nkjv Genesis:21-30 SEEK
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And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said ,
and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken .
*
For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age ,
at the set time of which God had spoken to him .
*
And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him--whom Sarah bore to him--Isaac .
*
Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old ,
as God had commanded him .
*
Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him .
*
And Sarah said , "
God has made me laugh ,
and all who hear will laugh with me ."
*
She also said , "
Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children ?
For I have borne him a son in his old age ."
*
So the child grew and was weaned .
And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned .
*
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian ,
whom she had borne to Abraham ,
scoffing .
*
Therefore she said to Abraham , "
Cast out this bondwoman and her son ;
for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son ,
namely with Isaac ."
*
And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham '
s sight because of his son .
*
But God said to Abraham , "
Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman .
Whatever Sarah has said to you ,
listen to her voice ;
for in Isaac your seed shall be called .
*
Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman ,
because he is your seed ."
*
So Abraham rose early in the morning ,
and took bread and a skin of water ;
and putting it on her shoulder ,
he gave it and the boy to Hagar ,
and sent her away .
Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba .
*
And the water in the skin was used up ,
and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs .
*
Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot ;
for she said to herself , "
Let me not see the death of the boy ."
So she sat opposite him ,
and lifted her voice and wept .
*
And God heard the voice of the lad .
Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven ,
and said to her , "
What ails you ,
Hagar ?
Fear not ,
for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is .
*
Arise ,
lift up the lad and hold him with your hand ,
for I will make him a great nation ."
*
Then God opened her eyes ,
and she saw a well of water .
And she went and filled the skin with water ,
and gave the lad a drink .
*
So God was with the lad ;
and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness ,
and became an archer .
*
He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran ;
and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt .
*
And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol ,
the commander of his army ,
spoke to Abraham ,
saying , "
God is with you in all that you do .
*
Now therefore ,
swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me ,
with my offspring ,
or with my posterity ;
but that according to the kindness that I have done to you ,
you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt ."
*
And Abraham said , "
I will swear ."
*
Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech '
s servants had seized .
*
And Abimelech said , "
I do not know who has done this thing ;
you did not tell me ,
nor had I heard of it until today ."
*
So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech ,
and the two of them made a covenant .
*
And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves .
*
Then Abimelech asked Abraham , "
What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves ?"
*
And he said , "
You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand ,
that they may be my witness that I have dug this well ."
*
Therefore he called that place Beersheba ,
because the two of them swore an oath there .
*
Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba .
So Abimelech rose with Phichol ,
the commander of his army ,
and they returned to the land of the Philistines .
*
Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba ,
and there called on the name of the LORD ,
the Everlasting God .
*
And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days .
*
Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham ,
and said to him , "
Abraham !"
And he said , "
Here I am ."
*
Then He said , "
Take now your son ,
your only son Isaac ,
whom you love ,
and go to the land of Moriah ,
and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you ."
*
So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey ,
and took two of his young men with him ,
and Isaac his son ;
and he split the wood for the burnt offering ,
and arose and went to the place of which God had told him .
*
Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off .
*
And Abraham said to his young men , "
Stay here with the donkey ;
the lad and I will go yonder and worship ,
and we will come back to you ."
*
So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son ;
and he took the fire in his hand ,
and a knife ,
and the two of them went together .
*
But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said , "
My father !"
And he said , "
Here I am ,
my son ."
Then he said , "
Look ,
the fire and the wood ,
but where is the lamb for a burnt offering ?"
*
And Abraham said , "
My son ,
God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering ."
So the two of them went together .
*
Then they came to the place of which God had told him .
And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order ;
and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar ,
upon the wood .
*
And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son .
*
But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said , "
Abraham ,
Abraham !"
So he said , "
Here I am ."
*
And He said , "
Do not lay your hand on the lad ,
or do anything to him ;
for now I know that you fear God ,
since you have not withheld your son ,
your only son ,
from Me ."
*
Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked ,
and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns .
So Abraham went and took the ram ,
and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son .
*
And Abraham called the name of the place ,
The-LORD-Will-Provide ;
as it is said to this day , "
In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided ."
*
Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven ,
*
and said : "
By Myself I have sworn ,
says the LORD ,
because you have done this thing ,
and have not withheld your son ,
your only son --
*
blessing I will bless you ,
and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore ;
and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies .
*
In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed ,
because you have obeyed My voice ."
*
So Abraham returned to his young men ,
and they rose and went together to Beersheba ;
and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba .
*
Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham ,
saying , "
Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor :
*
Huz his firstborn ,
Buz his brother ,
Kemuel the father of Aram ,
*
Chesed ,
Hazo ,
Pildash ,
Jidlaph ,
and Bethuel ."
*
And Bethuel begot Rebekah .
These eight Milcah bore to Nahor ,
Abraham '
s brother .
*
His concubine ,
whose name was Reumah ,
also bore Tebah ,
Gaham ,
Thahash ,
and Maachah .
*
Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years ;
these were the years of the life of Sarah .
*
So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (
that is ,
Hebron )
in the land of Canaan ,
and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her .
*
Then Abraham stood up from before his dead ,
and spoke to the sons of Heth ,
saying ,
* "
I am a foreigner and a visitor among you .
Give me property for a burial place among you ,
that I may bury my dead out of my sight ."
*
And the sons of Heth answered Abraham ,
saying to him ,
* "
Hear us ,
my lord :
You are a mighty prince among us ;
bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places .
None of us will withhold from you his burial place ,
that you may bury your dead ."
*
Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land ,
the sons of Heth .
*
And he spoke with them ,
saying , "
If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight ,
hear me ,
and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me ,
*
that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has ,
which is at the end of his field .
Let him give it to me at the full price ,
as property for a burial place among you ."
*
Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth ;
and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth ,
all who entered at the gate of his city ,
saying ,
* "
No ,
my lord ,
hear me :
I give you the field and the cave that is in it ;
I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people .
I give it to you .
Bury your dead !"
*
Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land ;
*
and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land ,
saying , "
If you will give it ,
please hear me .
I will give you money for the field ;
take it from me and I will bury my dead there ."
*
And Ephron answered Abraham ,
saying to him ,
* "
My lord ,
listen to me ;
the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver .
What is that between you and me ?
So bury your dead ."
*
And Abraham listened to Ephron ;
and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth ,
four hundred shekels of silver ,
currency of the merchants .
*
So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah ,
which was before Mamre ,
the field and the cave which was in it ,
and all the trees that were in the field ,
which were within all the surrounding borders ,
were deeded
*
to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth ,
before all who went in at the gate of his city .
*
And after this ,
Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah ,
before Mamre (
that is ,
Hebron )
in the land of Canaan .
*
So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place .
*
Now Abraham was old ,
well advanced in age ;
and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things .
*
So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house ,
who ruled over all that he had , "
Please ,
put your hand under my thigh ,
*
and I will make you swear by the LORD ,
the God of heaven and the God of the earth ,
that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites ,
among whom I dwell ;
*
but you shall go to my country and to my family ,
and take a wife for my son Isaac ."
*
And the servant said to him , "
Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land .
Must I take your son back to the land from which you came ?"
*
But Abraham said to him , "
Beware that you do not take my son back there .
*
The LORD God of heaven ,
who took me from my father '
s house and from the land of my family ,
and who spoke to me and swore to me ,
saying , "
To your descendants I give this land ,'
He will send His angel before you ,
and you shall take a wife for my son from there .
*
And if the woman is not willing to follow you ,
then you will be released from this oath ;
only do not take my son back there ."
*
So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master ,
and swore to him concerning this matter .
*
Then the servant took ten of his master '
s camels and departed ,
for all his master '
s goods were in his hand .
And he arose and went to Mesopotamia ,
to the city of Nahor .
*
And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time ,
the time when women go out to draw water .
*
Then he said , "
O LORD God of my master Abraham ,
please give me success this day ,
and show kindness to my master Abraham .
*
Behold ,
here I stand by the well of water ,
and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water .
*
Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say , "
Please let down your pitcher that I may drink ,'
and she says , "
Drink ,
and I will also give your camels a drink '--
let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac .
And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master ."
*
And it happened ,
before he had finished speaking ,
that behold ,
Rebekah ,
who was born to Bethuel ,
son of Milcah ,
the wife of Nahor ,
Abraham '
s brother ,
came out with her pitcher on her shoulder .
*
Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold ,
a virgin ;
no man had known her .
And she went down to the well ,
filled her pitcher ,
and came up .
*
And the servant ran to meet her and said , "
Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher ."
*
So she said , "
Drink ,
my lord ."
Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand ,
and gave him a drink .
*
And when she had finished giving him a drink ,
she said , "
I will draw water for your camels also ,
until they have finished drinking ."
