Bible in 90 Days

²⁰ Then Jacob made a promise. He said, “May God be with me. May he watch over me on this journey I’m taking. May he give me food to eat and clothes to wear. ²¹ May he do as he has promised so that I can return safely to my father’s home. Then you, Lord, will be my God. ²² This stone I’ve set up as a sacred stone will be God’s house. And I’ll give you a tenth of everything you give me.”

Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram

29 Then Jacob continued on his journey. He came to the land where the eastern tribes lived. ² There he saw a well in the open country. Three flocks of sheep were lying near it. The flocks were given water from the well. The stone over the opening of the well was large. ³ All the flocks would gather there. The shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s opening. They would give water to the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the opening of the well.

⁴ Jacob asked the shepherds, “My friends, where are you from?”

“We’re from Harran,” they replied.

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

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

⁶ Then Jacob asked them, “How is he?”

“He’s fine,” they said. “Here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

⁷ “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high in the sky. It’s not time for the flocks to be brought together. Give water to the sheep and take them back to the grasslands.”

⁸ “We can’t,” they replied. “We have to wait until all the flocks are brought together. The stone has to be rolled away from the opening of the well. Then we’ll give water to the sheep.”

⁹ He was still talking with them when Rachel came with her father’s sheep. It was her job to take care of the flock. ¹⁰ Rachel was the daughter of Laban, Jacob’s uncle. When Jacob saw Rachel with Laban’s sheep, he went over to the well. He rolled the stone away from the opening. He gave water to his uncle’s sheep. ¹¹ Jacob kissed Rachel. Then he began to cry because he was so happy. ¹² He had told Rachel he was a relative of her father. He had also said he was Rebekah’s son. Rachel ran and told her father what Jacob had said.

¹³ As soon as Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he hurried to meet him. Laban hugged Jacob and kissed him. Then Laban brought him to his home. There Jacob told him everything. ¹⁴ Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

Jacob stayed with Laban for a whole month. ¹⁵ Then Laban said to him, “You are one of my relatives. But is that any reason for you to work for me for nothing? Tell me what your pay should be.”

¹⁶ Laban had two daughters. The name of the older one was Leah. And the name of the younger one was Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah was plain, but Rachel was beautiful. She had a nice figure. ¹⁸ Jacob was in love with Rachel. He said to Laban, “I’ll work for you for seven years so I can marry your younger daughter Rachel.”

¹⁹ Laban said, “It’s better for me to give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob worked for seven years so he could marry Rachel. But they seemed like only a few days to him because he loved her so much.

²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. I’ve completed my time. I want to sleep with her.”

²² So Laban brought all the people of the place together and had a feast prepared. ²³ But when evening came, he gave his daughter Leah to Jacob. And Jacob slept with her. ²⁴ Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter as her servant.

²⁵ When Jacob woke up the next morning, there was Leah next to him! So he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? I worked for you so I could marry Rachel, didn’t I? Why did you trick me?”

²⁶ Laban replied, “It isn’t our practice here to give the younger daughter to be married before the older one. ²⁷ Complete this daughter’s wedding week. Then we’ll give you the younger one also. But you will have to work for another seven years.”

²⁸ So Jacob completed the week with Leah. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. ²⁹ Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her servant. ³⁰ Jacob slept with Rachel also. He loved Rachel more than he loved Leah. And he worked for Laban for another seven years.

Jacob Becomes the Father of Many Children

³¹ The Lord saw that Jacob didn’t love Leah as much as he loved Rachel. So he let Leah have children. But Rachel wasn’t able to have children. ³² Leah became pregnant. She had a son. She named him Reuben. She said, “The Lord has seen me suffer. Surely my husband will love me now.”

³³ She became pregnant again. She had a son. Then she said, “The Lord heard that Jacob doesn’t love me very much. That’s why the Lord gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.

³⁴ She became pregnant again. She had a son. Then she said, “Now at last my husband will value me. I have had three sons by him.” So the boy was named Levi.

³⁵ She became pregnant again. She had a son. Then she said, “This time I’ll praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

30 Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children by Jacob. So she became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

² Jacob became angry with her. He said, “Do you think I’m God? He’s the one who has kept you from having children.”

³ Then she said, “Here’s my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her so that she can have children for me. Then I too can have a family through her.”

⁴ So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her. ⁵ And Bilhah became pregnant. She had a son by him. ⁶ Then Rachel said, “God has stood up for my rights. He has listened to my prayer and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.

⁷ Rachel’s servant Bilhah became pregnant again. She had a second son by Jacob. ⁸ Then Rachel said, “I’ve had a great struggle with my sister. Now I’ve won.” So she named him Naphtali.

⁹ Leah saw that she had stopped having children. So she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ Leah’s servant Zilpah had a son by Jacob. ¹¹ Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him Gad.

