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10 And Jesus summoned to Him His twelve disciples and gave them power and authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of weakness and infirmity.

Now these are the names of the twelve apostles (special messengers): first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

Philip and Bartholomew [Nathaniel]; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus [Judas, not Iscariot];

Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Jesus sent out these twelve, charging them, Go nowhere among the Gentiles and do not go into any town of the Samaritans;

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand!

Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely (without pay) you have received, freely (without charge) give.

Take no gold nor silver nor [even] copper money in your purses (belts);

10 And do not take a provision bag or a [a]wallet for a collection bag for your journey, nor two undergarments, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the workman deserves his support (his living, his food).

11 And into whatever town or village you go, inquire who in it is deserving, and stay there [at his house] until you leave [that vicinity].

12 As you go into the house, give your greetings and wish it well.

13 Then if indeed that house is deserving, let come upon it your peace [that is, [b]freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin]. But if it is not deserving, let your peace return to you.

14 And whoever will not receive and accept and welcome you nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or town, shake the dust [of it] from your feet.

15 Truly I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

16 Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves; be [c]wary and wise as serpents, and be innocent (harmless, guileless, and [d]without falsity) as doves.(A)

17 Be on guard against men [whose [e]way or nature is to act in opposition to God]; for they will deliver you up to councils and flog you in their synagogues,

18 And you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a witness to bear testimony before them and to the Gentiles (the nations).

19 But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you are to speak; for what you are to say will be given you in that very hour and [f]moment,

20 For it is not you who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child; and children will take a stand against their parents and will have them put to death.

22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake, but he who perseveres and endures to the end will be saved [[g]from spiritual disease and death in the world to come].

23 When they persecute you in one town [that is, pursue you in a manner that would injure you and cause you to suffer because of your belief], flee to another town; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before [h] the Son of Man comes.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 10:10 James Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary.
  2. Matthew 10:13 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
  3. Matthew 10:16 John Wycliffe, The Wycliffe Bible.
  4. Matthew 10:16 Martin Luther, cited by Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  5. Matthew 10:17 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
  6. Matthew 10:19 James Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary.
  7. Matthew 10:22 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
  8. Matthew 10:23 Believed by many to mean the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Other commentators observe that the saying seems to teach that the Gospel will continue to be preached to the Jews until Christ’s second coming.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve(A)(B)(C)(D)(E)

10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits(F) and to heal every disease and sickness.(G)

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.(H)

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.(I) Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.(J) As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven(K) has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts(L) 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.(M) 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting.(N) 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.(O) 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah(P) on the day of judgment(Q) than for that town.(R)

16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.(S) Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.(T) 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils(U) and be flogged in the synagogues.(V) 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings(W) as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it.(X) At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father(Y) speaking through you.

21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents(Z) and have them put to death.(AA) 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me,(AB) but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.(AC) 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.(AD)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 10:8 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.

31 Jacob heard Laban’s sons complaining, Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s; he has acquired all this wealth and honor from what belonged to our father.

And Jacob noticed that Laban looked at him less favorably than before.

Then the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers and to your people, and I will be with you.

So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock,

And he said to them, I see how your father looks at me, that he is not [friendly] toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.

You know that I have served your father with all my might and power.

But your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.

If he said, The speckled shall be your wages, then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said, The streaked shall be your hire, then all the flock bore streaked.

Thus God has taken away the flocks of your father and given them to me.

10 And I had a [a]dream at the time the flock conceived. I looked up and saw that the rams which mated with the she-goats were streaked, speckled, and spotted.

11 And the [b]Angel of God said to me in the dream, Jacob. And I said, Here am I.

12 And He said, Look up and see, all the rams which mate with the flock are streaked, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban does to you.

13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you vowed a vow to Me. Now arise, get out from this land and return to your native land.

14 And Rachel and Leah answered him, Is there any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?

15 Are we not counted by him as strangers? For he sold us and has also quite devoured our money [the price you paid for us].

16 For all the riches which God has taken from our father are ours and our children’s. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.

17 Then Jacob rose up and set his sons and his wives upon the camels;

18 And he drove away all his livestock and all his gain which he had gotten, the livestock he had obtained and accumulated in Padan-aram, to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

19 Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep [possibly to the feast of sheepshearing], and Rachel stole her father’s household gods.

20 And Jacob outwitted Laban the Syrian [Aramean] in that he did not tell him that he [intended] to flee and slip away secretly.

21 So he fled with all that he had, and arose and crossed the river [Euphrates] and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

22 But on the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.

23 So he took his kinsmen with him and pursued after [Jacob] for seven days, and they overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.

