Genesis 17-32

Contemporary English Version

God's Promise to Abraham

17 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him again and said, “I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, ² I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted.” ³ Abram bowed with his face to the ground, and God said:

^4-5 (A) I promise that you will be the father of many nations. So now I'm changing your name from Abram to Abraham.^{[a] 6} I will give you a lot of descendants, and they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings.

^7 (B) I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God. ^8 (C) I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family forever, and I will be their God.

⁹ Abraham, you and all future members of your family must promise to obey me. ^10-11 (D) As the sign that you are keeping this promise, you must circumcise every man and boy in your family. ^12-13 From now on, your family must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old. You must even circumcise any man or boy you have as a slave, both those born in your homes and those you buy from foreigners. This will be a sign that my promise to you will last forever. ¹⁴ Any man who isn't circumcised hasn't kept his part of the promise and cannot be one of my people.

¹⁵ Abraham, from now on your wife's name will be Sarah instead of Sarai. ¹⁶ I will bless her, and you will have a son by her. She will become the mother of nations, and some of her descendants will even be kings.

¹⁷ Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, “I am almost 100 years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is 90. How can she have a child?” So he started laughing. ¹⁸ Then he asked God, “Why not let Ishmael^[b] inherit what you have promised me?”

¹⁹ But God answered:

No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac,^[c] and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants.

²⁰ However, I have heard what you asked me to do for Ishmael, and so I will also bless him with many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make his family a great nation. ²¹ But your son Isaac will be born about this time next year, and the promise I am making to you and your family will be for him and his descendants forever.

²² God finished speaking to Abraham and then left.

^23-27 On that same day Abraham obeyed God by circumcising Ishmael. Abraham was also circumcised, and so were all the other men and boys in his household, including his servants and slaves. He was 99 years old at the time, and his son Ishmael was 13.

The Lord Promises Abraham a Son

18 One hot summer afternoon while Abraham was sitting by the entrance to his tent near the sacred trees of Mamre, the Lord appeared to him. ^2 (E) Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He quickly ran to meet them, bowed with his face to the ground, ³ and said, “Please come to my home where I can serve you. ⁴ I'll have some water brought, so you can wash your feet, then you can rest under a tree. ⁵ Let me get you some food to give you strength before you leave. I would be honored to serve you.”

“Thank you very much,” they answered. “We accept your offer.”

⁶ Abraham went quickly to his tent and said to Sarah, “Hurry! Get a large sack of flour and make some bread.” ⁷ After saying this, he rushed off to his herd of cattle and picked out one of the best calves, which his servant quickly prepared. ⁸ He then served his guests some yogurt and milk together with the meat.

While they were eating, he stood near them under the tree, ⁹ and they asked, “Where's your wife Sarah?”

“She is right there in the tent,” Abraham answered.

^10 (F) One of the guests was the Lord, and he said, “I'll come back about this time next year, and when I do, Sarah will already have a son.”

Sarah was behind Abraham, listening at the entrance to the tent. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was well past the age for having children. ^12 (G) So she laughed and said to herself, “Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness?”^[d]

¹³ The Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age? ^14 (H) I am the Lord! There is nothing too difficult for me. I'll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son.”

¹⁵ Sarah was so frightened that she lied and said, “I didn't laugh.”

“Yes, you did!” he answered.

Abraham Prays for Sodom

¹⁶ When the three men got ready to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked part of the way with them.

¹⁷ The Lord said to himself, “I should tell Abraham what I am going to do, ¹⁸ since his family will become a great and powerful nation that will be a blessing to all the other nations on earth.^{[e] 19} I have chosen him to teach his family to obey me forever and to do what is right and fair. If they do, I will give Abraham many descendants, just as I promised.”

²⁰ The Lord said, “Abraham, I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are doing all kinds of evil things. ²¹ Now I am going down to see for myself if those people really are that bad. If they aren't, I would like to know.”

²² The men turned and started toward Sodom. But the Lord stayed with Abraham. ²³ And Abraham asked him, “Lord, when you destroy the evil people, are you also going to destroy those who are good? ²⁴ Wouldn't you spare the city if there are only 50 good people in it? ²⁵ You surely wouldn't let them be killed when you destroy the evil ones. You are the judge of all the earth, and you do what is right.”

²⁶ The Lord replied, “If I find 50 good people in Sodom, I will save the city to keep them from being killed.”

²⁷ Abraham answered, “I am nothing more than the dust of the earth. Please forgive me, Lord, for daring to speak to you like this. ²⁸ But suppose there are only 45 good people in Sodom. Would you still wipe out the whole city?”

“If I find 45 good people,” the Lord replied, “I won't destroy the city.”

²⁹ “Suppose there are just 40 good people?” Abraham asked.

“Even for them,” the Lord replied, “I won't destroy the city.”

³⁰ Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, if I ask you what you will do if there are only 30 good people in the city.”

“If I find 30,” the Lord replied, “I still won't destroy it.”

³¹ Then Abraham said, “I don't have any right to ask you, Lord, but what would you do if you find only 20?”

“Because of them, I won't destroy the city,” was the Lord's answer.

³² Finally, Abraham said, “Please don't get angry, Lord, if I speak just once more. Suppose you find only 10 good people there.”

“For the sake of 10 good people,” the Lord told him, “I still won't destroy the city.”

³³ After speaking with Abraham, the Lord left, and Abraham went back home.

The Evil City of Sodom

19 That evening, while Lot was sitting near the city gate,^[f] the two angels^[g] arrived in Sodom. When Lot saw them, he got up, bowed down low, ² and said, “Gentlemen, I am your servant. Please come to my home. You can wash your feet, spend the night, and be on your way in the morning.”

They told him, “No, we'll spend the night in the city square.” ³ But Lot kept insisting, until they finally agreed and went home with him. He quickly baked some bread,^[h] cooked a meal, and they ate.

⁴ Before Lot and his guests could go to bed, every man in Sodom, young and old, came and stood outside his house ^5 (I) and started shouting, “Where are your visitors? Send them out, so we can have sex with them!”

⁶ Lot went outside and shut the door behind him. ⁷ Then he said, “Friends, please don't do such a terrible thing! ⁸ I have two daughters who have never had sex. I'll bring them out, and you can do what you want with them. But don't harm these men. They are guests in my home.”

⁹ “Don't get in our way,” the crowd answered. “You're a foreigner. What right do you have to order us around? We'll do worse things to you than we're going to do to them.”

The crowd kept arguing with Lot. Finally, they rushed toward the door to break it down. ¹⁰ But the two angels in the house reached out and pulled Lot safely inside. ^11 (J) Then they struck blind everyone in the crowd, and none of them could even find the door.