¹² Leah’s servant Zilpah had a second son by Jacob. ¹³ Then Leah said, “I’m so happy! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

¹⁴ While the wheat harvest was being gathered, Reuben went out into the fields. He found some mandrake plants. He brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁵ But Leah said to her, “Isn’t it enough that you took my husband away? Are you going to take my son’s mandrakes too?”

Rachel said, “All right. Jacob can sleep with you tonight if you give me your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁶ Jacob came in from the fields that evening. Leah went out to meet him. “You have to sleep with me tonight,” she said. “I’ve traded my son’s mandrakes for that time with you.” So he slept with her that night.

¹⁷ God listened to Leah. She became pregnant and had a fifth son by Jacob. ¹⁸ Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me because I gave my female servant to my husband.” So she named the boy Issachar.

¹⁹ Leah became pregnant again. She had a sixth son by Jacob. ²⁰ Then Leah said, “God has given me a priceless gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor. I’ve had six sons by him.” So she named the boy Zebulun.

²¹ Some time later she had a daughter. She named her Dinah.

²² Then God listened to Rachel. He showed concern for her. He made it possible for her to have children. ²³ She became pregnant and had a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” ²⁴ She said, “May the Lord give me another son.” So she named him Joseph.

Jacob Becomes the Owner of Large Flocks

²⁵ After Rachel had Joseph, Jacob spoke to Laban. He said, “Send me on my way. I want to go back to my own home and country. ²⁶ Give me my wives and children. I worked for you to get them. So I’ll be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”

²⁷ But Laban said to him, “If you are pleased with me, stay here. I’ve discovered that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” ²⁸ He continued, “Name your pay. I’ll give it to you.”

²⁹ Jacob said to him, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you. You know that your livestock has done better under my care. ³⁰ You had only a little before I came. But that little has become a lot. The Lord has blessed you everywhere I’ve been. But when can I do something for my own family?”

³¹ “What should I give you?” Laban asked.

“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “Just do one thing for me. Then I’ll go on taking care of your flocks and watching over them. ³² Let me go through all your flocks today. Let me remove every speckled or spotted sheep. Let me remove every dark-colored lamb. Let me remove every speckled or spotted goat. They will be my pay. ³³ My honesty will be a witness about me in days to come. It will be a witness every time you check on what you have paid me. Suppose I have a goat that doesn’t have speckles or spots. Or suppose I have a lamb that isn’t dark colored. Then it will be considered stolen.”

³⁴ “I agree,” said Laban. “Let’s do what you have said.” ³⁵ That same day Laban removed all the male goats that had stripes or spots. He removed all the female goats that had speckles or spots. They were the ones that had white on them. He also removed all the dark-colored lambs. He had his sons take care of them. ³⁶ Then he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob. But Jacob continued to take care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.

³⁷ Jacob took freshly cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees. He made white stripes on the branches by peeling off their bark. ³⁸ Then he placed the peeled branches in all the stone tubs where the animals drank water. He placed them there so they would be right in front of the flocks when they came to drink. The flocks were ready to mate when they came to drink. ³⁹ So they mated in front of the branches. And the flocks gave birth to striped, speckled or spotted little ones. ⁴⁰ Jacob put the little ones of the flock to one side by themselves. But he made the older ones face the striped and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. In that way, he made separate flocks for himself. He didn’t put them with Laban’s animals. ⁴¹ Every time the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the branches in the stone tubs. He would place them in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches. ⁴² But if the animals were weak, he wouldn’t place the branches there. So the weak animals went to Laban. And the strong ones went to Jacob. ⁴³ That’s how Jacob became very rich. He became the owner of large flocks. He also had many male and female servants. And he had many camels and donkeys.

Jacob Runs Away From Laban

31 Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying. “Jacob has taken everything our father owned,” they said. “He has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” ² Jacob noticed that Laban’s feelings toward him had changed.

³ Then the Lord spoke to Jacob. He said, “Go back to your father’s land and to your relatives. I will be with you.”

⁴ So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah. He told them to come out to the fields where his flocks were. ⁵ He said to them, “I see that your father’s feelings toward me have changed. But the God of my father has been with me. ⁶ You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength. ⁷ But your father has cheated me. He has changed my pay ten times. In spite of everything that’s happened, God hasn’t let him harm me. ⁸ Sometimes Laban would say, ‘The speckled ones will be your pay.’ Then all the flocks had little ones with speckles. At other times he would say, ‘The striped ones will be your pay.’ Then all the flocks had little ones with stripes. ⁹ So God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

¹⁰ “Once during the mating season I had a dream. In my dream I looked and saw male goats mating with the flock. The goats had stripes, speckles or spots. ¹¹ The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’ ¹² He said, ‘Look around you. See the male goats mating with the flock. All of them have stripes, speckles or spots. That’s because I have seen everything that Laban has been doing to you. ¹³ I am the God of Bethel. That is where you poured olive oil on a sacred stone. There you made a promise to me. Now leave this land. Go back to your own land.’ ”

¹⁴ Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share of our father’s property? ¹⁵ Doesn’t our father think of us as outsiders? First he sold us. Now he has used up what he was paid for us. ¹⁶ All the wealth God took away from our father really belongs to us and our children. So do what God has told you to do.”

