Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to Genesis 25:19-31:53
Close ESV

Genesis 25:19-31:53
English Standard Version

The Birth of Esau and Jacob

19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: (A)Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, (B)the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of (C)Paddan-aram, (D)the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And (E)the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?”[a] So she went (F)to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,

(G)“Two nations are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you[b] shall be divided;
(H)the one shall be stronger than the other,
    (I)the older shall serve the younger.”

24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, (J)all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with (K)his hand holding Esau's heel, so (L)his name was called Jacob.[c] Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 When the boys grew up, Esau was (M)a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, (N)dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because (O)he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau Sells His Birthright

29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.[d]) 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and (P)sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

God's Promise to Isaac

26 Now there was a famine in the land, besides (Q)the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to (R)Abimelech king of the (S)Philistines. 2 And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell (T)in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 (U)Sojourn in this land, and (V)I will be with you and will bless you, for (W)to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish (X)the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 (Y)I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And (Z)in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, 5 because (AA)Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

Isaac and Abimelech

6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked him about his wife, (AB)he said, “She is my sister,” for (AC)he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because (AD)she was attractive in appearance. 8 When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with[e] Rebekah his wife. 9 So Abimelech 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.’” 10 Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and (AE)you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord (AF)blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. 14 He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines (AG)envied him. 15 (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells (AH)that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.) 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

17 So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And (AI)he gave them the names that his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar (AJ)quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek,[f] because they contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah.[g] 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth,[h] saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, (AK)“I am the God of Abraham your father. (AL)Fear not, for (AM)I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake.” 25 So he (AN)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.

26 When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and (AO)Phicol the commander of his army, 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and (AP)have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 29 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. (AQ)You are now the blessed of the Lord.” 30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they rose early and (AR)exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. 32 That same day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well that they had dug and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 He called it Shibah;[i] therefore the name of the city is (AS)Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took (AT)Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, 35 and (AU)they made life bitter[j] for Isaac and Rebekah.

Isaac Blesses Jacob

27 When Isaac was old and (AV)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.” 2 He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3 (AW)Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, 4 and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul (AX)may bless you before I die.”

5 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, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, (AY)obey my voice as I command you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, (AZ)so that he may bless you before he dies.” 11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, (BA)my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father (BB)will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring (BC)a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, (BD)“Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”

14 So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the (BE)best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18 So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” 20 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.” 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I (BF)may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 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.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because (BG)his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. (BH)So he blessed him. 24 He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” 25 Then he said, “Bring it near to me, (BI)that I may eat of my son's game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments (BJ)and blessed him and said,

“See, (BK)the smell of my son
    is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed!
28 May God give you of (BL)the dew of heaven
    and of the fatness of the earth
    and (BM)plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
    and nations (BN)bow down to you.
(BO)Be lord over your brothers,
    and may your mother's sons bow down to you.
(BP)Cursed be everyone who curses you,
    and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

30 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. 31 He also prepared delicious 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.” 32 His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac trembled very 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.” 34 As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, (BQ)he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” 35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” 36 Esau said, (BR)“Is he not rightly named Jacob?[k] For he has cheated me these two times. (BS)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?” 37 Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, (BT)I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and (BU)with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And (BV)Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:

“Behold, (BW)away from[l] the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be,
    and away from[m] the dew of heaven on high.
40 By your sword you shall live,
    and you (BX)shall serve your brother;
but when you grow restless
    (BY)you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

41 Now Esau (BZ)hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, (CA)“The days of mourning for my father are approaching; (CB)then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 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 about you by planning to kill you. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran 44 and stay with him a while, 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 bereft of you both in one day?”

46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, (CC)“I loathe my life because of the Hittite women.[n] (CD)If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

Jacob Sent to Laban

28 Then Isaac called Jacob (CE)and blessed him and directed him, (CF)“You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. 2 (CG)Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of (CH)Bethuel your mother's father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother. 3 (CI)God Almighty[o] bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May he give (CJ)the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of (CK)the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!” 5 Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

Esau Marries an Ishmaelite

6 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 directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan-aram. 8 So when Esau saw (CL)that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father, 9 Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, (CM)Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of (CN)Nebaioth.

