Genesis 32:4-36:43
Tree of Life Version
Parashat Vayishlach
Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
4 Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom. 5 He also commanded them saying, “This is what you should say to my lord, to Esau: ‘This is what your servant Jacob said: I’ve been staying with Laban, and have lingered until now. 6 Now I’ve come to possess oxen and donkeys, flocks, male servants and female servants. I sent word to tell my lord, in order to find favor in your eyes.’”
7 The messengers returned to Jacob saying, “We went to your brother, to Esau, and he’s also coming out to meet you—and 400 men with him.”
8 So Jacob became extremely afraid and distressed. He divided the people with him, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, 9 for he thought, “If Esau comes to one camp and strikes it, the camp that’s left will escape.”
10 Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Adonai, who said to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will do good with you.’ 11 I am unworthy of all the proofs of mercy and of all the dependability that you have shown to your servant. For with only my staff I crossed over this Jordan, and now I’ve become two camps. 12 Deliver me, please, from my brother’s hand, from Esau’s hand, for I’m afraid of him that he’ll come and strike me—the mothers with the children. 13 You Yourself said, ‘I will most certainly do good with you, and will make your seed like the sand of the sea that cannot be counted because of its abundance.’”
14 So he stayed overnight there. Then from all that had come into his possession he took an offering for Esau his brother: 15 200 female goats, 20 billy goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 16 30 milking camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys. 17 He put them in the hands of his servants, each herd by itself, and he said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put a gap between each of the herds.” 18 Then he commanded the first one saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do all these before you belong?’ 19 then you are to say, ‘To your servant, to Jacob—it’s an offering sent to my lord, to Esau. And look, he’s also behind us.’” 20 And he also commanded the second one, the third one, and all those who were going behind the flocks, saying, “Say the same exact thing to Esau when you find him. 21 Then you are to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is also behind us.’” For he thought, “Let me appease him with the offering that goes ahead of me, and afterward see his face, perhaps he’ll lift up my face.” 22 So the offering passed over ahead of him, while he spent that night in the camp.
23 Then he got up that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of the Jabbok. 24 He took them and sent them across the stream, and he sent across whatever he had.
Jacob Wrestles With God
25 So Jacob remained all by himself. Then a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. [a] 26 When He saw that He had not overcome him, He struck the socket of his hip, so He dislocated the socket of Jacob’s hip when He wrestled with him. 27 Then He said, “Let Me go, for the dawn has broken.”
But he said, “I won’t let You go unless You bless me.”
28 Then He said to him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he said.
29 Then He said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but rather Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and you have overcome.”
30 Then Jacob asked and said, “Please tell me Your name.”
But He said, “What’s this—you are asking My name?” Then He blessed him there.
31 So Jacob named the place Peniel, “for I’ve seen God face to face, and my life has been spared.”
32 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed by Peniel—limping because of his hip. 33 That is why the children of Israel do not eat the tendon of the hip socket, to this very day, because He struck the socket of Jacob’s thigh on the tendon of the hip.
Jacob Meets Esau
33 Then Jacob glanced up and saw, behold, there was Esau coming—and 400 men with him. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants. 2 He put the female servants and their children first, then Leah and her children behind them, then Rachel and Joseph behind them. 3 But he himself passed on ahead of them, and bowed to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother.
4 But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, fell on his neck and kissed him—and they wept. 5 His eyes glanced up and he saw the women and the children, and said, “Who are these with you?”
“The children whom God has graciously given your servant,” he said. 6 Then the female servants approached, they and their children, and bowed down. 7 Leah also approached, along with her children, and they bowed down, and finally, Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.
8 “What do you mean by this whole caravan that I’ve met?”
So he said, “To find favor in your eyes, my lord.”
9 But Esau said, “I have plenty! O my brother, do keep all that belongs to you.”
10 Yet Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor in your eyes, then you will take my offering from my hand. For this is the reason I’ve seen your face—it is like seeing the face of God—and you’ve accepted me! 11 Please, take my blessing that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me, and because I have everything.” So he kept urging him until he accepted.
12 Then he said, “Let’s journey and be on our way, and I’ll go ahead of you. 13 He continued, “My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and the cattle in my care are nursing. So if they were pushed hard just one day, all the flocks would die. 14 Please, let my lord pass on ahead of your servant, and I’ll move on further gradually, at a pace suited to the livestock that are before me and at a pace suited to the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”
15 Then Esau said, “Please let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.”
But he said, “What’s this? Let me find favor in my lord’s eyes.”