*
Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough ,
ran back to the well to draw water ,
and drew for all his camels .
*
And the man ,
wondering at her ,
remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not .
*
So it was ,
when the camels had finished drinking ,
that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel ,
and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold ,
*
and said , "
Whose daughter are you ?
Tell me ,
please ,
is there room in your father '
s house for us to lodge ?"
*
So she said to him , "
I am the daughter of Bethuel ,
Milcah '
s son ,
whom she bore to Nahor ."
*
Moreover she said to him , "
We have both straw and feed enough ,
and room to lodge ."
*
Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD .
*
And he said , "
Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham ,
who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master .
As for me ,
being on the way ,
the LORD led me to the house of my master '
s brethren ."
*
So the young woman ran and told her mother '
s household these things .
*
Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban ,
and Laban ran out to the man by the well .
*
So it came to pass ,
when he saw the nose ring ,
and the bracelets on his sister '
s wrists ,
and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah ,
saying , "
Thus the man spoke to me ,"
that he went to the man .
And there he stood by the camels at the well .
*
And he said , "
Come in ,
O blessed of the LORD !
Why do you stand outside ?
For I have prepared the house ,
and a place for the camels ."
*
Then the man came to the house .
And he unloaded the camels ,
and provided straw and feed for the camels ,
and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him .
*
Food was set before him to eat ,
but he said , "
I will not eat until I have told about my errand ."
And he said , "
Speak on ."
*
So he said , "
I am Abraham '
s servant .
*
The LORD has blessed my master greatly ,
and he has become great ;
and He has given him flocks and herds ,
silver and gold ,
male and female servants ,
and camels and donkeys .
*
And Sarah my master '
s wife bore a son to my master when she was old ;
and to him he has given all that he has .
*
Now my master made me swear ,
saying , "
You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites ,
in whose land I dwell ;
*
but you shall go to my father '
s house and to my family ,
and take a wife for my son .'
*
And I said to my master , "
Perhaps the woman will not follow me .'
*
But he said to me , "
The LORD ,
before whom I walk ,
will send His angel with you and prosper your way ;
and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father '
s house .
*
You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family ;
for if they will not give her to you ,
then you will be released from my oath .'
* "
And this day I came to the well and said , "
O LORD God of my master Abraham ,
if You will now prosper the way in which I go ,
*
behold ,
I stand by the well of water ;
and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water ,
and I say to her , "
Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink ,"
*
and she says to me , "
Drink ,
and I will draw for your camels also ,"--
let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master '
s son .'
* "
But before I had finished speaking in my heart ,
there was Rebekah ,
coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder ;
and she went down to the well and drew water .
And I said to her , "
Please let me drink .'
*
And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder ,
and said , "
Drink ,
and I will give your camels a drink also .'
So I drank ,
and she gave the camels a drink also .
*
Then I asked her ,
and said , "
Whose daughter are you ?'
And she said , "
The daughter of Bethuel ,
Nahor '
s son ,
whom Milcah bore to him .'
So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists .
*
And I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD ,
and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham ,
who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master '
s brother for his son .
*
Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master ,
tell me .
And if not ,
tell me ,
that I may turn to the right hand or to the left ."
*
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said , "
The thing comes from the LORD ;
we cannot speak to you either bad or good .
*
Here is Rebekah before you ;
take her and go ,
and let her be your master '
s son '
s wife ,
as the LORD has spoken ."
*
And it came to pass ,
when Abraham '
s servant heard their words ,
that he worshiped the LORD ,
bowing himself to the earth .
*
Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver ,
jewelry of gold ,
and clothing ,
and gave them to Rebekah .
He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother .
*
And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night .
Then they arose in the morning ,
and he said , "
Send me away to my master ."
*
But her brother and her mother said , "
Let the young woman stay with us a few days ,
at least ten ;
after that she may go ."
*
And he said to them , "
Do not hinder me ,
since the LORD has prospered my way ;
send me away so that I may go to my master ."
*
So they said , "
We will call the young woman and ask her personally ."
*
Then they called Rebekah and said to her , "
Will you go with this man ?"
And she said , "
I will go ."
*
So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse ,
and Abraham '
s servant and his men .
*
And they blessed Rebekah and said to her : "
Our sister ,
may you become The mother of thousands of ten thousands ;
And may your descendants possess The gates of those who hate them ."
*
Then Rebekah and her maids arose ,
and they rode on the camels and followed the man .
So the servant took Rebekah and departed .