¹⁷ Then Jacob put his children and wives on camels. ¹⁸ He drove all his livestock ahead of him. He also took with him everything he had acquired in Paddan Aram. He left to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

¹⁹ Laban had gone to clip the wool from his sheep. While he was gone, Rachel stole the statues of the family gods that belonged to her father. ²⁰ And that’s not all. Jacob tricked Laban, the Aramean. He didn’t tell him he was running away. ²¹ So Jacob ran off with everything he had. He crossed the Euphrates River. And he headed for the hill country of Gilead.

Laban Chases Jacob

²² On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had run away. ²³ He took his relatives with him and went after Jacob. Seven days later he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴ Then God came to Laban, the Aramean, in a dream at night. He said to him, “Be careful. Do not say anything to Jacob, whether it is good or bad.”

²⁵ Jacob had set up his tent in the hill country of Gilead. That’s where Laban caught up with him. Laban and his relatives camped there too. ²⁶ Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have tricked me. You have taken my daughters away like prisoners of war. ²⁷ Why did you run away in secret and trick me? Why didn’t you tell me? Then I could have sent you away happily. We could have sung to the music of tambourines and harps. ²⁸ You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have done a foolish thing. ²⁹ I have the power to harm you. But last night the God of your father spoke to me. He said, ‘Be careful. Do not say anything to Jacob, whether it is good or bad.’ ³⁰ Now you have run away. You longed to go back to your father’s home. But why did you have to steal the statues of my gods?”

³¹ Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid. I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. ³² But if you find anyone who has the statues of your gods, that person will not remain alive. While our relatives are watching, look for yourself. See if there’s anything of yours here with me. If you find anything belonging to you, take it.” But Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen the statues.

³³ So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and Leah’s tent. He went into the tent of their two female servants. But he didn’t find anything. After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. ³⁴ Rachel was the one who had taken the statues of Laban’s family gods. She had put them inside her camel’s saddle. She was sitting on them. Laban searched the whole tent. But he didn’t find anything.

³⁵ Rachel said to her father, “I’m sorry, sir. I can’t get up for you right now. But don’t be angry with me. I’m having my monthly period.” So he searched everywhere but couldn’t find the statues of his gods.

³⁶ Jacob was very angry with Laban. “What is my crime?” he asked. “What have I done to you that you hunt me down like this? ³⁷ You have searched through all my things. What have you found that belongs to your family? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine. Let them decide between the two of us.

³⁸ “I’ve been with you for 20 years now. The little ones of your sheep and goats were not dead when they were born. I haven’t eaten rams from your flocks. ³⁹ I didn’t bring you animals torn apart by wild beasts. I made up for the loss myself. Also, you made me pay for anything stolen by day or night. ⁴⁰ And what was my life like? The heat burned me in the daytime. And it was so cold at night that I froze. I couldn’t sleep. ⁴¹ That’s what it was like for the 20 years I was living with you. I worked for 14 years to marry your two daughters. I worked for six years to get my share of your flocks. You changed my pay ten times. ⁴² But the God of my father was with me. He is the God of Abraham and the God Isaac worshiped. If he hadn’t been with me, you would surely have sent me away without anything to show for all my work. But God has seen my hard times. He has seen all the work my hands have done. So last night he warned you.”

⁴³ Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters. The children are my children. The flocks are my flocks. Everything you see is mine. But what can I do today about these daughters of mine? What can I do about the children they’ve had? ⁴⁴ Come now. Let’s make a formal agreement, you and I. Let it be a witness between us.”

⁴⁵ So Jacob set up a stone as a way to remember. ⁴⁶ He said to his relatives, “Get some stones.” So they took stones and put them in a pile. And they ate there by it. ⁴⁷ Laban named the pile of stones Jegar Sahadutha. Jacob named it Galeed.

⁴⁸ Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness between you and me today.” That’s why it was named Galeed. ⁴⁹ It was also called Mizpah. That’s because Laban said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. ⁵⁰ Don’t treat my daughters badly. Don’t get married to any women besides my daughters. There isn’t anyone here to see what we’re doing. But remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

⁵¹ Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this pile of stones. And here is this stone I’ve set up. I’ve set them up between you and me. ⁵² This pile is a witness. And this stone is a witness. They are witnesses that I won’t go past this pile to harm you. And they are witnesses that you won’t go past this pile and this stone to harm me. ⁵³ The God of Abraham and Nahor is also the God of their father. May their God decide which of us is right.”

So Jacob made a promise using the name of the God his father Isaac worshiped. ⁵⁴ He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country. And he invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there.

⁵⁵ Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters. He gave them his blessing. Then he left and returned home.

Jacob Gets Ready to Meet Esau

32 Jacob also went on his way. The angels of God met him. ² Jacob saw them. He said, “This is the army of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.

³ Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau. Esau lived in the land of Seir. It was also called the country of Edom. ⁴ Jacob told the messengers what to do. He said, “Here’s what you must tell my master Esau. ‘Your servant Jacob says, “I’ve been staying with Laban. I’ve remained there until now. ⁵ I have cattle and donkeys and sheep and goats. I also have male and female servants. Now I’m sending this message to you. I hope I can please you.” ’ ”

⁶ The messengers came back to Jacob. They said, “We went to your brother Esau. He’s coming now to meet you. He has 400 men with him.”

⁷ Jacob was very worried and afraid. So he separated the people with him into two groups. He also separated the flocks and herds and camels. ⁸ He thought, “Esau might come and attack one group. If he does, the group that’s left can escape.”

⁹ Then Jacob prayed, “You are the God of my grandfather Abraham. You are the God of my father Isaac. Lord, you are the one who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives. Then I will give you success.’ ¹⁰ You have been very kind and faithful to me. But I’m not worthy of any of this. When I crossed this Jordan River, all I had was my walking stick. But now I’ve become two camps. ¹¹ Please save me from the hand of my brother Esau. I’m afraid he’ll come and attack me and the mothers with their children. ¹² But you have said, ‘I will surely give you success. I will make your children as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. People will not be able to count them.’ ”

¹³ Jacob spent the night there. He chose a gift for his brother Esau from what he had with him. ¹⁴ He chose 200 female goats and 20 male goats. He chose 200 female sheep and 20 male sheep. ¹⁵ He chose 30 female camels with their little ones. He chose 40 cows and ten bulls. And he chose 20 female donkeys and ten male donkeys. ¹⁶ He put each herd by itself. Then he put his servants in charge of them. He said to his servants, “Go on ahead of me. Keep some space between the herds.”

¹⁷ Jacob spoke to his servant who was leading the way. He said, “My brother Esau will meet you. He’ll ask, ‘Who is your master? Where are you going? And who owns all these animals in front of you?’ ¹⁸ Then say to Esau, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift to you from him. And Jacob is coming behind us.’ ”

¹⁹ He also spoke to the second and third servants. He told them and all the others who followed the herds what to do. He said, “Say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ²⁰ Make sure you say, ‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.’ ” Jacob was thinking, “I’ll make peace with him with these gifts I’m sending on ahead. When I see him later, maybe he’ll welcome me.” ²¹ So Jacob’s gifts went on ahead of him. But he himself spent the night in the camp.

Jacob Wrestles With God

²² That night Jacob got up. He took his two wives, his two female servants and his 11 sons and sent them across the Jabbok River. ²³ After they had crossed the stream, he sent over everything he owned. ²⁴ So Jacob was left alone. A man wrestled with him until morning. ²⁵ The man saw that he couldn’t win. So he touched the inside of Jacob’s hip. As Jacob wrestled with the man, Jacob’s hip was twisted. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go. It is morning.”

But Jacob replied, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.”

²⁷ The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name will not be Jacob anymore. Instead, it will be Israel. You have wrestled with God and with people. And you have won.”

²⁹ Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you want to know my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there.

³⁰ So Jacob named the place Peniel. He said, “I saw God face to face. But I’m still alive!”

³¹ The sun rose above Jacob as he passed by Peniel. He was limping because of his hip. ³² That’s why the Israelites don’t eat the meat attached to the inside of an animal’s hip. They don’t eat it to this day. It’s because the inside of Jacob’s hip was touched.

Jacob Meets Esau

33 Jacob looked and saw Esau coming with his 400 men! So Jacob separated the children. He put them with Leah, Rachel and the two female servants. ² He put the servants and their children in front. He put Leah and her children next. And he put Rachel and Joseph last. ³ He himself went on ahead. As he came near his brother, he bowed down to the ground seven times.

⁴ But Esau ran to meet Jacob. He hugged him and threw his arms around his neck. He kissed him, and they cried for joy. ⁵ Then Esau looked around and saw the women and children. “Who are these people with you?” he asked.

Jacob answered, “They are the children God has so kindly given to me.”

⁶ Then the female servants and their children came near and bowed down. ⁷ Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel. They bowed down too.

⁸ Esau asked, “Why did you send all those herds I saw?”

“I hoped I could do something to please you,” Jacob replied.

⁹ But Esau said, “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”

¹⁰ “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I’ve pleased you, accept this gift from me. Seeing your face is like seeing the face of God. You have welcomed me so kindly. ¹¹ Please accept the present that was brought to you. God has given me so much. I have everything I need.” Jacob wouldn’t give in. So Esau accepted it.

¹² Then Esau said, “Let’s be on our way. I’ll go with you.”

¹³ But Jacob said to him, “You know that the children are young. You also know that I have to take care of the cows and female sheep that are feeding their little ones. If the animals are driven hard for just one day, all of them will die. ¹⁴ So you go on ahead of me. I’ll move along only as fast as the flocks and herds and the children can go. I’ll go slowly until I come to you in Seir.”

