New King James Version (NKJV)

Abraham’s Faith Confirmed

1 Now it came to pass after these things thatGod tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

2 Then He said, “Take now your son,your onlysonIsaac, whom youlove, and goto the land of Moriah, and offer him there as aburnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

3 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.

4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.

5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we willcome back to you.”

6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering andlaiditon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.

7 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 whereisthe lamb for a burnt offering?”

8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself thelamb for aburnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

9 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 andlaid him on the altar, upon the wood.

10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

11 But theAngel of theLordcalled to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”

So he said, “Here I am.”

12 And He said,“Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; fornow I know that you fear God, since you have notwithheld your son, your onlyson,from Me.”

13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behindhimwasa 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.

14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is saidtothis day, “In the Mount of theLordit shall be provided.”

15 Then the Angel of theLordcalled to Abraham a second time out of heaven,

16 and said:“By Myself I have sworn, says theLord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your onlyson—

17 blessing I willbless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendantsas the stars of the heavenand as the sand whichison the seashore; andyour descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,because you have obeyed My voice.”

19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together toBeersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

The Family of Nahor

20 Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, “IndeedMilcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:

21 Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the fatherof Aram,

22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”

23 AndBethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah.

Sarah’s Death and Burial

1 Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years;thesewerethe years of the life of Sarah.

2 So Sarah died inKirjath Arba (thatis,Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

3 Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons ofHeth, saying,

4 “Iama 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.”

5 And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

6 “Hear us, my lord: Youareamighty 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.”

7 Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth.

8 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,

9 that he may give me the cave ofMachpelah which he has, whichisat the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you.”

10 Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all whoentered at the gate of his city, saying,

11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave thatisin it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!”

12 Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land;

13 and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If youwillgiveit,please hear me. I will give you money for the field; takeitfrom me and I will bury my dead there.”

14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,

15 “My lord, listen to me; the landisworthfour hundredshekels of silver. Whatisthat between you and me? So bury your dead.”

16 And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abrahamweighed 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.

17 Sothe field of Ephron whichwasin Machpelah, whichwasbefore Mamre, the field and the cave whichwasin it, and all the trees thatwerein the field, whichwerewithin all the surrounding borders, were deeded

18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (thatis,Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

20 So the field and the cave thatisin itwere deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.

A Bride for Isaac

1 Now Abrahamwas old, well advanced in age; and theLordhad blessed Abraham in all things.

2 So Abraham saidto the oldest servant of his house, whoruled over all that he had, “Please,put your hand under my thigh,

3 and I will make youswear by theLord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, thatyou will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;

4 but you shall goto my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

5 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?”

6 But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there.

7 TheLordGod of heaven, whotook 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.

8 And if the woman is not willing to follow you, thenyou will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.”

9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.

10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed,for all his master’s goodswereinhis hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, tothe city of Nahor.

11 And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the timewhen women go out to drawwater.

12 Then hesaid, “OLordGod of my master Abraham, pleasegive me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

13 Behold,hereI stand by the well of water, andthe daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

14 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’—letherbetheoneYou have appointed for Your servant Isaac. Andby this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

15 And it happened,before he had finished speaking, that behold,Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son ofMilcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.

16 Now the young womanwasvery beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.

17 And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”

18 So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.

19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will drawwaterfor your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”

20 Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to drawwater,and drew for all his camels.

21 And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whethertheLordhad made his journey prosperous or not.

22 So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a goldennose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing tenshekelsof gold,

23 and said, “Whose daughterareyou? Tell me, please, is there roominyour father’s house for us to lodge?”

24 So she said to him,“Iamthe daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.”

25 Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.”

26 Then the manbowed down his head and worshiped theLord.

27 And he said,“BlessedbetheLordGod of my master Abraham, who has not forsakenHis mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, theLordled me to the house of my master’s brethren.”

28 So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things.

29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose namewasLaban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well.

30 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.

31 And he said, “Come in,O blessed of theLord! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.”

32 Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, andprovided straw and feed for the camels, and water towash his feet and the feet of the men whowerewith him.

33 Foodwas set before him to eat, but he said,“I will not eat until I have told about my errand.”

And he said, “Speak on.”

34 So he said, “IamAbraham’s servant.

35 TheLordhas 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.

36 And Sarah my master’s wifebore a son to my master when she was old; andto him he has given all that he has.

37 Now my mastermade me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell;

38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’

39 And I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’

40 But he said to me, ‘TheLord,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.

41 You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not giveherto you, then you will be released from my oath.’

42 “And this day I came to the well and said,‘OLordGod of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go,

43 behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to drawwater,and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,”

44 and she says to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,”—letherbethe woman whom theLordhas appointed for my master’s son.’