*
Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi ,
for he dwelt in the South .
*
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening ;
and he lifted his eyes and looked ,
and there ,
the camels were coming .
*
Then Rebekah lifted her eyes ,
and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel ;
*
for she had said to the servant , "
Who is this man walking in the field to meet us ?"
The servant said , "
It is my master ."
So she took a veil and covered herself .
*
And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done .
*
Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah '
s tent ;
and he took Rebekah and she became his wife ,
and he loved her .
So Isaac was comforted after his mother '
s death .
*
Abraham again took a wife ,
and her name was Keturah .
*
And she bore him Zimran ,
Jokshan ,
Medan ,
Midian ,
Ishbak ,
and Shuah .
*
Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan .
And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim ,
Letushim ,
and Leummim .
*
And the sons of Midian were Ephah ,
Epher ,
Hanoch ,
Abidah ,
and Eldaah .
All these were the children of Keturah .
*
And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac .
*
But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had ;
and while he was still living he sent them eastward ,
away from Isaac his son ,
to the country of the east .
*
This is the sum of the years of Abraham '
s life which he lived :
one hundred and seventy-five years .
*
Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age ,
an old man and full of years ,
and was gathered to his people .
*
And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah ,
which is before Mamre ,
in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite ,
*
the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth .
There Abraham was buried ,
and Sarah his wife .
*
And it came to pass ,
after the death of Abraham ,
that God blessed his son Isaac .
And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi .
*
Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael ,
Abraham '
s son ,
whom Hagar the Egyptian ,
Sarah '
s maidservant ,
bore to Abraham .
*
And these were the names of the sons of Ishmael ,
by their names ,
according to their generations :
The firstborn of Ishmael ,
Nebajoth ;
then Kedar ,
Adbeel ,
Mibsam ,
*
Mishma ,
Dumah ,
Massa ,
*
Hadar ,
Tema ,
Jetur ,
Naphish ,
and Kedemah .
*
These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names ,
by their towns and their settlements ,
twelve princes according to their nations .
*
These were the years of the life of Ishmael :
one hundred and thirty-seven years ;
and he breathed his last and died ,
and was gathered to his people .
* (
They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur ,
which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria .)
He died in the presence of all his brethren .
*
This is the genealogy of Isaac ,
Abraham '
s son .
Abraham begot Isaac .
*
Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife ,
the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram ,
the sister of Laban the Syrian .
*
Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife ,
because she was barren ;
and the LORD granted his plea ,
and Rebekah his wife conceived .
*
But the children struggled together within her ;
and she said , "
If all is well ,
why am I like this ?
*
And the LORD said to her : "
Two nations are in your womb ,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body ;
One people shall be stronger than the other ,
And the older shall serve the younger ."
*
So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth ,
indeed there were twins in her womb .
*
And the first came out red .
He was like a hairy garment all over ;
so they called his name Esau .
*
Afterward his brother came out ,
and his hand took hold of Esau '
s heel ;
so his name was called Jacob .
Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them .
*
So the boys grew .
And Esau was a skillful hunter ,
a man of the field ;
but Jacob was a mild man ,
dwelling in tents .
*
And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game ,
but Rebekah loved Jacob .
*
Now Jacob cooked a stew ;
and Esau came in from the field ,
and he was weary .
*
And Esau said to Jacob , "
Please feed me with that same red stew ,
for I am weary ."
Therefore his name was called Edom .
*
But Jacob said , "
Sell me your birthright as of this day ."
*
And Esau said , "
Look ,
I am about to die ;
so what is this birthright to me ?"
*
Then Jacob said , "
Swear to me as of this day ."
So he swore to him ,
and sold his birthright to Jacob .
*
And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils ;
then he ate and drank ,
arose ,
and went his way .
Thus Esau despised his birthright .
*
There was a famine in the land ,
besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham .
And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines ,
in Gerar .
*
Then the LORD appeared to him and said : "
Do not go down to Egypt ;
live in the land of which I shall tell you .
*
Dwell in this land ,
and I will be with you and bless you ;
for to you and your descendants I give all these lands ,
and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father .
*
And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven ;
I will give to your descendants all these lands ;
and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed ;
*
because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge ,
My commandments ,
My statutes ,
and My laws ."
*
So Isaac dwelt in Gerar .
*
And the men of the place asked about his wife .
And he said , "
She is my sister ";
for he was afraid to say , "
She is my wife ,"
because he thought , "
lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah ,
because she is beautiful to behold ."