Jacob's Dream

10 Jacob left (CO)Beersheba and went toward (CP)Haran. 11 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. 12 And he (CQ)dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder[p] set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, (CR)the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, (CS)the Lord stood above it[q] and said, (CT)“I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. (CU)The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like (CV)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 in you and (CW)your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, (CX)I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and (CY)will bring you back to this land. For I will (CZ)not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is (DA)in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 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.”

18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up (DB)for a pillar (DC)and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place (DD)Bethel,[r] but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob (DE)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, 21 (DF)so that I come again to my father's house in peace, (DG)then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, (DH)shall be God's house. And (DI)of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

29 Then Jacob went on his journey and came to (DJ)the land of the people of the east. 2 As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, 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, 3 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 over the mouth of the well.

4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where do you come from?” They said, (DK)“We are from Haran.” 5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.” 6 He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!” 7 He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, pasture them.” 8 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.”

9 While he was still speaking with them, (DL)Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was (DM)her father's kinsman, and that he was Rebekah's son, (DN)and she ran and told her father.

13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister's son, (DO)he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, 14 and Laban said to him, (DP)“Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” And he stayed with him a month.

15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah's eyes were weak,[s] but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. 18 Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, (DQ)“I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” 20 So Jacob (DR)served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and (DS)made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave[t] (DT)his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 25 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?” 26 Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 (DU)Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” 28 Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 (Laban gave (DV)his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban (DW)for another seven years.

Jacob's Children

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was (DX)hated, (DY)he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben,[u] for she said, “Because the Lord (DZ)has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” 33 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.[v] 34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be (EA)attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.[w] 35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name (EB)Judah.[x] Then she ceased bearing.

30 When Rachel saw that (EC)she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” 2 Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, (ED)who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3 Then she said, “Here is my servant (EE)Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth (EF)on my behalf,[y] that even I may have children[z] through her.” 4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has (EG)judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.[aa] 7 Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings[ab] I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” So she called his name (EH)Naphtali.[ac]

9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and (EI)gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Then Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, (EJ)“Good fortune has come!” so she called his name (EK)Gad.[ad] 12 Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, “Happy am I! For women (EL)have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher.[ae]

14 In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found (EM)mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.” 15 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 in exchange for your son's mandrakes.” 16 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. 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 gave my servant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.[af]

19 And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name (EN)Zebulun.[ag] 21 Afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

22 Then God (EO)remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and (EP)opened her womb. 23 She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away (EQ)my reproach.” 24 And she called his name Joseph,[ah] saying, (ER)“May the Lord add to me another son!”

Jacob's Prosperity

25 As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. 26 Give me my wives and my children (ES)for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have given you.” 27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that[ai] the Lord has blessed me because of you. 28 (ET)Name your wages, and I will give it.” 29 Jacob said to him, (EU)“You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me. 30 For you had little before I came, (EV)and it has increased abundantly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I (EW)provide for my own household also?” 31 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 pasture your flock and keep it: 32 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 (EX)they shall be my wages. 33 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.” 34 Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.” 35 But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons. 36 And he set a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban's flock.

37 Then (EY)Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. 38 He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the (EZ)watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, 39 the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban's flock. 41 Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, 42 but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. 43 Thus the man (FA)increased greatly and (FB)had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Jacob Flees from Laban

31 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.” 2 And Jacob saw (FC)that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. 3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, (FD)“Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was 5 and said to them, (FE)“I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father (FF)has been with me. 6 (FG)You know that I have served your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages (FH)ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me. 8 If he said, (FI)‘The spotted shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped. 9 Thus God has (FJ)taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. 10 In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. 11 Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ 12 And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for (FK)I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, (FL)where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now (FM)arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’” 14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there (FN)any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house? 15 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For (FO)he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. 16 All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”

17 So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18 He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in (FP)Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. 19 Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father's (FQ)household gods. 20 And Jacob tricked[aj] Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee. 21 He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the (FR)Euphrates,[ak] and (FS)set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

22 When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, 23 he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Laban the Aramean (FT)in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, (FU)either good or bad.”

