Bible in 90 Days
20 Then Jacob made a vow.
Jacob: If God is going to be with me, keeping me safe on this journey and giving me bread to eat and clothing to wear 21 so that I return to my father’s house in peace, then the Eternal will be my God. 22 And this stone I have made into a pillar will be the first stone laid in God’s house. And Lord, of everything You give me, I will give one-tenth always back to You!
29 Jacob continued on his journey until he came to the land of the people who lived in the east. 2 As he approached, he saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying beside it because the flocks were used to being watered from the well. The stone on the well’s mouth was large; 3 and when all of the flocks were gathered, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well, give water to the sheep, and then roll the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well. 4 Jacob spoke to them as he approached.
Jacob (to the shepherds): Brothers, where do you come from?
Shepherds: We are from Haran.
Jacob: 5 Do you know Laban, son of Nahor?
Shepherds: We do.
Jacob: 6 Is he well?
Shepherds: Yes, he is. Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep right now.
Jacob: 7 Look, it’s still broad daylight, too early to gather the livestock together for the evening. Why don’t you water the sheep and take them out to graze in the pasture?
Shepherds: 8 We can’t—not until all of the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well. Then we water the sheep.
9 While Jacob was still speaking to the shepherds, Rachel came with her father’s sheep for she, too, was a shepherd. 10 Now when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, along with Laban’s sheep, he went up to the well, rolled the stone from the well’s mouth by himself, and watered Laban’s flock. 11 Then Jacob greeted Rachel with a kiss and cried for joy. 12 Jacob told Rachel he was her father’s relative—Rebekah’s son—and she ran and told her father.
13 When Laban heard the news about the arrival of his sister’s son, Jacob, he ran to meet him. He hugged him and kissed him, and he brought Jacob to his house. Jacob told Laban everything.
Laban: 14 You are surely my flesh and bone!
And Jacob stayed with Laban for a month and helped out with all his livestock.
15 Then Laban spoke one day to Jacob.
Laban: Just because you are my relative, that doesn’t mean you should be working for me for nothing! Tell me what I can pay you.
16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older was Leah, and her younger sister was Rachel. 17 There was no brightness to Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful shape and was lovely to look at. 18 Jacob truly loved Rachel.
Since Jacob has no money to pay a bride-price, he offers a creative solution to the problem.
Jacob: I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll serve you for seven years in exchange for the hand of your younger daughter Rachel in marriage.
Laban: 19 Agreed. I’d rather you have her than any other man I know. You may stay here and work.
20 So Jacob served Laban for seven years in exchange for Rachel. The years went by quickly and seemed to him to be only a few days because of the immense love he had for her.
21 When the time came, Jacob approached Laban.
Jacob: I have now completed seven years of work for you. I ask you now to give me my wife so that I may consummate my marriage.
22 So Laban gathered together all of the people in the area and prepared a great feast. 23 But in the evening, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob slept with her thinking she was Rachel. 24 Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant. 25 When morning came, Jacob realized Leah was the one with him in the marriage bed.
Jacob: What have you done to me? Did we not have a deal—seven years of labor in exchange for your daughter Rachel? Why have you deceived me?
Laban: 26 That isn’t something we do here in this country—giving the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. 27 If you complete this wedding week with Leah, then I will also give you Rachel. But in return, you must serve me another seven years.
Wedding celebrations last seven days, plenty of time for Leah to become pregnant with Laban’s first grandchild.
28 Jacob agreed and completed his week with Leah. And then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel in marriage. 29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant. 30 Then Jacob also slept with Rachel, and he clearly loved Rachel more than Leah. As agreed, he served Laban for another seven years.
31 When the Eternal One saw how Leah was unloved, He made her fertile, but Rachel remained barren. 32 Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben.
Leah: Because the Eternal One has been compassionate to me in my painful predicament, allowing me to bear this child, surely now my husband will love me.
33 In time, she conceived again and gave birth to another son.
Leah: Because the Eternal One has heard I am unloved, He has given me this son too.
So Leah named the second son Simeon. 34 Then she conceived for the third time and gave birth to her third son.
Leah: Surely now my husband will be more attached to me, because I have given him three sons.
Leah named the third son Levi. 35 And once again, she conceived and gave birth to her fourth son.
Leah: This time I will praise the Eternal One!
So Leah named this son Judah. After Judah, Leah didn’t have any more children for a while.
30 When Rachel realized she couldn’t have Jacob’s children, she grew envious of her sister and complained to Jacob.
Rachel: I’ll just die if you don’t give me children!
2 Jacob became angry with Rachel.
Jacob: Am I God? He’s the One responsible for you not getting pregnant, not me!
Rachel: 3 Here’s my servant, Bilhah. Sleep with her so she can be a surrogate for me. I’ll have my children through her.
What Rachel suggests is not at all improper for her time. As you may recall, Sarah and Abraham had a similar situation with Hagar (16:1–4). Custom allows for these kinds of arrangements, just as technology today allows for an infertile woman to have a child through a surrogate. Any child born to Bilhah is regarded as Rachel’s, because she has the right to name the child. As we have seen, the naming of a child carries great significance.
4 So she gave Jacob her servant Bilhah to be another one of his wives, and Jacob slept with her. 5 Bilhah conceived and gave birth to Jacob’s son.
Rachel: 6 God has absolved me. He has heard my plea and has given me a son after all!
So this is why Rachel named her son Dan. 7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah soon conceived again and gave birth to a second son for Jacob.
Rachel: 8 I have had to wrestle with my own sister as I’ve wrestled with God, but I have prevailed.
So Rachel named this son Naphtali.
9 When it seemed Leah was not going to have any more children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob to be a wife as well. 10 So Leah’s servant Zilpah gave birth to a son for Jacob.
Leah: 11 Good fortune has arrived!
This is why she named him Gad.
12 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave birth to a second son for Jacob. 13 Leah named him Asher to express her joy.
Leah: I am so happy! All of the women can see how happy I am!