^12-13 The two angels said to Lot, “The Lord has heard many terrible things about the people of Sodom, and he has sent us here to destroy the city. Take your family and leave. Take every relative you have in the city, as well as the men your daughters are going to marry.”

¹⁴ Lot went to the men who were engaged to his daughters and said, “Hurry up and get out of here! The Lord is going to destroy this city.” But they thought he was joking, and they laughed at him.

¹⁵ Early the next morning the two angels tried to make Lot hurry and leave. They said, “Take your wife and your two daughters and get away from here as fast as you can! If you don't, every one of you will be killed when the Lord destroys the city.” ^16 (K) At first, Lot just stood there. But the Lord wanted to save him. So the angels took Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand and led them out of the city. ¹⁷ When they were outside, one of the angels said, “Run for your lives! Don't even look back. And don't stop in the valley. Run to the hills, where you'll be safe.”

^18-19 Lot answered, “You have done us a great favor, sir. You have saved our lives, but please don't make us go to the hills. That's too far away. The city will be destroyed before we can get there, and we will be killed when it happens. ²⁰ There's a town near here. It's only a small place, but my family and I will be safe, if you let us go there.”

²¹ “All right, go there,” he answered. “I won't destroy that town. ²² Hurry! Run! I can't do anything until you are safely there.”

The town was later called Zoar^[i] because Lot had said it was small.

Sodom and Gomorrah Are Destroyed

²³ The sun was coming up as Lot reached the town of Zoar, ^24 (L) and the Lord sent burning sulfur down like rain on Sodom and Gomorrah. ²⁵ He destroyed those cities and everyone who lived in them, as well as their land and the trees and grass that grew there.

^26 (M) On the way, Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a block of salt.

²⁷ That same morning Abraham got up and went to the place where he had stood and spoken with the Lord. ²⁸ He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and saw smoke rising from all over the land—it was like a flaming furnace.

²⁹ When God destroyed the cities of the valley where Lot lived, he remembered his promise to Abraham and saved Lot from the terrible destruction.

Moab and Ammon

³⁰ Lot was afraid to stay on in Zoar. So he took his two daughters and moved to a cave in the hill country. ³¹ One day his older daughter said to her sister, “Our father is old, and there are no men anywhere for us to marry. ³² Let's get our father drunk! Then we can sleep with him and have children.” ³³ That night they got their father drunk, and the older daughter got in bed with him, but he was too drunk even to know she was there.

³⁴ The next day the older daughter said to her sister, “I slept with my father last night. We'll get him drunk again tonight, so you can sleep with him, and we can each have a child.” ³⁵ That night they got their father drunk, and this time the younger sister slept with him. But once again he was too drunk even to know she was there.

³⁶ That's how Lot's two daughters had children. ³⁷ The older daughter named her son Moab,^[j] and he is the ancestor of the Moabites. ³⁸ The younger daughter named her son Benammi,^[k] and he is the ancestor of the Ammonites.

Abraham and Sarah at Gerar

20 Abraham moved to the Southern Desert, where he settled between Kadesh and Shur. Later he went to Gerar, and while there ^2 (N) he told everyone that his wife Sarah was his sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. ³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream and said, “You have taken a married woman into your home, and for this you will die!”

^4-5 Abimelech said to the Lord, “Don't kill me! I haven't slept with Sarah. Didn't they say they were brother and sister? I am completely innocent.”

⁶ Then God continued:

I know you are innocent. That's why I kept you from sleeping with Sarah and doing anything wrong. ⁷ Her husband is a prophet. Let her go back to him, and his prayers will save you from death. But if you don't return her, you and all your people will die.

⁸ Early the next morning Abimelech sent for his officials, and when he told them what had happened, they were frightened. ⁹ Abimelech then called in Abraham and said:

Look what you've done to us! What have I ever done to you? Why did you make me and my nation guilty of such a terrible sin? ¹⁰ What were you thinking when you did this?

¹¹ Abraham answered:

I did it because I didn't think any of you respected God, and I was sure that someone would kill me to get my wife. ¹² Besides, she is my half sister. We have the same father, but different mothers. ¹³ When God made us leave my father's home and start wandering, I told her, “If you really love me, then tell everyone that I am your brother.”

¹⁴ After Abimelech had given Abraham some sheep, cattle, and slaves, he sent Sarah back ¹⁵ and told Abraham he could settle anywhere in his country. ¹⁶ Then he said to Sarah, “I have given your brother 1,000 pieces of silver as proof to everyone that you have done nothing wrong.”^[l]

^17-18 Meanwhile, God had kept Abimelech's wife and slaves from having children. But Abraham prayed, and God let them start having children again.

Sarah Has a Son

21 The Lord was good to Sarah and kept his promise. ^2 (O) Although Abraham was very old, Sarah had a son exactly at the time God had said. ³ Abraham named his son Isaac, ^4 (P) and when the boy was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, just as God had commanded.

⁵ Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, ⁶ and Sarah said, “God has made me laugh.^[m] And now everyone will laugh with me. ⁷ Who would have dared to tell Abraham that someday I would have a child? But in his old age, I have given him a son.”

⁸ The time came when Sarah no longer had to nurse Isaac,^[n] and on that day Abraham gave a big feast.

Hagar and Ishmael Are Sent Away

^9-10 (Q) One day, Sarah noticed Hagar's son Ishmael^[o] playing,^[p] and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that Egyptian slave woman and her son! I don't want him to inherit anything. It should all go to my son.”^[q]

¹¹ Abraham was worried about Ishmael. ^12 (R) But God said, “Abraham, don't worry about your slave woman and the boy. Just do what Sarah tells you. Isaac will inherit your family name, ¹³ but the son of the slave woman is also your son, and I will make his descendants into a great nation.”

¹⁴ Early the next morning Abraham gave Hagar an animal skin full of water and some bread. Then he put the boy on her shoulder and sent them away.

They wandered around in the desert near Beersheba, ¹⁵ and after they had run out of water, Hagar put her son under a bush. ¹⁶ Then she sat down a long way off, because she could not bear to watch him die. And she cried bitterly.

¹⁷ When God heard the boy crying, the angel of God called out to Hagar from heaven and said, “Hagar, why are you worried? Don't be afraid. I have heard your son crying. ¹⁸ Help him up and hold his hand, because I will make him the father of a great nation.” ¹⁹ Then God let her see a well. So she went to the well and filled the skin with water, then gave some to her son.

^20-21 God blessed Ishmael, and as the boy grew older, he became an expert at hunting with his bow and arrows. He lived in the Paran Desert, and his mother chose an Egyptian woman for him to marry.

A Peace Treaty

^22 (S) About this time Abimelech and his army commander Phicol said to Abraham, “God blesses everything you do! ²³ Now I want you to promise in the name of God that you will always be loyal to me and my descendants, just as I have always been loyal to you in this land where you have lived as a foreigner.” ²⁴ And so, Abraham promised he would.