45 “But before I had finishedspeaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drewwater.And I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’

46 And she made haste and let her pitcher down from hershoulder,and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also.

47 Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughterareyou?’ 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.

48 And I bowed my head and worshiped theLord, and blessed theLordGod of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth totake the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.

49 Now if you willdeal 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.”

50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said,“The thing comes from theLord; we cannotspeak to you either bad or good.

51 HereisRebekah before you; takeherand go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as theLordhas spoken.”

52 And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, thathe worshiped theLord,bowinghimselfto the earth.

53 Then the servant brought outjewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gavethemto Rebekah. He also gaveprecious things to her brother and to her mother.

54 And he and the men whowerewith him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said,“Send me away to my master.”

55 But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with usafewdays, at least ten; after that she may go.”

56 And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since theLordhas prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.”

57 So they said, “We will call the young woman and ask her personally.”

58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”

And she said, “I will go.”

59 So they sent away Rebekah their sisterand her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men.

60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her:

“Our sister,mayyoubecome

# Themotherofthousands of ten thousands;

# And may your descendants possess

The gates of those who hate them.”

61 Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.

62 Now Isaac came from the way ofBeer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South.

63 And Isaac went outto meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camelswerecoming.

64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and whenshe saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel;

65 for she had said to the servant, “Whoisthis man walking in the field to meet us?”

The servant said, “Itismy master.” So she took a veil and covered herself.

66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.

67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and hetook Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaacwas comforted after his mother’sdeath.

Abraham and Keturah

1 Abraham again took a wife, and her namewasKeturah.

2 Andshe bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

3 Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.

4 And the sons of MidianwereEphah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All thesewerethe children of Keturah.

5 AndAbraham gave all that he had to Isaac.

6 But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living hesent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, tothe country of the east.

Abraham’s Death and Burial

7 Thisisthe sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years.

8 Then Abraham breathed his last anddied in a good old age, an old man and fullofyears,andwas gathered to his people.

9 Andhis sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave ofMachpelah, whichisbefore Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite,

10 the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth.There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife.

11 And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt atBeer Lahai Roi.

The Families of Ishmael and Isaac

12 Now thisisthegenealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham.

13 Andthesewerethe names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

15 Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

16 Thesewerethe sons of Ishmael and theseweretheir names, by their towns and their settlements,twelve princes according to their nations.

17 Thesewerethe years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; andhe breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.

18 (They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, whichiseast of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He diedin the presence of all his brethren.

19 Thisisthegenealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son.Abraham begot Isaac.

20 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.

21 Now Isaac pleaded with theLordfor his wife, because shewasbarren;and theLordgranted his plea,and Rebekah his wife conceived.

22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “Ifalliswell, whyamIlikethis?”So she went to inquire of theLord.

23 And theLordsaid to her:

# “Two nationsarein your womb,

Two peoples shall be separated from your body;

# Onepeople shall be stronger thanthe other,

# And the older shall serve the younger.”

24 So when her days were fulfilledforherto give birth, indeedthereweretwins in her womb.

25 And the first came out red.Hewaslike a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.

26 Afterward his brother came out, andhis hand took hold of Esau’s heel; sohis name was called Jacob. Isaacwassixty years old when she bore them.

27 So the boys grew. And Esau wasa skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob wasa mild man,dwelling in tents.

28 And Isaac loved Esau because heateofhisgame,but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau Sells His Birthright

29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and hewasweary.

30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same redstew,for Iamweary.” Therefore his name was called Edom.

31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

32 And Esau said, “Look, Iamabout to die; sowhatisthis birthright to me?”

33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.”

# So he swore to him, andsold his birthright to Jacob.

34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; thenhe ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esaudespisedhisbirthright.

Isaac and Abimelech

1 There was a famine in the land, besidesthe first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went toAbimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

2 Then theLordappeared to him and said:“Do not go down to Egypt; live inthe land of which I shall tell you.

3 Dwell in this land, andI will be with you andbless you; for to you and your descendantsI give all these lands, and I will performthe oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

4 AndI 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;

5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

7 And the men of the place asked about his wife. Andhe said, “Sheismy sister”; forhe was afraid to say, “Sheismy wife,”becausehethought,“lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because sheisbeautiful to behold.”

8 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.