14 When it came time to harvest the wheat, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel heard about this and approached her sister.
Rachel: Would you please give me some of the mandrakes your son found?
Leah: 15 You know it is no small matter that you’ve stolen the attentions of my husband. Now you want my son’s mandrakes too?
Rachel: Then he can sleep with you tonight in exchange for some of your son’s mandrakes!
16 So when Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him.
Leah: Tonight you must sleep with me because I have hired you for a good price—some of my son’s mandrakes.
So he slept with her that night. 17 God listened to Leah and showed her His favor, and after many years she again conceived and gave birth to her fifth son for Jacob.
Leah: 18 God has paid me my wages, since I gave my servant to my husband.
This is why she named her son Issachar.
19 And God’s favor didn’t stop with him; Leah conceived again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob.
Leah: 20 God has given me a plentiful gift. Now my husband will surely honor me, because I have given him six sons.
This is why she named her sixth son Zebulun. 21 And at last after that, she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel. He heard her prayer and made her fertile. 23 She conceived and gave birth to her first son.
Rachel: God has taken away my shame.
24 She decided to name him Joseph.
Rachel: May the Eternal One add to me another son!
25-26 After Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob asked Laban for release.
Jacob: It’s time for me to return home, to my own people and country. Please release me with my wives and my children. I have worked for you a long time to obtain them, and you know how well I have served you.
Laban: 27 If you look upon me with favor, please stay here. You are a good omen. The Eternal One has blessed me because of you. 28 Name your price, and I will give it to you.
Jacob: 29 You know how well I have served you. You have seen your livestock flourish and your herds grow under my supervision. 30 You had little before I arrived, but your wealth has increased significantly since the Eternal One has blessed you in whatever I did for you. But now, when will it be time for me to provide for my own household?
Laban: 31 What do you want me to give you?
Jacob: I don’t want you to give me anything. I only ask for one favor. Do this for me, and I’ll keep on feeding and taking care of your flocks. 32 Let me go through the flock today and put aside for myself every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and also the spotted and speckled goats, and this is how you can pay me. 33 My honesty will be evident when you come to check on me. If you find one lamb or goat among my flocks that isn’t speckled, spotted, or black, then you may count it as stolen.
Laban: 34 Agreed. Do this exactly as you have said.
35 But that day, Laban secretly removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted—every one with any white on it at all—and every lamb that was black. He put them under the watch of his sons. 36 Then he set off with his sons and those mottled animals a three-day distance away from Jacob to make sure the flocks would stay separated. Meanwhile Jacob was pasturing the rest of Laban’s flock.
Jacob soon figures out what Laban has done. The deceiver has once again been deceived.
37 But Jacob cut some fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees; and he striped off the bark in streaks exposing the white wood beneath. 38 He set the striped branches in front of the flocks in the troughs—the water troughs, that is—where they came to drink. Since they would mate when they came to drink, 39 the flocks mated in front of the branches and produced young that were striped, speckled, and spotted. 40 Jacob separated these newly born lambs from Laban’s flock, and when they mated again he faced Laban’s animals toward the striped and black animals. He kept his own droves separate from Laban’s. This is how he increased his own flock. 41 Whenever the stronger females of the flock were ready to mate, Jacob laid the striped branches in the troughs right in front of them, so that they would breed among them. 42 But when he saw the feebler animals ready to mate, he didn’t lay the rods out so that in the end, the feebler of the animals became Laban’s and the stronger became Jacob’s. 43 In this way, Jacob grew extremely rich, and he ended up with very large flocks, male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys too.
Jacob, the heel-catcher, has met a kindred spirit. Both men are deceivers and manipulators. Both do whatever they can to get the better of the other. It just comes naturally. Laban tricks Jacob first by marrying him to Leah before Rachel. Then, after Jacob and he agree on a clear strategy to separate the flocks, Laban goes behind his back and takes away the animals that rightfully belong to Jacob. But Jacob is crafty, too, and he devises a way to produce striped, speckled, and spotted animals from Laban’s flocks. After the many years of service, Jacob finally outwits Laban and gains a more valuable flock in the process. Deception may work for a while, but there are dire consequences that come with it. Jacob’s situation is about to change, and it isn’t long before his deceptive days are behind him.
31 As time went on, Jacob overheard what Laban’s sons were saying about him.
Laban’s Sons: Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father; he gained all his wealth from taking advantage of him.
2 And Jacob also noticed a change in how Laban looked at him and treated him. He seemed colder toward him than before.
Eternal One (to Jacob): 3 You must now return to the land of your ancestors and to your own family. I will be with you always.
4 So Jacob called his wives Rachel and Leah to meet him in the field where his flock was grazing.
Jacob: 5 I notice your father’s attitude toward me has changed; he doesn’t regard me with the same respect as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You both know how well I have served your father—with all my strength. 7 However your father cheated me by changing the terms of my salary 10 times, but beyond that my God did not allow him to harm me. 8 If your father said, “The speckled will be your payment,” then all of the flock became speckled; and if he said, “the striped will be your payment,” then all of the flock became striped. 9 In this way, God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me. 10 During the mating season of the flock, I once paid attention to a dream, and in the dream, I saw the male goats that mated with the flock were striped, speckled, and mottled. 11 Then God’s messenger said to me in the dream, “Jacob!” and I answered, “I’m here.” 12 And the messenger said, “Look up right now, and see all of the goats that are mating with the flock are striped, speckled, and mottled because I have noticed everything Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, the place where you poured oil on a pillar and made a vow to Me.[a] Now get up, leave this land, and return to the land where you were born.”
Rachel and Leah: 14 Is there any inheritance at all left for us from our father’s house? 15 He regards us as foreigners now that we’ve married you. He sold us in exchange for your years of labor, and he has been using up all of the money that should have been ours. 16 All of the property God has taken from our father and given to you actually belongs to us and to our children anyway! So do whatever God said to do.
