rsv Genesis:21-30 SEEK
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The LORD visited Sarah as he had said ,
and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised .
*
And Sarah conceived ,
and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him .
*
Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him ,
whom Sarah bore him ,
Isaac .
*
And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old ,
as God had commanded him .
*
Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him .
*
And Sarah said , "
God has made laughter for me ;
every one who hears will laugh over me ."
*
And she said , "
Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would suckle children ?
Yet I have borne him a son in his old age ."
*
And the child grew ,
and was weaned ;
and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned .
*
But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian ,
whom she had borne to Abraham ,
playing with her son Isaac .
*
So she said to Abraham , "
Cast out this slave woman with her son ;
for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac ."
*
And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son .
*
But God said to Abraham , "
Be not displeased because of the lad and because of your slave woman ;
whatever Sarah says to you ,
do as she tells you ,
for through Isaac shall your descendants be named .
*
And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also ,
because he is your offspring ."
*
So Abraham rose early in the morning ,
and took bread and a skin of water ,
and gave it to Hagar ,
putting it on her shoulder ,
along with the child ,
and sent her away .
And she departed ,
and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba .
*
When the water in the skin was gone ,
she cast the child under one of the bushes .
*
Then she went ,
and sat down over against him a good way off ,
about the distance of a bowshot ;
for she said , "
Let me not look upon the death of the child ."
And as she sat over against him ,
the child lifted up his voice and wept .
*
And God heard the voice of the lad ;
and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven ,
and said to her , "
What troubles you ,
Hagar ?
Fear not ;
for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is .
*
Arise ,
lift up the lad ,
and hold him fast 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 .
*
And God was with the lad ,
and he grew up ;
he lived in the wilderness ,
and became an expert with the bow .
*
He lived in the wilderness of Paran ;
and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt .
*
At that time Abim '
elech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham , "
God is with you in all that you do ;
*
now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity ,
but as I have dealt loyally with you ,
you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned ."
*
And Abraham said , "
I will swear ."
*
When Abraham complained to Abim '
elech about a well of water which Abim '
elech '
s servants had seized ,
*
Abim '
elech said , "
I do not know who has done this thing ;
you did not tell me ,
and I have not heard of it until today ."
*
So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abim '
elech ,
and the two men made a covenant .
*
Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart .
*
And Abim '
elech said to Abraham , "
What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set apart ?"
*
He said , "
These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand ,
that you may be a witness for me that I dug this well ."
*
Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba ;
because there both of them swore an oath .
*
So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba .
Then Abim '
elech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines .
*
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba ,
and called there on the name of the LORD ,
the Everlasting God .
*
And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines .
*
After these things God tested Abraham ,
and said to him , "
Abraham !"
And he said , "
Here am I ."
*
He said , "
Take your son ,
your only son Isaac ,
whom you love ,
and go to the land of Mori '
ah ,
and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you ."
*
So Abraham rose early in the morning ,
saddled his ass ,
and took two of his young men with him ,
and his son Isaac ;
and he cut the wood for the burnt offering ,
and arose and went to the place of which God had told him .
*
On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off .
*
Then Abraham said to his young men , "
Stay here with the ass ;
I and the lad will go yonder and worship ,
and come again to you ."
*
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering ,
and laid it on Isaac his son ;
and he took in his hand the fire and the knife .
So they went both of them together .
*
And Isaac said to his father Abraham , "
My father !"
And he said , "
Here am I ,
my son ."
He said , "
Behold ,
the fire and the wood ;
but where is the lamb for a burnt offering ?"
*
Abraham said , "
God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering ,
my son ."
So they went both of them together .
*
When they came to the place of which God had told him ,
Abraham built an altar there ,
and laid the wood in order ,
and bound Isaac his son ,
and laid him on the altar ,
upon the wood .
*
Then Abraham put forth 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 !"
And he said , "
Here am I ."
*
He said , "
Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him ;
for now I know that you fear God ,
seeing you have not withheld your son ,
your only son ,
from me ."
*
And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked ,
and behold ,
behind him was a ram ,
caught in a thicket by his horns ;
and Abraham went and took the ram ,
and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son .
*
So Abraham called the name of that place The LORD will provide ;
as it is said to this day , "
On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided ."
*
And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven ,
*
and said , "
By myself I have sworn ,
says the LORD ,
because you have done this ,
and have not withheld your son ,
your only son ,
*
I will indeed bless you ,
and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore .
And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies ,
*
and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves ,
because you have obeyed my voice ."
*
So Abraham returned to his young men ,
and they arose and went together to Beer-sheba ;
and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba .
*
Now after these things it was told Abraham , "
Behold ,
Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor :
*
Uz the first-born ,
Buz his brother ,
Kemu '
el the father of Aram ,
*
Chesed ,
Hazo ,
Pildash ,
Jidlaph ,
and Bethu '
el ."
*
Bethu '
el became the father of Rebekah .
These eight Milcah bore to Nahor ,
Abraham '
s brother .
*
Moreover ,
his concubine ,
whose name was Reumah ,
bore Tebah ,
Gaham ,
Tahash ,
and Ma '
acah .
*
Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years ;
these were the years of the life of Sarah .
*
And Sarah died at Kir '
iath-ar '
ba (
that is ,
Hebron )
in the land of Canaan ;
and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her .
*
And Abraham rose up from before his dead ,
and said to the Hittites ,
* "
I am a stranger and a sojourner among you ;
give me property among you for a burying place ,
that I may bury my dead out of my sight ."
*
The Hittites answered Abraham ,
* "
Hear us ,
my lord ;
you are a mighty prince among us .
Bury your dead in the choicest of our sepulchres ;
none of us will withhold from you his sepulchre ,
or hinder you from burying your dead ."
*
Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites ,
the people of the land .
*
And he said to them , "
If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight ,
hear me ,
and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar ,
*
that he may give me the cave of Mach-pe '
lah ,
which he owns ;
it is at the end of his field .
For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as a possession for a burying place ."
*
Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites ;
and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites ,
of all who went in at the gate of his city ,
* "
No ,
my lord ,
hear me ;
I give you the field ,
and I give you the cave that is in it ;
in the presence of the sons of my people I give it to you ;
bury your dead ."
*
Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land .
*
And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land , "
But if you will ,
hear me ;
I will give the price of the field ;
accept it from me ,
that I may bury my dead there ."
*
Ephron answered Abraham ,
* "
My lord ,
listen to me ;
a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver ,
what is that between you and me ?
Bury your dead ."
*
Abraham agreed with Ephron ;
and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the Hittites ,
four hundred shekels of silver ,
according to the weights current among the merchants .
*
So the field of Ephron in Mach-pe '
lah ,
which was to the east of Mamre ,
the field with the cave which was in it and all the trees that were in the field ,
throughout its whole area ,
was made over
*
to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites ,
before all who went in at the gate of his city .
*
After this ,
Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Mach-pe '
lah east of Mamre (
that is ,
Hebron )
in the land of Canaan .
*
The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as a possession for a burying place by the Hittites .
*
Now Abraham was old ,
well advanced in years ;
and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things .
*
And Abraham said to his servant ,
the oldest of his house ,
who had charge of all that he had , "
Put your hand under my thigh ,
*
and I will make you swear by the LORD ,
the God of heaven and of the earth ,
that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites ,
among whom I dwell ,
*
but will go to my country and to my kindred ,
and take a wife for my son Isaac ."
*
The servant said to him , "
Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land ;
must I then take your son back to the land from which you came ?"
*
Abraham said to him , "
See to it that you do not take my son back there .
*
The LORD ,
the God of heaven ,
who took me from my father '
s house and from the land of my birth ,
and who spoke to me and swore to me , `
To your descendants I will give this land ,'
he will send his angel before you ,
and you shall take a wife for my son from there .
*
But if the woman is not willing to follow you ,
then you will be free from this oath of mine ;
only you must 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 ,
taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master ;
and he arose ,
and went to Mesopota '
mia ,
to the city of Nahor .
*
And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening ,
the time when women go out to draw water .
*
And he said , "
O LORD ,
God of my master Abraham ,
grant me success today ,
I pray thee ,
and show steadfast love to my master Abraham .
*
Behold ,
I am standing by the spring of water ,
and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water .
*
Let the maiden to whom I shall say , `
Pray let down your jar that I may drink ,'
and who shall say , `
Drink ,
and I will water your camels '--
let her be the one whom thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac .
By this I shall know that thou hast shown steadfast love to my master ."
*
Before he had done speaking ,
behold ,
Rebekah ,
who was born to Bethu '
el the son of Milcah ,
the wife of Nahor ,
Abraham '
s brother ,
came out with her water jar upon her shoulder .
*
The maiden was very fair to look upon ,
a virgin ,
whom no man had known .