¹⁵ Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”

“Why do that?” Jacob asked. “I just hope I’ve pleased you.”

¹⁶ So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir. ¹⁷ But Jacob went to Sukkoth. There he built a place for himself. He also made shelters for his livestock. That’s why the place is named Sukkoth.

¹⁸ After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan. He camped where he could see the city. ¹⁹ For 100 pieces of silver he bought a piece of land. He got it from Hamor’s sons. Hamor was the father of Shechem. Jacob set up his tent on that piece of land. ²⁰ He also set up an altar there. He named it El Elohe Israel.

Simeon and Levi Kill the Men of Shechem

34 Dinah was the daughter Leah had by Jacob. Dinah went out to visit the women of the land. ² Hamor, the Hivite, was the ruler of that area. When his son Shechem saw Dinah, he took her and raped her. ³ Then he longed for Jacob’s daughter Dinah. He fell in love with her and spoke tenderly to her. ⁴ Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me that young woman. I want her to be my wife.”

⁵ Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been raped. His sons were in the fields with his livestock. So he did nothing about it until they came home.

⁶ Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. ⁷ Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields. They came as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and very angry. Shechem had done a very terrible thing. He had forced Jacob’s daughter to have sex with him. He had done something that should never be done in Israel.

⁸ But Hamor said to Jacob and his sons, “My son Shechem wants your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife. ⁹ Let your people and ours get married to each other. Give us your daughters as our wives. You can have our daughters as your wives. ¹⁰ You can live among us. Here is the land. Live in it. Trade in it. Buy property in it.”

¹¹ Then Shechem spoke to Dinah’s father and brothers. He said, “I want to please you. I’ll give you anything you ask for. ¹² Make the price for the bride as high as you want to. I’ll pay you whatever you ask. Just give me the young woman. I want to marry her.”

¹³ Their sister Dinah had been raped. So Jacob’s sons lied to Shechem and his father Hamor. ¹⁴ They said to them, “We can’t do it. We can’t give our sister to a man who isn’t circumcised. That would bring shame on us. ¹⁵ We’ll agree, but only on one condition. You will have to become like us. You will have to circumcise all your males. ¹⁶ Then we’ll give you our daughters as your wives. And we’ll take your daughters as our wives. We’ll live among you and become one big family with you. ¹⁷ But if you won’t agree to be circumcised, then we’ll take our sister and go.”

¹⁸ Their offer seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. ¹⁹ The young man was the most honored of all his father’s family. He didn’t lose any time in doing what Dinah’s father and brothers had said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. ²⁰ Hamor and his son Shechem went to the city gate. They spoke to the other men there. ²¹ “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land. Let them trade in it. The land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters. And they can marry ours. ²² But they will agree to live with us as one big family only on one condition. All our males must be circumcised, just as they are. ²³ Won’t their livestock and their property belong to us? Won’t all their animals become ours? So let’s say yes to them. Then they’ll live among us.”

²⁴ All the men who went out through the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem. So every male in the city was circumcised.

²⁵ Three days later, all of them were still in pain. Then Simeon and Levi took their swords. They were Jacob’s sons and Dinah’s brothers. They attacked the city when the people didn’t expect it. They killed every male. ²⁶ They also used their swords to kill Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left. ²⁷ Jacob’s other sons found the dead bodies. They robbed the city where their sister had been raped. ²⁸ They took the flocks and herds and donkeys. They took everything in the city and in the fields. ²⁹ They carried everything away. And they took all the women and children. They took away everything in the houses.

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me. Now I’m like a very bad smell to the Canaanites and Perizzites who live in this land. There aren’t many of us. They may join together against me and attack me. Then I and my family will be destroyed.”

³¹ But they replied, “Should Shechem have treated our sister like a prostitute?”

Jacob Returns to Bethel

35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and live there. Build an altar there to honor me. That’s where I appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau.”

² So Jacob spoke to his family and to everyone with him. He said, “Get rid of the statues of false gods you have with you. Make yourselves pure by washing and changing your clothes. ³ Come, let’s go up to Bethel. There I’ll build an altar to honor God. He answered me when I was in trouble. He’s been with me everywhere I’ve gone.” ⁴ So they gave Jacob all the statues of false gods they had. They also gave him their earrings. Jacob buried those things under the oak tree at Shechem. ⁵ Then Jacob and everyone with him started out. The terror of God fell on the towns all around them. So no one chased them.

⁶ Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz. Luz is also called Bethel. It’s in the land of Canaan. ⁷ Jacob built an altar at Luz. He named the place El Bethel. There God made himself known to Jacob when he was running away from his brother.

⁸ Rebekah’s attendant Deborah died. They buried her body under the oak tree outside Bethel. So it was called Allon Bakuth.

⁹ After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again. And God blessed him. ¹⁰ God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. But you will not be called Jacob anymore. Your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel.