*
Now it came to pass ,
when he had been there a long time ,
that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window ,
and saw ,
and there was Isaac ,
showing endearment to Rebekah his wife .
*
Then Abimelech called Isaac and said , "
Quite obviously she is your wife ;
so how could you say , "
She is my sister '?"
Isaac said to him , "
Because I said , "
Lest I die on account of her .'
*
And Abimelech said , "
What is this you have done to us ?
One of the people might soon have lain with your wife ,
and you would have brought guilt on us ."
*
So Abimelech charged all his people ,
saying , "
He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death ."
*
Then Isaac sowed in that land ,
and reaped in the same year a hundredfold ;
and the LORD blessed him .
*
The man began to prosper ,
and continued prospering until he became very prosperous ;
*
for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants .
So the Philistines envied him .
*
Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father '
s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father ,
and they had filled them with earth .
*
And Abimelech said to Isaac , "
Go away from us ,
for you are much mightier than we ."
*
Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar ,
and dwelt there .
*
And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father ,
for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham .
He called them by the names which his father had called them .
*
Also Isaac '
s servants dug in the valley ,
and found a well of running water there .
*
But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac '
s herdsmen ,
saying , "
The water is ours ."
So he called the name of the well Esek ,
because they quarreled with him .
*
Then they dug another well ,
and they quarreled over that one also .
So he called its name Sitnah .
*
And he moved from there and dug another well ,
and they did not quarrel over it .
So he called its name Rehoboth ,
because he said , "
For now the LORD has made room for us ,
and we shall be fruitful in the land ."
*
Then he went up from there to Beersheba .
*
And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said , "
I am the God of your father Abraham ;
do not fear ,
for I am with you .
I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham '
s sake ."
*
So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD ,
and he pitched his tent there ;
and there Isaac '
s servants dug a well .
*
Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath ,
one of his friends ,
and Phichol the commander of his army .
*
And Isaac said to them , "
Why have you come to me ,
since you hate me and have sent me away from you ?"
*
But they said , "
We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you .
So we said , "
Let there now be an oath between us ,
between you and us ;
and let us make a covenant with you ,
*
that you will do us no harm ,
since we have not touched you ,
and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace .
You are now the blessed of the LORD ."'
*
So he made them a feast ,
and they ate and drank .
*
Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another ;
and Isaac sent them away ,
and they departed from him in peace .
*
It came to pass the same day that Isaac '
s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug ,
and said to him , "
We have found water ."
*
So he called it Shebah .
Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day .
*
When Esau was forty years old ,
he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite ,
and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite .
*
And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah .
*
Now it came to pass ,
when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see ,
that he called Esau his older son and said to him , "
My son ."
And he answered him , "
Here I am ."
*
Then he said , "
Behold now ,
I am old .
I do not know the day of my death .
*
Now therefore ,
please take your weapons ,
your quiver and your bow ,
and go out to the field and hunt game for me .
*
And make me savory food ,
such as I love ,
and bring it to me that I may eat ,
that my soul may bless you before I die ."
*
Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son .
And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it .
*
So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son ,
saying , "
Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother ,
saying ,
* "
Bring me game and make savory food for me ,
that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death .'
*
Now therefore ,
my son ,
obey my voice according to what I command you .
*
Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats ,
and I will make savory food from them for your father ,
such as he loves .
*
Then you shall take it to your father ,
that he may eat it ,
and that he may bless you before his death ."
*
And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother , "
Look ,
Esau my brother is a hairy man ,
and I am a smooth-skinned man .
*
Perhaps my father will feel me ,
and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him ;
and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing ."
*
But his mother said to him , "
Let your curse be on me ,
my son ;
only obey my voice ,
and go ,
get them for me ."
*
And he went and got them and brought them to his mother ,
and his mother made savory food ,
such as his father loved .
*
Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau ,
which were with her in the house ,
and put them on Jacob her younger son .
*
And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck .
*
Then she gave the savory food and the bread ,
which she had prepared ,
into the hand of her son Jacob .
*
So he went to his father and said , "
My father ."
And he said , "
Here I am .
Who are you ,
my son ?"
*
Jacob said to his father , "
I am Esau your firstborn ;
I have done just as you told me ;
please arise ,
sit and eat of my game ,
that your soul may bless me ."
*
But Isaac said to his son , "
How is it that you have found it so quickly ,
my son ?"
And he said , "
Because the LORD your God brought it to me ."
