Isaac, Jacob, and the Twelve Tribes

Chapter 26

1Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. 2The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you. 3Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. 4I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, 5because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” 6So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.” 8When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, “So she is really your wife! How could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought I might die on account of her.” 10“What is this you have done to us?” asked Abimelech. “One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever harms this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” 12Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him, 13and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy. 14He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15So the Philistines took dirt and stopped up all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham. 16Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Depart from us, for you are much too powerful for us.” 17So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. And he gave these wells the same names his father had given them. 19Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water there. 20But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him. 21Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. 22He moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth and said, “At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.” 23From there Isaac went up to Beersheba, 24and that night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.” 25So Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there. His servants also dug a well there. 26Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army. 27“Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.” 28“We can plainly see that the LORD has been with you,” they replied. “We recommend that there should now be an oath between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you 29that you will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only good to you, sending you on your way in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD.” 30So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31And they got up early the next morning and swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace. 32On that same day, Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We have found water!” they told him. 33So he called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the city is Beersheba. 34When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Chapter 27

1When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” Esau replied. 2“Look,” said Isaac, “I am now old, and I do not know the day of my death. 3Take your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out into the field to hunt some game for me. 4Then prepare a tasty dish that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die.” 5Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac told his son Esau. So when Esau went into the field to hunt game and bring it back, 6Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I overheard your father saying to your brother Esau, 7‘Bring me some game and prepare me a tasty dish to eat, so that I may bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.’ 8Now, my son, listen to my voice and do exactly as I tell you. 9Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so that I can make them into a tasty dish for your father—the kind he loves. 10Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” 11Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, “Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am smooth-skinned. 12What if my father touches me? Then I would be revealed to him as a deceiver, and I would bring upon myself a curse rather than a blessing.” 13His mother replied, “Your curse be on me, my son. Just obey my voice and go get them for me.” 14So Jacob went and got two goats and brought them to his mother, who made the tasty food his father loved. 15And Rebekah took the finest clothes in the house that belonged to her older son Esau, and she put them on her younger son Jacob. 16She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17Then she handed her son Jacob the tasty food and bread she had made. 18So Jacob went to his father and said, “My father.” “Here I am!” he answered. “Which one are you, my son?” 19Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may bless me.” 20But Isaac asked his son, “How did you ever find it so quickly, my son?” “Because the LORD your God brought it to me,” he replied. 21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer so I can touch you, my son. Are you really my son Esau, or not?” 22So Jacob came close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23Isaac did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. 24Again he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he replied, “I am.” 25“Serve me,” said Isaac, “and let me eat some of my son’s game, so that I may bless you.” Jacob brought it to him, and he ate; then he brought him wine, and he drank. 26Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come near and kiss me, my son.” 27So he came near and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothing, he blessed him and said: 30As soon as Isaac had finished blessing him and Jacob had left his father’s presence, his brother Esau returned from the hunt. 31He too made some tasty food, brought it to his father, and said to him, “My father, sit up and eat of your son’s game, so that you may bless me.” 32But his father Isaac replied, “Who are you?” “I am Esau, your firstborn son,” he answered. 33Isaac began to tremble violently and said, “Who was it, then, who hunted the game and brought it to me? Before you came in, I ate it all and blessed him—and indeed, he will be blessed!” 34When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me too, O my father!” 35But Isaac replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” 36So Esau declared, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me twice. He took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?” 37But Isaac answered Esau: “Look, I have made him your master and given him all his relatives as servants; I have sustained him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?” 38Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, O my father!” Then Esau wept aloud. 39His father Isaac answered him: 41Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42When the words of her older son Esau were relayed to Rebekah, she sent for her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you. 43So now, my son, obey my voice and flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. 44Stay with him for a while, until your brother’s fury subsides— 45until your brother’s rage against you wanes and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” 46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?”