24 But God came to Laban the Syrian [Aramean] in a dream by night and said to him, Be careful that you do not speak from good to bad to Jacob [peaceably, then violently].

25 Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent on the hill, and Laban coming with his kinsmen pitched [his tents] on the same hill of Gilead.

26 And Laban said to Jacob, What do you mean stealing away and leaving like this without my knowing it, and carrying off my daughters as if captives of the sword?

27 Why did you flee secretly and cheat me and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with joy and gladness and with singing, with tambourine and lyre?

28 And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons [grandchildren] and my daughters good-bye? Now you have done foolishly [in behaving like this].

29 It is in my power to do you harm; but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, Be careful that you do not speak from good to bad to Jacob [peaceably, then violently].

30 And now you felt you must go because you were homesick for your father’s house, but why did you steal my [household] [c]gods?

31 Jacob answered Laban, Because I was afraid; for I thought, Suppose you would take your daughters from me by force.

32 The one with whom you find those gods of yours, let him not live. Here before our kinsmen [search my possessions and] take whatever you find that belongs to you. For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen [the images].

33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. Then he went from Leah’s tent into Rachel’s tent.

34 Now Rachel had taken the images (gods) and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban searched and felt through all the tent, but did not find them.

35 And [Rachel] said to her father, Do not be displeased, my lord, that I cannot rise up before you, for the period of women is upon me and I am unwell. And he searched, but did not find the gods.

36 Then Jacob became angry and reproached and argued with Laban. And Jacob said to Laban, What is my fault? What is my sin, that you so hotly pursued me?

37 Although you have searched and felt through all my household possessions, what have you found of all your household goods? Put it here before my brethren and yours, that they may judge and decide between us.

38 These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your she-goats have not lost their young, and the rams of your flock have not been eaten by me.

39 I did not bring you [the carcasses of the animals] torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss of it; you required of me [to make good] all that was stolen, whether it occurred by day or by night.

40 This was [my lot]; by day the heat consumed me and by night the cold, and I could not sleep.

41 I have been twenty years in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks; and you have changed my wages ten times.

42 And if the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Dread [lest he should fall] and Fear [lest he offend] of Isaac, had not been with me, surely you would have sent me away now empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and humiliation and the [wearying] labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.

43 Laban answered Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, these children are my children, these flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do today to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?

44 So come now, let us make a covenant or league, you and I, and let it be for a witness between you and me.

45 So Jacob set up a stone for a pillar or monument.

46 And Jacob said to his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones and made a heap, and they ate [together] there upon the heap.(A)

47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha [witness heap, in Aramaic], but Jacob called it Galeed [[d]witness heap, in Hebrew.]

48 Laban said, This heap is a witness today between you and me. Therefore it was named Galeed.

49 And [the pillar or monument was called] Mizpah [watchpost], for he [Laban] said, May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent and hidden one from another.

50 If you should afflict, humiliate, or lower [divorce] my daughters, or if you should take other wives beside my daughters, although no man is with us [to witness], see (remember), God is witness between you and me.

51 And Laban said to Jacob, See this heap and this pillar, which I have set up between you and me.

52 This heap is a witness and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you, and that you will not pass by this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.

53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, and the god [the object of worship] of their father [Terah, an idolator], judge between us. But Jacob swore [only] by [the one true God] the Dread and Fear of his father Isaac.(B)

54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his brethren to eat food; and they ate food and lingered all night on the mountain.

55 And early in the morning Laban rose up and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and pronounced a blessing [asking God’s favor] on them. Then Laban departed and returned to his home.

32 Then Jacob went on his way, and God’s angels met him.

When Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s army! So he named that place Mahanaim [two armies].(C)

And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

And he commanded them, Say this to my lord Esau: Your servant Jacob says this: I have been living temporarily with Laban and have stayed there till now.

And I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants, and women servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find mercy and kindness in your sight.

And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother Esau; and now he is [on the way] to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.

Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups,

Thinking, If Esau comes to the one group and smites it, then the other group which is left will escape.

Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord Who said to me, Return to your country and to your people and I will do you good,

10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercy and loving-kindness and all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant, for with [only] my staff I passed over this Jordan [long ago], and now I have become two companies.

11 Deliver me, I pray You, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and smite [us all], the mothers with the children.

12 And You said, I will surely do you good and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

13 And Jacob lodged there that night and took from what he had with him as a present for his brother Esau:

14 Two hundred she-goats, 20 he-goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams,

15 Thirty milk camels with their colts, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 she-donkeys, and 10 [donkey] colts.