¹¹ God said to him, “I am the Mighty God. Have children so that there will be many of you. You will become the father of a nation and a community of nations. Your later family will include kings. ¹² I am giving you the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac. I will also give it to your children after you.” ¹³ Then God left him at the place where he had talked with him.

¹⁴ Jacob set up a sacred stone at the place where God had talked with him. He poured out a drink offering on it. He also poured olive oil on it. ¹⁵ Jacob named the place Bethel. That’s where God had talked with him.

Rachel and Isaac Die

¹⁶ They moved on from Bethel. Ephrath wasn’t very far away when Rachel began to have a baby. She was having a very hard time of it. ¹⁷ The woman who helped her saw that she was having problems. So she said to Rachel, “Don’t be afraid. You have another son.” ¹⁸ But Rachel was dying. As she took her last breath, she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin.

¹⁹ So Rachel died. She was buried beside the road to Ephrath. Ephrath was also called Bethlehem. ²⁰ Jacob set up a stone marker over her tomb. To this day, the stone marks the place where Rachel was buried.

²¹ Israel moved on again. He set up his tent beyond Migdal Eder. ²² While Israel was living in that area, Reuben went in and slept with Bilhah. She was the concubine of Reuben’s father. And Israel heard about it.

Here are the 12 sons Jacob had.

These were Jacob’s sons. They were born in Paddan Aram.

²⁷ Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre. Mamre is near Kiriath Arba, where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. The place is also called Hebron. ²⁸ Isaac lived 180 years. ²⁹ Then he took his last breath and died. He was very old when he joined the members of his family who had already died. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

The Family Line of Esau

36 Here is the story of the family line of Esau. Esau was also called Edom.

² Esau got his wives from among the women of Canaan. He married Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite. He also married Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite. ³ And he married Basemath, the daughter of Ishmael and the sister of Nebaioth.

⁴ Adah had Eliphaz by Esau. Basemath had Reuel. ⁵ Oholibamah had Jeush, Jalam and Korah. All of them were Esau’s sons. They were born in Canaan.

⁶ Esau moved to a land far away from his brother Jacob. Esau took with him his wives, his sons and daughters, and all the people who lived with him. He also took his livestock and all his other animals. He took everything he had acquired in Canaan. ⁷ Jacob and Esau owned so much that they couldn’t remain together. There wasn’t enough land for both of them. They had too much livestock. ⁸ So Esau made his home in the hill country of Seir. Esau was also called Edom.

⁹ Here is the story of the family line of Esau. He’s the father of the people of Edom. They live in the hill country of Seir.

¹⁵ Here are the chiefs among Esau’s sons.

¹⁹ That was the family line of Esau. And these were the chiefs. Esau was also called Edom.

They were the Horite chiefs in the land of Seir. They are listed tribe by tribe.

The Rulers of Edom

³¹ Before Israel had a king, there were kings who ruled in Edom.

⁴⁰ Here are the chiefs in the family line of Esau. They are listed by name as chiefs in charge of their tribes and territories. They are

They were the chiefs of Edom. They ruled over their settlements in the land where they lived.

That’s the end of the story of the family line of Esau. He was the father of the people of Edom.

Joseph Has Two Dreams

37 Jacob lived in the land of Canaan. It’s the land where his father had stayed.

² Here is the story of the family line of Jacob.

Joseph was a young man. He was 17 years old. He was taking care of the flocks with some of his brothers. They were the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father Jacob. Joseph brought their father a bad report about his brothers.

³ Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons. That’s because Joseph had been born to him when he was old. Israel made him a beautiful robe. ⁴ Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them. So they hated Joseph. They couldn’t even speak one kind word to him.

⁵ Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. ⁶ He said to them, “Listen to the dream I had. ⁷ We were tying up bundles of grain out in the field. Suddenly my bundle stood up straight. Your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it.”

⁸ His brothers said to him, “Do you plan to be king over us? Will you really rule over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream. They didn’t like what he had said.

⁹ Then Joseph had another dream. He told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said. “I had another dream. This time the sun and moon and 11 stars were bowing down to me.”

¹⁰ He told his father as well as his brothers. Then his father rebuked him. He said, “What about this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers really do that? Will we really come and bow down to the ground in front of you?” ¹¹ His brothers were jealous of him. But his father kept the dreams in mind.

Joseph Is Sold by His Brothers

¹² Joseph’s brothers had gone to take care of their father’s flocks near Shechem. ¹³ Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are taking care of the flocks near Shechem. Come. I’m going to send you to them.”

“All right,” Joseph replied.

¹⁴ So Israel said to him, “Go to your brothers. See how they are doing. Also see how the flocks are doing. Then come back and tell me.” So he sent him away from the Hebron Valley.

Joseph arrived at Shechem. ¹⁵ A man found him wandering around in the fields. He asked Joseph, “What are you looking for?”

¹⁶ He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their flocks?”