16 So on that day Esau returned on his way to Seir, 17 but Jacob journeyed to Sukkot and built a house for himself, and for his livestock he made booths. That is the reason that place is called Sukkot.
18 So Jacob arrived in shalom to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and camped right in front of the city. 19 He purchased the portion of the field there where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for 100 pieces of money. 20 There he set up an altar, and he called it, El is Israel’s God.
Dinah Defiled by Shechem
34 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore for Jacob, went out to look at the daughters of the land. 2 When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her and raped her. 3 But his soul clung to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, and he loved the young woman and spoke reassuringly to the young woman. 4 So Shechem said to his father Hamor saying, “Get me this girl for a wife.”
5 Now Jacob had heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah while his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob kept quiet until they came in. 6 Meanwhile Shechem’s father Hamor went out to Jacob in order to speak with him. 7 Jacob’s sons had already come in from the field when they heard, and the men were deeply grieved and furious, because he had committed a vile deed in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, which ought never to be done.
8 But Hamor spoke with them saying, “My son Shechem—he’s very attached to your daughter. Please give her to him for a wife. 9 Intermarry with us. You can give your daughters to us, and you can take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You can live with us, and the land will be open to you: live in it, move about freely in it, and settle down in it.”
11 Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Would that I find favor in your eyes! Whatever you say to me I’ll give. 12 Set the dowry and the presents as high as you like and I’ll give whatever you say to me. But give me the young woman as a wife.”
13 But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully as they spoke, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do this thing—give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised—for this is a disgrace to us. 15 Only by this will we consent to you: if you will become like us, by circumcising every male. 16 Then we’ll give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves, and live with you, and become one people. 17 But if you don’t listen to us and be circumcised, we’ll take our daughter and leave.”
18 Now their words seemed good to Hamor as well as Hamor’s son Shechem. 19 So the young man did not hesitate to do it, since he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. Now he was honored above everyone else in his father’s house. 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem came into the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying: 21 “These men are enjoying a peaceful relationship with us and they are living in the land and moving about freely in it. As for the land, look, it’s spread out on both sides before us. We can take their daughters to be our wives, and we can give our daughters to them. 22 But by this did these men consent to us, to live with us and to become one people—when all our males are circumcised as they are circumcised. 23 Their livestock and their possessions: won’t they be ours? Only let us consent to them so that they’ll live with us.”
24 Now everyone who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, every one who went out the gate of his city. 25 Then on the third day while they were in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came against the city undisturbed and killed every male. 26 Hamor and his son Shechem they killed with the sword, then took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left. 27 Jacob’s sons came upon the slain and plundered the city because they defiled their sister. 28 They took their flocks, their cattle and their donkeys, those that were in the city as well as those that were in the field. 29 All their wealth, their little children, and their wives they captured and plundered, as well as everything that was in the houses.
30 But Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You’ve brought trouble on me, making me a stench among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am but a few men—they’ll gather against me and strike me—then I’ll be destroyed, my household and I.”
31 But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
Rededication at Beth-El
35 Then God said to Jacob, “Get up! Go up to Beth-El and stay there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
2 So Jacob said to his household and to everyone who was with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Cleanse yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Now let’s get up and go up to Beth-El so that I can make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and has been with me in the way that I have gone.”
4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods in their hand and the rings in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak tree near Shechem. 5 Then they journeyed, and the terror of God was on the cities that were around them, so they did not pursue Jacob’s sons. 6 Then Jacob arrived at Luz in the land of Canaan (that is Beth-El), he and all the people who were with him. 7 He built an altar there and called the place El-Beth-El because God had revealed Himself to him there when he fled from the presence of his brother.
8 Then Rebekah’s nurse Deborah died, and was buried below Beth-El, under the oak—so it was named Oak of Weeping.
9 God appeared to Jacob again, after he returned from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. 10 God said to him:
“Your name was Jacob.
No longer will your name be Jacob, for your name will be Israel.”
So He named him Israel.
11 God also said to him:
“I am El Shaddai.
Be fruitful and multiply.
A nation and an assembly of nations will come from you.