17 So Jacob got up, and he put his children and his wives on camels for the journey. 18 He rounded up all of his livestock and all of the property he had gained, including the livestock he had acquired in Paddan-aram, and he began to drive them to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. 19 Meanwhile Laban had gone off to shear his sheep. While he was out, Rachel stole her father’s household idols. 20 And Jacob likewise deceived Laban the Aramean by hiding from him the fact that he was leaving. 21 He just left quickly with everything he had. He crossed the Euphrates River and set pace south toward the hill country of Gilead.
22 Three days later, Laban was told that Jacob had left. 23 So he gathered a group of his relatives, and together they pursued him for seven days until they closed in on Jacob in the hill country of Gilead. 24 Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream during the night with a message.
Eternal One: Be careful what you say and do to Jacob.
25 Laban caught up to Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent and set up camp in the hill country; and Laban, along with his relatives, also camped in the hill country of Gilead. Laban went out to meet Jacob.
Laban (to Jacob): 26 What have you done, deceiving me and carrying off my daughters as if they were your prisoners of war? 27 Why did you run out on me and try to trick me? Why didn’t you just tell me you were going? I would have sent you off with celebration and songs, with the joyful sounds of the tambourine and lyre. 28 And why didn’t you even allow me to kiss my daughters and grandchildren good-bye? What you have done is foolish. 29 It is certainly in my power to punish you, but the God of your father Isaac spoke to me last night and said, “Be careful what you say and do to Jacob.” 30 Now you have left because you missed your father’s household—I can understand that—but why did you have to steal my family gods?
Jacob (answering Laban): 31 I left because I was afraid, and because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. 32 But I pledge to you that anyone who stole your gods will not live. I certainly did not take them. Here in the presence of all of our relatives, search the camp and let’s see if anything I have is yours. If there is, you can take it back!
Of course, Jacob had no idea Rachel had stolen the idols.
33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the two female servants’ tent; he searched, but he did not find them. Then he came out of Leah’s tent and into Rachel’s. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and concealed them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat on them. Laban looked around and felt everything in the tent, but he did not find them.
Rachel (to her father): 35 Please don’t be angry that I cannot get up for you, sir, but I am in the midst of my “time of month.”
Rachel has learned the art of deception well from her father and her husband.
So Laban searched, but he did not find the household gods.
36 When Jacob saw that Laban’s search had come up empty, he became angry and confronted Laban.
Jacob: What is my offense? What have I done that is so wicked to make you pursue me like a common criminal? 37 You searched through all of my things, and what have you found that belonged to you? Whatever it is, set it down here between your family and mine, and they can decide whose it is. 38 I’ve worked for you for 20 years. Your ewes and your female goats have never miscarried under my care. I have never feasted on any of the rams in your flocks. 39 When wild animals attacked, I didn’t bring the carcass to you to deal with; I bore the cost myself. You required me to cover any losses, whether the animals were stolen by day or night, and I did so. 40 There I was—at your service—during the day I was hounded by heat; during the night I was cold and couldn’t get a good night’s sleep. 41 For 20 years, I have been in your household. I served you 14 of those years in return for your two daughters, and six years for your flock. And you have altered my payment 10 times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God knows my plight and how hard I’ve labored for you, and it was He who reprimanded you last night!
Laban: 43 The daughters you speak of are my daughters; the children are my grandchildren; the flocks are my flocks; all you see is mine. But what can I do today about these daughters of mine and the children from their wombs? 44 Come, let’s make a covenant between us, you and me, and let there be a witness to our agreement.
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 He told his relatives to gather up more stones. So they all took stones and made a large pile of them. Then they ate there by the pile. 47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha (Aramaic for “witness-pile”) and Jacob called it Galeed (Hebrew for “witness-pile”).
Laban: 48 This pile of stones stands as a witness to the agreement we have made today.
This is why he called it Galeed. 49 The pillar was called Mizpah, which means “watch post.”
Laban: May the Eternal One watch us when we are away from one another. 50 If you in any way mistreat my daughters or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, even though no one else is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.
51 See this pile of stones and this pillar which I have set between us. 52 This pile is a witness and this pillar is a witness that I will not pass beyond this pile of stones to harm you, and you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to harm me. 53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor (the God of their father Terah) serve as judge between us.
This is no sweet farewell. It is a parting of the ways between two men who don’t trust one another. Both are tricksters, but they are family. It is probably best from now on if they avoid each other completely.
So Jacob swore an oath on the Fear of Isaac, his father; 54 and Jacob offered a sacrifice on the hill there and called all of his relatives together to eat bread. And they all ate bread and spent the rest of the night in the hill country. 55 Early the next morning, Laban got up, kissed his grandchildren and his daughters, and blessed them; and then he left and returned home.
32 Jacob went on his way as well. As he went, messengers of God met him along the way. 2 When Jacob saw them, he acknowledged that this was God’s camp, so he named that place Mahanaim, which means “two camps.” 3-4 Jacob knew he had to pass by the territory of Edom where his brother Esau lived in the land of Seir. He sent messengers ahead with a message for Esau.
Jacob (to his messengers): This is what I want you to say to my master Esau: “Your servant Jacob says this: ‘I have lived with Laban as a foreigner and stayed there working for him until now. 5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female slaves. I have sent my messengers to inform you, my master, of all this so that I might regain your trust and favor.’”
6 The messengers went out to Esau and then returned to Jacob with a troubling report.
Messengers: We went to your brother Esau and gave him your message. He is coming to meet you, but 400 men are with him.
7 When Jacob heard their report, he was afraid and extremely distressed. He divided up the people who were with him, the flocks, the herds, and the camels into two camps, 8 thinking, “If Esau comes to one camp and crushes it, at least then the other might escape.” 9 Then Jacob prayed.