She went down to the spring ,
and filled her jar ,
and came up .
*
Then the servant ran to meet her ,
and said , "
Pray give me a little water to drink from your jar ."
*
She said , "
Drink ,
my lord ";
and she quickly let down her jar upon her hand ,
and gave him a drink .
*
When she had finished giving him a drink ,
she said , "
I will draw for your camels also ,
until they have done drinking ."
*
So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw ,
and she drew for all his camels .
*
The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the LORD had prospered his journey or not .
*
When the camels had done drinking ,
the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel ,
and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels ,
*
and said , "
Tell me whose daughter you are .
Is there room in your father '
s house for us to lodge in ?"
*
She said to him , "
I am the daughter of Bethu '
el the son of Milcah ,
whom she bore to Nahor ."
*
She added , "
We have both straw and provender enough ,
and room to lodge in ."
*
The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD ,
*
and said , "
Blessed be the LORD ,
the God of my master Abraham ,
who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master .
As for me ,
the LORD has led me in the way to the house of my master '
s kinsmen ."
*
Then the maiden ran and told her mother '
s household about these things .
*
Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban ;
and Laban ran out to the man ,
to the spring .
*
When he saw the ring ,
and the bracelets on his sister '
s arms ,
and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister , "
Thus the man spoke to me ,"
he went to the man ;
and behold ,
he was standing by the camels at the spring .
*
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 ."
*
So the man came into the house ;
and Laban ungirded the camels ,
and gave him straw and provender for the camels ,
and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him .
*
Then food was set before him to eat ;
but he said , "
I will not eat until I have told my errand ."
He said , "
Speak on ."
*
So he said , "
I am Abraham '
s servant .
*
The LORD has greatly blessed my master ,
and he has become great ;
he has given him flocks and herds ,
silver and gold ,
menservants and maidservants ,
camels and asses .
*
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 .
*
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 kindred ,
and take a wife for my son .'
*
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 kindred and from my father '
s house ;
*
then you will be free from my oath ,
when you come to my kindred ;
and if they will not give her to you ,
you will be free from my oath .'
* "
I came today to the spring ,
and said , `
O LORD ,
the God of my master Abraham ,
if now thou wilt prosper the way which I go ,
*
behold ,
I am standing by the spring of water ;
let the young woman who comes out to draw ,
to whom I shall say , "
Pray give me a little water from your jar to drink ,"
*
and who will say 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 .'
* "
Before I had done speaking in my heart ,
behold ,
Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder ;
and she went down to the spring ,
and drew .
I said to her , `
Pray let me drink .'
*
She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder ,
and said , `
Drink ,
and I will give your camels drink also .'
So I drank ,
and she gave the camels drink also .
*
Then I asked her , `
Whose daughter are you ?'
She said ,
The daughter of Bethu '
el ,
Nahor '
s son ,
whom Milcah bore to him .'
So I put the ring on her nose ,
and the bracelets on her arms .
*
Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD ,
and blessed the LORD ,
the God of my master Abraham ,
who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master '
s kinsman for his son .
*
Now then ,
if you will deal loyally 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 Bethu '
el answered , "
The thing comes from the LORD ;
we cannot speak to you bad or good .
*
Behold ,
Rebekah is before you ,
take her and go ,
and let her be the wife of your master '
s son ,
as the LORD has spoken ."
*
When Abraham '
s servant heard their words ,
he bowed himself to the earth before the LORD .
*
And the servant brought forth jewelry of silver and of gold ,
and raiment ,
and gave them to Rebekah ;
he also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments .
*
And he and the men who were with him ate and drank ,
and they spent the night there .
When they arose in the morning ,
he said , "
Send me back to my master ."
*
Her brother and her mother said , "
Let the maiden remain with us a while ,
at least ten days ;
after that she may go ."
*
But he said to them , "
Do not delay me ,
since the LORD has prospered my way ;
let me go that I may go to my master ."
*
They said , "
We will call the maiden ,
and ask her ."
*
And they called Rebekah ,
and said to her , "
Will you go with this man ?"
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 ,
be the mother of thousands of ten thousands ;
and may your descendants possess the gate of those who hate them !"
*
Then Rebekah and her maids arose ,
and rode upon the camels and followed the man ;
thus the servant took Rebekah ,
and went his way .
*
Now Isaac had come from Beer-la '
hai-roi ,
and was dwelling in the Negeb .
*
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening ;
and he lifted up his eyes and looked ,
and behold ,
there were camels coming .