²⁵ One day, Abraham told Abimelech, “Some of your servants have taken over one of my wells.”

²⁶ “This is the first I've heard about it,” Abimelech replied. “Why haven't you said something before? I don't have any idea who did it.” ²⁷ Abraham gave Abimelech some sheep and cattle, then the two men made a peace treaty.

²⁸ Abraham separated seven female lambs from his flock of sheep, ²⁹ and Abimelech asked, “Why have you done this?”

³⁰ Abraham replied, “I want you to accept these seven lambs as proof that I dug this well.” ³¹ So they called the place Beersheba,^[r] because they made a treaty there.

³² When the treaty was completed, Abimelech and his army commander Phicol went back to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Abraham planted a tamarisk tree^[s] in Beersheba and worshiped the eternal Lord God. ³⁴ Then Abraham lived a long time as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines.

The Lord Tells Abraham To Offer Isaac as a Sacrifice

22 ^(T) Some years later God decided to test Abraham, so he spoke to him.

Abraham answered, “Here I am, Lord.”

^2 (U) The Lord said, “Go get Isaac, your only son, the one you dearly love! Take him to the land of Moriah, and I will show you a mountain where you must sacrifice him to me on the fires of an altar.” ³ So Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire. He put a saddle on his donkey and set out with Isaac and two servants for the place where God had told him to go.

⁴ Three days later Abraham looked off in the distance and saw the place. ⁵ He told his servants, “Stay here with the donkey, while my son and I go over there to worship. We will come back.”

⁶ Abraham put the wood on Isaac's shoulder, but he carried the hot coals and the knife. As the two of them walked along, ^7-8 Isaac said, “Father, we have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”

“My son,” Abraham answered, “God will provide the lamb.”

The two of them walked on, and ^9 (V) when they reached the place that God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and placed the wood on it. Next, he tied up his son and put him on the wood. ^10 (W) He then took the knife and got ready to kill his son. ¹¹ But the Lord's angel shouted from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am!” he answered.

¹² “Don't hurt the boy or harm him in any way!” the angel said. “Now I know that you truly obey God, because you were willing to offer him your only son.”

¹³ Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the bushes. So he took the ram and sacrificed it instead of his son.

¹⁴ Abraham named that place “The Lord Will Provide.” And even now people say, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”^[t]

¹⁵ The Lord's angel called out from heaven a second time:

^16 (X) You were willing to offer your only son to the Lord, and so he makes you this solemn promise, ^17 (Y) “I will bless you and give you such a large family, that someday your descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand along the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over the cities where their enemies live. ^18 (Z) You have obeyed me, and so you and your descendants will be a blessing to all nations on earth.”

¹⁹ Abraham and Isaac went back to the servants who had come with him, and they returned to Abraham's home in Beersheba.

The Children of Nahor

^20-23 Abraham's brother Nahor had married Milcah, and Abraham was later told that they had eight sons. Uz was their first-born; Buz was next, and then there was Kemuel the father of Aram; their other five sons were: Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel the father of Rebekah. ²⁴ Nahor also had another wife.^[u] Her name was Reumah, and she had four sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Sarah's Death and Burial

23 ^1-2 When Sarah was 127 years old, she died in Kiriath-Arba, better known as Hebron, in the land of Canaan. After Abraham had mourned for her, ³ he went to the Hittites and said, ^4 (AA) “I live as a foreigner in your land, and I don't own any property where I can bury my wife. Please let me buy a piece of land.”

^5-6 “Sir,” they answered, “you are an important man. Choose the best place to bury your wife. None of us would refuse you a resting place for your dead.”

⁷ Abraham bowed down ⁸ and replied, “If you are willing to let me bury my wife here, please ask Zohar's son Ephron ⁹ to sell me Machpelah Cave at the end of his field. I'll pay what it's worth, and all of you can be witnesses.”

¹⁰ Ephron was sitting there near the city gate, when Abraham made this request, and he answered, ¹¹ “Sir, the whole field, including the cave, is yours. With my own people as witnesses, I freely give it to you as a burial place for your dead.”

¹² Once again, Abraham bowed down ¹³ and said to Ephron, “In front of these witnesses, I offer you the full price, so I can bury my wife. Please accept my offer.”

^14-15 “But sir,” the man replied, “the property is worth only 400 pieces of silver. Why should we haggle over such a small amount? Take the land. It's yours.”

^16-18 Abraham accepted Ephron's offer and paid him the 400 pieces of silver in front of everyone at the city gate. That's how Abraham came to own Ephron's property east of Mamre,^[v] which included the field with all of its trees, as well as Machpelah Cave at the end of the field. ¹⁹ So Abraham buried his wife Sarah in Machpelah Cave that was in the field ²⁰ he had bought from the Hittites.

A Wife for Isaac

24 Abraham was now a very old man. The Lord had made him rich, and he was successful in everything he did. ² One day, Abraham called in his most trusted servant and said to him, “Solemnly promise me ³ in the name of the Lord, who rules heaven and earth, that you won't choose a wife for my son Isaac from the people here in the land of Canaan. ⁴ Instead, go back to the land where I was born and find a wife for him from among my relatives.”

⁵ But the servant asked, “What if the young woman I choose refuses to leave home and come here with me? Should I send Isaac there to look for a wife?”

⁶ “No!” Abraham answered. “Don't ever do that, no matter what. ⁷ The Lord who rules heaven brought me here from the land where I was born and promised that he would give this land to my descendants forever. When you go back there, the Lord will send his angel ahead of you to help you find a wife for my son. ⁸ If the woman refuses to come along, you don't have to keep this promise. But don't ever take my son back there.” ⁹ So the servant gave Abraham his word that he would do everything he had been told to do.

¹⁰ Soon after that, the servant loaded ten of Abraham's camels with valuable gifts. Then he set out for the city in northern Syria,^[w] where Abraham's brother Nahor lived.

¹¹ When he got there, he let the camels rest near the well outside the city. It was late afternoon, the time when the women came out for water. ¹² The servant prayed:

You, Lord, are the God my master Abraham worships. Please keep your promise to him and let me find a wife for Isaac today. ¹³ The young women of the city will soon come to this well for water, ¹⁴ and I'll ask one of them for a drink. If she gives me a drink and then offers to get some water for my camels, I'll know she is the one you have chosen and that you have kept your promise to my master.

^15-16 While he was still praying, a beautiful unmarried young woman came by with a water jar on her shoulder. She was Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Abraham's brother Nahor and his wife Milcah. Rebekah walked past Abraham's servant, then went over to the well, and filled her water jar. When she started back, ¹⁷ Abraham's servant ran to her and said, “Please let me have a drink of water.”

¹⁸ “I'll be glad to,” she answered. Then she quickly took the jar from her shoulder and held it while he drank. ^19-20 After he had finished, she said, “Now I'll give your camels all the water they want.” She quickly poured out water for them, and she kept going back for more, until his camels had drunk all they wanted. ²¹ Abraham's servant did not say a word, but he watched everything Rebekah did, because he wanted to know for certain if this was the woman the Lord had chosen.

²² The servant had brought along an expensive gold ring and two large gold bracelets. When Rebekah had finished bringing the water, he gave her the ring for her nose^[x] and the bracelets for her arms. ²³ Then he said, “Please tell me who your father is. Does he have room in his house for me and my men to spend the night?”

²⁴ She answered, “My father is Bethuel, the son of Nahor and Milcah. ²⁵ We have a place where you and your men can stay, and we also have enough straw and feed for your camels.”

²⁶ Then the servant bowed his head and prayed, ²⁷ “I thank you, Lord God of my master Abraham! You have led me to his relatives and kept your promise to him.”

²⁸ Rebekah ran straight home and told her family everything. ^29-30 Her brother Laban heard her tell what the servant had said, and he saw the ring and the bracelets she was wearing. So Laban ran out to Abraham's servant, who was standing by his camels at the well. ³¹ Then Laban said, “The Lord has brought you safely here. Come home with me. There's no need for you to keep on standing outside. I have a room ready for you in our house, and there's also a place for your camels.”

³² Abraham's servant went home with Laban, where Laban's servants unloaded his camels and gave them straw and feed. Then they brought water into the house, so Abraham's servant and his men could wash their feet. ³³ After that, they brought in food. But the servant said, “Before I eat, I must tell you why I have come.”

“Go ahead and tell us,” Laban answered.

³⁴ The servant explained:

I am Abraham's servant. ³⁵ The Lord has been good to my master and has made him very rich. He has given him many sheep, goats, cattle, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of silver and gold, and many slaves. ³⁶ Sarah, my master's wife, didn't have any children until she was very old. Then she had a son, and my master has given him everything. ³⁷ I solemnly promised my master that I would do what he said. And he told me, “Don't choose a wife for my son from the women in this land of Canaan. ³⁸ Instead, go back to the land where I was born and find a wife for my son from among my relatives.”

³⁹ I asked my master, “What if the young woman refuses to come with me?”

⁴⁰ My master answered, “I have always obeyed the Lord, and he will send his angel to help you find my son a wife from among my own relatives. ⁴¹ But if they refuse to let her come back with you, then you are freed from your promise.”

⁴² When I came to the well today, I silently prayed, “You, Lord, are the God my master Abraham worships, so please lead me to a wife for his son ⁴³ while I am here at the well. When a young woman comes out to get water, I'll ask her to give me a drink. ⁴⁴ If she gives me a drink and offers to get some water for my camels, I'll know she is the one you have chosen.”

⁴⁵ Even before I had finished praying, Rebekah came by with a water jar on her shoulder. When she had filled the jar, I asked her for a drink. ⁴⁶ She quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and said, “Have a drink. Then I'll get water for your camels.” So I drank, and after that she got some water for my camels. ⁴⁷ I asked her who her father was, and she answered, “My father is Bethuel the son of Nahor and Milcah.” At once I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms. ⁴⁸ Then I bowed my head and gave thanks to the God my master Abraham worships. The Lord had led me straight to my master's relatives, and I had found a wife for his son.

⁴⁹ Now please tell me if you are willing to do the right thing for my master. Will you treat him fairly, or do I have to look for another young woman?

⁵⁰ Laban and Bethuel answered, “The Lord has done this. We have no choice in the matter. ⁵¹ Take Rebekah with you; she can marry your master's son, just as the Lord has said.” ⁵² Abraham's servant bowed down and thanked the Lord. ⁵³ Then he gave clothing, as well as silver and gold jewelry, to Rebekah. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and her mother.

⁵⁴ Abraham's servant and the men with him ate and drank, then spent the night there. The next morning they got up, and the servant told Rebekah's mother and brother, “I would like to go back to my master now.”

⁵⁵ “Let Rebekah stay with us for a week or ten days,” they answered. “Then she may go.”

⁵⁶ But he said, “Don't make me stay any longer. The Lord has already helped me find a wife for my master's son. Now let us return.”

⁵⁷ They answered, “Let's ask Rebekah what she wants to do.” ⁵⁸ They called her and asked, “Are you willing to leave with this man at once?”

“Yes,” she answered.

⁵⁹ So they agreed to let Rebekah and an old family servant woman^[y] leave immediately with Abraham's servant and his men. ⁶⁰ They gave Rebekah their blessing and said, “We pray that God will give you many children and grandchildren and that he will help them defeat their enemies.” ⁶¹ Afterwards, Rebekah and the young women who were to travel with her prepared to leave. Then they got on camels and left with Abraham's servant and his men.

⁶² At that time Isaac was living in the southern part of Canaan near a place called “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.”^{[z] 63-65} One evening he was walking^[aa] out in the fields, when suddenly he saw a group of people approaching on camels. So he started toward them. Rebekah saw him coming; she got down from her camel, and asked, “Who is that man?”

“He is my master Isaac,” the servant answered. Then Rebekah covered her face with her veil.^[ab]

⁶⁶ The servant told Isaac everything that had happened.

⁶⁷ Isaac took Rebekah into the tent^[ac] where his mother had lived before she died, and Rebekah became his wife. He loved her and was comforted over the loss of his mother.

Abraham Marries Keturah

25 Abraham married Keturah, ² and they had six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. ³ Later, Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan, and when Dedan grew up, he had three sons: Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. ⁴ Midian also had five sons: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.

^5-6 While Abraham was still alive, he gave gifts to the sons of Hagar and Keturah. He also sent their sons to live in the east far from his son Isaac, and when Abraham died, he left everything to Isaac.

The Death of Abraham

^7-8 Abraham died at the ripe old age of 175. ^9-10 (AB) His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him east of Hebron^[ad] in Machpelah Cave that was part of the field Abraham had bought from Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. Abraham was buried there beside his wife Sarah. ¹¹ God blessed Isaac after this, and Isaac moved to a place called “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.”^[ae]

Ishmael's Descendants

¹² Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Hagar, the slave woman of Sarah. ¹³ Ishmael had twelve sons, in this order: Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ¹⁵ Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. ¹⁶ Each of Ishmael's sons was a tribal chief, and a village was named after each of them.

^17-18 Ishmael had settled in the land east of his brothers, and his sons^[af] settled everywhere from Havilah to Shur, east of Egypt on the way to Asshur.^[ag] Ishmael was 137 when he died.

The Birth of Esau and Jacob

¹⁹ Isaac was the son of Abraham, ²⁰ and he was 40 years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel. She was also the sister of Laban, the Aramean from northern Syria.^[ah]

Almost 20 years later, ²¹ Rebekah still had no children. So Isaac asked the Lord to let her have a child, and the Lord answered his prayer.

²² Before Rebekah gave birth, she knew she was going to have twins, because she could feel them inside her, fighting each other. She thought, “Why is this happening to me?” Finally, she asked the Lord why her twins were fighting, ^23 (AC) and he told her:

²⁴ When Rebekah gave birth, ²⁵ the first baby was covered with red hair, so he was named Esau.^{[aj] 26} The second baby grabbed on to his brother's heel, so they named him Jacob.^[ak] Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.

Esau Sells His Rights as the First-Born Son

²⁷ As Jacob and Esau grew older, Esau liked the outdoors and became a good hunter, while Jacob lived the quiet life of a shepherd.^{[al] 28} Esau would take the meat of wild animals to his father Isaac, so Isaac loved him more, but Jacob was his mother's favorite son.

²⁹ One day, when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came home hungry ³⁰ and said, “I'm starving to death! Here and now give me some of that red stew!” That's how Esau got the name “Edom.”^[am]

³¹ Jacob replied, “Sell me your rights as the first-born son.”^[an]

³² “I'm about to die,” Esau answered. “What good will those rights do me?”

^33 (AD) But Jacob said, “Promise me your birthrights, here and now!” And that's what Esau did. ³⁴ Jacob then gave Esau some bread and some of the bean stew, and when Esau had finished eating and drinking, he just got up and left, showing how little he thought of his rights as the first-born.

Isaac and Abimelech

26 Once during Abraham's lifetime, the fields had not produced enough grain, and now the same thing happened. So Isaac went to King Abimelech of the Philistines in the land of Gerar, ² because the Lord had appeared to Isaac and said:

Isaac, stay away from Egypt! I will show you where I want you to go. ^3 (AE) You will live there as a foreigner, but I will be with you and bless you. I will keep my promise to your father Abraham by giving this land to you and your descendants.

⁴ I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all of this land. They will be a blessing to every nation on earth,^{[ao] 5} because Abraham did everything I told him to do.

⁶ Isaac moved to Gerar ^7 (AF) with his beautiful wife Rebekah. He was afraid that someone might kill him to get her, and so he told everyone that Rebekah was his sister. ⁸ After Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech looked out a window and saw Isaac hugging and kissing Rebekah. ⁹ Abimelech called him in and said, “Rebekah must be your wife! Why did you say she is your sister?”

“Because I thought someone would kill me,” Isaac answered.

¹⁰ “Don't you know what you've done?” Abimelech exclaimed. “If someone had slept with her, you would have made our whole nation guilty!” ¹¹ Then Abimelech warned his people that anyone who even touched Isaac or Rebekah would be put to death.

¹² Isaac planted grain and had a good harvest that same year. The Lord blessed him, ¹³ and Isaac was so successful that he became very rich. ¹⁴ In fact, the Philistines were jealous of the large number of sheep, goats, and slaves that Isaac owned, ¹⁵ and they stopped up the wells that Abraham's servants had dug before his death. ¹⁶ Finally, Abimelech said, “Isaac, I want you to leave our country. You have become too powerful to stay here.”

¹⁷ Isaac left and settled in Gerar Valley, ¹⁸ where he cleaned out those wells that the Philistines had stopped up. Isaac also gave each of the wells the same name^[ap] that Abraham had given to them. ¹⁹ While his servants were digging in the valley, they found a spring-fed well. ²⁰ But the shepherds of Gerar Valley quarreled with Isaac's shepherds and claimed the water belonged to them. So this well was named “Quarrel,” because they had quarreled with Isaac.

²¹ Isaac's servants dug another well, and the shepherds also quarreled about it. So that well was named “Jealous.” ²² Finally, they dug one more well. There was no quarreling this time, and the well was named “Lots of Room,” because the Lord had given them room and would make them very successful.

²³ Isaac went on to Beersheba, ²⁴ where the Lord appeared to him that night and told him, “Don't be afraid! I am the God who was worshiped by your father Abraham, my servant. I will be with you and bless you, and because of Abraham I will give you many descendants.” ²⁵ Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the Lord. Then he set up camp, and his servants started digging a well.

^26 (AG) Meanwhile, Abimelech had left Gerar and was taking his advisor Ahuzzath and his army commander Phicol to see Isaac. ²⁷ When they arrived, Isaac asked, “Why are you here? Didn't you send me away because you hated me?”

²⁸ They answered, “We now know for certain that the Lord is with you, and we have decided there needs to be a peace treaty between you and us. So let's make a solemn agreement ²⁹ not to harm each other. Remember, we have never hurt you, and when we sent you away, we let you go in peace. The Lord has truly blessed you.”

³⁰ Isaac gave a big feast for them, and everyone ate and drank. ³¹ Early the next morning Isaac and the others made a solemn agreement, then he let them go in peace.

³² Later that same day Isaac's servants came and said, “We've struck water!” ³³ So Isaac named the well Shibah,^[aq] and the town is still called Beersheba.^[ar]

Esau's Foreign Wives

³⁴ When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. ³⁵ But these two women brought a lot of grief to Esau's parents Isaac and Rebekah.

Isaac Blesses Jacob

27 Isaac was old and almost blind, when he called in his first-born son Esau, who asked him, “Father, what can I do for you?”

² Isaac replied, “I am old and might die at any time. ³ So go hunting with your bow and arrows and kill a wild animal. ⁴ Cook some of that tasty food that I love so much and bring it to me. I want to eat it once more and give you my blessing before I die.”

⁵ Rebekah had been listening, and as soon as Esau left to go hunting, ⁶ she said to Jacob, “I heard your father tell Esau ⁷ to kill a wild animal and cook some tasty food for him before he dies. Your father said this because he wants to bless your brother with the Lord as his witness. ⁸ Now, my son, listen carefully to what I want you to do. ⁹ Go and kill two of your best young goats and bring them to me. I'll cook the tasty food that your father loves so much. ¹⁰ Then you can take it to him, so he can eat it and give you his blessing before he dies.”

¹¹ “My brother Esau is a hairy man,” Jacob reminded her. “And I am not. ¹² If my father touches me and realizes I am trying to trick him, he will put a curse on me instead of giving me a blessing.”

¹³ Rebekah insisted, “Let his curse fall on me! Just do what I say and bring me the meat.” ¹⁴ So Jacob brought the meat to his mother, and she cooked the tasty food that his father liked. ¹⁵ Then she took Esau's best clothes and put them on Jacob. ¹⁶ She also covered the smooth part of his hands and neck with goatskins ¹⁷ and gave him some bread and the tasty food she had cooked.

¹⁸ Jacob went to his father and said, “Father, here I am.”

“Which one of my sons are you?” his father asked.

¹⁹ Jacob replied, “I am Esau, your first-born, and I have done what you told me. Please sit up and eat the meat I have brought. Then you can give me your blessing.”

²⁰ Isaac asked, “My son, how did you find an animal so quickly?”

“The Lord your God was kind to me,” Jacob answered.

²¹ “My son,” Isaac said, “come closer, where I can touch you and find out if you really are Esau.” ²² Jacob went closer. His father touched him and said, “You sound like Jacob, but your hands feel hairy like Esau's.” ²³ And so Isaac blessed Jacob, thinking he was Esau.

²⁴ Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”

“Yes, I am,” Jacob answered.

²⁵ So Isaac told him, “Serve me the wild meat, and I can give you my blessing.”

Jacob gave him some meat, and he ate it. He also gave him some wine, and he drank it. ²⁶ Then Isaac said, “Son, come over here and kiss me.” ^27 (AH) While Jacob was kissing him, Isaac caught the smell of his clothes and said:

³⁰ Right after Isaac had given Jacob his blessing and Jacob had gone, Esau came back from hunting. ³¹ He cooked the tasty food, brought it to his father, and said, “Father, please sit up and eat the meat I have brought you, so you can give me your blessing.”

³² “Who are you?” Isaac asked.

“I am Esau, your first-born son.”

³³ Isaac started trembling and said, “Then who brought me some wild meat right before you came in? I ate it and gave him a blessing that cannot be taken back.”

³⁴ Esau cried out in great distress, “Father, give me a blessing too!”

³⁵ Isaac answered, “Your brother tricked me and stole your blessing.”

^36 (AJ) Esau replied, “My brother deserves the name Jacob,^[as] because he has already cheated me twice. The first time he cheated me out of my rights as the first-born son, and now he has cheated me out of my blessing.” Then Esau asked his father, “Don't you have any blessing left for me?”

³⁷ “My son,” Isaac answered, “I have made Jacob the ruler over you and your brothers, and all of you will be his servants. I have also promised him all the grain and grapes that he needs. There's nothing left that I can do for you.”

^38 (AK) “Father,” Esau asked, “don't you have more than one blessing? You can surely give me a blessing too!” Then Esau started crying again.

^39 (AL) So his father said:

⁴¹ Esau hated his brother Jacob because he had stolen the blessing that was supposed to be his. So he said to himself, “Just as soon as my father dies, I'll kill Jacob.”

^42 (AN) When Rebekah found out what Esau planned to do, she sent for Jacob and told him, “Son, your brother Esau is just waiting for a chance to kill you. ⁴³ Now listen carefully and do what I say. Go to the home of my brother Laban in Haran ⁴⁴ and stay with him for a while. When Esau stops being angry ⁴⁵ and forgets what you have done to him, I'll send for you to come home. Why should I lose both of my sons on the same day?”^[at]

⁴⁶ Rebekah later told Isaac, “Those Hittite wives of Esau are making my life miserable! If Jacob marries a Hittite woman, I'd be better off dead.”

Isaac's Instructions to Jacob

28 Isaac called in Jacob, then gave him a blessing, and said:

Don't marry any of those Canaanite women. ² Go at once to your mother's father Bethuel in northern Syria^[au] and choose a wife from one of the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. ³ I pray that God All-Powerful will bless you with many descendants and let you become a great nation. ^4 (AO) May he bless you with the land he promised Abraham, so that you will take over this land where we now live as foreigners.

⁵ Isaac then sent Jacob to stay with Rebekah's brother Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean.

Esau Marries the Daughter of Ishmael

⁶ Esau found out that his father Isaac had blessed Jacob and had warned him not to marry any of the Canaanite women. He also learned that Jacob had been sent to find a wife in northern Syria^{[av] 7} and that he had obeyed his father and mother. ⁸ Esau already had several wives, but he now realized how much his father hated the Canaanite women. ⁹ So he married Ishmael's daughter Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaioth^[aw] and the granddaughter of Abraham.

Jacob's Dream at Bethel

^10 (AP) Jacob left the town of Beersheba and started out for Haran. ¹¹ At sunset he stopped for the night and went to sleep, resting his head on a large rock. ^12 (AQ) In a dream he saw a ladder that reached from earth to heaven, and God's angels were going up and down on it.

^13 (AR) The Lord was standing beside the ladder^[ax] and said:

I am the Lord God who was worshiped by Abraham and Isaac. I will give to you and your family the land on which you are now sleeping. ^14 (AS) Your descendants will spread over the earth in all directions and will become as numerous as the specks of dust. Your family will be a blessing to all people.^{[ay] 15} Wherever you go, I will watch over you, then later I will bring you back to this land. I won't leave you—I will do all I have promised.

¹⁶ Jacob woke up suddenly and thought, “The Lord is in this place, and I didn't even know it.” ¹⁷ Then Jacob became frightened and said, “What a frightening place! It must be the house of God and the gateway to heaven.”

¹⁸ When Jacob got up early the next morning, he took the rock that he had used for a pillow and stood it up as a place of worship. Then he poured olive oil on the rock to dedicate it to God, ¹⁹ and he named the place Bethel.^[az] Before that it had been named Luz.

²⁰ Jacob solemnly promised God, “If you go with me and watch over me as I travel, and if you give me food and clothes ²¹ and bring me safely home again, you will be my God. ²² This rock will be your house, and I will give back to you a tenth of everything you give me.”

Jacob Arrives at Laban's Home

29 As Jacob continued on his way to the east, ² he looked out in a field and saw a well where shepherds took their sheep for water. Three flocks of sheep were lying around the well, which was covered with a large rock. ³ Shepherds would roll the rock away when all their sheep had gathered there. Then after the sheep had been watered, the shepherds would roll the rock back over the mouth of the well.

⁴ Jacob asked the shepherds, “Where are you from?”

“We're from Haran,” they answered.

⁵ Then he asked, “Do you know Nahor's grandson Laban?”

“Yes we do,” they replied.

⁶ “How is he?” Jacob asked.

“He's fine,” they answered. “And here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

⁷ Jacob told them, “Look, the sun is still high up in the sky, and it's too early to bring in the rest of the flocks. Water your sheep and take them back to the pasture.”

⁸ But they replied, “We can't do that until they all get here, and the rock has been rolled away from the well.”

⁹ While Jacob was still talking with the men, his cousin Rachel came up with her father's sheep. ¹⁰ When Jacob saw her and his uncle's sheep, he rolled the rock away and watered the sheep. ¹¹ He then kissed Rachel and started crying because he was so happy. ¹² He told her that he was the son of her aunt Rebekah, and she ran and told her father about him.