Jacob: O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Eternal One who said to me, “You must now return to the land of your ancestors and to your own family. I will make good things happen for you.” 10 I know I am not worthy of even a little of all of the loyal love and faithfulness You have shown to me, Your servant. You have already blessed me because I left home and crossed the Jordan with nothing except my staff. Now I have grown into two large camps. 11 Rescue me now, please, from the hand of my brother, from the grip of Esau. I am afraid that he may come and crush us all, the children alongside their mothers. 12 Remember You told me, “I will make good things happen for you and make your descendants as many as the grains of sand on the shores, which are too numerous to count.”
Jacob has come to the end of himself. He has struggled with his brother and the rest of his family for his entire life. He was born a “heel-catcher,” a deceiver, and he lived the part well. But he can’t go on like this any longer. With Esau on his way, by this time tomorrow he could well be dead and his family killed or captured. He desperately needs God’s blessing and protection, so he grieves and agonizes through the night. Through stabbing pain Jacob demands a blessing from his unknown assailant, but he cannot receive it until he confesses his name. Once he does, his name is changed. No longer is he known as Jacob; from now on he is “Israel,” he who wrestles with God. This is the turning point in Jacob’s life. He lays aside his former self and takes up a new name, a new identity. If Jacob is to be the one to carry on God’s covenant and the source of universal blessing, he has to change.
And Jacob prayed on. 13 He spent the night there, and from his possessions he prepared a gift for his brother Esau: 14 200 female goats and 20 male goats, 200 female sheep and 20 rams, 15 30 milk camels and their colts, 40 cows and 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys. 16 When he had rounded them up, he made various servants responsible for driving each herd. He gave them instructions.
Jacob: Travel on ahead of me, and put some distance between each herd.
17 (to the leader) When Esau, my brother, meets you and asks you, “To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose herds are these?” 18 then say, “They belong to your servant, Jacob, and are a gift sent to my master, Esau. Jacob is coming along behind us.”
19 Jacob instructed those responsible for the second and third herds, as well as those who followed behind to help:
Jacob: When you meet Esau, say the same thing these other herdsman have said, 20 and make sure you tell him, “Your servant Jacob is coming along behind us.”
(to himself) I might be able to appease Esau with these gifts. He will see them before he sees me. When I see his face, I’ll know whether he’ll accept and forgive me.
21 So the gifts were driven on ahead, and he stayed the night in the camp, waiting.
22 Later that same night, Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his 11 children; and he crossed the Jabbok River. 23 He sent them all ahead across the stream along with everything he had; 24 but Jacob stayed behind, left alone in his distress and doubt. In the twilight of his anguish, an unknown man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw he was not winning the battle with Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was thrown out of joint as he continued to wrestle with him.
Man: 26 Let me go; the dawn is breaking.
Jacob: I will not let you go unless you bless me.
Man: 27 What’s your name?
Jacob: Jacob.
Man: 28 You will no longer go by the name Jacob. From now on, your name will be Israel because you have wrestled with God and humanity, and you have prevailed.
Jacob: 29 Please, tell me your name.
Man: Why do you ask what my name is?
Right then and right there the man blessed Jacob. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel because as he said, “I have come face to face with God, and yet my life was spared.” 31 The sun began to rise as Jacob passed by Penuel, limping because of his dislocated hip. 32 And to this day, the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached near the hip socket of any animal, since that is where God struck Jacob when He dislocated his hip.
33 Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and 400 men were with him. Jacob quickly divided the children among Leah and Rachel and their two servants. 2 He put the female servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. 3 He himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet him. He embraced Jacob, kissed his neck, and they both cried. 5 Esau looked up and saw the women and children.
Esau: Who are these people with you?
Jacob: These are the children God has graciously given your servant.
6 Then the female servants came closer, along with their children, and they bowed down. 7 Leah did likewise; she and her children approached and bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward, and they bowed down as well.
Esau: 8 What was your intent in sending all of your men and herds ahead of you?
Jacob: I hope to find favor with you, my master.
Esau: 9 I have enough, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.
Jacob expects trouble from Esau, but he finds the pain of the past healed. Now Esau wants nothing from his brother.
Jacob: 10 No, please. If I have found favor with you after all these years, please accept the gifts I offer. Seeing your face again is like seeing the face of God, so graciously and warmly have you welcomed me. 11 Please accept the blessing I bring. God has graciously provided for me and my family. I have everything I could want.
Jacob kept insisting that Esau accept the gift. Finally he did.
Esau: 12 Now let’s be on our way, and I will walk on ahead of you.
Jacob: 13 My master knows that the children are very small and the nursing flocks and herds are under my care. If they are driven too hard for even one day, I’m afraid I’ll lose all the flocks. 14 Please, my master, go on ahead of me, and I will keep on at a slower pace—the pace of the animals up ahead and the children—until I come to you in Seir.
Esau: 15 Let me leave some of my people to accompany you.
Jacob: Why go to all that trouble? You have done enough already. Just let me find favor with my master.
16 Esau agreed and set out that day to go back to Seir. 17 But Jacob journeyed instead to Succoth, and he built himself a house there and put up some shelters for his cattle. That’s why this place is called Succoth, which means “shelters.”
18 At last Jacob came to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan. Overall it had been a safe and peaceful journey from Paddan-aram. He camped outside of the city 19 and purchased the land on which he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor (who was Shechem’s father) for one hundred pieces of money. 20 And there also he built an altar he called El-Elohe-Israel, which means “God, the God of Israel.”
34 One day Dinah, Leah and Jacob’s daughter, went out to visit some of the women who lived in the land. 2 But when Shechem (son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the region) saw Dinah, he grabbed her and raped her. 3 His soul was drawn to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with her and spoke tenderly to her. 4 Shechem went then and spoke with his father, Hamor.
Shechem: I need you to arrange for this girl to be my wife.
5 Now Jacob found out that Shechem had dishonored and raped his daughter, Dinah, but at the time, all of his sons were out in the field working with the livestock. So Jacob stayed calm and did not react until they came back. 6 Meanwhile Hamor, Shechem’s father, had come to speak with Jacob to arrange a marriage. 7 When news of the attack reached Jacob’s sons, they came in from the field. The young men were appalled and extremely angry because Shechem had done such a horrible thing in Israel by raping Jacob’s daughter. Something like this should never happen.