*
And Rebekah lifted up her eyes ,
and when she saw Isaac ,
she alighted from the camel ,
*
and said to the servant , "
Who is the man yonder ,
walking in the field to meet us ?"
The servant said , "
It is my master ."
So she took her veil and covered herself .
*
And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done .
*
Then Isaac brought her into the tent ,
and took Rebekah ,
and she became his wife ;
and he loved her .
So Isaac was comforted after his mother '
s death .
*
Abraham took another wife ,
whose name was Ketu '
rah .
*
She bore him Zimran ,
Jokshan ,
Medan ,
Mid '
ian ,
Ishbak ,
and Shuah .
*
Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan .
The sons of Dedan were Asshu '
rim ,
Letu '
shim ,
and Le-um '
mim .
*
The sons of Mid '
ian were Ephah ,
Epher ,
Hanoch ,
Abi '
da ,
and Elda '
ah .
All these were the children of Ketu '
rah .
*
Abraham gave all he had to Isaac .
*
But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts ,
and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac ,
eastward to the east country .
*
These are the days of the years of Abraham '
s life ,
a hundred and seventy-five years .
*
Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age ,
an old man and full of years ,
and was gathered to his people .
*
Isaac and Ish '
mael his sons buried him in the cave of Mach-pe '
lah ,
in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite ,
east of Mamre ,
*
the field which Abraham purchased from the Hittites .
There Abraham was buried ,
with Sarah his wife .
*
After the death of Abraham God blessed Isaac his son .
And Isaac dwelt at Beer-la '
hai-roi .
*
These are the descendants of Ish '
mael ,
Abraham '
s son ,
whom Hagar the Egyptian ,
Sarah '
s maid ,
bore to Abraham .
*
These are the names of the sons of Ish '
mael ,
named in the order of their birth :
Neba '
ioth ,
the first-born of Ish '
mael ;
and Kedar ,
Adbeel ,
Mibsam ,
*
Mishma ,
Dumah ,
Massa ,
*
Hadad ,
Tema ,
Jetur ,
Naphish ,
and Ked '
emah .
*
These are the sons of Ish '
mael and these are their names ,
by their villages and by their encampments ,
twelve princes according to their tribes .
* (
These are the years of the life of Ish '
mael ,
a hundred and thirty-seven years ;
he breathed his last and died ,
and was gathered to his kindred .)
*
They dwelt from Hav '
ilah to Shur ,
which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria ;
he settled over against all his people .
*
These are the descendants of Isaac ,
Abraham '
s son :
Abraham was the father of Isaac ,
*
and Isaac was forty years old when he took to wife Rebekah ,
the daughter of Bethu '
el the Aramean of Paddan-aram ,
the sister of Laban the Aramean .
*
And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife ,
because she was barren ;
and the LORD granted his prayer ,
and Rebekah his wife conceived .
*
The children struggled together within her ;
and she said , "
If it is thus ,
why do I live ?"
So she went to inquire of the LORD .
*
And the LORD said to her , "
Two nations are in your womb ,
and two peoples ,
born of you ,
shall be divided ;
the one shall be stronger than the other ,
the elder shall serve the younger ."
*
When her days to be delivered were fulfilled ,
behold ,
there were twins in her womb .
*
The first came forth red ,
all his body like a hairy mantle ;
so they called his name Esau .
*
Afterward his brother came forth ,
and his hand had taken hold of Esau '
s heel ;
so his name was called Jacob .
Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them .
*
When the boys grew up ,
Esau was a skilful hunter ,
a man of the field ,
while Jacob was a quiet man ,
dwelling in tents .
*
Isaac loved Esau ,
because he ate of his game ;
but Rebekah loved Jacob .
*
Once when Jacob was boiling pottage ,
Esau came in from the field ,
and he was famished .
*
And Esau said to Jacob , "
Let me eat some of that red pottage ,
for I am famished !" (
Therefore his name was called Edom .)
*
Jacob said , "
First sell me your birthright ."
*
Esau said , "
I am about to die ;
of what use is a birthright to me ?"
*
Jacob said , "
Swear to me first ."
So he swore to him ,
and sold his birthright to Jacob .
*
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils ,
and he ate and drank ,
and rose and went his way .
Thus Esau despised his birthright .
*
Now there was a famine in the land ,
besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham .
And Isaac went to Gerar ,
to Abim '
elech king of the Philistines .