From your loins will come forth kings.
12 The land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac—
I give it to you, and to your seed after you
I will give the land.”
13 Then God went up from him at the place where He had spoken with him. 14 Jacob set up a memorial stone in the place where He had spoken with him—a stone pillar—and he poured a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 Jacob named the place where God spoke with him Beth-El.
Rachel’s Death in Childbirth
16 Then they traveled from Beth-El, and while they were still a distance from entering Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, but her labor was difficult. 17 While she was struggling to give birth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for this is also a son for you.” 18 Now as her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Ben-Oni, but his father named him Benjamin. 19 Then Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Jacob set up a memorial stone over her grave. (It is the memorial stone over Rachel’s grave to this day.)
Israel Returns to Isaac
21 Then Israel journeyed on and set up his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben went and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it.
Now Jacob had twelve sons. 23 Leah’s sons were Jacob’s firstborn Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. 24 Rachel’s sons were Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s female servant, were Dan and Naphtali, 26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s female servant, were Gad and Asher. These are Jacob’s sons, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
27 Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre of Kiriat-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.
28 Now Isaac’s days were 180 years. 29 Then Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his peoples, old and full of days. So his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Esau Fathers the Edomites
36 Now these are the genealogies of Esau (that is, Edom). 2 Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah, daughter of Tzivion the Hivite, 3 and Basemath daughter of Ishmael, sister of Nebaioth. 4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were Esau’s sons, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
6 Now Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters and all the people of his household, as well as his livestock, all his cattle, and all his possessions that he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to a land away from his brother Jacob. 7 For their possessions were too numerous for them to dwell together, and the land where they were residing was unable to support them because of their livestock. 8 So Esau lived in Mount Seir (Esau is Edom).
9 So these are the genealogies of Esau, the father of Edom in the hill country of Seir. 10 These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz son of Esau’s wife Adah and Reuel son of Esau’s wife Basemath. 11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz. 12 Now Timna was a concubine to Esau’s son Eliphaz, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Adah. 13 These are Reuel’s sons: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 14 These were the sons of Oholibamah, daughter of Anah, daughter of Esau’s wife Zibion—she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam and Korah.
15 These are the chiefs from Esau’s sons. The sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn were chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, 16 chief Korah, chief Gatam, chief Amalek. These are the chiefs from Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah. 17 These are the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah. These are chiefs from Reuel in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 18 These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah. These are the chiefs from Oholibamah, daughter of Esau’s wife Anah. 19 These are Esau’s sons, and these are their chiefs (that is, Edom).
20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom. 22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Lotan’s sister is Timna. 23 These are Shobal’s sons: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. 24 These are Zibeon’s sons: Aiah and Anah (that is, the Anah who found the hot springs in the desert while he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon). 25 These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, Anah’s daughter. 26 These are Dishon’s sons: Hemdan, Eshban, Itran and Cheran. 27 These are Ezer’s sons: Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan. 28 These are Dishan’s sons: Uz and Aran. 29 These are the chiefs of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Tzivion, chief Anah, 30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, chief Dishan—these are the chiefs of the Horites according to their chiefly divisions in the land of Seir.
31 Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel. 32 Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom—the name of his city was Dinhabah. 33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place. 34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 35 When Husham died, Haddad son of Bedad, who struck down the Midianites in the field of Moab, reigned in his place—the name of his city was Avit. 36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place. 37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehovot by the River reigned in his place. 38 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor reigned in his place. 39 When Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, Hadar reigned in his place—the name of his city is Pau, and his wife’s name is Mehetabel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-zehab.
40 Now these are the names of the chiefs from Esau according to their family divisions, according to their places, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth, 41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, 42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, 43 chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom according to their places of residence in the land of their possession. This is Esau, the father of Edom.
Notas al pie
- Genesis 32:26 Or, rolled around in the dust.
Genesis 32:4-36:43
Complete Jewish Bible
Parashah 8: Vayishlach (He sent) 32:4(3) –36:43
4 (3) Ya‘akov sent messengers ahead of him to ‘Esav his brother toward the land of Se‘ir, the country of Edom, 5 (4) with these instructions: “Here is what you are to say to my lord ‘Esav: ‘Your servant Ya‘akov says, “I have been living with Lavan and have stayed until now. 6 (5) I have cattle, donkeys and flocks, and male and female servants. I am sending to tell this news to my lord, in order to win your favor.” ’” 7 (6) The messengers returned to Ya‘akov saying, “We went to your brother ‘Esav, and he is coming to meet you; with him are four hundred men.”