25 And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have (FV)tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly (FW)and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? 28 And why did you not permit me (FX)to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. 29 It is (FY)in my power to do you harm. But the (FZ)God of your[al] father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, (GA)either good or bad.’ 30 And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house, but why did you (GB)steal my gods?” 31 Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 32 (GC)Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33 So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel's saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them. 35 And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot (GD)rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household gods.

36 Then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? 37 For you have felt through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and (GE)your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. 38 These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. (GF)From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41 These twenty years I have been in your house. (GG)I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and (GH)you have changed my wages ten times. 42 (GI)If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the (GJ)Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. (GK)God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and (GL)rebuked you last night.”

43 Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne? 44 Come now, (GM)let us make a covenant, you and I. (GN)And let it be a witness between you and me.” 45 So Jacob (GO)took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 And Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha,[am] but Jacob called it Galeed.[an] 48 Laban said, (GP)“This heap is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore he named it Galeed, 49 (GQ)and Mizpah,[ao] for he said, “The Lord watch between you and me, when we are out of one another's sight. 50 If you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, (GR)God is witness between you and me.”

51 Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap and the pillar, which I have set between you and me. 52 (GS)This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, to do harm. 53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the (GT)Fear of his father Isaac,

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 25:22 Or why do I live?
  2. Genesis 25:23 Or from birth
  3. Genesis 25:26 Jacob means He takes by the heel, or He cheats
  4. Genesis 25:30 Edom sounds like the Hebrew for red
  5. Genesis 26:8 Hebrew may suggest an intimate relationship
  6. Genesis 26:20 Esek means contention
  7. Genesis 26:21 Sitnah means enmity
  8. Genesis 26:22 Rehoboth means broad places, or room
  9. Genesis 26:33 Shibah sounds like the Hebrew for oath
  10. Genesis 26:35 Hebrew they were bitterness of spirit
  11. Genesis 27:36 Jacob means He takes by the heel, or He cheats
  12. Genesis 27:39 Or Behold, of
  13. Genesis 27:39 Or and of
  14. Genesis 27:46 Hebrew daughters of Heth
  15. Genesis 28:3 Hebrew El Shaddai
  16. Genesis 28:12 Or a flight of steps
  17. Genesis 28:13 Or beside him
  18. Genesis 28:19 Bethel means the house of God
  19. Genesis 29:17 Or soft
  20. Genesis 29:24 Or had given; also verse 29
  21. Genesis 29:32 Reuben means See, a son
  22. Genesis 29:33 Simeon sounds like the Hebrew for heard
  23. Genesis 29:34 Levi sounds like the Hebrew for attached
  24. Genesis 29:35 Judah sounds like the Hebrew for praise
  25. Genesis 30:3 Hebrew on my knees
  26. Genesis 30:3 Hebrew be built up, which sounds like the Hebrew for children
  27. Genesis 30:6 Dan sounds like the Hebrew for judged
  28. Genesis 30:8 Hebrew With wrestlings of God
  29. Genesis 30:8 Naphtali sounds like the Hebrew for wrestling
  30. Genesis 30:11 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for good fortune
  31. Genesis 30:13 Asher sounds like the Hebrew for happy
  32. Genesis 30:18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for wages, or hire
  33. Genesis 30:20 Zebulun sounds like the Hebrew for honor
  34. Genesis 30:24 Joseph means May he add, and sounds like the Hebrew for taken away
  35. Genesis 30:27 Or have become rich and
  36. Genesis 31:20 Hebrew stole the heart of; also verses 26, 27
  37. Genesis 31:21 Hebrew the River
  38. Genesis 31:29 The Hebrew for your is plural here
  39. Genesis 31:47 Aramaic the heap of witness
  40. Genesis 31:47 Hebrew the heap of witness
  41. Genesis 31:49 Mizpah means watchpost
Listen to Genesis 25:19-31:53
Close NIV