*
And the LORD appeared to him ,
and said , "
Do not go down to Egypt ;
dwell in the land of which I shall tell you .
*
Sojourn in this land ,
and I will be with you ,
and will bless you ;
for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands ,
and I will fulfil the oath which I swore to Abraham your father .
*
I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven ,
and will give to your descendants all these lands ;
and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves :
*
because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge ,
my commandments ,
my statutes ,
and my laws ."
*
So Isaac dwelt in Gerar .
*
When the men of the place asked him about his wife ,
he said , "
She is my sister ";
for he feared to say , "
My wife ,"
thinking , "
lest the men of the place should kill me for the sake of Rebekah ";
because she was fair to look upon .
*
When he had been there a long time ,
Abim '
elech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah his wife .
*
So Abim '
elech called Isaac ,
and said , "
Behold ,
she is your wife ;
how then could you say , `
She is my sister '?"
Isaac said to him , "
Because I thought , `
Lest I die because of her .'"
*
Abim '
elech said , "
What is this you have done to us ?
One of the people might easily have lain with your wife ,
and you would have brought guilt upon us ."
*
So Abim '
elech warned all the people ,
saying , "
Whoever touches this man or his wife shall be put to death ."
*
And Isaac sowed in that land ,
and reaped in the same year a hundredfold .
The LORD blessed him ,
*
and the man became rich ,
and gained more and more until he became very wealthy .
*
He had possessions of flocks and herds ,
and a great household ,
so that the Philistines envied him .
* (
Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells which his father '
s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father .)
*
And Abim '
elech said to Isaac , "
Go away from us ;
for you are much mightier than we ."
*
So Isaac departed from there ,
and encamped in the valley of Gerar and dwelt there .
*
And Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of Abraham his father ;
for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham ;
and he gave them the names which his father had given them .
*
But when Isaac '
s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of springing water ,
*
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 contended with him .
*
Then they dug another well ,
and they quarreled over that also ;
so he called its name Sitnah .
*
And he moved from there and dug another well ,
and over that they did not quarrel ;
so he called its name Reho '
both ,
saying , "
For now the LORD has made room for us ,
and we shall be fruitful in the land ."
*
From there he went up to Beer-sheba .
*
And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said , "
I am the God of Abraham your father ;
fear not ,
for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your descendants for my servant Abraham '
s sake ."
*
So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD ,
and pitched his tent there .
And there Isaac '
s servants dug a well .
*
Then Abim '
elech went to him from Gerar with Ahuz '
zath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army .
*
Isaac said to them , "
Why have you come to me ,
seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you ?"
*
They said , "
We see plainly that the LORD is with you ;
so we say ,
let there be an oath between you and us ,
and let us make a covenant with you ,
*
that you will do us no harm ,
just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing 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 .
*
In the morning they rose early and took oath with one another ;
and Isaac set them on their way ,
and they departed from him in peace .
*
That same day Isaac '
s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug ,
and said to him , "
We have found water ."
*
He called it Shibah ;
therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba to this day .
*
When Esau was forty years old ,
he took to wife Judith the daughter of Be-e '
ri the Hittite ,
and Bas '
emath the daughter of Elon the Hittite ;
*
and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah .
*
When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see ,
he called Esau his older son ,
and said to him , "
My son ";
and he answered , "
Here I am ."
*
He said , "
Behold ,
I am old ;
I do not know the day of my death .
*
Now then ,
take your weapons ,
your quiver and your bow ,
and go out to the field ,
and hunt game for me ,
*
and prepare for me savory food ,
such as I love ,
and bring it to me that I may eat ;
that I may bless you before I die ."
*
Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau .
So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it ,
*
Rebekah said to her son Jacob , "
I heard your father speak to your brother Esau ,
* `
Bring me game ,
and prepare for me savory food ,
that I may eat it ,
and bless you before the LORD before I die .'
*
Now therefore ,
my son ,
obey my word as I command you .
*
Go to the flock ,
and fetch me two good kids ,
that I may prepare from them savory food for your father ,
such as he loves ;
*
and you shall bring it to your father to eat ,
so that he may bless you before he dies ."
*
But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother , "
Behold ,
my brother Esau is a hairy man ,
and I am a smooth man .
*
Perhaps my father will feel me ,
and I shall seem to be mocking him ,
and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing ."
*
His mother said to him , "
Upon me be your curse ,
my son ;
only obey my word ,
and go ,
fetch them to me ."