16 And he put them into the charge of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, Pass over before me and put a space between drove and drove.

17 And he commanded the first, When Esau my brother meets you and asks to whom you belong, where you are going, and whose are the animals before you,

18 Then you shall say, They are your servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent to my lord Esau; and moreover, he is behind us.

19 And so he commanded the second and the third and all that followed the droves, saying, This is what you are to say to Esau when you meet him.

20 And say, Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.

21 So the present went on before him, and he himself lodged that night in the camp.

22 But he rose up that [same] night and took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons and passed over the ford [of the] Jabbok.

23 And he took them and sent them across the brook; also he sent over all that he had.

24 And Jacob was left alone, and a Man wrestled with him until daybreak.

25 And when [the [e]Man] saw that He did not prevail against [Jacob], He touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob’s thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him.

26 Then He said, Let Me go, for day is breaking. But [Jacob] said, I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing upon me.

27 [The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]!

28 And He said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob [supplanter], but Israel [contender with God]; for you have contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed.(D)

29 Then Jacob asked Him, Tell me, I pray You, what [in contrast] is Your name? But He said, Why is it that you ask My name? And [f][the Angel of God declared] a blessing on [Jacob] there.

30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [the face of God], saying, For I have seen God face to face, and my life is spared and not snatched away.

31 And as he passed Penuel [Peniel], the sun rose upon him, and he was limping because of his thigh.

32 That is why to this day the Israelites do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the hollow of the thigh, because [the Angel of the Lord] touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh on the sinew of the hip.

33 And Jacob raised his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming and with him 400 men. So he divided the children to Leah and to Rachel and to the two maids.

And he put the maids and their children in front, Leah and her children after them, and Rachel and Joseph last of all.

Then Jacob went over [the stream] before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.(E)

[Esau] looked up and saw the women and the children and said, Who are these with you? And [Jacob] replied, They are the children whom God has graciously given your servant.

Then the maids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.

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

Esau said, What do you mean by all this company which I met? And he said, These are that I might find favor in the sight of my lord.

And Esau said, I have plenty, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.

10 But Jacob replied, No, I beg of you, if now I have found favor in your sight, receive my gift that I am presenting; for truly to see your face is to me as if I had seen the face of God, and you have received me favorably.

11 Accept, I beg of you, my blessing and gift that I have brought to you; for God has dealt graciously with me and I have everything. And he kept urging him and he accepted it.

12 Then [Esau] said, Let us get started on our journey, and I will go before you.

13 But Jacob replied, You know, my lord, that the children are tender and delicate and need gentle care, and the flocks and herds with young are of concern to me; for if the men should overdrive them for a single day, the whole of the flocks would die.

14 Let my lord, I pray you, pass over before his servant; and I will lead on slowly, governed by [consideration for] the livestock that set the pace before me and the endurance of the children, [g]until I come to my lord in Seir.

15 Then Esau said, Let me now leave with you some of the people who are with me. But [Jacob] said, What need is there for it? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.

16 So Esau turned back that day on his way to Seir.

17 But Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built himself a house and made booths or places of shelter for his livestock; so the name of the place is called Succoth [booths].

18 When Jacob came from Padan-aram, he arrived safely and in peace at the town of Shechem, in the land of Canaan, and pitched his tents before the [enclosed] town.

19 Then he bought the piece of land on which he had encamped from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money.

20 There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel [God, the God of Israel].

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 31:10 We naturally wonder why we have not heard of this dream before and are tempted to question Jacob’s truthfulness; but the Samaritan text removes all such doubt by recording the whole dream in the previous chapter (Gen. 30), right after Gen. 30:36 (Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible with A Commentary).
  2. Genesis 31:11 See footnote on Gen. 16:7. Note especially Gen. 31:13, where the Angel says, “I am the God of Bethel.”
  3. Genesis 31:30 Why was Laban making such a great commotion about some small idols? It had never been satisfactorily explained until the answer was found in the excavated Nuzi tablets (J. P. Free, Archaeology Illuminates the Bible), which showed that possession of the father’s household gods played an important role in inheritance (W. F. Albright, “Recent Discoveries in Bible Lands,” in Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible). One of the Nuzi tablets indicated that in the region where Laban lived, a son-in-law who possessed the family images could appear in court and make claim to the estate of his father-in-law (various authors cited by Allan A. MacRae, “The Relation of Archaeology to the Bible,” in American Scientific Affiliation, Modern Science and Christian Faith). Since Jacob’s possession of the images implied the right to inheritance of Laban’s wealth, one can understand why Laban organized his hurried expedition to recover the images (J. P. Free, Archaeology and Bible History).
  4. Genesis 31:47 The Latin Vulgate adds, “Each according to the idiom of his own tongue”—i.e., Laban in Aramaic and Jacob in Hebrew.
  5. Genesis 32:25 This is God Himself (as Jacob eventually realizes in Gen. 32:30) in the form of an angel. See footnote on Gen. 16:7, as well as Hos. 12:3-4.
  6. Genesis 32:29 This is God Himself (as Jacob eventually realizes in Gen. 32:30) in the form of an angel. See footnote on Gen. 16:7, as well as Hos. 12:3-4.
  7. Genesis 33:14 Ever the deceiver, Jacob had no intention of following Esau to Seir. In fact, he heads in the opposite direction.