9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously sheisyour wife; so how could you say, ‘Sheismy sister’?”

Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’ ”

10 And Abimelech said, “Whatisthis you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, andyou would have brought guilt on us.”

11 So Abimelech charged allhispeople, saying, “He whotouches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same yeara hundredfold; and theLordblessed him.

13 The manbegan to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;

14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistinesenvied him.

15 Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wellswhich his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth.

16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, foryou are much mightier than we.”

17 Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

18 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.

19 Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there.

20 But the herdsmen of Gerarquarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The waterisours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him.

21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over thatonealso. So he called its name Sitnah.

22 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 theLordhas made room for us, and we shallbe fruitful in the land.”

23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba.

24 And theLordappeared to him the same night and said,“Iamthe God of your father Abraham;do not fear, forIamwith you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.”

25 So hebuilt an altar there andcalled on the name of theLord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends,and Phichol the commander of his army.

27 And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me,since you hate me and havesent me away from you?”

28 But they said, “We have certainly seen that theLordis 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,

29 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.Youarenow the blessed of theLord.’ ”

30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

31 Then they arose early in the morning andswore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

32 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.”

33 So he called it Shebah.Therefore the name of the cityisBeersheba to this day.

34 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.

35 Andthey were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

Isaac Blesses Jacob

1 Now it came to pass, when Isaac wasold andhis 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.”

2 Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. Ido not know the day of my death.

3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.

4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and bringitto me that I may eat, that my soulmay bless you before I die.”

5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bringit.

6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,

7 ‘Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of theLordbefore my death.’

8 Now therefore, my son,obey my voice according to what I command you.

9 Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will makesavory food from them for your father, such as he loves.

10 Then you shall takeitto your father, that he may eatit,and that hemay bless you before his death.”

11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look,Esau my brotherisa hairy man, and Iama smooth-skinnedman.

12 Perhaps my father willfeel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bringa curse on myself and not a blessing.”

13 But his mother said to him,“Letyour cursebeon me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, getthemfor me.”

14 And he went and gotthemand broughtthemto his mother, and his mothermade savory food, such as his father loved.

15 Then Rebekah took thechoice clothes of her elder son Esau, whichwerewith her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.

16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.

17 Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18 So he went to his father and said, “My father.”

And he said, “Here I am. Whoareyou, my son?”

19 Jacob said to his father, “IamEsau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game,that your soul may bless me.”

20 But Isaac said to his son, “Howisitthat you have founditso quickly, my son?”

And he said, “Because theLordyour God broughtitto me.”

21 Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that Imay feel you, my son, whether youarereally my son Esau or not.”

22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voiceisJacob’s voice, but the handsarethe hands of Esau.”

23 And he did not recognize him, becausehis hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.

24 Then he said, “Areyou really my son Esau?”

He said, “Iam.”

25 He said, “Bringitnear to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, sothat my soul may bless you.” So he broughtitnear to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.”

27 And he came near andkissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:

# “Surely,the smell of my son

Islike the smell of a field

Which theLordhas blessed.

28 Therefore mayGod give you

# Ofthe dew of heaven,

# Ofthe fatness of the earth,

# Andplenty of grain and wine.

29 Let peoples serve you,

And nations bow down to you.

Be master over your brethren,

# Andlet your mother’s sons bow down to you.

# Cursedbeeveryone who curses you,

And blessedbethose who bless you!”

Esau’s Lost Hope

30 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.

31 He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise andeat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.”

32 And his father Isaac said to him, “Whoareyou?”

So he said, “Iamyour son, your firstborn, Esau.”

33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Whereisthe one who hunted game and broughtitto me? I ate allofitbefore you came, and I have blessed him—andindeed he shall be blessed.”

34 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!”

35 But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.”

36 AndEsausaid,“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?”

37 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; withgrain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?”

38 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 voiceand wept.

39 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.

40 By your sword you shall live,

# Andyou shall serve your brother;

# Andit shall come to pass, when you become restless,

That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

Jacob Escapes from Esau

41 So Esauhated 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.”

42 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 Esaucomforts himself concerning youbyintendingto kill you.

43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Labanin Haran.

44 And stay with him afew days, until your brother’s fury turns away,

45 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?”

46 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 thesewhoarethe daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

1 Then Isaac called Jacob andblessed him, and charged him, and said to him:“You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.

2 Arise, go toPadan Aram, to the house ofBethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters ofLaban your mother’s brother.

3 “MayGod Almighty bless you,

# And make youfruitful and multiply you,

That you may be an assembly of peoples;

4 And give youthe 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.”

5 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 Marries Mahalath

6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there,andthatas he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,”

7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram.