¹³ As soon as Laban heard the news, he ran out to meet Jacob. He hugged and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him everything that had happened. ¹⁴ Laban said, “You are my nephew, and you are like one of my own family.”

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

After Jacob had been there for a month, ¹⁵ Laban said to him, “You shouldn't have to work without pay, just because you are a relative of mine. What do you want me to give you?”

^16-17 Laban had two daughters. Leah was older than Rachel, but her eyes didn't sparkle,^[ba] while Rachel was beautiful and had a good figure. ¹⁸ Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he answered, “If you will let me marry Rachel, I'll work seven years for you.”

¹⁹ Laban replied, “It's better for me to let you marry Rachel than for someone else to have her. So stay and work for me.” ²⁰ Jacob worked seven years for Laban, but the time seemed like only a few days, because he loved Rachel so much.

²¹ Jacob said to Laban, “The time is up, and I want to marry Rachel now!” ²² So Laban gave a big feast and invited all their neighbors. ²³ But that evening he brought Leah to Jacob, who married her and spent the night with her. ²⁴ Laban also gave Zilpah to Leah as her servant woman.

²⁵ The next morning Jacob found out that he had married Leah, and he asked Laban, “Why did you do this to me? Didn't I work to get Rachel? Why did you trick me?”

²⁶ Laban replied, “In our country the older daughter must get married first. ²⁷ After you spend this week^[bb] with Leah, you may also marry Rachel. But you will have to work for me another seven years.”

^28-30 At the end of the week of celebration, Laban let Jacob marry Rachel, and he gave her his servant woman Bilhah. Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah, but he had to work another seven years for Laban.

³¹ The Lord knew that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah, and so he gave children to Leah, but not to Rachel. ³² Leah gave birth to a son and named him Reuben.^[bc] Then she said, “The Lord has taken away my sorrow. Now my husband will love me more than he does Rachel.” ³³ She had a second son and named him Simeon,^[bd] because she said, “The Lord has heard that my husband doesn't love me.” ³⁴ When Leah's third son was born, she said, “Now my husband will hold me close.” So this son was named Levi.^{[be] 35} She had one more son and named him Judah,^[bf] because she said, “I'll praise the Lord!”

Problems between Rachel and Leah

30 Rachel was very jealous of Leah for having children, and she said to Jacob, “I'll die if you don't give me some children!”

² But Jacob became upset with Rachel and answered, “Don't blame me! I'm not God.”

³ “Here, take my servant Bilhah,” Rachel told him. “Have children by her, and I'll let them be born on my knees to show that they are mine.”

⁴ Then Rachel let Jacob marry Bilhah, ⁵ and they had a son. ⁶ Rachel named him Dan,^[bg] because she said, “God has answered my prayers. He judged in my favor and has given me a son.” ⁷ When Bilhah and Jacob had a second son, ⁸ Rachel said, “I've struggled hard with my sister, and I've won!” So she named the boy Naphtali.^[bh]

⁹ When Leah realized she could not have any more children, she let Jacob marry her servant Zilpah, ¹⁰ and they had a son. ¹¹ “I'm really lucky,” Leah said, and she named the boy Gad.^{[bi] 12} When they had another son, ¹³ Leah exclaimed, “I'm happy now, and all the women will say how happy I am.” So she named him Asher.^[bj]

Love Flowers

¹⁴ During the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some love flowers^[bk] and took them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah for some of them, ¹⁵ but Leah said, “It's bad enough that you stole my husband! Now you want my son's love flowers too.”

“All right,” Rachel answered. “Let me have the flowers, and you can sleep with Jacob tonight.”

¹⁶ That evening when Jacob came in from the fields, Leah told him, “You're sleeping with me tonight. I hired you with my son's love flowers.”

They slept together that night, ¹⁷ and God answered Leah's prayers by giving her a fifth son. ¹⁸ Leah shouted, “God has rewarded me for letting Jacob marry my servant,” and she named the boy Issachar.^[bl]

¹⁹ When Leah had another son, ²⁰ she exclaimed, “God has given me a wonderful gift, and my husband will praise me for giving him six sons.” So she named the boy Zebulun.^{[bm] 21} Later, Leah had a daughter and named her Dinah.

^22-23 Finally, God remembered Rachel—he answered her prayer by giving her a son. “God has taken away my disgrace,” she said. ²⁴ “I'll name the boy Joseph,^[bn] and I'll pray that the Lord will give me another son.”

Jacob and Laban

²⁵ After Joseph was born, Jacob said to Laban, “Release me from our agreement^[bo] and let me return to my own country. ²⁶ You know how hard I've worked for you, so let me take my wives and children and leave.”

^27-28 But Laban told him, “If you really are my friend, stay on, and I'll pay whatever you ask. I'm sure^[bp] the Lord has blessed me because of you.”

²⁹ Jacob answered:

You've seen how hard I've worked for you, and you know how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. ³⁰ You didn't have much before I came, but the Lord has blessed everything I have ever done for you. Now it's time for me to start looking out for my own family.

³¹ “How much do you want me to pay you?” Laban asked.

Then Jacob told him:

I don't want you to pay me anything. Just do one thing, and I'll take care of your sheep and goats. ³² Let me go through your flocks and herds and take the sheep and goats that are either spotted or speckled^[bq] and the black lambs. That's all you need to give me. ³³ In the future you can easily find out if I've been honest. Just look and see if my animals are either spotted or speckled, or if the lambs are black. If they aren't, they've been stolen from you.

³⁴ “I agree to that,” was Laban's response. ³⁵ Before the end of the day, Laban had separated his spotted and speckled animals and the black lambs from the others and had put his sons in charge of them. ³⁶ Then Laban made Jacob keep the rest of the sheep and goats at a distance of three days' journey.

³⁷ Jacob cut branches from some poplar trees and from some almond and evergreen trees. He peeled off part of the bark and made the branches look spotted and speckled. ³⁸ Then he put the branches where the sheep and goats would see them^[br] while they were drinking from the water trough. The goats mated there ³⁹ in front of the branches, and their young were spotted and speckled.

⁴⁰ Some of the sheep that Jacob was keeping for Laban were already spotted. And when the others were ready to mate, he made sure that they faced in the direction of the spotted and black ones. In this way, Jacob built up a flock of sheep for himself and did not put them with the other sheep.

⁴¹ When the stronger sheep were mating near the drinking place, Jacob made sure that the spotted branches were there. ⁴² But he would not put out the branches when the weaker animals were mating. So Jacob got all of the healthy animals, and Laban got what was left. ⁴³ Jacob soon became rich and successful. He owned many sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of slaves.