*
Isaac said to Jacob , "
Please come near ,
that I may feel you ,
my son ,
whether you are really my son Esau or not ."
*
So Jacob went near to Isaac his father ,
and he felt him and said , "
The voice is Jacob '
s voice ,
but the hands are the hands of Esau ."
*
And he did not recognize him ,
because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau '
s hands ;
so he blessed him .
*
Then he said , "
Are you really my son Esau ?"
He said , "
I am ."
*
He said , "
Bring it near to me ,
and I will eat of my son '
s game ,
so that my soul may bless you ."
So he brought it near to him ,
and he ate ;
and he brought him wine ,
and he drank .
*
Then his father Isaac said to him , "
Come near now and kiss me ,
my son ."
*
And he came near and kissed him ;
and he smelled the smell of his clothing ,
and blessed him and said : "
Surely ,
the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed .
*
Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven ,
Of the fatness of the earth ,
And plenty of grain and wine .
*
Let peoples serve you ,
And nations bow down to you .
Be master over your brethren ,
And let your mother '
s sons bow down to you .
Cursed be everyone who curses you ,
And blessed be those who bless you !"
*
Now it happened ,
as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob ,
and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father ,
that Esau his brother came in from his hunting .
*
He also had made savory food ,
and brought it to his father ,
and said to his father , "
Let my father arise and eat of his son '
s game ,
that your soul may bless me ."
*
And his father Isaac said to him , "
Who are you ?"
So he said , "
I am your son ,
your firstborn ,
Esau ."
*
Then Isaac trembled exceedingly ,
and said , "
Who ?
Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me ?
I ate all of it before you came ,
and I have blessed him--and indeed he shall be blessed ."
*
When Esau heard the words of his father ,
he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry ,
and said to his father , "
Bless me--me also ,
O my father !"
*
But he said , "
Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing ."
*
And Esau said , "
Is he not rightly named Jacob ?
For he has supplanted me these two times .
He took away my birthright ,
and now look ,
he has taken away my blessing !"
And he said , "
Have you not reserved a blessing for me ?"
*
Then Isaac answered and said to Esau , "
Indeed I have made him your master ,
and all his brethren I have given to him as servants ;
with grain and wine I have sustained him .
What shall I do now for you ,
my son ?"
*
And Esau said to his father , "
Have you only one blessing ,
my father ?
Bless me--me also ,
O my father !"
And Esau lifted up his voice and wept .
*
Then Isaac his father answered and said to him : "
Behold ,
your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth ,
And of the dew of heaven from above .
*
By your sword you shall live ,
And you shall serve your brother ;
And it shall come to pass ,
when you become restless ,
That you shall break his yoke from your neck ."
*
So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him ,
and Esau said in his heart , "
The days of mourning for my father are at hand ;
then I will kill my brother Jacob ."
*
And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah .
So she sent and called Jacob her younger son ,
and said to him , "
Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you .
*
Now therefore ,
my son ,
obey my voice :
arise ,
flee to my brother Laban in Haran .
*
And stay with him a few days ,
until your brother '
s fury turns away ,
*
until your brother '
s anger turns away from you ,
and he forgets what you have done to him ;
then I will send and bring you from there .
Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day ?"
*
And Rebekah said to Isaac , "
I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth ;
if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth ,
like these who are the daughters of the land ,
what good will my life be to me ?"
*
Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him ,
and charged him ,
and said to him : "
You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan .
*
Arise ,
go to Padan Aram ,
to the house of Bethuel your mother '
s father ;
and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother '
s brother .
* "
May God Almighty bless you ,
And make you fruitful and multiply you ,
That you may be an assembly of peoples ;
*
And give you the blessing of Abraham ,
To you and your descendants with you ,
That you may inherit the land In which you are a stranger ,
Which God gave to Abraham ."
*
So Isaac sent Jacob away ,
and he went to Padan Aram ,
to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian ,
the brother of Rebekah ,
the mother of Jacob and Esau .
*
Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there ,
and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge ,
saying , "
You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan ,"
*
and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram .
*
Also Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac .
*
So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael ,
Abraham '
s son ,
the sister of Nebajoth ,
to be his wife in addition to the wives he had .
*
Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran .
*
So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night ,
because the sun had set .
And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head ,
and he lay down in that place to sleep .
*
Then he dreamed ,
and behold ,
a ladder was set up on the earth ,
and its top reached to heaven ;
and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it .