Genesis 25:19-31:53
New International Version

Jacob and Esau

19 This is the account(A) of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old(B) when he married Rebekah(C) daughter of Bethuel(D) the Aramean from Paddan Aram[a](E) and sister of Laban(F) the Aramean.(G)

21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.(H) The Lord answered his prayer,(I) and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.(J)

23 The Lord said to her,

“Two nations(K) are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
    and the older will serve the younger.(L)”

24 When the time came for her to give birth,(M) there were twin boys in her womb.(N) 25 The first to come out was red,(O) and his whole body was like a hairy garment;(P) so they named him Esau.[b](Q) 26 After this, his brother came out,(R) with his hand grasping Esau’s heel;(S) so he was named Jacob.[c](T) Isaac was sixty years old(U) when Rebekah gave birth to them.

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter,(V) a man of the open country,(W) while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game,(X) loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.(Y)

29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew,(Z) Esau came in from the open country,(AA) famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew!(AB) I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.[d])(AC)

31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.(AD)”

32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33 But Jacob said, “Swear(AE) to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright(AF) to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.(AG) He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Isaac and Abimelek(AH)

26 Now there was a famine in the land(AI)—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines(AJ) in Gerar.(AK) 2 The Lord appeared(AL) to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt;(AM) live in the land where I tell you to live.(AN) 3 Stay in this land for a while,(AO) and I will be with you(AP) and will bless you.(AQ) For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands(AR) and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.(AS) 4 I will make your descendants(AT) as numerous as the stars in the sky(AU) and will give them all these lands,(AV) and through your offspring[e] all nations on earth will be blessed,[f](AW) 5 because Abraham obeyed me(AX) and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees(AY) and my instructions.(AZ)” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.(BA)

7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,(BB)” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”

8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines(BC) looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?(BD)”

Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”

10 Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us?(BE) One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”

11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms(BF) this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”(BG)

12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold,(BH) because the Lord blessed him.(BI) 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.(BJ) 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants(BK) that the Philistines envied him.(BL) 15 So all the wells(BM) that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up,(BN) filling them with earth.

16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us;(BO) you have become too powerful for us.(BP)”

17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar,(BQ) where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells(BR) that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.

19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled(BS) with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!”(BT) So he named the well Esek,[g] because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled(BU) over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.[h] 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,[i](BV) saying, “Now the Lord has given us room(BW) and we will flourish(BX) in the land.”

23 From there he went up to Beersheba.(BY) 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham.(BZ) Do not be afraid,(CA) for I am with you;(CB) I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants(CC) for the sake of my servant Abraham.”(CD)

25 Isaac built an altar(CE) there and called on the name of the Lord.(CF) There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.(CG)

26 Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.(CH) 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?(CI)”

28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you;(CJ) so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty(CK) with you 29 that you will do us no harm,(CL) just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”(CM)

30 Isaac then made a feast(CN) for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath(CO) to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.

32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well(CP) they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah,[j] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.[k](CQ)

Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing

34 When Esau was forty years old,(CR) he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.(CS) 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.(CT)

27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see,(CU) he called for Esau his older son(CV) and said to him, “My son.”

“Here I am,” he answered.

2 Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death.(CW) 3 Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country(CX) to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like(CY) and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing(CZ) before I die.”(DA)

5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country(DB) to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob,(DC) “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’(DD) 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you:(DE) 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats,(DF) so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it.(DG) 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing(DH) before he dies.”

11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man(DI) while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me?(DJ) I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse(DK) on myself rather than a blessing.”

13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me.(DL) Just do what I say;(DM) go and get them for me.”

14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it.(DN) 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes(DO) of Esau her older son,(DP) which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins.(DQ) 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

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

“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”(DR)

19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn.(DS) I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game,(DT) so that you may give me your blessing.”(DU)

20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”

“The Lord your God gave me success,(DV)” he replied.

21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you,(DW) my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”

22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac,(DX) who touched(DY) him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau;(DZ) so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.

“I am,” he replied.