¹⁷ “They’ve moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ”

So Joseph went to look for his brothers. He found them near Dothan. ¹⁸ But they saw him a long way off. Before he reached them, they made plans to kill him.

¹⁹ “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another. ²⁰ “Come. Let’s kill him. Let’s throw him into one of these empty wells. Let’s say that a wild animal ate him up. Then we’ll see whether his dreams will come true.”

²¹ Reuben heard them talking. He tried to save Joseph from them. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. ²² “Don’t spill any of his blood. Throw him into this empty well here in the desert. But don’t harm him yourselves.” Reuben said that to save Joseph from them. He was hoping he could take him back to his father.

²³ When Joseph came to his brothers, he was wearing his beautiful robe. They took it away from him. ²⁴ And they threw him into the well. The well was empty. There wasn’t any water in it.

²⁵ Then they sat down to eat their meal. As they did, they saw some Ishmaelite traders coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, lotion and myrrh. They were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

²⁶ Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and try to cover up what we’ve done? ²⁷ Come. Let’s sell him to these traders. Let’s not harm him ourselves. After all, he’s our brother. He’s our own flesh and blood.” Judah’s brothers agreed with him.

²⁸ The traders from Midian came by. Joseph’s brothers pulled him up out of the well. They sold him to the Ishmaelite traders for eight ounces of silver. Then the traders took him to Egypt.

²⁹ Later, Reuben came back to the empty well. He saw that Joseph wasn’t there. He was so upset that he tore his clothes. ³⁰ He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Now what should I do?”

³¹ Then they got Joseph’s beautiful robe. They killed a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. ³² They took the robe back to their father. They said, “We found this. Take a look at it. See if it’s your son’s robe.”

³³ Jacob recognized it. He said, “It’s my son’s robe! A wild animal has eaten him up. Joseph must have been torn to pieces.”

³⁴ Jacob tore his clothes. He put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. Then he mourned for his son many days. ³⁵ All Jacob’s other sons and daughters came to comfort him. But they weren’t able to. He said, “I will continue to mourn until I go down into the grave to be with my son.” So Joseph’s father mourned for him.

³⁶ But the traders from Midian sold Joseph to Potiphar in Egypt. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh’s officials. He was the captain of the palace guard.

Judah and Tamar

38 At that time, Judah left his brothers. He went down to stay with a man named Hirah from the town of Adullam. ² There Judah met the daughter of a man from Canaan. His name was Shua. Judah married her and slept with her. ³ She became pregnant and had a son. They named him Er. ⁴ She became pregnant again and had another son. She named him Onan. ⁵ She had still another son. She named him Shelah. He was born at Kezib.

⁶ Judah got a wife for his oldest son Er. Her name was Tamar. ⁷ But Judah’s oldest son Er was evil in the Lord’s eyes. So the Lord put him to death.

⁸ Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. After all, you are her brother-in-law. So carry out your duty to her. Provide children for your brother.” ⁹ But Onan knew that the children wouldn’t belong to him. So every time he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground. He did it so he wouldn’t provide children for his brother. ¹⁰ What he did was evil in the Lord’s eyes. So the Lord put him to death also.

¹¹ Then Judah spoke to his daughter-in-law Tamar. He said, “Live as a widow in your father’s home. Wait there until my son Shelah grows up.” Judah was thinking, “Shelah might die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s home.

¹² After a long time Judah’s wife died. She was the daughter of Shua. When Judah got over his sadness, he went up to Timnah. His friend Hirah from Adullam went with him. Men were clipping the wool from Judah’s sheep at Timnah.

¹³ Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to clip the wool from his sheep.” ¹⁴ So she took off her widow’s clothes. She covered her face with a veil so people wouldn’t know who she was. Then she sat down at the entrance to Enaim. Enaim is on the road to Timnah. Tamar knew that Shelah had grown up. But she hadn’t been given to him as his wife.

¹⁵ Judah saw her. He thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face with a veil. ¹⁶ He didn’t realize that she was his daughter-in-law. He went over to her by the side of the road. He said, “Come. Let me sleep with you.”

“What will you give me to sleep with you?” she asked.

¹⁷ “I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” he said.

“Will you give me something that belongs to you?” she asked. “I’ll keep it until you send the goat.”

¹⁸ He said, “What should I give you?”

“Give me your official seal and the string that it hangs from,” she answered. “And give me your walking stick.” So he gave them to her. Then he slept with her. And she became pregnant by him. ¹⁹ After she left, she took off her veil. She put on her widow’s clothes again.

²⁰ Judah sent his friend Hirah with the young goat he had promised. He wanted to get back what he had given to the woman. But his friend Hirah couldn’t find her. ²¹ He asked the men who lived at Enaim, “Where’s the temple prostitute? She used to sit beside the road here.”

“There hasn’t been any temple prostitute here,” they said.

