Genesis 25:19-37:2

Contemporary English Version

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.^[a]

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 (A) and he told her:

²⁴ When Rebekah gave birth, ²⁵ the first baby was covered with red hair, so he was named Esau.^{[c] 26} The second baby grabbed on to his brother's heel, so they named him Jacob.^[d] 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.^{[e] 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.”^[f]

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

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

^33 (B) 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 (C) 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,^{[h] 5} because Abraham did everything I told him to do.

⁶ Isaac moved to Gerar ^7 (D) 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^[i] 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 (E) 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,^[j] and the town is still called Beersheba.^[k]

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 (F) 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 (H) Esau replied, “My brother deserves the name Jacob,^[l] 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 (I) “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 (J) 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 (L) 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?”^[m]

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^[n] 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 (M) 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^{[o] 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^[p] and the granddaughter of Abraham.

Jacob's Dream at Bethel

^10 (N) 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 (O) 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 (P) The Lord was standing beside the ladder^[q] 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 (Q) 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.^{[r] 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.^[s] 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,^[t] 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^[u] 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.^[v] 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,^[w] 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.^{[x] 35} She had one more son and named him Judah,^[y] 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,^[z] 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.^[aa]

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.^{[ab] 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.^[ac]

Love Flowers

¹⁴ During the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some love flowers^[ad] 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.^[ae]

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.^{[af] 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,^[ag] 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^[ah] 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^[ai] 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^[aj] 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^[ak] 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 (R) and I am the God you worshiped at Bethel,^[al] 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^[am] 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^[an] 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^[ao] while Laban was out shearing his sheep.

²⁰ Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean^[ap] 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,^[aq] 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.^{[ar] 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^[as] 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.^[at] But Jacob named it Galeed.^{[au] 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.^[av]

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^[aw] 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.^[ax]

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.”

⁷ Jacob was so frightened that he divided his people, sheep, cattle, and camels into two groups. ⁸ He thought, “If Esau attacks one group, perhaps the other can escape.”

⁹ Then Jacob prayed:

You, Lord, are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful. ¹⁰ I don't deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals. ¹¹ Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well. ^12 (S) But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the grains of sand along the seashore.

¹³ After Jacob had spent the night there, he chose some animals as gifts for Esau: ^14-15 200 female goats and 20 males, 200 female sheep and 20 males, 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls, and 20 female donkeys and 10 males.

¹⁶ Jacob put servants in charge of each herd and told them, “Go ahead of me and keep a space between each herd.” ¹⁷ Then he said to the servant in charge of the first herd, “When Esau meets you, he will ask whose servant you are. He will want to know where you are going and who owns those animals in front of you. ¹⁸ So tell him, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob, who is coming this way. He is sending them as a gift to his master Esau.’ ”

¹⁹ Jacob also told the men in charge of the second and third herds and those who followed to say the same thing when they met Esau. ²⁰ And Jacob told them to be sure to say that he was right behind them. Jacob hoped the gifts would make Esau friendly, so Esau would be glad to see him when they met. ²¹ Jacob's men took the gifts on ahead of him, but he spent the night in camp.

Jacob's Name Is Changed to Israel

^22-23 (T) Jacob got up in the middle of the night and took his wives, his eleven children, and everything he owned across to the other side of the Jabbok River for safety. ^24 (U) Afterwards, Jacob went back and spent the rest of the night alone.

A man came and fought with Jacob until just before daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not win, he struck Jacob on the hip and threw it out of joint. ²⁶ They kept on wrestling until the man said, “Let go of me! It's almost daylight.”

“You can't go until you bless me,” Jacob replied.

²⁷ Then the man asked, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

^28 (V) The man said, “From now on, your name will no longer be Jacob. You will be called Israel,^[ay] because you have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won.”

^29 (W) Jacob said, “Now tell me your name.”

“Don't you know who I am?” he asked. And he blessed Jacob.

³⁰ Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive.” So he named the place Peniel.^{[az] 31} The sun was coming up as Jacob was leaving Peniel. He was limping because he had been struck on the hip, ³² and the muscle on his hip joint had been injured. That's why even today the people of Israel don't eat the hip muscle of any animal.

Jacob Meets Esau

33 Later that day Jacob met Esau coming with his 400 men. So Jacob told his children to walk with their mothers. ² The two servant women, Zilpah and Bilhah, together with their children went first, followed by Leah and her children, then by Rachel and Joseph. ³ Jacob himself walked in front of them all, bowing to the ground seven times as he came near his brother.

⁴ But Esau ran toward Jacob and hugged and kissed him. Then the two brothers started crying.

⁵ When Esau noticed the women and children he asked, “Whose children are these?”

Jacob answered, “These are the children the Lord has been kind enough to give to me, your servant.”

⁶ Then the two servant women and their children came and bowed down to Esau. ⁷ Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down; finally, Joseph and Rachel also came and bowed down.

⁸ Esau asked Jacob, “Why did you send those herds I met along the road?”

“Master,” Jacob answered, “I sent them so you would be friendly to me.”

⁹ “But, brother, I already have plenty,” Esau replied. “Keep them for yourself.”

¹⁰ “No!” Jacob said. “Please accept them as a sign of your friendship for me. When you welcomed me and I saw your face, it was like seeing the face of God. ¹¹ Please accept these as gifts I brought to you. God has been good to me, and I have everything I need.” Jacob kept insisting until Esau agreed.

¹² “Let's get ready to travel,” Esau said. “I'll go along with you.”

¹³ But Jacob answered, “Master, you know traveling is hard on children, and I have to look after the sheep and goats that are nursing their young. If my animals travel too much in one day, they will all die. ¹⁴ Why don't you go on ahead and let me travel along slowly with the children, the herds, and the flocks. We can meet again in the country of Edom.”

¹⁵ Esau replied, “Let me leave some of my men with you.”

“You don't have to do that,” Jacob answered. “I am happy, simply knowing that you are friendly to me.”

¹⁶ So Esau left for Edom. ¹⁷ But Jacob went to Succoth,^[ba] where he built a house for himself and set up shelters for his animals. That's why the place is called Succoth.

Jacob Arrives at Shechem

¹⁸ After leaving northern Syria,^[bb] Jacob arrived safely at Shechem in Canaan and set up camp outside the city. ^19 (X) The land where he camped was owned by the descendants of Hamor, the father of Shechem. So Jacob paid them 100 pieces of silver^[bc] for the property, ²⁰ then he set up his tents and built an altar there to honor the God of Israel.

Dinah Is Raped

34 Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the women who lived nearby. ² She was seen by Hamor's son Shechem, the leader of the Hivites, and he grabbed her and raped her. ³ But Shechem was attracted to Dinah, so he told her how much he loved her. ⁴ Shechem even asked his father to arrange for him to marry her.

⁵ Meanwhile, Jacob heard what had happened. But his sons were out in the fields with the cattle, so he did not do anything at the time. ⁶ Hamor arrived at Jacob's home ⁷ just as Jacob's sons were coming in from work. When they learned that their sister had been raped, they became furiously angry, because nothing is more disgraceful than rape, and it must not be tolerated.

⁸ Hamor said to Jacob and his sons:

My son Shechem really loves Dinah. Please let him marry her. ⁹ Why don't you start letting your families marry into our families and ours marry into yours? ¹⁰ You can share this land with us. Move freely about until you find the property you want; then buy it and settle down here.

¹¹ Shechem added, “Do this favor for me, and I'll give whatever you want. ¹² Ask anything, no matter how expensive. I'll do anything, just let me marry Dinah.”

¹³ Jacob's sons wanted to get even with Shechem and his father because of what had happened to their sister. ¹⁴ So they tricked them by saying:

You're not circumcised!^[bd] It would be a disgrace for us to let you marry Dinah now. ¹⁵ But we will let you marry her, if you and the other men in your tribe agree to be circumcised. ¹⁶ Then your families can marry into ours, and ours can marry into yours, and we can live together like one nation. ¹⁷ But if you don't agree to be circumcised, we'll take Dinah and leave this place.

¹⁸ Hamor and Shechem liked what was said. ¹⁹ Shechem was the most respected person in his family, and he was so in love with Dinah that he hurried off to get everything done. ²⁰ The two men met with the other leaders of their city and told them:

²¹ These people really are friendly. Why not let them move freely about until they find the property they want? There's enough land here for them and for us. Then our families can marry into theirs, and theirs can marry into ours.

²² We have to do only one thing before they will agree to stay here and become one nation with us. Our men will have to be circumcised just like theirs. ²³ Just think! We'll get their property, as well as their flocks and herds. All we have to do is to agree, and they will live here with us.

²⁴ Every grown man followed this advice and got circumcised.

Dinah's Brothers Take Revenge

²⁵ Three days later the men who had been circumcised were still weak from pain. So Simeon and Levi,^[be] two of Dinah's brothers, attacked with their swords and killed every man in the town, ²⁶ including Hamor and Shechem. Then they took Dinah and left. ²⁷ Jacob's other sons came and took everything they wanted. All this was done because of the horrible thing that had happened to their sister. ²⁸ They took sheep, goats, donkeys, and everything else that was in the town or the countryside. ²⁹ After taking everything of value from the houses, they dragged away the wives and children of their victims.

³⁰ Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “Look what you've done! Now I'm in real trouble with the Canaanites and Perizzites who live around here. There aren't many of us, and if they attack, they'll kill everyone in my household.”

³¹ They answered, “Was it right to let our own sister be treated that way?”

Jacob Returns to Bethel

35 ^(Y) God told Jacob, “Return to Bethel, where I appeared to you when you were running from your brother Esau. Make your home there and build an altar for me.”

² Jacob said to his family and to everyone else who was traveling with him:

Get rid of your foreign gods! Then make yourselves acceptable to worship God and put on clean clothes. ³ Afterwards, we'll go to Bethel. I will build an altar there for God, who answered my prayers when I was in trouble and who has always been at my side.

⁴ So everyone gave Jacob their idols and their earrings,^[bf] and he buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.

⁵ While Jacob and his family were traveling through Canaan, God terrified the people in the towns so much that no one dared bother them. ⁶ Finally, they reached Bethel, also known as Luz. ⁷ Jacob built an altar there and called it “God of Bethel,” because that was the place where God had appeared to him when he was running from Esau. ⁸ While they were there, Rebekah's personal servant Deborah^[bg] died. They buried her under an oak tree and called it “Weeping Oak.”

God Blesses Jacob at Bethel

^{9-11 (Z)(AA)} After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan, God appeared to him again. This time he gave Jacob a new name and blessed him by saying:

I am God All-Powerful, and from now on your name will be Israel^[bh] instead of Jacob. You will have many children. Your descendants will become nations, and some of the men in your family will even be kings. ¹² I will give you the land that I promised Abraham and Isaac, and it will belong to your family forever.

¹³ After God had gone, ^14 (AB) Jacob set up a large rock, so that he would remember what had happened there. Then he poured wine and olive oil on the rock to show that it was dedicated to God, ¹⁵ and he named the place Bethel.^[bi]

Benjamin Is Born

¹⁶ Jacob and his family had left Bethel and were still a long way from Ephrath, when the time came for Rachel's baby to be born. ¹⁷ She was having a rough time, but the woman who was helping her said, “Don't worry! It's a boy.” ¹⁸ Rachel was at the point of death, and right before dying, she said, “I'll name him Benoni.”^[bj] But Jacob called him Benjamin.^[bk]

¹⁹ Rachel was buried beside the road to Ephrath, which is also called Bethlehem. ²⁰ Jacob set up a tombstone over her grave, and it is still there. ²¹ Jacob, also known as Israel, traveled to the south of Eder Tower, where he set up camp.

^22 (AC) During their time there, Jacob's oldest son Reuben slept with Bilhah, who was one of Jacob's other wives.^[bl] And Jacob found out about it.

Jacob's Twelve Sons

^23-26 Jacob had twelve sons while living in northern Syria.^[bm] His first-born Reuben was the son of Leah, who later gave birth to Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Leah's servant Zilpah had two sons: Gad and Asher.

Jacob and his wife Rachel had Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel's servant woman Bilhah had two more sons: Dan and Naphtali.

Isaac Dies

^27 (AD) Jacob went to his father Isaac at Hebron, also called Mamre or Kiriath-Arba, where Isaac's father Abraham had lived as a foreigner. ^28-29 Isaac died at the ripe old age of 180, then his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Esau's Family

36 Esau, also known as Edom, had many descendants. ^2 (AE) He married three Canaanite women: The first was Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; the second was Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite; ^3 (AF) the third was Basemath, who was Ishmael's daughter and Nebaioth's sister.

^4-5 Esau and his three wives had five sons while in Canaan. Adah's son was Eliphaz; Basemath's son was Reuel; Oholibamah's three sons were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

⁶ Esau took his children and wives, his relatives and servants, his animals and possessions he had acquired while in Canaan, and moved far from Jacob. ⁷ He did this because the land was too crowded and could not support him and his brother with their flocks and herds. ⁸ That's why Esau made his home in the hill country of Seir.

^9-14 Esau lived in the hill country of Seir and was the ancestor of the Edomites. Esau had three wives: Adah, Basemath, and Oholibamah. Here is a list of his descendants: Esau and Adah had a son named Eliphaz, whose sons were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. Timna was the other wife^[bn] of Esau's son Eliphaz, and she had a son named Amalek.

Esau and Basemath had a son named Reuel, whose sons were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

Esau and Oholibamah had three sons: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

Chiefs and Leaders in Edom

¹⁵ Esau and Adah's oldest son was Eliphaz, and the clans that descended from him were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, ¹⁶ Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These and Esau's other descendants lived in the land of Edom.

¹⁷ The clans that descended from Esau and Basemath's son Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

¹⁸ The clans that descended from Esau and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. ¹⁹ All of these clans descended from Esau, who was known as Edom.

²⁰ Seir was from the Horite tribe that had lived in Edom before the time of Esau. The clans that had descended from him were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ²¹ Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.

²² Lotan's sons were Hori and Heman; his sister was Timna.

²³ Shobal's sons were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

²⁴ Zibeon's sons were Aiah and Anah—the same Anah who found an oasis^[bo] in the desert while taking the donkeys of his father out to pasture.

²⁵ Anah's children were Dishon and Oholibamah.

²⁶ Dishon's sons were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

²⁷ Ezer's sons were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

²⁸ Dishan's sons were Uz and Aran.

²⁹ The clans of the Horites were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ³⁰ Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan, and they lived in the land of Seir.

^31-39 Before there were kings in Israel, the following kings ruled Edom one after another:

⁴⁰ The clans that descended from Esau took their names from their families and the places where they lived. They are Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, ⁴¹ Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, ⁴² Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, ⁴³ Magdiel, and Iram. These clans descended from Esau, who was known as Edom, the father of the Edomites. They took their names from the places where they settled.

Joseph and His Brothers

37 Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father Isaac had lived, ² and this is the story of his family.

When Jacob's son Joseph was 17 years old, he took care of the sheep with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah.^[bp] But he was always telling his father all sorts of bad things about his brothers.