8 (7) Ya‘akov became greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people, flocks, cattle and camels with him into two camps, 9 (8) saying, “If ‘Esav comes to the one camp and attacks it, at least the camp that is left will escape.” 10 (9) Then Ya‘akov said, “God of my father Avraham and God of my father Yitz’chak, Adonai, who told me, ‘Return to your country and your kinsmen, and I will do you good’: 11 (10) I’m not worthy of all the love and faithfulness you have shown your servant, since I crossed the Yarden with only my staff. But now I have become two camps. 12 (11) Please! Rescue me from my brother ‘Esav! I’m afraid of him, afraid he’ll come and attack me, without regard for mothers or children. 13 (12) You said, ‘I will certainly do you good and make your descendants as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea, which are so many they can’t be counted.’”
(ii) 14 (13) He stayed there that night; then he chose from among his possessions the following as a present for ‘Esav his brother: 15 (14) two hundred female goats and twenty males, two hundred female sheep and twenty males, 16 (15) thirty milk-camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten colts. 17 (16) He turned them over to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Cross over in front of me, and keep a space between each drove and the next one.” 18 (17) He instructed the servant in front, “When ‘Esav my brother meets you and asks you, ‘Whose servant are you? Where are you going? And whose animals are these?’ 19 (18) then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Ya‘akov, and they are a present he has sent to my lord ‘Esav; and Ya‘akov himself is just behind us.’” 20 (19) He also instructed the second servant, and the third, and all that followed the droves, “When you encounter ‘Esav, you are to speak to him in the same way, 21 (20) and you are to add, ‘And there, just behind us, is your servant Ya‘akov.’” For he said, “I will appease him first with the present that goes ahead of me; then, after that, I will see him myself — and maybe he will be friendly toward me.” 22 (21) So the present crossed over ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.
23 (22) He got up that night, took his two wives, his two slave-girls, and his eleven children, and forded the Yabok. 24 (23) He took them and sent them across the stream, then sent his possessions across; 25 (24) and Ya‘akov was left alone. Then some man wrestled with him until daybreak. 26 (25) When he saw that he did not defeat Ya‘akov, he struck Ya‘akov’s hip socket, so that his hip was dislocated while wrestling with him. 27 (26) The man said, “Let me go, because it’s daybreak.” But Ya‘akov replied, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.” 28 (27) The man asked, “What is your name?” and he answered, “Ya‘akov.” 29 (28) Then the man said, “From now on, you will no longer be called Ya‘akov, but Isra’el; because you have shown your strength to both God and men and have prevailed.” 30 (29) Ya‘akov asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he answered, “Why are you asking about my name?” and blessed him there.
(iii) 31 (30) Ya‘akov called the place P’ni-El [face of God], “Because I have seen God face to face, yet my life is spared.” 32 (31) As the sun rose upon him he went on past P’ni-El, limping at the hip. 33 (32) This is why, to this day, the people of Isra’el do not eat the thigh muscle that passes along the hip socket — because the man struck Ya‘akov’s hip at its socket.
33 Ya‘akov raised his eyes and looked out; and there was ‘Esav coming, and four hundred men with him. So Ya‘akov divided the children between Le’ah, Rachel and the two slave-girls, 2 putting the slave-girls and their children first, Le’ah and her children second, and Rachel and Yosef last. 3 Then he himself passed on ahead of them and prostrated himself on the ground seven times before approaching his brother. 4 ‘Esav ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him; and they wept. 5 Esav looked up; on seeing the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?” Ya‘akov answered, “The children God has graciously given to your servant.”
(iv) 6 Then the slave-girls approached with their children, and they prostrated themselves; 7 Le’ah too and her children approached and prostrated themselves; and last came Yosef and Rachel; and they prostrated themselves. 8 ‘Esav asked, “What was the meaning of this procession of droves I encountered?” and he answered, “It was to win my lord’s favor.” 9 ‘Esav replied, “I have plenty already; my brother, keep your possessions for yourself.” 10 Ya‘akov said, “No, please! If now I have won your favor, then accept my gift. Just seeing your face has been like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me. 11 So please accept the gift I have brought you, for God has dealt kindly with me and I have enough.” Thus he urged him, until he accepted it.