25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.”(EA)

Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”

27 So he went to him and kissed(EB) him(EC). When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes,(ED) he blessed him and said,

“Ah, the smell of my son
    is like the smell of a field
    that the Lord has blessed.(EE)
28 May God give you heaven’s dew(EF)
    and earth’s richness(EG)—
    an abundance of grain(EH) and new wine.(EI)
29 May nations serve you
    and peoples bow down to you.(EJ)
Be lord over your brothers,
    and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.(EK)
May those who curse you be cursed
    and those who bless you be blessed.(EL)”

30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”(EM)

32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”(EN)

“I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.(EO)”

33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me?(EP) I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!(EQ)”

34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry(ER) and said to his father, “Bless(ES) me—me too, my father!”

35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully(ET) and took your blessing.”(EU)

36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob[l]?(EV) This is the second time he has taken advantage of(EW) me: He took my birthright,(EX) and now he’s taken my blessing!”(EY) Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”

37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine.(EZ) So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”

38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.(FA)

39 His father Isaac answered him,(FB)

“Your dwelling will be
    away from the earth’s richness,
    away from the dew(FC) of heaven above.(FD)
40 You will live by the sword
    and you will serve(FE) your brother.(FF)
But when you grow restless,
    you will throw his yoke
    from off your neck.(FG)”

41 Esau held a grudge(FH) against Jacob(FI) because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning(FJ) for my father are near; then I will kill(FK) my brother Jacob.”(FL)

42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau(FM) had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you.(FN) 43 Now then, my son, do what I say:(FO) Flee at once to my brother Laban(FP) in Harran.(FQ) 44 Stay with him for a while(FR) until your brother’s fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him,(FS) I’ll send word for you to come back from there.(FT) Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite(FU) women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land,(FV) from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”(FW)

28 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed(FX) him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman.(FY) 2 Go at once to Paddan Aram,[m](FZ) to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel.(GA) Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.(GB) 3 May God Almighty[n](GC) bless(GD) you and make you fruitful(GE) and increase your numbers(GF) until you become a community of peoples. 4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham,(GG) so that you may take possession of the land(GH) where you now reside as a foreigner,(GI) the land God gave to Abraham.” 5 Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way,(GJ) and he went to Paddan Aram,(GK) to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean,(GL) the brother of Rebekah,(GM) who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”(GN) 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women(GO) were to his father Isaac;(GP) 9 so he went to Ishmael(GQ) and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth(GR) and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.(GS)

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

10 Jacob left Beersheba(GT) and set out for Harran.(GU) 11 When he reached a certain place,(GV) he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head(GW) and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream(GX) in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.(GY) 13 There above it[o] stood the Lord,(GZ) and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.(HA) I will give you and your descendants the land(HB) on which you are lying.(HC) 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you(HD) will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.(HE) All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.[p](HF) 15 I am with you(HG) and will watch over you(HH) wherever you go,(HI) and I will bring you back to this land.(HJ) I will not leave you(HK) until I have done what I have promised you.(HL)”(HM)

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep,(HN) he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place!(HO) This is none other than the house of God;(HP) this is the gate of heaven.”

18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head(HQ) and set it up as a pillar(HR) and poured oil on top of it.(HS) 19 He called that place Bethel,[q](HT) though the city used to be called Luz.(HU)

20 Then Jacob made a vow,(HV) saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me(HW) on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear(HX) 21 so that I return safely(HY) to my father’s household,(HZ) then the Lord[r] will be my God(IA) 22 and[s] this stone that I have set up as a pillar(IB) will be God’s house,(IC) and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.(ID)”

Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram

29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.(IE) 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well.(IF) The stone(IG) over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone(IH) away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep.(II) Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”(IJ)

“We’re from Harran,(IK)” they replied.

5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”(IL)

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”

“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel(IM) with the sheep.(IN)”

7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone(IO) has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water(IP) the sheep.”

9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep,(IQ) for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel(IR) daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone(IS) away from the mouth of the well and watered(IT) his uncle’s sheep.(IU) 11 Then Jacob kissed(IV) Rachel and began to weep aloud.(IW) 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative(IX) of her father and a son of Rebekah.(IY) So she ran and told her father.(IZ)

13 As soon as Laban(JA) heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him(JB) and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”(JC)

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative(JD) of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages(JE) should be.”