Chapter 28

1So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. “Do not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” he commanded. 2“Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel, and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of peoples. 4And may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.” 5So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau. 6Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to take a wife there, commanding him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” 7and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and gone to Paddan-aram. 8And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women, 9Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had. 10Meanwhile Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11On reaching a certain place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. And taking one of the stones from that place, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder. 13And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie. 14Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16When Jacob woke up, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.” 17And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven!” 18Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it, 19and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz. 20Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food to eat and clothes to wear, 21so that I may return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God. 22And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”

Chapter 29

1Jacob resumed his journey and came to the land of the people of the east. 2He looked and saw a well in the field, and near it lay three flocks of sheep, because the sheep were watered from this well. And a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 3When all the flocks had been gathered there, the shepherds would roll away the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. 4“My brothers,” Jacob asked the shepherds, “where are you from?” “We are from Haran,” they answered. 5“Do you know Laban the grandson of Nahor?” Jacob asked. “We know him,” they replied. 6“Is he well?” Jacob inquired. “Yes,” they answered, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with his sheep.” 7“Look,” said Jacob, “it is still broad daylight; it is not yet time to gather the livestock. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.” 8But they replied, “We cannot, until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.” 9While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10As soon as Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, with Laban’s sheep, he went up and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. 11Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. 12He told Rachel that he was Rebekah’s son, a relative of her father, and she ran and told her father. 13When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him all that had happened. 14Then Laban declared, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him a month, 15Laban said to him, “Just because you are my relative, should you work for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” 16Now Laban had two daughters; the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel. 17Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. 18Since Jacob loved Rachel, he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to another. Stay here with me.” 20So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet it seemed but a few days because of his love for her. 21Finally Jacob said to Laban, “Grant me my wife, for my time is complete, and I want to sleep with her.” 22So Laban invited all the men of that place and prepared a feast. 23But when evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant. 25When morning came, there was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob said to Laban. “Wasn’t it for Rachel that I served you? Why have you deceived me?” 26Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older. 27Finish this week’s celebration, and we will give you the younger one in return for another seven years of work.” 28And Jacob did just that. He finished the week’s celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. 29Laban also gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. 30Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for Laban another seven years. 31When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.” 33Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has given me this son as well.” So she named him Simeon. 34Once again Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi. 35And once more she conceived and gave birth to a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.

Chapter 30

1When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob. 2Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?” 3Then she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her, that she may bear children for me, so that through her I too can build a family.” 4So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her, 5and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son. 6Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan. 7And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8Then Rachel said, “In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won.” So she named him Naphtali. 9When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 10And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad. 12When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, 13Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher. 14Now during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother, Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15But Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 16When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night. 17And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob. 18Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. 19Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20“God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun. 21After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. 22Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb, 23and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said. 24She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.” 25Now after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can return to my homeland. 26Give me my wives and children for whom I have served you, that I may go on my way. You know how hard I have worked for you.” 27But Laban replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.” 28And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.” 29Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock have thrived under my care. 30Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?” 31“What can I give you?” Laban asked. “You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you do this one thing for me, I will keep on shepherding and keeping your flocks. 32Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. These will be my wages. 33So my honesty will testify for me when you come to check on my wages in the future. If I have any goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not dark-colored, they will be considered stolen.” 34“Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons. 36Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flocks. 37Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38Then he set the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So when the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40Jacob set apart the young, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41Whenever the stronger females of the flock were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs, in full view of the animals, so that they would breed in front of the branches. 42But if the animals were weak, he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob. 43Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.

Chapter 31

1Now Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken away all that belonged to our father and built all this wealth at our father’s expense.” 2And Jacob saw from the countenance of Laban that his attitude toward him had changed. 3Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” 4So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flocks were, 5and he told them, “I can see from your father’s countenance that his attitude toward me has changed; but the God of my father has been with me. 6You know that I have served your father with all my strength. 7And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore streaked offspring. 9Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me. 10When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females. 11In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’ 12‘Look up,’ he said, ‘and see that all the males that are mating with the flock are streaked, spotted, or speckled; for I have seen all that Laban has done to you. 13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up, leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’” 14And Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we have any portion or inheritance left in our father’s house? 15Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? Not only has he sold us, but he has certainly squandered what was paid for us. 16Surely all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has told you.” 17Then Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on camels, 18and he drove all his livestock before him, along with all the possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land in Canaan. 19Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols. 20Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was running away. 21So he fled with all his possessions, crossed the Euphrates, and headed for the hill country of Gilead. 22On the third day Laban was informed that Jacob had fled. 23So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. 24But that night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” 25Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there as well. 26Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and carried off my daughters like captives of war! 27Why did you run away secretly and deceive me, without even telling me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and harps. 28But you did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. Now you have done a foolish thing. 29I have power to do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ 30Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s house. But why have you stolen my gods?” 31“I was afraid,” Jacob answered, “for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. 32If you find your gods with anyone here, he shall not live! In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself if anything is yours, and take it back.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols. 33So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, then Leah’s tent, and then the tents of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. 34Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing. 35Rachel said to her father, “Sir, do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you; for I am having my period.” So Laban searched but could not find the household idols. 36Then Jacob became incensed and challenged Laban. “What is my crime?” he said. “For what sin of mine have you so hotly pursued me? 37You have searched all my goods! Have you found anything that belongs to you? Put it here before my brothers and yours, that they may judge between the two of us. 38I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flock. 39I did not bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or night. 40As it was, the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes. 41Thus for twenty years I have served in your household—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times! 42If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.” 43But Laban answered Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, these sons are my sons, and these flocks are my flocks! Everything you see is mine! Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine or the children they have borne? 44Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.” 45So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar, 46and he said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and made a mound, and there by the mound they ate. 47Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed. 48Then Laban declared, “This mound is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore the place was called Galeed. 49It was also called Mizpah, because Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent from each other. 50If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.” 51Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is the mound, and here is the pillar I have set up between you and me. 52This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound to harm you, and you will not go past this mound and pillar to harm me. 53May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. And after they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain. 55Early the next morning, Laban got up and kissed his grandchildren and daughters and blessed them. Then he left to return home.

Chapter 32

1Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God.” So he named that place Mahanaim. 3Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4He instructed them, “You are to say to my master Esau, ‘Your servant Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban and have remained there until now. 5I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants, and maidservants. I have sent this message to inform my master, so that I may find favor in your sight.’” 6When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you—he and four hundred men with him.” 7In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels. 8He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one camp, then the other camp can escape.” 9Then Jacob declared, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, the LORD who told me, ‘Go back to your country and to your kindred, and I will make you prosper,’ 10I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, with only my staff I came across the Jordan, but now I have become two camps. 11Please deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid that he may come and attack me and the mothers and children with me. 12But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to count.’” 13Jacob spent the night there, and from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his brother Esau: 14200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 1530 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. 16He entrusted them to his servants in separate herds and told them, “Go on ahead of me, and keep some distance between the herds.” 17He instructed the one in the lead, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong, where are you going, and whose animals are these before you?’ 18then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift, sent to my lord Esau. And behold, Jacob is behind us.’” 19He also instructed the second, the third, and all those following behind the herds: “When you meet Esau, you are to say the same thing to him. 20You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I will appease Esau with the gift that is going before me. After that I can face him, and perhaps he will accept me. ” 21So Jacob’s gifts went on before him, while he spent the night in the camp. 22During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions. 24So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it as they wrestled. 26Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27“What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied. 28Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.” 29And Jacob requested, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there. 30So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” 31The sun rose above him as he passed by Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck near that tendon.

Chapter 33

1Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. 2He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear. 3But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. 4Esau, however, ran to him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept. 5When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?” Jacob answered, “These are the children God has graciously given your servant.” 6Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down. 7Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down. 8“What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?” asked Esau. “To find favor in your sight, my lord,” Jacob answered. 9“I already have plenty, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what belongs to you.” 10But Jacob insisted, “No, please! If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, since you have received me favorably. 11Please accept my gift that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” So Jacob pressed him until he accepted. 12Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way, and I will go ahead of you.” 13But Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and I must care for sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard for even a day, all the animals will die. 14Please let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a comfortable pace for the livestock and children, until I come to my lord at Seir.” 15“Let me leave some of my people with you,” Esau said. But Jacob replied, “Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir, 17but Jacob went on to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth. 18After Jacob had come from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city. 19And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver. 20There he set up an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.

Chapter 34

1Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. 2When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force. 3And his soul was drawn to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young girl and spoke to her tenderly. 4So Shechem told his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as a wife.” 5Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent about it until they returned. 6Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob. 7When Jacob’s sons heard what had happened, they returned from the field. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done. 8But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. 9Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. 10You may settle among us, and the land will be open to you. Live here, move about freely, and acquire your own property.” 11Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Grant me this favor, and I will give you whatever you ask. 12Demand a high dowry and an expensive gift, and I will give you whatever you ask. Only give me the girl as my wife!” 13But because Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah, Jacob’s sons answered him and his father Hamor deceitfully. 14“We cannot do such a thing,” they said. “To give our sister to an uncircumcised man would be a disgrace to us. 15We will consent to this on one condition, that you become circumcised like us—every one of your males. 16Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We will dwell among you and become one people. 17But if you will not agree to be circumcised, then we will take our sister and go.” 18Their offer seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19The young man, who was the most respected of all his father’s household, did not hesitate to fulfill this request, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. 20So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and addressed the men of their city: 21“These men are at peace with us. Let them live and trade in our land; indeed, it is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters in marriage and give our daughters to them. 22But only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us and be one people: if all our men are circumcised as they are. 23Will not their livestock, their possessions, and all their animals become ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell among us.” 24All the men who went out of the city gate listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male of the city was circumcised. 25Three days later, while they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons (Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi) took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and slaughtered every male. 26They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away. 27Jacob’s other sons came upon the slaughter and looted the city, because their sister had been defiled. 28They took their flocks and herds and donkeys, and everything else in the city or in the field. 29They carried off all their possessions and women and children, and they plundered everything in their houses. 30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.” 31But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”

Chapter 35

1Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments. 3Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem. 5As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons. 6So Jacob and everyone with him arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel, because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother. 8Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bacuth. 9After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel. ” So God named him Israel. 11And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you. 12The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” 13Then God went up from the place where He had spoken with him. 14So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken with him—a stone marker—and he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil. 15Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. 16Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. 17During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.” 18And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin. 19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20Jacob set up a pillar on her grave; it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day. 21Israel again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder. 22While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons: 23The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 25The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali. 26And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram. 27Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28And Isaac lived 180 years. 29Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Chapter 36

1This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom). 2Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite, 3and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. 4And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath gave birth to Reuel, 5and Oholibamah gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan. 6Later, Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the people of his household, along with his livestock, all his other animals, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan, and he moved to a land far away from his brother Jacob. 7For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together; the land where they stayed could not support them because of their livestock. 8So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the area of Mount Seir. 9This is the account of Esau, the father of the Edomites, in the area of Mount Seir. 10These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel son of Esau’s wife Basemath. 11The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. 12Additionally, Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, gave birth to Amalek. These are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah. 13These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 14These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah (daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon) whom she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. 15These are the chiefs among the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. They are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom, and they are the grandsons of Adah. 17These are the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom, and they are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 18These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: Chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. They are the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. 19All these are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and they were their chiefs. 20These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. They are the chiefs of the Horites, the descendants of Seir in the land of Edom. 22The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Timna was Lotan’s sister. 23These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 24These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. (This is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness as he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.) 25These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah. 26These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 27These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. 28These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. 29These are the chiefs of the Horites: Chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. They are the chiefs of the Horites, according to their divisions in the land of Seir. 31These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites: 32Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah. 33When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place. 34When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 35When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith. 36When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place. 37When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place. 38When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor reigned in his place. 39When Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, Hadad reigned in his place. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab. 40These are the names of Esau’s chiefs, according to their families and regions, by their names: Chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43Magdiel, and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they possessed. Esau was the father of the Edomites.

Historical Context

These chapters from Genesis span the generational development of the patriarchs and their families, showcasing key moments in the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Esau. Genesis is believed to have been authored by Moses, and the text was initially directed toward the Israelites during their wilderness journey, helping them understand their lineage and God’s covenant with their ancestors. The cultural setting includes interactions with neighboring peoples like the Philistines, Hivites, and Edomites, reflecting the ongoing tension between the covenantal community and other groups in the region. Notably, the narrative illustrates ancient customs such as arranged marriages, birthrights, circumcision, and livestock management, providing valuable insight into the socioeconomic and religious practices of the time. Jacob’s dealings with Laban and his flight from Esau emphasize the complexity of familial and political dynamics in the ancient Near East. Esau’s descendants also illustrate how clans formed and settled based on familial lineage and tribal chiefs, shaping the geopolitical landscape around Edom and Israel.

Theological Insight

These chapters emphasize God’s covenant faithfulness across generations, from Abraham to Isaac and Jacob. The promises of land, offspring, and worldwide blessing are reaffirmed repeatedly, showing God’s unchanging commitment to His people despite human flaws and failures. The story of Jacob wrestling with God stands out as a theological milestone, illustrating the transformational nature of encountering God. His name change to Israel symbolizes new identity and purpose, directly connecting to the nation of Israel’s origins. Moreover, these chapters reiterate God’s sovereignty over human events, as His plans prevail despite deceit, family conflicts, and human striving. The ladder in Jacob’s dream underscores the connection between heaven and earth, foreshadowing Jesus as the bridge between God and humanity in the redemption narrative. These texts ultimately showcase how God works through broken people to fulfill His divine purposes.

Practical Application

These chapters provide practical insight into trusting God during uncertainty, as Isaac obeys God’s command not to go down to Egypt during famine, and Jacob flees from danger while clinging to God’s promises. They highlight the importance of faith in God’s plans despite external challenges. Like the patriarchs, we can learn to rely on God’s providence rather than our own schemes or fears. Furthermore, the narrative cautions against favoritism and deception in relationships, as seen in the fraught relationships between Esau, Jacob, and Rebekah. It encourages integrity and the importance of reconciliation, as modeled in Jacob and Esau’s eventual embrace. Jacob’s encounter with God challenges us to wrestle prayerfully with our struggles, seeking transformation and blessing through a personal relationship with Him. Additionally, the focus on God’s promises stresses the significance of living with an eternal perspective, knowing that His plans are greater than our own and are ultimately for His redemptive purposes.

What parallels and contrasts can you observe between God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in this scripture? How does the unfolding covenant shape our understanding of God's faithfulness across generations?

How does the tension between human deceit (e.g., Jacob's impersonation of Esau, Laban's deception) and divine providence play out in these chapters? What theological significance does this tension hold?

Reflecting on the theme of reconciliation between Jacob and Esau (Genesis 33), how do you handle conflicts or estranged relationships in your life? What steps might God be calling you to take toward peace?

From Jacob’s encounter with God at Bethel (Genesis 28) to his renaming as Israel (Genesis 32), how might your own times of struggle or uncertainty be opportunities to meet God and discover a deeper identity in Him?

Lord God, You are the covenant-keeping God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thank You for walking faithfully with Your people through their trials, failures, and struggles, and for Your steadfast blessings that guide us even when we feel unworthy, like Jacob did. Help us wrestle honestly with You, surrendering our fears and failures, so that we might be transformed to walk in the identity You give us. Lead us to trust Your promises, cherish Your guidance, and build altars of gratitude in our hearts for Your continued faithfulness. Amen.

Create a free account to save your progress and reflection responses.