12 ‘Esav said, “Let’s break camp and get going. I’ll go first.” 13 Ya‘akov said to him, “My lord knows that the children are small, and the sheep and cattle suckling their young concern me, because if they overdrive them even one day, all the flocks will die. 14 Instead, please, let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the cattle ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Se‘ir.” 15 ‘Esav replied, “Then let me leave with you some of the people I have with me.” But Ya‘akov said, “There’s no need for my lord to be so kind to me.” 16 So ‘Esav left that day to return to Se‘ir. 17 Ya‘akov went on to Sukkot, where he built himself a house and put up shelters for his cattle. This is why the place is called Sukkot [shelters].
18 Having traveled from Paddan-Aram, Ya‘akov arrived safely at the city of Sh’khem, in Kena‘an, and set up camp near the city. 19 From the sons of Hamor Sh’khem’s father he bought for one hundred pieces of silver the parcel of land where he had pitched his tent. 20 There he put up an altar, which he called El-Elohei-Yisra’el [God, the God of Isra’el].
34 (v) One time Dinah the daughter of Le’ah, whom she had borne to Ya‘akov, went out to visit the local girls; 2 and Sh’khem the son of Hamor the Hivi, the local ruler, saw her, grabbed her, raped her and humiliated her. 3 But actually he was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Ya‘akov; he fell in love with the girl and tried to win her affection. 4 Sh’khem spoke with his father Hamor and said, “Get this girl for me; I want her to be my wife.”
5 When Ya‘akov heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter, his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Ya‘akov restrained himself until they came. 6 Hamor the father of Sh’khem went out to Ya‘akov to speak with him 7 just as Ya‘akov’s sons were coming in from the field. When they heard what had happened, the men were saddened and were very angry at the outrage this man had committed against Isra’el by raping Ya‘akov’s daughter, something that is simply not done. 8 But Hamor said to them, “My son Sh’khem’s heart is set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife; 9 and intermarry with us: give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You will live with us, and the land will be available to you — you’ll live, do business and acquire possessions here.”
11 Then Sh’khem said to her father and brothers, “Only accept me, and I will give whatever you tell me. 12 Ask as large a bride-price as you like, I’ll pay whatever you tell me. Just let me marry the girl.” 13 The sons of Ya‘akov answered Sh’khem and Hamor his father deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do it, because it would be a disgrace to give our sister to someone who hasn’t been circumcised. 15 Only on this condition will we consent to what you are asking: that you become like us by having every male among you get circumcised. 16 Then we’ll give our daughters to you, and we’ll take your daughters for ourselves, and we’ll live with you and become one people. 17 But if you won’t do as we say and get circumcised, then we’ll take our daughter and go away.” 18 What they said seemed fair to Hamor and Sh’khem the son of Hamor, 19 and the young man did not put off doing what was asked of him, even though he was the most respected member of his father’s family, because he so much wanted Ya‘akov’ s daughter.
20 Hamor and Sh’khem his son came to the entrance of their city and spoke with its leading men: 21 “These people are peaceful toward us; therefore let them live in the land and do business in it; for, as you can see, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives for ourselves, and we’ll give them our daughters. 22 But the people will consent to live with us and become one people only on this condition: that every male among us gets circumcised, as they themselves are circumcised. 23 Won’t their cattle, their possessions and all their animals be ours? Only let’s consent to do what they ask, and then they will live with us.” 24 Everyone going out the city’s gate listened to Hamor and Sh’khem his son; so every male was circumcised, every one that went out the gate of the city.
25 On the third day after the circumcision, when they were in pain, two of Ya‘akov’s sons, Shim‘on and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords, boldly descended on the city and slaughtered all the males. 26 They killed Hamor and Sh’khem his son with their swords, took Dinah out of Sh’khem’s house, and left. 27 Then the sons of Ya‘akov entered over the dead bodies of those who had been slaughtered and plundered the city in reprisal for defiling their sister. 28 They took their flocks, cattle and donkeys, and everything else, whether in the city or in the field, 29 everything they owned. Their children and wives they took captive, and they looted whatever was in the houses.