Jacob Runs from Laban

31 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were complaining, “Jacob is now a rich man, and he got everything he owns from our father.” ² Jacob also noticed that Laban was not as friendly as he had been before. ³ One day the Lord said, “Jacob, go back to your relatives in the land of your ancestors, and I will be with you.”

⁴ Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to meet him in the pasture where he kept his sheep, ⁵ and he told them:

Your father isn't as friendly with me as he used to be, but the God my ancestors worshiped has been on my side. ⁶ You know that I have worked hard for your father ⁷ and that he keeps cheating me by changing my wages time after time. But God has protected me. ⁸ When your father said the speckled sheep would be my wages, all of them were speckled. And when he said the spotted ones would be mine, all of them were spotted. ⁹ That's how God has taken sheep and goats from your father and given them to me.

¹⁰ Once, when the flocks were mating, I dreamed that all the rams were either spotted or speckled. ¹¹ Then God's angel called me by name. I answered, ¹² and he said, “Notice that all the rams are either spotted or speckled. I know everything Laban is doing to you, ^13 (AT) and I am the God you worshiped at Bethel,^[bs] when you poured olive oil on a rock and made a promise to me. Leave here at once and return to the land where you were born.”

¹⁴ Rachel and Leah said to Jacob:

There's nothing left for us to inherit from our father. ¹⁵ He treats us like foreigners and has even cheated us out of the bride price^[bt] that should have been ours. ¹⁶ So do whatever God tells you to do. Even the property God took from our father and gave to you really belongs to us and our children.

¹⁷ Then Jacob, his wives, and his children got on camels and left ¹⁸ northern Syria^[bu] for the home of his father Isaac in Canaan. Jacob took along all his flocks, herds, and other property.

¹⁹ Before Rachel left, she stole the household idols^[bv] while Laban was out shearing his sheep.

²⁰ Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean^[bw] by not saying that he intended to leave. ²¹ When Jacob crossed the Euphrates River and headed for the hill country of Gilead, he took with him everything he owned.

Laban Catches Up with Jacob

²² Three days later Laban found out that Jacob had gone. ²³ So he took some of his relatives along and chased after Jacob for seven days, before catching up with him in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴ But God appeared to Laban in a dream that night and warned, “Don't say a word to Jacob. Don't make a threat or a promise.”

²⁵ Jacob had set up camp in the hill country of Gilead, when Laban and his relatives came and set up camp in another part of the hill country. Laban went to Jacob ²⁶ and said:

Look what you've done! You've tricked me and run off with my daughters like a kidnapper. ²⁷ Why did you sneak away without telling me? I would have given you a going-away party with singing and with music on tambourines and harps. ²⁸ You didn't even give me a chance to kiss my own grandchildren and daughters goodbye. That was really foolish. ²⁹ I could easily hurt you, but the God your father worshiped has warned me not to make any threats or promises.

³⁰ I can understand why you were eager to return to your father, but why did you have to steal my idols?

³¹ Jacob answered, “I left secretly because I was afraid you would take your daughters from me by force. ³² If you find that any one of us has taken your idols, I'll have that person killed. Let your relatives be witnesses. Show me what belongs to you, and you can take it back.” Jacob did not realize that Rachel had stolen the household idols.

³³ Laban searched the tents of Jacob, Leah, and the two servant women,^[bx] but did not find the idols. Then he went to Rachel's tent. ³⁴ She had already hidden them in the cushion she used as a saddle and was sitting on it. Laban searched everywhere and did not find them. ³⁵ Rachel said, “Father, please don't be angry with me for not getting up; I'm having my period.” Laban kept on searching, but still did not find the idols.

³⁶ Jacob became very angry and said to Laban:

What have I done wrong? Have I committed some crime? Is that why you hunted me down? ³⁷ After searching through everything I have, did you find anything of yours? If so, put it here, where your relatives and mine can see it. Then we can decide what to do.

³⁸ In all the 20 years that I've worked for you, not one of your sheep or goats has had a miscarriage, and I've never eaten even one of your rams. ³⁹ If a wild animal killed one of your sheep or goats, I paid for it myself. In fact, you demanded the full price, whether the animal was killed during the day or at night.^{[by] 40} I sweated every day, and I couldn't sleep at night because of the cold.

⁴¹ I had to work 14 of these 20 long years to earn your two daughters and another 6 years to buy your sheep and goats. During that time you kept changing my wages. ⁴² If the fearsome God^[bz] worshiped by Abraham and my father Isaac had not been on my side, you would have sent me away without a thing. But God saw my hard work, and he knew the trouble I was in, so he helped me. Then last night he told you how wrong you were.

Jacob and Laban Make an Agreement

⁴³ Laban said to Jacob, “Leah and Rachel are my daughters, and their children belong to me. All these sheep you are taking are really mine too. In fact, everything you have belongs to me. But there is nothing I can do to keep my daughters and their children. ⁴⁴ So I am ready to make an agreement with you, and we will pile up some large rocks here to remind us of the agreement.”

⁴⁵ After Jacob had set up a large rock, ⁴⁶ he told his men to get some more rocks and pile them up next to it. Then Jacob and Laban ate a meal together beside the rocks. ⁴⁷ Laban named the pile of rocks Jegar Sahadutha.^[ca] But Jacob named it Galeed.^{[cb] 48} Laban said to Jacob, “This pile of rocks will remind us of our agreement.” That's why the place was named Galeed. ⁴⁹ Laban also said, “This pile of rocks means that the Lord will watch us both while we are apart from each other.” So the place was also named Mizpah.^[cc]

⁵⁰ Then Laban said:

If you mistreat my daughters or marry other women, I may not know about it, but remember, God is watching us! ^51-52 Both this pile of rocks and this large rock have been set up between us as a reminder. I must never go past them to attack you, and you must never come past them to attack me. ⁵³ My father Nahor, your grandfather Abraham, and their ancestors all worshiped the same God, and he will make sure that we each keep the agreement.

Then Jacob made a promise in the name of the fearsome God^[cd] his father Isaac had worshiped. ⁵⁴ Jacob killed an animal and offered it as a sacrifice there on the mountain, and he invited his men to eat with him. After the meal they spent the night on the mountain. ⁵⁵ Early the next morning, Laban kissed his daughters and his grandchildren goodbye, then he left to go back home.

Jacob Gets Ready To Meet Esau

32 As Jacob was on his way back home, some of God's angels came and met him. ² When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God's camp.” So he named the place Mahanaim.^[ce]

³ Jacob sent messengers on ahead to Esau, who lived in the land of Seir, also known as Edom. ⁴ Jacob told them to say to Esau, “Master, I am your servant! I have lived with Laban all this time, ⁵ and now I own cattle, donkeys, and sheep, as well as many slaves. Master, I am sending these messengers in the hope that you will be kind to me.”

⁶ When the messengers returned, they told Jacob, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is heading this way with 400 men.”