8 Hamor tried speaking with them.
Hamor: My son’s soul longs for your daughter. Please give her to him in marriage. 9 In fact, let’s intermarry our families. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 We’ll live together. The entire land will be open to you. You can live on it, trade on it, and buy property on it.
Shechem (to Jacob and his sons): 11 Please, let me find my way into your favor! Whatever you ask, I will give it to you. 12 Set the bride-price and gift as high as you like, and I will give you whatever it takes. Just please allow me to marry the young woman.
13 Jacob’s sons were still angry that Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah, so they answered him and his father Hamor deceitfully.
Jacob’s Sons: 14 We can’t agree to this arrangement: to give our sister to someone who isn’t circumcised would bring shame on all of us. 15 We will consent to allow you to marry our sister on one condition: you must be circumcised as the rest of us have been. Every male among you must be circumcised.[b] 16 Then we will give our daughters to you and will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live with you in peace and become one people. 17 But if you don’t agree to this condition and be circumcised, then we will take our sister[c] and go.
18 Hamor and his son Shechem were willing to go along with the demand, 19 and the young man wasted no time in fulfilling the requirement since he was so taken with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most honored man in all of his family, 20 so Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of the city and addressed all of the men.
Hamor and Shechem (to the men of the city): 21 These men are peaceful and friendly to us, so let’s allow them to live in the land and trade in it. You see this land is large enough for them too. Let’s take their daughters in marriage, and let’s give them our daughters. 22 They will agree to live among us in peace and become one people on one condition: every male among us must be circumcised, just as they already are. 23 Wouldn’t we have much to gain—their livestock, property, and animals? Let’s agree to their condition, and they will live among us and increase the vitality of our city.
24 So everyone who passed by the city gate listened to Hamor and his son, Shechem, and they all were circumcised—every single man who went out the city gates that day. 25 Three days later, when the men of the city were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons (Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi) took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting people of the city, killing all of the men. 26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword as well; they took Dinah out of Shechem’s house—where she had remained during the negotiations—and then went away. 27 Jacob’s other sons saw those who were killed, and they plundered the city. All of this was done in anger, because it was here that their sister had been raped and the family dishonored. 28 They took all of the flocks, herds, donkeys, and whatever was in the city and the field. 29 All of their wealth, all of their children, and all of their wives—everything they could find in the houses—they plundered and made it their own.
Jacob (reacting to Simeon and Levi): 30 You have brought a lot of trouble to me. The people of this land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, can smell the stink of my sons’ actions. I don’t have huge armies of men to defend us. If they all decide to gather against me and attack me, I will be destroyed along with my entire household.
Simeon and Levi: 31 Would you rather have our sister treated as a whore?
Genesis is filled with moral failures and ethical dilemmas, the kinds of things that happen in real life. Abraham’s children are not perfect people; they—like the rest of us—are deeply flawed and conflicted over the tough moral choices we all have to make. After Dinah is forcibly raped, what are her brothers to do to protect her and restore their family honor? How is justice to be done? How can they make things right? These are important questions. The desire to protect those you love and to make things right is a noble impulse, but ignoble deeds follow. Skilled in deception, her brothers use circumcision—their covenant obligation—to temporarily disable the men and make them vulnerable to attack. After the carnage, Jacob, the older, wiser head of the family, knows the score: actions like these have consequences. Violence only breeds more violence. If they are to survive, they must leave . . . soon.
35 God (to Jacob): Get up, go back to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar to Me, to the God who appeared to you when you ran away from your brother, Esau.
2 Jacob told his household and those with him to get ready to move.
Jacob: Get rid of any foreign gods you have in your possession. Purify yourselves: bathe and change your clothes. 3 Then come with me. We’re going to Bethel so that I can build an altar there to the God who answers me whenever I am in distress and who is with me wherever I go.
4 So they handed over to Jacob all of the foreign gods they had, as well as the rings in their ears. Jacob buried them in the shadow of a mighty oak that was near Shechem.
5 As they traveled, God struck terror into the hearts of all of the cities along the way so that no one pursued Jacob’s family. 6 Jacob, and all those who were with him, arrived in Luz (which is also known as Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 There he built an altar and called the place El-bethel because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob when he was running away from his brother. 8 Along the way, Deborah (Rebekah’s nurse) died, and they buried her under the branches of a stately oak below Bethel. Since that day, it has been known as Allon-bacuth, which means “oak of weeping.”
9 Now that Jacob had come back from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel and blessed him.
God: 10 Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be known as Jacob. Israel will be your name.
From then on, God addressed him by his new name: Israel.
God: 11 I am the God-All-Powerful.[d] Be fruitful and multiply. You will give rise to a great nation; indeed nation after nation will come from you. Kings and rulers shall be numbered among your descendants. 12 Your children will one day possess the land I promised to Abraham and Isaac.
13 Then God ascended from the place where He had spoken with Jacob. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar of stone in that same spot. He poured wine on it as an offering to God and doused it with oil. 15 Jacob named this place where God had spoken with him “Bethel.”
16 After that, they all traveled on from Bethel. While still a long way from Ephrath, Rachel began having labor pains, and it was a hard labor. 17 And when the labor pains were most intense, the midwife tried to comfort her.
Rachel’s Midwife: Don’t be afraid. You’re going to have another son.
18 But as her life slipped away, just before she died, Rachel named her son Ben-oni, but his father decided to call him Benjamin instead. 19 So Rachel died, and they buried her on the way to Ephrath (which is also known as Bethlehem). 20 Jacob set up a pillar to mark Rachel’s tomb, and the pillar at her tomb still stands to this day.
21 Israel then continued on the journey, and he pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22 During the time Israel lived in this land, Reuben slept with his father’s concubine, Bilhah, and Israel found out about it.
