The World English Bible (WEB) Part 6

27:38 Esau said to his father, "Have you but one blessing, my father?

Bless me, even me also, my father." Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

27:39 Isaac his father answered him,

"Behold, of the fatness of the earth will be your dwelling, and of the dew of the sky from above. 27:40 By your sword will you live, and you will serve your brother. It will happen, when you will break loose, that you shall shake his yoke from off your neck." 27:41 Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then I will kill my brother Jacob."

27:42 The words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah. She sent and called Jacob, her younger son, and said to him, "Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you. 27:43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran. 27:44 Stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury turns away; 27:45 until your brother's anger turn away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send, and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?"

27:46 Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good will my life do me?"

28:1 Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 28:2 Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. 28:3 May G.o.d Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples, 28:4 and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your seed with you, that you may inherit the land where you travel, which G.o.d gave to Abraham."

28:5 Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, Rebekah's brother, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

28:6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a command, saying, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan," 28:7 and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram. 28:8 Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn't please Isaac, his father. 28:9 Esau went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

28:10 Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 28:11 He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. 28:12 He dreamed. Behold, a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of G.o.d ascending and descending on it. 28:13 Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, "I am Yahweh, the G.o.d of Abraham your father, and the G.o.d of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed. 28:14 Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed. 28:15 Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you."

28:16 Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn't know it." 28:17 He was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than G.o.d's house, and this is the gate of heaven."

28:18 Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top. 28:19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 28:20 Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If G.o.d will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on, 28:21 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, and Yahweh will be my G.o.d, 28:22 then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be G.o.d's house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give the tenth to you."

29:1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east. 29:2 He looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well's mouth was large.

29:3 There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well's mouth in its place. 29:4 Jacob said to them, "My relatives, where are you from?"

They said, "We are from Haran."

29:5 He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?"

They said, "We know him."

29:6 He said to them, "Is it well with him?"

They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."

29:7 He said, "Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."

29:8 They said, "We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep."

29:9 While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them. 29:10 It happened, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. 29:11 Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. 29:12 Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son.

She ran and told her father.

29:13 It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things. 29:14 Laban said to him, Surely you are my bone and my flesh. He lived with him for a month.

29:15 Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"

29:16 Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 29:17 Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive. 29:18 Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

29:19 Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."

29:20 Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.

29:21 Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."

29:22 Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 29:23 It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her. 29:24 Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid. 29:25 It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"

29:26 Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn. 29:27 Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years."

29:28 Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife. 29:29 Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her handmaid. 29:30 He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

29:31 Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 29:32 Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me." 29:33 She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, "Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also." She named him Simeon. 29:34 She conceived again, and bore a son. Said, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore was his name called Levi. 29:35 She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

30:1 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I will die."

30:2 Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in G.o.d's place, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"

30:3 She said, "Behold, my maid Bilhah. Go in to her, that she may bear on my knees, and I also may obtain children by her." 30:4 She gave him Bilhah her handmaid as wife, and Jacob went in to her. 30:5 Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son. 30:6 Rachel said, "G.o.d has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son." Therefore called she his name Dan. 30:7 Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. 30:8 Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed." She named him Naphtali.

30:9 When Leah saw that she had finished bearing, she took Zilpah, her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a son. 30:11 Leah said, "How fortunate!" She named him Gad. 30:12 Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a second son. 30:13 Leah said, "Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy." She named him Asher.

30:14 Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother, Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."

30:15 She said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes, also?"

Rachel said, "Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes."

30:16 Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, "You must come in to me; for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes."

He lay with her that night. 30:17 G.o.d listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son. 30:18 Leah said, "G.o.d has given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband." She named him Issachar. 30:19 Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

30:20 Leah said, "G.o.d has endowed me with a good dowry. Now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons." She named him Zebulun. 30:21 Afterwards, she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.

30:22 G.o.d remembered Rachel, and G.o.d listened to her, and opened her womb. 30:23 She conceived, bore a son, and said, "G.o.d has taken away my reproach." 30:24 She named him Joseph, saying, "May Yahweh add another son to me."

30:25 It happened, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place, and to my country.

30:26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service with which I have served you."

30:27 Laban said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake."

30:28 He said, "Appoint me your wages, and I will give it."

30:29 He said to him, "You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared with me. 30:30 For it was little which you had before I came, and it has increased to a mult.i.tude. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I turned. Now when will I provide for my own house also?"

30:31 He said, "What shall I give you?"

Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it. 30:32 I will pa.s.s through all your flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. This will be my hire. 30:33 So my righteousness will answer for me hereafter, when you come concerning my hire that is before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that might be with me, will be counted stolen."

30:34 Laban said, "Behold, I desire it to be according to your word."

30:35 That day, he removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 30:36 He set three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

30:37 Jacob took to himself rods of fresh poplar, almond, plane tree, peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. 30:38 He set the rods which he had peeled opposite the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink. 30:39 The flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.