*
So he went and took them and brought them to his mother ;
and his mother prepared savory food ,
such as his father loved .
*
Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son ,
which were with her in the house ,
and put them on Jacob her younger son ;
*
and the skins of the kids she put upon his hands and upon the smooth part of his neck ;
*
and she gave the savory food and the bread ,
which she had prepared ,
into the hand of her son Jacob .
*
So he went in 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 first-born .
I have done as you told me ;
now sit up and eat of my game ,
that you may bless me ."
*
But Isaac said to his son , "
How is it that you have found it so quickly ,
my son ?"
He answered , "
Because the LORD your God granted me success ."
*
Then Isaac said to Jacob , "
Come near ,
that I may feel you ,
my son ,
to know whether you are really my son Esau or not ."
*
So Jacob went near to Isaac his father ,
who 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 .
*
He said , "
Are you really my son Esau ?"
He answered , "
I am ."
*
Then he said , "
Bring it to me ,
that I may eat of my son '
s game and bless you ."
So he brought it to him ,
and he ate ;
and he brought him wine ,
and he drank .
*
Then his father Isaac said to him , "
Come near and kiss me ,
my son ."
*
So he came near and kissed him ;
and he smelled the smell of his garments ,
and blessed him ,
and said , "
See ,
the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed !
*
May God give you of the dew of heaven ,
and of the fatness of the earth ,
and plenty of grain and wine .
*
Let peoples serve you ,
and nations bow down to you .
Be lord over your brothers ,
and may your mother '
s sons bow down to you .
Cursed be every one who curses you ,
and blessed be every one who blesses you !"
*
As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob ,
when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father ,
Esau his brother came in from his hunting .
*
He also prepared savory food ,
and brought it to his father .
And he said to his father , "
Let my father arise ,
and eat of his son '
s game ,
that you may bless me ."
*
His father Isaac said to him , "
Who are you ?"
He answered , "
I am your son ,
your first-born ,
Esau ."
*
Then Isaac trembled violently ,
and said , "
Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me ,
and I ate it all before you came ,
and I have blessed him ?--
yes ,
and he shall be blessed ."
*
When Esau heard the words of his father ,
he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry ,
and said to his father , "
Bless me ,
even me also ,
O my father !"
*
But he said , "
Your brother came with guile ,
and he has taken away your blessing ."
*
Esau said , "
Is he not rightly named Jacob ?
For he has supplanted me these two times .
He took away my birthright ;
and behold ,
now he has taken away my blessing ."
Then he said , "
Have you not reserved a blessing for me ?"
*
Isaac answered Esau , "
Behold ,
I have made him your lord ,
and all his brothers I have given to him for servants ,
and with grain and wine I have sustained him .
What then can I do for you ,
my son ?"
*
Esau said to his father , "
Have you but one blessing ,
my father ?
Bless me ,
even me also ,
O my father ."
And Esau lifted up his voice and wept .
*
Then Isaac his father answered him : "
Behold ,
away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be ,
and away from the dew of heaven on high .
*
By your sword you shall live ,
and you shall serve your brother ;
but when you break loose you shall break his yoke from your neck ."
*
Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him ,
and Esau said to himself , "
The days of mourning for my father are approaching ;
then I will kill my brother Jacob ."
*
But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah ;
so she sent and called Jacob her younger son ,
and said to him , "
Behold ,
your brother Esau comforts himself by planning to kill you .
*
Now therefore ,
my son ,
obey my voice ;
arise ,
flee to Laban my brother in Haran ,
*
and stay with him a while ,
until your brother '
s fury turns away ;
*
until your brother '
s anger turns away ,
and he forgets what you have done to him ;
then I will send ,
and fetch you from there .
Why should I be bereft of you both in one day ?"
*
Then Rebekah said to Isaac , "
I am weary of my life because of the Hittite women .
If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women such as these ,
one of the women of the land ,
what good will my life be to me ?"
*
Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him ,
and charged him , "
You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women .
*
Arise ,
go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethu '
el your mother '
s father ;
and take as wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother '
s brother .
*
God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you ,
that you may become a company of peoples .
*
May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your descendants with you ,
that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings which God gave to Abraham !"
*
Thus Isaac sent Jacob away ;
and he went to Paddan-aram to Laban ,
the son of Bethu '
el the Aramean ,
the brother of Rebekah ,
Jacob '
s and Esau '
s mother .
*
Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there ,
and that as he blessed him he charged him , "
You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women ,"
*
and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan-aram .