23 Now Jacob (Israel) had twelve sons. Leah’s six sons were Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 Rachel’s two sons were Joseph and Benjamin. 25 Rachel’s servant, Bilhah, had two sons: Dan and Naphtali. 26 Leah’s servant, Zilpah, had two sons: Gad and Asher. These were the sons born to Jacob in Paddan-aram and on the journey home.
27 Jacob finally arrived at his father Isaac’s house at Mamre not far from Kiriath-arba (which is also known as Hebron). This is where Abraham and Isaac had resided as foreigners.
28 Isaac lived 180 years. 29 By the time he took his last breath and joined his ancestors in death, he had reached a ripe old age and lived a full life. His sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him.
36 Here is an account of Esau’s descendants (his nation is known as Edom).
2 Esau had taken his wives from the Canaanites: Adah (daughter of Elon the Hittite), Oholibamah (daughter of Anah, granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite), 3 and Basemath (Ishmael’s daughter and Nebaioth’s sister). 4 Adah gave birth to Eliphaz. Basemath gave birth to Reuel. 5 Oholibamah gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. All of these were Esau’s sons, born in the land of Canaan.
6 Esau took his wives, sons, daughters, all of the members of his household, his cattle, his livestock, and all of the property he had acquired while living in Canaan; and he moved to a land some distance from his brother, Jacob. 7 Since they were too wealthy to live in close proximity—that is, the land couldn’t support both of their vast numbers of livestock— 8 Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. (Esau is also known as Edom.)
9 Here is an account of Esau’s descendants. He was the founding father of the Edomites, a people who lived in the hill country of Seir.[e] 10 Esau’s sons were Eliphaz (son of his wife Adah) and Reuel (son of his wife Basemath). 11 Eliphaz’s sons were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 (Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son, and she gave birth to Amalek.) These were the grandsons of Adah, Esau’s first wife. 13 Reuel’s sons were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the grandsons of Basemath (Esau’s wife). 14 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah (daughter of Anah, Zibeon’s granddaughter): Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
As the number of Esau’s descendants grows, they settle into different tribes. Each tribe has its own leader.
15 These are the chiefs among Esau’s descendants: From the sons of Eliphaz (Esau’s firstborn) were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These grandsons of Adah became tribal leaders in the land of Edom. 17 From the sons of Reuel (Esau’s son) were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These grandsons of Basemath (Esau’s wife) became tribal leaders in the land of Edom. 18 From the sons of Oholibamah (Esau’s wife and Anah’s daughter) were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. They became tribal leaders. 19 These were the tribes and tribal chiefs descended from Esau (who is also known as Edom).
20-21 The sons of Seir the Horite, who also inhabited the land, were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. They became the tribal chiefs of the Horites (who were the sons of Seir) in the land of Edom. 22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam, and Lotan’s sister was Timna. 23 The sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 24 The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. (This is the same Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he was pasturing his father Zibeon’s donkeys.) 25 The children of Anah were Dishon and Oholibamah (Anah’s daughter). 26 The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 27 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. 28 The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran. 29-30 These descendants of the Horites were the tribal chiefs of their respective tribes in the land of Seir: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.
31 There were kings who reigned in the land of Edom long before any king ruled over the Israelites: 32 Bela (Beor’s son) ruled in Edom from his city Dinhabah. 33 Bela died, then Jobab (son of Zerah’s son from Bozrah) succeeded him as king. 34 Jobab died, then Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king. 35 Husham died, then Hadad (Bedad’s son, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab) succeeded him and ruled from his city Avith. 36 Hadad died, then Samlah of Masrekah succeeded him as king. 37 Samlah died, then Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates River succeeded him as king. 38 Shaul died, and then Baal-hanan (Achbor’s son) succeeded him as king. 39 Baal-hanan (Achbor’s son) died, then Hadar succeeded him and ruled from his city Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel (daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab).
40 These are the names of the tribal chiefs among Esau’s descendants, according to their families and where they lived: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel, and Iram. These were the tribal chiefs of Edom (who is also known as Esau, the father of Edomites) according to the land they owned and where they settled.
God’s promises are not exclusive. As Isaac’s son, Esau becomes great in the land of Seir, a land to the south and east of the Dead Sea. He has sons and daughters, many of whom go on to become tribal chiefs and influential leaders among the people known as the Edomites. But the story now returns to Jacob, for he has a special place in God’s plan.
37 Jacob ended up settling in the land where his father had lived as a foreigner for many years—in the land of Canaan. 2 Here now is the story of Jacob and his family:
Joseph, when he was a young man of 17, often shepherded the flocks along with his brothers. One day as he was with Bilhah’s and Zilpah’s sons (his half-brothers), he decided to report back to their father about things they were doing wrong. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other children because he came along when he was an old man. So Israel presented Joseph with a special[f] robe he had made for him—a spectacularly colorful robe with long sleeves in it. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than the rest, they grew to hate him and couldn’t find it in themselves to speak to him without resentment or argument.
5 One day Joseph had a dream. When he told the dream to his brothers, they hated him even more.
Joseph: 6 Please listen to this dream I had! 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood up, and then your sheaves all gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.
Joseph’s Brothers (annoyed): 8 Are you serious? You think you are somehow destined to reign over us? You think you are going to be our king?
This dream and what he told them about it made them hate him even more.
9 But Joseph had another dream, and he made the mistake of telling them about this dream too.
Joseph: Listen! I’ve had another dream: I saw the sun, the moon, and 11 stars bowing down to me.
10 When he told this dream to his father and brothers, even his father scolded him.
Israel: What kind of dream is this? Do you actually think your mother and I and your brothers are going to bow down before you?
11 Joseph’s brothers had become extremely jealous of him. But his father—though he scolded Joseph—kept this dream in the back of his mind.
12 About this time, Joseph’s brothers went north toward Shechem in search of better pasture for their father’s flocks.
Israel (to Joseph): 13 Aren’t your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come on then, I will send you out to them to see how they are doing.
Joseph: I’m ready, Father.
Israel: 14 Get going then. See if they’re doing all right, and make sure the flocks are well. When you get back, give me a report.