16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah,(JF) and the name of the younger was Rachel.(JG) 17 Leah had weak[t] eyes, but Rachel(JH) had a lovely figure and was beautiful.(JI) 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel(JJ) and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”(JK)

19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel,(JL) but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.(JM)

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.(JN)”

22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.(JO) 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah(JP) and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. 24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah(JQ) to his daughter as her attendant.(JR)

25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me?(JS) I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?(JT)”

26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.(JU) 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week;(JV) then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.(JW)”

28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.(JX) 29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah(JY) to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.(JZ) 30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah.(KA) And he worked for Laban another seven years.(KB)

Jacob’s Children

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved,(KC) he enabled her to conceive,(KD) but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.(KE) She named him Reuben,[u](KF) for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery.(KG) Surely my husband will love me now.”

33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved,(KH) he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.[v](KI)

34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me,(KJ) because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.[w](KK)

35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.[x](KL) Then she stopped having children.(KM)

30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children,(KN) she became jealous of her sister.(KO) So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God,(KP) who has kept you from having children?”(KQ)

3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah,(KR) my servant.(KS) Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”(KT)

4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife.(KU) Jacob slept with her,(KV) 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me;(KW) he has listened to my plea and given me a son.”(KX) Because of this she named him Dan.[y](KY)

7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah(KZ) conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.”(LA) So she named him Naphtali.[z](LB)

9 When Leah(LC) saw that she had stopped having children,(LD) she took her servant Zilpah(LE) and gave her to Jacob as a wife.(LF) 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah(LG) bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”[aa] So she named him Gad.[ab](LH)

12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me(LI) happy.”(LJ) So she named him Asher.[ac](LK)

14 During wheat harvest,(LL) Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants,(LM) which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough(LN) that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”

“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”(LO)

16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.”(LP) So he slept with her that night.

17 God listened to Leah,(LQ) and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.”(LR) So she named him Issachar.[ad](LS)

19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor,(LT) because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.[ae](LU)

21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.(LV)

22 Then God remembered Rachel;(LW) he listened to her(LX) and enabled her to conceive.(LY) 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son(LZ) and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”(MA) 24 She named him Joseph,[af](MB) and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”(MC)

Jacob’s Flocks Increase

25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way(MD) so I can go back to my own homeland.(ME) 26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you,(MF) and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”

27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(MG) please stay. I have learned by divination(MH) that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”(MI) 28 He added, “Name your wages,(MJ) and I will pay them.”

29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have worked for you(MK) and how your livestock has fared under my care.(ML) 30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been.(MM) But now, when may I do something for my own household?(MN)”

31 “What shall I give you?” he asked.

“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat.(MO) They will be my wages.(MP) 33 And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored,(MQ) will be considered stolen.(MR)”

34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35 That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs,(MS) and he placed them in the care of his sons.(MT) 36 Then he put a three-day journey(MU) between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond(MV) and plane trees(MW) and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches.(MX) 38 Then he placed the peeled branches(MY) in all the watering troughs,(MZ) so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat(NA) and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches.(NB) And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.(NC) 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals(ND) that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females were in heat,(NE) Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches,(NF) 42 but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob.(NG) 43 In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.(NH)

Jacob Flees From Laban

31 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons(NI) were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.”(NJ) 2 And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.(NK)

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

4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, “I see that your father’s(NN) attitude toward me is not what it was before,(NO) but the God of my father has been with me.(NP) 6 You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength,(NQ) 7 yet your father has cheated(NR) me by changing my wages(NS) ten times.(NT) However, God has not allowed him to harm me.(NU) 8 If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’(NV) then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father’s livestock(NW) and has given them to me.(NX)

10 “In breeding season I once had a dream(NY) in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11 The angel of God(NZ) said to me in the dream,(OA) ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’(OB) 12 And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted,(OC) for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.(OD) 13 I am the God of Bethel,(OE) where you anointed a pillar(OF) and where you made a vow(OG) to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.(OH)’”