*
And behold ,
the LORD stood above it and said : "
I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac ;
the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants .
*
Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth ;
you shall spread abroad to the west and the east ,
to the north and the south ;
and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed .
*
Behold ,
I am with you and will keep you wherever you go ,
and will bring you back to this land ;
for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you ."
*
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said , "
Surely the LORD is in this place ,
and I did not know it ."
*
And he was afraid and said , "
How awesome is this place !
This is none other than the house of God ,
and this is the gate of heaven !"
*
Then Jacob rose early in the morning ,
and took the stone that he had put at his head ,
set it up as a pillar ,
and poured oil on top of it .
*
And he called the name of that place Bethel ;
but the name of that city had been Luz previously .
*
Then Jacob made a vow ,
saying , "
If God will be with me ,
and keep me in this way that I am going ,
and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on ,
*
so that I come back to my father '
s house in peace ,
then the LORD shall be my God .
*
And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God '
s house ,
and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You ."
*
So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East .
*
And he looked ,
and saw a well in the field ;
and behold ,
there were three flocks of sheep lying by it ;
for out of that well they watered the flocks .
A large stone was on the well '
s mouth .
*
Now all the flocks would be gathered there ;
and they would roll the stone from the well '
s mouth ,
water the sheep ,
and put the stone back in its place on the well '
s mouth .
*
And Jacob said to them , "
My brethren ,
where are you from ?"
And they said , "
We are from Haran ."
*
Then he said to them , "
Do you know Laban the son of Nahor ?"
And they said , "
We know him ."
*
So he said to them , "
Is he well ?"
And they said , "
He is well .
And look ,
his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep ."
*
Then he said , "
Look ,
it is still high day ;
it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together .
Water the sheep ,
and go and feed them ."
*
But they said , "
We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together ,
and they have rolled the stone from the well '
s mouth ;
then we water the sheep ."
*
Now while he was still speaking with them ,
Rachel came with her father '
s sheep ,
for she was a shepherdess .
*
And it came to pass ,
when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother '
s brother ,
and the sheep of Laban his mother '
s brother ,
that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well '
s mouth ,
and watered the flock of Laban his mother '
s brother .
*
Then Jacob kissed Rachel ,
and lifted up his voice and wept .
*
And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father '
s relative and that he was Rebekah '
s son .
So she ran and told her father .
*
Then it came to pass ,
when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister '
s son ,
that he ran to meet him ,
and embraced him and kissed him ,
and brought him to his house .
So he told Laban all these things .
*
And Laban said to him , "
Surely you are my bone and my flesh ."
And he stayed with him for a month .
*
Then Laban said to Jacob , "
Because you are my relative ,
should you therefore serve me for nothing ?
Tell me ,
what should your wages be ?
*
Now Laban had two daughters :
the name of the elder was Leah ,
and the name of the younger was Rachel .
*
Leah '
s eyes were delicate ,
but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance .
*
Now Jacob loved Rachel ;
so he said , "
I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter ."
*
And Laban said , "
It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man .
Stay with me ."
*
So Jacob served seven years for Rachel ,
and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her .
*
Then Jacob said to Laban , "
Give me my wife ,
for my days are fulfilled ,
that I may go in to her ."
*
And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast .
*
Now it came to pass in the evening ,
that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob ;
and he went in to her .
*
And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid .
*
So it came to pass in the morning ,
that behold ,
it was Leah .
And he said to Laban , "
What is this you have done to me ?
Was it not for Rachel that I served you ?
Why then have you deceived me ?"
*
And Laban said , "
It must not be done so in our country ,
to give the younger before the firstborn .
*
Fulfill her week ,
and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years ."
*
Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week .
So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also .
*
And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid .
*
Then Jacob also went in to Rachel ,
and he also loved Rachel more than Leah .
And he served with Laban still another seven years .
*
When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved ,
He opened her womb ;
but Rachel was barren .
*
So Leah conceived and bore a son ,
and she called his name Reuben ;
for she said , "
The LORD has surely looked on my affliction .
Now therefore ,
my husband will love me ."
*
Then she conceived again and bore a son ,
and said , "
Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved ,
He has therefore given me this son also ."
And she called his name Simeon .
*
She conceived again and bore a son ,
and said , "
Now this time my husband will become attached to me ,
because I have borne him three sons ."
Therefore his name was called Levi .
*
And she conceived again and bore a son ,
and said , "
Now I will praise the LORD ."
Therefore she called his name Judah .
Then she stopped bearing .
*
Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children ,
Rachel envied her sister ,
and said to Jacob , "
Give me children ,
or else I die !"
*
And Jacob '
s anger was aroused against Rachel ,
and he said , "
Am I in the place of God ,
who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb ?"
*
So she said , "
Here is my maid Bilhah ;
go in to her ,
and she will bear a child on my knees ,
that I also may have children by her ."
*
Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife ,
and Jacob went in to her .
*
And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son .
*
Then Rachel said , "
God has judged my case ;
and He has also heard my voice and given me a son ."
Therefore she called his name Dan .
*
And Rachel '
s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son .
*
Then Rachel said , "
With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister ,
and indeed I have prevailed ."
So she called his name Naphtali .
*
When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing ,
she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife .
*
And Leah '
s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son .
*
Then Leah said , "
A troop comes !"
So she called his name Gad .
*
And Leah '
s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son .
*
Then Leah said , "
I am happy ,
for the daughters will call me blessed ."
So she called his name Asher .
*
Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field ,
and brought them to his mother Leah .
Then Rachel said to Leah , "
Please give me some of your son '
s mandrakes ."
*
But she said to her , "
Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband ?
Would you take away my son '
s mandrakes also ?"
And Rachel said , "
Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son '
s mandrakes ."
*
When Jacob came out of the field in the evening ,
Leah went out to meet him and said , "
You must come in to me ,
for I have surely hired you with my son '
s mandrakes ."
And he lay with her that night .
*
And God listened to Leah ,
and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son .
*
Leah said , "
God has given me my wages ,
because I have given my maid to my husband ."
So she called his name Issachar .
*
Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son .
*
And Leah said , "
God has endowed me with a good endowment ;
now my husband will dwell with me ,
because I have borne him six sons ."
So she called his name Zebulun .
*
Afterward she bore a daughter ,
and called her name Dinah .
*
Then God remembered Rachel ,
and God listened to her and opened her womb .
*
And she conceived and bore a son ,
and said , "
God has taken away my reproach ."
*
So she called his name Joseph ,
and said , "
The LORD shall add to me another son ."
*
And it came to pass ,
when Rachel had borne Joseph ,
that Jacob said to Laban , "
Send me away ,
that I may go to my own place and to my country .
*
Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you ,
and let me go ;
for you know my service which I have done for you ."
*
And Laban said to him , "
Please stay ,
if I have found favor in your eyes ,
for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake ."
*
Then he said , "
Name me your wages ,
and I will give it ."
*
So Jacob said to him , "
You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me .
*
For what you had before I came was little ,
and it has increased to a great amount ;
the LORD has blessed you since my coming .
And now ,
when shall I also provide for my own house ?"
*
So he said , "
What shall I give you ?"
And Jacob said , "
You shall not give me anything .
If you will do this thing for me ,
I will again feed and keep your flocks :
*
Let me pass through all your flock today ,
removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep ,
and all the brown ones among the lambs ,
and the spotted and speckled among the goats ;
and these shall be my wages .
*
So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come ,
when the subject of my wages comes before you :
every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats ,
and brown among the lambs ,
will be considered stolen ,
if it is with me ."
*
And Laban said , "
Oh ,
that it were according to your word !"
*
So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted ,
all the female goats that were speckled and spotted ,
every one that had some white in it ,
and all the brown ones among the lambs ,
and gave them into the hand of his sons .
*
Then he put three days '
journey between himself and Jacob ,
and Jacob fed the rest of Laban '
s flocks .
*
Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees ,
peeled white strips in them ,
and exposed the white which was in the rods .
*
And the rods which he had peeled ,
he set before the flocks in the gutters ,
in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink ,
so that they should conceive when they came to drink .
*
So the flocks conceived before the rods ,
and the flocks brought forth streaked ,
speckled ,
and spotted .
*
Then Jacob separated the lambs ,
and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban ;
but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban '
s flock .
*
And it came to pass ,
whenever the stronger livestock conceived ,
that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters ,
that they might conceive among the rods .
*
But when the flocks were feeble ,
he did not put them in ;
so the feebler were Laban '
s and the stronger Jacob '
s .
*
Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous ,
and had large flocks ,
female and male servants ,
and camels and donkeys .
*
Now Jacob heard the words of Laban '
s sons ,
saying , "
Jacob has taken away all that was our father '
s ,
and from what was our father '
s he has acquired all this wealth ."