Jacob Flees From Laban

31 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons(A) were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.”(B) And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.(C)

Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back(D) to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”(E)

So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. He said to them, “I see that your father’s(F) attitude toward me is not what it was before,(G) but the God of my father has been with me.(H) You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength,(I) yet your father has cheated(J) me by changing my wages(K) ten times.(L) However, God has not allowed him to harm me.(M) If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’(N) then all the flocks bore streaked young. So God has taken away your father’s livestock(O) and has given them to me.(P)

10 “In breeding season I once had a dream(Q) in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11 The angel of God(R) said to me in the dream,(S) ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’(T) 12 And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted,(U) for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.(V) 13 I am the God of Bethel,(W) where you anointed a pillar(X) and where you made a vow(Y) to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.(Z)’”

14 Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share(AA) in the inheritance of our father’s estate? 15 Does he not regard us as foreigners?(AB) Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us.(AC) 16 Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children.(AD) So do whatever God has told you.”

17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives(AE) on camels,(AF) 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated(AG) in Paddan Aram,[a](AH) to go to his father Isaac(AI) in the land of Canaan.(AJ)

19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep,(AK) Rachel stole her father’s household gods.(AL) 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived(AM) Laban the Aramean(AN) by not telling him he was running away.(AO) 21 So he fled(AP) with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River,(AQ) and headed for the hill country of Gilead.(AR)

Laban Pursues Jacob

22 On the third day(AS) Laban was told that Jacob had fled.(AT) 23 Taking his relatives(AU) with him(AV), he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.(AW) 24 Then God came to Laban the Aramean(AX) in a dream at night and said to him,(AY) “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”(AZ)

25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead(BA) when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done?(BB) You’ve deceived me,(BC) and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war.(BD) 27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me,(BE) so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels(BF) and harps?(BG) 28 You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye.(BH) You have done a foolish thing. 29 I have the power to harm you;(BI) but last night the God of your father(BJ) said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’(BK) 30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household.(BL) But why did you steal(BM) my gods?(BN)

31 Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.(BO) 32 But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live.(BP) In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.(BQ)

33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent(BR) and into the tent of the two female servants,(BS) but he found nothing.(BT) After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods(BU) and put them inside her camel’s saddle(BV) and was sitting on them. Laban searched(BW) through everything in the tent but found nothing.

35 Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence;(BX) I’m having my period.(BY)” So he searched but could not find the household gods.(BZ)

36 Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. “What is my crime?” he asked Laban. “How have I wronged(CA) you that you hunt me down?(CB) 37 Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household?(CC) Put it here in front of your relatives(CD) and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.(CE)

38 “I have been with you for twenty years now.(CF) Your sheep and goats have not miscarried,(CG) nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen(CH) by day or night.(CI) 40 This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.(CJ) 41 It was like this for the twenty years(CK) I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters(CL) and six years for your flocks,(CM) and you changed my wages(CN) ten times.(CO) 42 If the God of my father,(CP) the God of Abraham(CQ) and the Fear of Isaac,(CR) had not been with me,(CS) you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands,(CT) and last night he rebuked you.(CU)

43 Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks.(CV) All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? 44 Come now, let’s make a covenant,(CW) you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.”(CX)

45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.(CY) 46 He said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them in a heap,(CZ) and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.[b](DA)

48 Laban said, “This heap(DB) is a witness between you and me today.”(DC) That is why it was called Galeed. 49 It was also called Mizpah,[c](DD) because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 50 If you mistreat(DE) my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness(DF) between you and me.”(DG)

51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap,(DH) and here is this pillar(DI) I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness,(DJ) that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap(DK) and pillar to my side to harm me.(DL) 53 May the God of Abraham(DM) and the God of Nahor,(DN) the God of their father, judge between us.”(DO)

So Jacob took an oath(DP) in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac.(DQ) 54 He offered a sacrifice(DR) there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal.(DS) After they had eaten, they spent the night there.