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

17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives(OM) on camels,(ON) 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated(OO) in Paddan Aram,[ag](OP) to go to his father Isaac(OQ) in the land of Canaan.(OR)

19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep,(OS) Rachel stole her father’s household gods.(OT) 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived(OU) Laban the Aramean(OV) by not telling him he was running away.(OW) 21 So he fled(OX) with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River,(OY) and headed for the hill country of Gilead.(OZ)

Laban Pursues Jacob

22 On the third day(PA) Laban was told that Jacob had fled.(PB) 23 Taking his relatives(PC) with him(PD), he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.(PE) 24 Then God came to Laban the Aramean(PF) in a dream at night and said to him,(PG) “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”(PH)

25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead(PI) when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done?(PJ) You’ve deceived me,(PK) and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war.(PL) 27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me,(PM) so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels(PN) and harps?(PO) 28 You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye.(PP) You have done a foolish thing. 29 I have the power to harm you;(PQ) but last night the God of your father(PR) said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’(PS) 30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household.(PT) But why did you steal(PU) my gods?(PV)”

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

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

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

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

38 “I have been with you for twenty years now.(QN) Your sheep and goats have not miscarried,(QO) nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen(QP) by day or night.(QQ) 40 This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.(QR) 41 It was like this for the twenty years(QS) I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters(QT) and six years for your flocks,(QU) and you changed my wages(QV) ten times.(QW) 42 If the God of my father,(QX) the God of Abraham(QY) and the Fear of Isaac,(QZ) had not been with me,(RA) you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands,(RB) and last night he rebuked you.(RC)”

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

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

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

51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap,(RP) and here is this pillar(RQ) I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness,(RR) that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap(RS) and pillar to my side to harm me.(RT) 53 May the God of Abraham(RU) and the God of Nahor,(RV) the God of their father, judge between us.”(RW)

So Jacob took an oath(RX) in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac.(RY)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 25:20 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  2. Genesis 25:25 Esau may mean hairy.
  3. Genesis 25:26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
  4. Genesis 25:30 Edom means red.
  5. Genesis 26:4 Or seed
  6. Genesis 26:4 Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)
  7. Genesis 26:20 Esek means dispute.
  8. Genesis 26:21 Sitnah means opposition.
  9. Genesis 26:22 Rehoboth means room.
  10. Genesis 26:33 Shibah can mean oath or seven.
  11. Genesis 26:33 Beersheba can mean well of the oath and well of seven.
  12. Genesis 27:36 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.
  13. Genesis 28:2 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verses 5, 6 and 7
  14. Genesis 28:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
  15. Genesis 28:13 Or There beside him
  16. Genesis 28:14 Or will use your name and the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)
  17. Genesis 28:19 Bethel means house of God.
  18. Genesis 28:21 Or Since God … father’s household, the Lord
  19. Genesis 28:22 Or household, and the Lord will be my God, 22 then
  20. Genesis 29:17 Or delicate
  21. Genesis 29:32 Reuben sounds like the Hebrew for he has seen my misery; the name means see, a son.
  22. Genesis 29:33 Simeon probably means one who hears.
  23. Genesis 29:34 Levi sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for attached.
  24. Genesis 29:35 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
  25. Genesis 30:6 Dan here means he has vindicated.
  26. Genesis 30:8 Naphtali means my struggle.
  27. Genesis 30:11 Or “A troop is coming!”
  28. Genesis 30:11 Gad can mean good fortune or a troop.
  29. Genesis 30:13 Asher means happy.
  30. Genesis 30:18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward.
  31. Genesis 30:20 Zebulun probably means honor.
  32. Genesis 30:24 Joseph means may he add.
  33. Genesis 31:18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  34. Genesis 31:47 The Aramaic Jegar Sahadutha and the Hebrew Galeed both mean witness heap.
  35. Genesis 31:49 Mizpah means watchtower.
Next
Genesis 24
Genesis 32
Next
dropdown
English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

ESV Study Bible
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV