain river called Jabboc, Jacob was left behind; and meeting with an angel, he wrestled with him, the angel beginning the struggle: but he prevailed over the angel, who used a voice, and spake to him in words, exhorting him to be pleased with what had happened to him, and not to suppose that his victory was a small one, but that he had overcome a divine angel, and to esteem the victory as a sign of great blessings that should come to him, and that his seed should never fall, and that no man should be too hard for his power. He also commanded him to be called Israel, which in the Hebrew tongue signifies one that struggled with the divine angel. These promises were made at the prayer of Jacob; for when he perceived him to be the angel of Elohim, he desired he would signify to him what should befall him hereafter. And when the angel had said what is before related, he disappeared; but Jacob was pleased with these things, and named the place Phanuel, which signifies, the face of Elohim. Now when he felt pain, by this struggling, upon his broad sinew, he abstained from eating that sinew himself afterward; and for his sake it is still not eaten by us.

1.20.3. When Jacob understood that his brother was near, he ordered his wives to go before, each by herself, with the handmaids, that they might see the actions of the men as they were fighting, if Esau were so disposed. He then went up to his brother Esau, and bowed down to him, who had no evil design upon him, but saluted him; and asked him about the company of the children and of the women; and desired, when he had understood all he wanted to know about them, that he would go along with him to their father; but Jacob pretending that the cattle were weary, Esau returned to Seir, for there was his place of habitation, he having named the place Roughness, from his own hairy roughness.