8 Also Esau sawthat the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac.

9 So Esau went to Ishmael andtookMahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son,the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.

Jacob’s Vow at Bethel

10 Now Jacobwent out from Beersheba and went towardHaran.

11 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.

12 Then hedreamed, and behold, a ladderwasset up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and therethe angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

13 And behold, theLordstood above it and said:“IamtheLordGod of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac;the land on which you lie I will give to you and yourdescendants.

14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroadto the west and the east, to the north and the south; andin you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

15 Behold,Iamwith you and willkeep you wherever you go, and willbring you back to this land; forI will not leave youuntil I have done what I have spoken to you.”

16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely theLordis inthis place, and I did not knowit.”

17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesomeisthis place! Thisisnone other than the house of God, and thisisthe gate of heaven!”

18 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.

19 And he called the name ofthat place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.

20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “IfGod will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give mebread to eat and clothing to put on,

21 so thatI come back to my father’s house in peace,then theLordshall be my God.

22 And this stone which I have set as a pillarshall be God’s house,and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

Jacob Meets Rachel

1 So Jacob went on his journeyand came to the land of the people of the East.

2 And he looked, and saw awell in the field; and behold, therewerethree flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stonewason the well’s mouth.

3 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.

4 And Jacob said to them, “My brethren, whereareyou from?”

# And they said, “WearefromHaran.”

5 Then he said to them, “Do you knowLaban the son of Nahor?”

And they said, “We know him.”

6 So he said to them,“Is he well?”

# And they said, “Heiswell. And look, his daughter Rachelis coming with the sheep.”

7 Then he said, “Look,itisstill high day;itisnot time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feedthem.”

8 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.”

9 Now while he was still speaking with them,Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

10 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 androlled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.

11 Then Jacobkissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.

12 And Jacob told Rachel that hewasher father’s relative and that hewasRebekah’s son.So she ran and told her father.

13 Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister’s son, thathe ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things.

14 And Laban said to him,“Surely youaremy bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him for a month.

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because youaremy relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me,whatshouldyour wagesbe?”

16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elderwasLeah, and the name of the youngerwasRachel.

17 Leah’s eyesweredelicate, but Rachel wasbeautiful of form and appearance.

18 Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said,“I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.”

19 And Laban said, “Itisbetter that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.”

20 So Jacobserved seven years for Rachel, and they seemedonlya few days to him because of the love he had for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Givememy wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I maygo in to her.”

22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place andmade a feast.

23 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.

24 And Laban gave his maidZilpah to his daughter Leahasa maid.

25 So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, itwasLeah. 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 youdeceived me?”

26 And Laban said, “It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

27 Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.”

28 Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also.

29 And Laban gave his maidBilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid.

30 ThenJacobalso went in to Rachel, and he alsoloved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Labanstill another seven years.

The Children of Jacob

31 When theLordsaw that Leahwasunloved, Heopened her womb; but Rachelwasbarren.

32 So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “TheLordhas surelylooked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.”

33 Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because theLordhas heard that Iamunloved, He has therefore given me thissonalso.” And she called his name Simeon.

34 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.

35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise theLord.” Therefore she called his nameJudah. Then she stopped bearing.

1 Now when Rachel saw thatshe bore Jacob no children, Rachelenvied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children,or else I die!”

2 And Jacob’s anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said,“AmI in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

3 So she said, “Here ismy maid Bilhah; go in to her,and she will bearachildon my knees,that I also may have children by her.”

4 Then she gave him Bilhah her maidas wife, and Jacob went in to her.

5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

6 Then Rachel said, “God hasjudged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.

7 And Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

8 Then Rachel said, “With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister,andindeed I have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid andgave her to Jacob as wife.

10 And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

11 Then Leah said, “A troop comes!” So she called his name Gad.

12 And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

13 Then Leah said, “I am happy, for the daughterswill call me blessed.” So she called his name Asher.

14 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 mesomeof your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But she said to her,“Isita 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.”

16 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.

17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.

18 Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.

19 Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.

20 And Leah said, “God has endowed mewitha good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.

21 Afterward she bore adaughter, and called her name Dinah.

22 Then Godremembered Rachel, and God listened to her andopened her womb.

23 And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken awaymy reproach.”

24 So she called his name Joseph, and said,“TheLordshall add to me another son.”

Jacob’s Agreement with Laban

25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban,“Send me away, that I may go tomy own place and to my country.