With that, Israel sent Joseph out to the valley of Hebron. When he came to the area around Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in a field. The man asked him what he was looking for.
Joseph: 16 I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are pasturing our flock.
Man: 17 They’ve already gone. I heard them say they were going to Dothan.
So Joseph hurried off and followed his brothers to Dothan.
18 They saw him coming even though he was still a long way off. Before he was near enough to hear them, they conspired to kill him.
Joseph’s brothers are tired of his arrogant pretense. Each and every one of them has a bill of complaint against Joseph.
Joseph’s Brothers (to each other): 19 Oh, here comes the great dreamer. 20 Let’s kill him and throw his body into one of the pits. Then we can tell everyone a wild animal killed and devoured him. We’ll see then what becomes of his stupid dreams.
21 When Reuben heard the plan, he tried to help Joseph.
Reuben: Let’s not kill him. 22 We don’t need to shed any blood to be free of him. Let’s just toss him into some pit here in the wilderness. We don’t need to lay a hand on him.
Reuben thought perhaps he could secretly come back later and get Joseph out of the pit and take him home to their father before any more harm came to him.
The brothers agreed. 23 When Joseph arrived, they ripped his robe off of him—the fancy, colorful[g] robe he always wore that his father had made for him, 24 and they threw him into the pit. Now this pit happened to be an empty cistern; there was no water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat. Soon they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelite traders approaching from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with gum, balm, and a fragrant resin; and they were on their way down to Egypt with their goods.
Judah (to his brothers): 26 What profit will it be for us if we just kill our brother and conceal the crime? 27 Come on, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites instead. We won’t have to lay a hand on him then. He is, after all, our brother, our own flesh and blood.
All of the brothers agreed. 28 As the Midianite traders were passing by, they brought Joseph up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for about eight ounces of silver, the usual price of young male slaves. The traders set off with Joseph in the direction of Egypt.
29 Now Reuben had not been around when the caravan came by, so when Reuben came back to the cistern later and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothing in agony and despair. 30 He went back to his brothers.
Reuben: The boy is gone. What do I do now? What am I supposed to tell Father?
As the oldest, Reuben is responsible for what happens to Joseph. Does he dare go home and face his father? After sleeping with his father’s concubine, he has little chance now of being confirmed as Israel’s firstborn.
31-32 The brothers took Joseph’s fancy, colorful robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped it in the blood. Then they took the special[h] robe to their father.
Joseph’s Brothers: We found this, Father. Tell us if you think this is Joseph’s robe.
Israel (recognizing the robe): 33 This is my son’s robe! A wild animal must have killed and eaten him. Joseph is without a doubt torn to shreds!
34 Then Jacob wailed in agony and tore his clothes with the depth of emotional pain only a father could feel upon losing a child. He dressed in sackcloth and mourned his son for a long time. 35 All of his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.
Israel: No, I will go to the grave grieving for my son.
Israel is inconsolable. His grief over his son transcends even death itself.
This is how deeply Joseph’s father grieved for him. 36 Meanwhile, the Midianites arrived in Egypt and sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officers and the captain of the guard.
38 It was about this time that Judah decided to leave home, so he parted company with his brothers and went to see Hirah, a fellow from Adullam. 2 When he was there, Judah laid eyes on the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and slept with her. 3 She conceived and gave birth to her first son. Judah named him Er. 4 She conceived again and gave birth to her second son, whom she named Onan. 5 She then gave birth to her third son, and she named him Shelah. (Judah was away in Chezib when she gave birth to him.)
6 Now Judah arranged for Er, his firstborn, to marry a woman named Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was a particularly wretched human being in the eyes of the Eternal One, and so the Eternal ended his life. Judah summoned his second son, Onan.
Judah (to Onan): 8 You know our customs and the duty of a brother-in-law in a situation like this. You must go and marry your brother’s wife and make sure your brother has an heir.
9 Resentful that any child born in this kind of marriage would not be his, Onan would interrupt intercourse and spill his semen onto the ground whenever he slept with his brother’s wife. That way he would not father a child that would belong to his brother. 10 Onan’s selfish behavior was as wretched as his brother’s to the eyes of the Eternal One; so the Eternal ended Onan’s life like his brother. 11 Judah summoned his daughter-in-law Tamar.
Judah: Tamar, it is best if you remain a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.
Now Judah said this because he was afraid that Shelah, too, would die as his brothers had. So Tamar went and remained a widow with her father.
After losing two sons, Judah thinks Tamar must be a dangerous woman. What he isn’t willing to admit is that his own sons were wicked.
12 After a while, Judah’s wife (Shua’s daughter) also died. When Judah’s time of mourning was over, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went to Timnah to work with his sheepshearers and enjoy the festivities. 13 When Tamar learned that her father-in-law would be coming to Timnah to shear his sheep, 14 she took off her widow’s clothes, put on a veil to conceal her true identity, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim along the road to Timnah. You see, Tamar harbored deep resentment toward her father-in-law because she knew by this time that Shelah had grown up, but she had not been given to him in marriage as Judah had promised. 15 When Judah passed by and saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had her face covered. 16 He decided to proposition her, so he walked over to her by the roadside.
Judah: Come on, I want to have sex with you.
He had no idea she was his daughter-in-law, but she had a proposition of her own.
Tamar: What will you give me in return if I do?
Judah: 17 I’ll send you a young goat from my flock. How about that?
Tamar: Only if you give me something to hold until you send it.
Judah: 18 What should I give you as my personal guarantee?
Tamar: Your personal seal on the cord you wear around your neck, plus the staff you carry.
Tamar knows Judah cannot be trusted, so she asks for two items so personal and unique they can easily be linked to him.
Judah did as she asked and gave her his seal and walking stick. He then went and slept with her, and she conceived his child. 19 Then she got up, took off the veil, and went back home, putting on her widow’s clothes once again.
20 Judah kept his word and sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat so he could retrieve his seal and walking stick from the woman. But Judah’s friend couldn’t find her anywhere.