30 But Ya‘akov said to Shim‘on and Levi, “You have caused me trouble by making me stink in the opinion of the local inhabitants, the Kena‘ani and the P’rizi. Since I don’t have many people, they’ll align themselves together against me and attack me; and I will be destroyed, I and my household.” 31 They replied, “Should we let our sister be treated like a whore?”
35 God said to Ya‘akov, “Get up, go up to Beit-El and live there, and make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled ‘Esav your brother.” 2 Then Ya‘akov said to his household and all the others with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that you have with you, purify yourselves, and put on fresh clothes. 3 We’re going to move on and go up to Beit-El. There I will build an altar to God, who answered me when I was in such distress and stayed with me wherever I went.” 4 They gave Ya‘akov all the foreign gods in their possession and the earrings they were wearing, and Ya‘akov buried them under the pistachio tree near Sh’khem. 5 While they were traveling, a terror from God fell upon the cities around them, so that none of them pursued the sons of Ya‘akov.
6 Ya‘akov and all the people with him arrived at Luz (that is, Beit-El) in the land of Kena‘an. 7 He built there an altar and called the place El-Beit-El [God of Beit-El], because it was there that God was revealed to him, at the time when he was fleeing from his brother.
8 Then D’vorah, Rivkah’s nurse, died. She was buried below Beit-El under the oak, which was given the name Alon-Bakhut [oak of weeping].
9 After Ya‘akov arrived from Paddan-Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Ya‘akov, but you will be called Ya‘akov no longer; your name will be Isra’el.” Thus he named him Isra’el. 11 God further said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed a group of nations, will come from you; kings will be descended from you. (A: vi) 12 Moreover, the land which I gave to Avraham and Yitz’chak I will give to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you.” 13 Then God went up from him there where he had spoken with him. (S: vi) 14 Ya‘akov set up a standing-stone in the place where he had spoken with him, a stone pillar. Then he poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 Ya‘akov called the place where God spoke with him Beit-El.
16 Then they traveled on from Beit-El, and while there was still some distance to go before arriving in Efrat, Rachel went into labor, and she had great difficulty with it. 17 While she was undergoing this hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t worry, this is also a son for you.” 18 But she died in childbirth. As she was dying she named her son Ben-Oni [son of my grief], but his father called him Binyamin [son of the right hand, son of the south]. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Efrat (that is, Beit-Lechem). 20 Ya‘akov set up a standing-stone on her grave; it is the standing-stone of Rachel’s grave to this day.
21 Isra’el continued his travels and pitched his tent on the other side of Migdal-‘Eder. 22 It was while Isra’el was living in that land that Re’uven went and slept with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Isra’el heard about it.
Ya‘akov had twelve sons. 23 The sons of Le’ah were Re’uven Ya‘akov’s firstborn, Shim‘on, Levi, Y’hudah, Yissakhar and Z’vulun. 24 The sons of Rachel were Yosef and Binyamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah Rachel’s slave-girl were Dan and Naftali. 26 And the sons of Zilpah Le’ah’s slave-girl were Gad and Asher. These were Ya‘akov’s sons, born to him in Paddan-Aram.
27 Ya‘akov came home to his father Yitz’chak at Mamre, near Kiryat-Arba (also known as Hevron), where Avraham and Yitz’chak had lived as foreigners. 28 Yitz’chak lived to be 180 years old. 29 Then he breathed his last, died and was gathered to his people, an old man full of years; and his sons ‘Esav and Ya‘akov buried him.
36 This is the genealogy of ‘Esav (that is, Edom). 2 ‘Esav chose Kena‘ani women as his wives: ‘Adah the daughter of Eilon the Hitti; Oholivamah the daughter of ‘Anah the daughter of Tziv‘on the Hivi; 3 and Basmat Yishma‘el’s daughter, sister of N’vayot. 4 ‘Adah bore to ‘Esav Elifaz, Basmat bore Re‘u’el, 5 and Oholivamah bore Ye‘ush, Ya‘lam and Korach. These were the sons of ‘Esav born to him in the land of Kena‘an.
6 ‘Esav took his wives, his sons and daughters, the others in his household, his cattle and other animals and everything else he owned, which he had acquired in the land of Kena‘an, and went off to a country distant from his brother Ya‘akov. 7 For their possessions had become too great for them to live together, and the countryside through which they were traveling couldn’t support so much livestock. 8 So ‘Esav lived in the hill-country of Se‘ir. (‘Esav is Edom.)