26 Givememy wives and my childrenfor whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service whichI have done for you.”

27 And Laban said to him, “Pleasestay,if I have found favor in your eyes,forI have learned by experience that theLordhas blessed me for your sake.”

28 Then he said,“Name me your wages, and I will giveit.”

29 SoJacobsaid to him,“You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me.

30 For what you had before Icamewaslittle, and it has increased to a great amount; theLordhas blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I alsoprovide for my own house?”

31 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:

32 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; andtheseshall be my wages.

33 So myrighteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one thatisnot speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, ifitiswith me.”

34 And Laban said, “Oh, that it were according to your word!”

35 So he removed that day the male goats that werespeckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that hadsomewhite in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gavetheminto the hand of his sons.

36 Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 NowJacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white whichwasin the rods.

38 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.

39 So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.

40 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.

41 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.

42 But when the flocks were feeble, he did not putthemin; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.

43 Thus the manbecame exceedingly prosperous, andhad large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Jacob Flees from Laban

1 NowJacobheard 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 thiswealth.”

2 And Jacob saw thecountenance of Laban, and indeed itwasnotfavorabletoward him as before.

3 Then theLordsaid to Jacob,“Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I willbe with you.”

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

5 and said to them,“I see your father’s countenance, that itisnotfavorabletoward me as before; but the God of my fatherhas been with me.

6 Andyou know that with all my might I have served your father.

7 Yet your father has deceived me andchanged my wagesten times, but Goddid not allow him to hurt me.

8 If he said thus: ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus:‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked.

9 So God hastaken away the livestock of your father and giventhemto me.

10 “And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flockswerestreaked, speckled, and gray-spotted.

11 Thenthe Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’

12 And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocksarestreaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; forI have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

13 Iamthe God of Bethel,where you anointed the pillarandwhere you made a vow to Me. Nowarise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’ ”

14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him,“Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?

15 Are we not considered strangers by him? Forhe has sold us, and also completely consumed our money.

16 For all these riches which God has taken from our father arereallyours and our children’s; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”

17 Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels.

18 And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land ofCanaan.

19 Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen thehousehold idols that were her father’s.

20 And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee.

21 So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, andheaded toward the mountains of Gilead.

Laban Pursues Jacob

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

23 Then he tookhis brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead.

24 But Godhad come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that youspeak to Jacob neither good nor bad.”

25 So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead.

26 And Laban said to Jacob: “What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, andcarried away my daughters like captivestakenwith the sword?

27 Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp?

28 And you did not allow meto kiss my sons and my daughters. Nowyou have done foolishly insodoing.

29 It is in my power to do you harm, but theGod of your father spoke to melast night, saying, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’

30 And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house,butwhy did yousteal my gods?”

31 Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I wasafraid, for I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.’

32 With whomever you find your gods,do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and takeitwith you.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33 And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the two maids’ tents, but he did not findthem.Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.

34 Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not findthem.

35 And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannotrise before you, for the manner of womeniswith me.” And he searched but did not find the household idols.

36 Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: “Whatismy trespass? Whatismy sin, that you have so hotly pursued me?

37 Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Setithere before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both!

38 These twenty years Ihavebeenwith you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock.

39 That which was tornbybeastsI did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it.You required it from my hand,whetherstolen by day or stolen by night.

40 ThereI was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes.

41 Thus I have been in your house twenty years; Iserved you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, andyou have changed my wages ten times.

42 Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham andthe Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed.God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, andrebukedyoulast night.”

Laban’s Covenant with Jacob

43 And Laban answered and said to Jacob, “Thesedaughtersaremy daughters, andthesechildrenaremy children, andthisflockismy flock; all that you seeismine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?

44 Now therefore, come,let us make a covenant,you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.”

45 So Jacobtook a stone and set it upasa pillar.

46 Then Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap.

47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

48 And Laban said,“This heapisa witness between you and me this day.” Therefore its name was called Galeed,

49 alsoMizpah, because he said, “May theLordwatch between you and me when we are absent one from another.

50 If you afflict my daughters, or if you takeotherwives besides my daughters,althoughno maniswith us—see, Godiswitness between you and me!”

51 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Here is this heap and here isthispillar, which I have placed between you and me.

52 This heapisa witness, andthispillarisa witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.

53 The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their fatherjudge between us.” And Jacobswore bythe Fear of his father Isaac.

54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain.

55 And early in the morning Laban arose, andkissed his sons and daughters andblessed them. Then Laban departed andreturned to his place.