Hirah the Adullamite (to Timnah’s elders): 21 What happened to the temple prostitute who was at Enaim by the side of the road?
Elders: We have not seen any temple prostitute here.
22 Bewildered, the Adullamite returned to Judah.
Hirah the Adullamite: I couldn’t find her, and what’s odd is that the elders claimed they haven’t seen any temple prostitutes around there.
Judah: 23 Well let her keep my things then. If you go back, we’ll be laughed at. I did what I promised. I sent the young goat, and you tried but could not find her.
24 Approximately three months later, someone told Judah, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has been promiscuous. It’s obvious her business has even made her pregnant.”
Judah: Bring her out and expose her for what she is, and then let her be burned.
25 As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law.
Tamar: It was the owner of these items who made me pregnant. Please, take a close look and tell me whose personal seal, cord, and walking stick these are.
26 When Judah saw them, he realized they were his.
Judah: She is more in the right than I am. I did not keep my word and give her in marriage to my son, Shelah.
Judah didn’t sleep with her again.
27 When the time came for her to deliver, she discovered she was carrying twins. 28 While she was in labor, one of them put out a hand; and the midwife tied a scarlet thread on it, so she would know which one came out first. 29 But just then he drew his hand back into the womb, and his brother came out first. The midwife had never seen anything quite like this.
Midwife: What a breach you’ve made here, little one!
So the child was named Perez. 30 His brother followed, the one with the scarlet thread on his hand. He was named Zerah.
This disturbing chapter is artfully inserted at the beginning of Joseph’s story for a reason. Though Joseph has the key role in getting Israel to Egypt and saving his family from the upcoming famine, it is Judah’s line that is chosen by God to play a crucial part in Israel’s more distant future. Judah’s son, Perez, is the ancestor to King David and ultimately to the Anointed One (Matthew 1). But Perez’s strange birth is overshadowed by the sleazy events that lead to his conception. The sexually-charged atmosphere of this chapter may well upset some, but Scripture is brutally honest about people and what they do. Lust and lies, deception and prostitution do not frustrate God’s plan; in fact God has a way of taking them, redeeming them, and including them within His greater will.
39 Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, himself an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there to sell along with their goods and wares. 2 The Eternal One was with Joseph, however, and he became successful in his own right as a slave within the house of his Egyptian master.
3 Potiphar could not help but notice that the Eternal One was with Joseph and caused everything Joseph did to prosper. 4-5 Joseph became the favorite of the household and rose in the ranks to become Potiphar’s personal attendant. In time, Potiphar made Joseph overseer of the entire household and put him in charge of everything he owned. From that moment, the Eternal One blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake, a blessing which seemed to cover everything Potiphar possessed from house to field. 6 Potiphar entrusted everything to the care of Joseph. With him in charge, Potiphar had no concern about anything except for his private affairs, such as the food he chose to eat!
Now Joseph was a well-built, good-looking young man. 7 After a while, his master’s wife began watching him, and she tried to seduce him.
Potiphar’s Wife: Come. Sleep with me.
8 But Joseph refused.
Joseph (to Potiphar’s wife): Look, please don’t take offense, but with me in charge, my master has no concerns for anything that goes on in his house. He has trusted me with everything he has. 9 He hasn’t treated me like I am any less than he is, and he hasn’t kept anything from me—except, of course, for you because you are his wife. Why would I do something so clearly wrong and sin so blatantly against God?
Joseph’s refusal to have sex with Potiphar’s wife demonstrates how God wants His people to act. How different he is compared to Judah and Reuben!
10 Although she pursued him day after day, Joseph would not consent to sleep with her and refused to be alone with her. 11 One day, however, when he went into the house to do his work while no one else was in the house, 12 she grabbed him by his clothes and tried again to seduce him.
Potiphar’s Wife: Come on. Sleep with me.
But Joseph ran outside away from her, as far and as fast as he could, leaving her holding his clothes in her hand. 13 When she realized he rejected her again and she had his clothes in her hand, 14 she called out to the other servants of her household.
Potiphar’s Wife: See here! My husband brought this Hebrew into our house to take advantage of us! He came to me and wanted to sleep with me. I screamed as loudly as I could, 15 and when he heard me yell, he dropped his clothes here beside me and ran outside.
16 She kept Joseph’s clothes beside her until her husband came home. 17 Then she told him the same story.
Potiphar’s Wife: The Hebrew servant you brought into this household came in to take advantage of me. 18 When I screamed as loudly as I could, he dropped his clothes here beside me and ran outside.
19 When Potiphar heard his wife’s account, his face flushed with anger. 20 So Potiphar, Joseph’s master, put him into prison and locked him up in the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. Joseph remained there for a time. 21 But the Eternal One remained with Joseph and showed him His loyal love and granted him favored status with the chief jailor. 22 The jailor put Joseph in charge of all of the prisoners who were confined there. Whatever needed to be done, Joseph was the one to do it. 23 The chief jailor, like Potiphar, didn’t need to worry about anything that was in Joseph’s care because the Eternal One was with him. And whatever Joseph did worked out well because the Eternal made it so.
40 Some time later, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker both offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2-3 Pharaoh was angry with his two attendants, and so he put the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard in the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard put Joseph in charge of the men, and Joseph took care of them as he did the others. They remained there in custody for some time.
5 One night while they were in prison, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt had dreams. Each had his own dream, and each dream had its own meaning.
6 When Joseph came to check on them the next morning, he saw that both men looked troubled.
Joseph (to Pharaoh’s prisoners): 7 Why do you both look so dejected today?
Cupbearer and Baker: 8 We’ve both had dreams, and there is no one here in prison to interpret them.
The Egyptians thought that dreams were often moments of revelation, but they also thought it took special training to know how to interpret them.
Joseph: Interpretations belong to God, don’t they? If you’d like, tell them to me!
9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream.
Cupbearer: In my dream, there was a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms opened up and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and then I placed the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.