²² So Hirah went back to Judah. He said, “I couldn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there didn’t know anything about her. They said, ‘There hasn’t been any temple prostitute here.’ ”

²³ Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has. I don’t want people making fun of us. After all, I did send her this young goat. We can’t help it if you couldn’t find her.”

²⁴ About three months later people brought word to Judah. They said, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of being a prostitute. Now she’s pregnant.”

Judah said, “Bring her out! Have her burned to death!”

²⁵ As Tamar was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. She said, “I am pregnant by the man who owns these.” She continued, “Do you recognize this seal and string and walking stick? Do you know who they belong to?”

²⁶ Judah recognized them. He said, “She’s a better person than I am. I should have given her to my son Shelah, but I didn’t.” Judah never slept with Tamar again.

²⁷ The time came for Tamar to have her baby. There were twin boys inside her. ²⁸ As the babies were being born, one of them stuck out his hand. So the woman helping Tamar took a bright red thread. The woman tied it on the baby’s wrist. She said, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ But he pulled his hand back, and his brother came out first instead. She said, “Just look at how you have forced your way out!” So he was called Perez. ³⁰ Then his brother, who had the red thread on his wrist, came out. So he was named Zerah.

Joseph and the Wife of Potiphar

39 Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar had bought him from the Ishmaelite traders who had taken him there. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh’s officials. He was the captain of the palace guard.

² The Lord was with Joseph. He gave him great success. Joseph lived in Potiphar’s house. ³ Joseph’s master saw that the Lord was with him. He saw that the Lord made Joseph successful in everything he did. ⁴ So Potiphar was pleased with Joseph and made him his attendant. He put Joseph in charge of his house. He trusted Joseph to take care of everything he owned. ⁵ From that time on, the Lord blessed Potiphar’s family and servants because of Joseph. He blessed everything Potiphar had in his house and field. ⁶ So Joseph took good care of everything Potiphar owned. With Joseph in charge, Potiphar didn’t have to worry about anything except the food he ate.

Joseph was strong and handsome. ⁷ After a while, his master’s wife noticed Joseph. She said to him, “Come to bed with me!”

⁸ But he refused. “My master has put me in charge,” he told her. “Now he doesn’t have to worry about anything in the house. He trusts me to take care of everything he owns. ⁹ No one in this house is in a higher position than I am. My master hasn’t held anything back from me, except you. You are his wife. So how could I do an evil thing like that? How could I sin against God?” ¹⁰ She spoke to Joseph day after day. But he told her he wouldn’t go to bed with her. He didn’t even want to be with her.

¹¹ One day Joseph went into the house to take care of his duties. None of the family servants was inside. ¹² Potiphar’s wife grabbed him by his coat. “Come to bed with me!” she said. But he left his coat in her hand. And he ran out of the house.

¹³ She saw that he had left his coat in her hand and had run out of the house. ¹⁴ So she called her servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew slave has been brought here to make fun of us! He came in here to force me to have sex with him. But I screamed for help. ¹⁵ He heard my scream. So he left his coat beside me and ran out of the house.”

¹⁶ She kept Joseph’s coat with her until Potiphar came home. ¹⁷ Then she told him her story. She said, “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to rape me. ¹⁸ But I screamed for help. So he left his coat beside me and ran out of the house.”

¹⁹ Potiphar’s wife told him, “That’s how your slave treated me.” When Joseph’s master heard her story, he became very angry. ²⁰ So he put Joseph in prison. It was the place where the king’s prisoners were kept.

While Joseph was there in the prison, ²¹ the Lord was with him. He was kind to him. So the man running the prison was pleased with Joseph. ²² He put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners. He made him responsible for everything done there. ²³ The man who ran the prison didn’t pay attention to anything in Joseph’s care. That’s because the Lord was with Joseph. He gave Joseph success in everything he did.

The Wine Taster and the Baker

40 Some time later, the Egyptian king’s baker and wine taster did something their master didn’t like. ² So Pharaoh became angry with his two officials, the chief wine taster and the chief baker. ³ He put them in prison in the house of the captain of the palace guard. It was the same prison where Joseph was kept. ⁴ The captain put Joseph in charge of those men. So Joseph took care of them.

Some time passed while they were in prison. ⁵ Then each of the two men had a dream. The men were the Egyptian king’s baker and wine taster. They were being held in prison. Both of them had dreams the same night. Each of their dreams had its own meaning.

⁶ Joseph came to them the next morning. He saw that they were sad. ⁷ They were Pharaoh’s officials, and they were in prison with Joseph in his master’s house. So he asked them, “Why do you look so sad today?”

⁸ “We both had dreams,” they answered. “But no one can tell us what they mean.”

Then Joseph said to them, “Only God knows what dreams mean. Tell me your dreams.”

⁹ So the chief wine taster told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me. ¹⁰ There were three branches on the vine. As soon as it budded, it flowered. And bunches of ripe grapes grew on it. ¹¹ Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand. I took the grapes. I squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup. Then I put the cup in his hand.”