55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters(DT) and blessed(DU) them. Then he left and returned home.[d](DV)

Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

32 [e]Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God(DW) met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!”(DX) So he named that place Mahanaim.[f](DY)

Jacob sent messengers(DZ) ahead of him to his brother Esau(EA) in the land of Seir,(EB) the country of Edom.(EC) He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord(ED) Esau: ‘Your servant(EE) Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban(EF) and have remained there till now. I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants.(EG) Now I am sending this message to my lord,(EH) that I may find favor in your eyes.(EI)’”

When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”(EJ)

In great fear(EK) and distress(EL) Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups,[g](EM) and the flocks and herds and camels as well. He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one group,[h] the group[i] that is left may escape.”

Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham,(EN) God of my father Isaac,(EO) Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’(EP) 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness(EQ) you have shown your servant. I had only my staff(ER) when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps.(ES) 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid(ET) he will come and attack me,(EU) and also the mothers with their children.(EV) 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand(EW) of the sea, which cannot be counted.(EX)’”

13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift(EY) for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,(EZ) 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.(FA) 16 He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.”(FB)

17 He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18 then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant(FC) Jacob. They are a gift(FD) sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’”

19 He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 And be sure to say, ‘Your servant(FE) Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts(FF) I am sending on ahead;(FG) later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.”(FH) 21 So Jacob’s gifts(FI) went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.

Jacob Wrestles With God

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons(FJ) and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.(FK) 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions.(FL) 24 So Jacob was left alone,(FM) and a man(FN) wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip(FO) so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”(FP)

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,”(FQ) he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name(FR) will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[j](FS) because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”(FT)

29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”(FU)

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”(FV) Then he blessed(FW) him there.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[k] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face,(FX) and yet my life was spared.”

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel,[l](FY) and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip,(FZ) because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

Jacob Meets Esau

33 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men;(GA) so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants.(GB) He put the female servants and their children(GC) in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph(GD) in the rear. He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground(GE) seven times(GF) as he approached his brother.

But Esau(GG) ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.(GH) And they wept.(GI) Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. “Who are these with you?” he asked.

Jacob answered, “They are the children God has graciously given your servant.(GJ)

Then the female servants and their children(GK) approached and bowed down.(GL) Next, Leah and her children(GM) came and bowed down.(GN) Last of all came Joseph and Rachel,(GO) and they too bowed down.

Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”(GP)

“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,”(GQ) he said.

But Esau said, “I already have plenty,(GR) my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”

10 “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes,(GS) accept this gift(GT) from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God,(GU) now that you have received me favorably.(GV) 11 Please accept the present(GW) that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me(GX) and I have all I need.”(GY) And because Jacob insisted,(GZ) Esau accepted it.

12 Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you.”

13 But Jacob said to him, “My lord(HA) knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young.(HB) If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. 14 So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the flocks and herds(HC) before me and the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.(HD)

15 Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”

“But why do that?” Jacob asked. “Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.”(HE)

16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.(HF) 17 Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth,(HG) where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth.[m]

18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram,[n](HH) he arrived safely at the city of Shechem(HI) in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. 19 For a hundred pieces of silver,[o] he bought from the sons of Hamor,(HJ) the father of Shechem,(HK) the plot of ground(HL) where he pitched his tent.(HM) 20 There he set up an altar(HN) and called it El Elohe Israel.[p]

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 31:18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  2. Genesis 31:47 The Aramaic Jegar Sahadutha and the Hebrew Galeed both mean witness heap.
  3. Genesis 31:49 Mizpah means watchtower.
  4. Genesis 31:55 In Hebrew texts this verse (31:55) is numbered 32:1.
  5. Genesis 32:1 In Hebrew texts 32:1-32 is numbered 32:2-33.
  6. Genesis 32:2 Mahanaim means two camps.
  7. Genesis 32:7 Or camps
  8. Genesis 32:8 Or camp
  9. Genesis 32:8 Or camp
  10. Genesis 32:28 Israel probably means he struggles with God.
  11. Genesis 32:30 Peniel means face of God.
  12. Genesis 32:31 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel
  13. Genesis 33:17 Sukkoth means shelters.
  14. Genesis 33:18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  15. Genesis 33:19 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value.
  16. Genesis 33:20 El Elohe Israel can mean El is the God of Israel or mighty is the God of Israel.