*
So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father ,
*
Esau went to Ish '
mael and took to wife ,
besides the wives he had ,
Ma '
halath the daughter of Ish '
mael Abraham '
s son ,
the sister of Neba '
ioth .
*
Jacob left Beer-sheba ,
and went toward Haran .
*
And he came to a certain place ,
and stayed there that night ,
because the sun had set .
Taking one of the stones of the place ,
he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep .
*
And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth ,
and the top of it reached to heaven ;
and behold ,
the angels of God were ascending and descending on it !
*
And behold ,
the LORD stood above it and said , "
I am the LORD ,
the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac ;
the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants ;
*
and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth ,
and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south ;
and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves .
*
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 that of which 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 ."
*
So Jacob rose early in the morning ,
and he took the stone which he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it .
*
He called the name of that place Bethel ;
but the name of the city was Luz at the first .
*
Then Jacob made a vow ,
saying , "
If God will be with me ,
and will keep me in this way that I go ,
and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear ,
*
so that I come again to my father '
s house in peace ,
then the LORD shall be my God ,
*
and this stone ,
which I have set up for a pillar ,
shall be God '
s house ;
and of all that thou givest me I will give the tenth to thee ."
*
Then Jacob went on his journey ,
and came to the land of the people of the east .
*
As he looked ,
he saw a well in the field ,
and lo ,
three flocks of sheep lying beside it ;
for out of that well the flocks were watered .
The stone on the well '
s mouth was large ,
*
and when all the flocks were gathered there ,
the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well ,
and water the sheep ,
and put the stone back in its place upon the mouth of the well .
*
Jacob said to them , "
My brothers ,
where do you come from ?"
They said , "
We are from Haran ."
*
He said to them , "
Do you know Laban the son of Nahor ?"
They said , "
We know him ."
*
He said to them , "
Is it well with him ?"
They said , "
It is well ;
and see ,
Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep !"
*
He said , "
Behold ,
it is still high day ,
it is not time for the animals to be gathered together ;
water the sheep ,
and go ,
pasture them ."
*
But they said , "
We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together ,
and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well ;
then we water the sheep ."
*
While he was still speaking with them ,
Rachel came with her father '
s sheep ;
for she kept them .
*
Now when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother '
s brother ,
and the sheep of Laban his mother '
s brother ,
Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the well '
s mouth ,
and watered the flock of Laban his mother '
s brother .
*
Then Jacob kissed Rachel ,
and wept aloud .
*
And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father '
s kinsman ,
and that he was Rebekah '
s son ;
and she ran and told her father .
*
When Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister '
s son ,
he ran to meet him ,
and embraced him and kissed him ,
and brought him to his house .
Jacob told Laban all these things ,
*
and Laban said to him , "
Surely you are my bone and my flesh !"
And he stayed with him a month .
*
Then Laban said to Jacob , "
Because you are my kinsman ,
should you therefore serve me for nothing ?
Tell me ,
what shall your wages be ?"
*
Now Laban had two daughters ;
the name of the older was Leah ,
and the name of the younger was Rachel .
*
Leah '
s eyes were weak ,
but Rachel was beautiful and lovely .
*
Jacob loved Rachel ;
and he said , "
I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel ."
*
Laban said , "
It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man ;
stay with me ."
*
So Jacob served seven years for Rachel ,
and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her .
*
Then Jacob said to Laban , "
Give me my wife that I may go in to her ,
for my time is completed ."
*
So Laban gathered together all the men of the place ,
and made a feast .
*
But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob ;
and he went in to her .
* (
Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid .)
*
And in the morning ,
behold ,
it was Leah ;
and Jacob said to Laban , "
What is this you have done to me ?
Did I not serve with you for Rachel ?
Why then have you deceived me ?"
*
Laban said , "
It is not so done in our country ,
to give the younger before the first-born .
*
Complete the week of this one ,
and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years ."
*
Jacob did so ,
and completed her week ;
then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to wife .
* (
Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid .)
*
So Jacob went in to Rachel also ,
and he loved Rachel more than Leah ,
and served Laban for another seven years .
*
When the LORD saw that Leah was hated ,
he opened her womb ;
but Rachel was barren .
*
And Leah conceived and bore a son ,
and she called his name Reuben ;
for she said , "
Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction ;
surely now my husband will love me ."
*
She conceived again and bore a son ,
and said , "
Because the LORD has heard that I am hated ,
he has given me this son also ";
and she called his name Simeon .
*
Again she conceived and bore a son ,
and said , "
Now this time my husband will be joined 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 , "
This time I will praise the LORD ";
therefore she called his name Judah ;
then she ceased bearing .
*
When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children ,
she envied her sister ;
and she said to Jacob , "
Give me children ,
or I shall die !"
*
Jacob '
s anger was kindled against Rachel ,
and he said , "
Am I in the place of God ,
who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb ?"
*
Then she said , "
Here is my maid Bilhah ;
go in to her ,
that she may bear upon my knees ,
and even I may have children through her ."
*
So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife ;
and Jacob went in to her .
*
And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son .
*
Then Rachel said , "
God has judged me ,
and has also heard my voice and given me a son ";
therefore she called his name Daniel .
*
Rachel '
s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son .
*
Then Rachel said , "
With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister ,
and have prevailed ";
so she called his name Naph '
tali .
*
When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children ,
she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife .
*
Then Leah '
s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son .
*
And Leah said , "
Good fortune !"
so she called his name Gad .
*
Leah '
s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son .
*
And Leah said , "
Happy am I !
For the women will call me happy ";
so she called his name Asher .
*
In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field ,
and brought them to his mother Leah .
Then Rachel said to Leah , "
Give me ,
I pray ,
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 ?"
Rachel said , "
Then he may lie with you tonight for your son '
s mandrakes ."
*
When Jacob came from the field in the evening ,
Leah went out to meet him ,
and said , "
You must come in to me ;
for I have hired you with my son '
s mandrakes ."
So he lay with her that night .
*
And God hearkened to Leah ,
and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son .
*
Leah said , "
God has given me my hire because I gave my maid to my husband ";
so she called his name Is '
sachar .
*
And Leah conceived again ,
and she bore Jacob a sixth son .
*
Then Leah said , "
God has endowed me with a good dowry ;
now my husband will honor me ,
because I have borne him six sons ";
so she called his name Zeb '
ulun .
*
Afterwards she bore a daughter ,
and called her name Dinah .
*
Then God remembered Rachel ,
and God hearkened to her and opened her womb .
*
She conceived and bore a son ,
and said , "
God has taken away my reproach ";
*
and she called his name Joseph ,
saying , "
May the LORD add to me another son !"
*
When Rachel had borne Joseph ,
Jacob said to Laban , "
Send me away ,
that I may go to my own home and country .
*
Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you ,
and let me go ;
for you know the service which I have given you ."
*
But Laban said to him , "
If you will allow me to say so ,
I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you ;
*
name your wages ,
and I will give it ."
*
Jacob said to him , "
You yourself know how I have served you ,
and how your cattle have fared with me .
*
For you had little before I came ,
and it has increased abundantly ;
and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned .
But now when shall I provide for my own household also ?"
*
He said , "
What shall I give you ?"
Jacob said , "
You shall not give me anything ;
if you will do this for me ,
I will again feed your flock and keep it :
*
let me pass through all your flock today ,
removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb ,
and the spotted and speckled among the goats ;
and such shall be my wages .
*
So my honesty will answer for me later ,
when you come to look into my wages with you .
Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs ,
if found with me ,
shall be counted stolen ."
*
Laban said , "
Good !
Let it be as you have said ."
*
But that day Laban removed the he-goats that were striped and spotted ,
and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted ,
every one that had white on it ,
and every lamb that was black ,
and put them in charge of his sons ;
*
and he set a distance of three days '
journey between himself and Jacob ;
and Jacob fed the rest of Laban '
s flock .
*
Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane ,
and peeled white streaks in them ,
exposing the white of the rods .
*
He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the runnels ,
that is ,
the watering troughs ,
where the flocks came to drink .
And since they bred when they came to drink ,
*
the flocks bred in front of the rods and so the flocks brought forth striped ,
speckled ,
and spotted .
*
And Jacob separated the lambs ,
and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban ;
and he put his own droves apart ,
and did not put them with Laban '
s flock .
*
Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding Jacob laid the rods in the runnels before the eyes of the flock ,
that they might breed among the rods ,
*
but for the feebler of the flock he did not lay them there ;
so the feebler were Laban '
s ,
and the stronger Jacob '
s .
*
Thus the man grew exceedingly rich ,
and had large flocks ,
maidservants and menservants ,
and camels and asses .
*
Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying , "
Jacob has taken all that was our father '
s ;
and from what was our father '
s he has gained all this wealth ."