9 This is the genealogy of ‘Esav the father of Edom in the hill-country of Se‘ir. 10 The names of ‘Esav’s sons were Elifaz, son of ‘Adah the wife of ‘Esav, and Re‘u’el the son of Basmat the wife of ‘Esav.
11 The sons of Elifaz were Teman, Omar, Tzefo, Ga‘tam and K’naz. 12 Timnah was the concubine of Elifaz ‘Esav’s son, and she bore to Elifaz ‘Amalek. These were the descendants of ‘Adah ‘Esav’s wife.
13 The sons of Re‘u’el were Nachat, Zerach, Shammah and Mizah. These were the sons of Basmat ‘Esav’s wife.
14 These were the sons of Oholivamah, the daughter of ‘Anah the daughter of Tziv‘on, ‘Esav’s wife: she bore to ‘Esav Ye‘ush, Ya‘lam and Korach.
15 The chieftains of the sons of ‘Esav were the sons of Elifaz the firstborn of ‘Esav and the chieftains of Teman, Omar, Tzefo, K’naz, 16 Korach, Ga‘tam and ‘Amalek. These were the chieftains descended from Elifaz in Edom and from ‘Adah.
17 The sons of Re‘u’el ‘Esav’s son were the chieftains of Nachat, Zerach, Shammah and Mizah. These were the chieftains descended from Re‘u’el in the land of Edom and from Basmat ‘Esav’s wife.
18 The sons of Oholivamah ‘Esav’s wife were the chieftains of Ye‘ush, Ya‘lam and Korach. These were the chieftains descended from Oholivamah the daughter of ‘Anah, ‘Esav’s wife.
19 These were the descendants of ‘Esav (that is, Edom), and these were their chieftains.
(vii) 20 These were the descendants of Se‘ir the Hori, the local inhabitants: Lotan, Shoval, Tziv‘on, ‘Anah, 21 Dishon, Etzer and Dishan. They were the chieftains descended from the Hori, the people of Se‘ir in the land of Edom. 22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; Lotan’s sister was Timnah. 23 The sons of Shoval were ‘Alvan, Manachat, ‘Eival, Sh’fo and Onam. 24 The sons of Tziv‘on were Ayah and ‘Anah. This is the ‘Anah who found the hot springs in the desert while pasturing his father Tziv‘on’s donkeys. 25 The children of ‘Anah were Dishon and Oholivamah the daughter of ‘Anah. 26 The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Yitran and K’ran. 27 The sons of Etzer were Bilhan, Za‘avan and ‘Akan. 28 The sons of Dishan were ‘Utz and Aran. 29 These were the chieftains descended from the Hori: the chieftains of Lotan, Shoval, Tziv‘on, ‘Anah, 30 Dishon, Etzer and Dishan. They were the chieftains descended from the Hori by their clans in Se‘ir.
31 Following are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king had reigned over the people of Isra’el. 32 Bela the son of B‘or reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhavah. 33 When Bela died, Yovav the son of Zerach from Botzrah reigned in his place. 34 When Yovav died, Husham from the land of the Temani reigned in his place. 35 When Husham died, Hadad the son of B’dad, who killed Midyan in the field of Mo’av, reigned in his place; the name of his city was ‘Avit. 36 When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. 37 When Samlah died, Sha’ul of Rechovot-by-the-River reigned in his place. 38 When Sha’ul died, Ba‘al-Chanan the son of ‘Akhbor reigned in his place. 39 When Ba‘al-Chanan died, Hadar reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pa’u; and his wife’s name was M’heitav’el the daughter of Matred the daughter of Mei-Zahav.
(Maftir) 40 These are the names of the chieftains descended from ‘Esav, according to their clans, places and names: the chieftains of Timna, ‘Alvah, Y’tet, 41 Oholivamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mivtzar, 43 Magdi’el and ‘Iram. These were the chieftains of Edom according to their settlements in the land they owned. This is ‘Esav the father of Edom.
Haftarah Vayishlach: Hoshea (Hosea) 11:7–12:12(11) (A); ‘Ovadyah (Obadiah) 1–21 (S)
B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Vayishlach: 1 Corinthians 5:1–13; Revelation 7:1–12
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.