Tuesday, 1 January 2019

Day 9: Genesis 30 - 32


Genesis 30
1 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I shall die!" 
2 Jacob became very angry with Rachel and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?" 
3 Then she said, "Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, that she may bear upon my knees and that I too may have children through her." 
4 So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife; and Jacob went in to her.
5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 
6 Then Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son"; therefore she named him Dan. 
7 Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 
8 Then Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed"; so she named him Naphtali. 
9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 
10 Then Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 
11 And Leah said, "Good fortune!" so she named him Gad. 
12 Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 
13 And Leah said, "Happy am I! For the women will call me happy"; so she named him Asher. 
14 In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went 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."
15 But she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?" Rachel said, "Then he may lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes." 
16 When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and said, "You must come in to me; for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he lay with her that night. 
17 And God heeded Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 
18 Leah said, "God has given me my hire because I gave my maid to my husband"; so she named him Issachar. 
19 And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. 
20 Then Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good dowry; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons"; so she named him Zebulun. 
21 Afterwards she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah. 
22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God heeded her and opened her womb. 
23 She conceived and bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my reproach"; 
24 and she named him Joseph, saying, "May the Lord add to me another son!" 
25 When Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. 
26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know very well the service I have given you." 
27 But Laban said to him, "If you will allow me to say so, I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you; 
28 name your wages, and I will give it." 
29 Jacob said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you, and how your cattle have fared with me. 
30 For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly; and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?" 
31 He said, "What shall I give you?" Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything; if you will do this for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it: 
32 let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages. 
33 So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen."
34 Laban said, "Good! Let it be as you have said." 
35 But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in charge of his sons; 
36 and he set a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was pasturing the rest of Laban's flock. 
37 Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the rods. 
38 He set the rods that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, 
39 the flocks bred in front of the rods, and so the flocks produced young that were striped, speckled, and spotted. 
40 Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and the completely black animals in the flock of Laban; and he put his own droves apart, and did not put them with Laban's flock. 
41 Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob laid the rods in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the rods, 
42 but for the feebler of the flock he did not lay them there; so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. 
43 Thus the man grew exceedingly rich, and had large flocks, and male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys.

Genesis 31
1 Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, "Jacob has taken all that was our father's; he has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father." 
2 And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him as favorably as he did before. 
3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your ancestors and to your kindred, and I will be with you." 
4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was, 
5 and said to them, "I see that your father does not regard me as favorably as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. 
6 You know that I have served your father with all my strength; 
7 yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not permit him to harm me. 
8 If he said, "The speckled shall be your wages,' then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said, "The striped shall be your wages,' then all the flock bore striped. 
9 Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father, and given them to me. 
10 During the mating of the flock I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats that leaped upon the flock were striped, speckled, and mottled. 
11 Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, "Jacob,' and I said, "Here I am!' 
12 And he said, "Look up and see that all the goats that leap on the flock are striped, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.
13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and return to the land of your birth.' " 
14 Then Rachel and Leah answered him, "Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house? 
15 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has been using up the money given for us. 
16 All the property that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children; now then, do whatever God has said to you." 
17 So Jacob arose, and set his children and his wives on camels; 
18 and he drove away all his livestock, all the property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. 
19 Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father's household gods. 
20 And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee. 
21 So he fled with all that he had; starting out he crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.
22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 
23 So he took his kinsfolk with him and pursued him for seven days until he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 
24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night, and said to him, "Take heed that you say not a word to Jacob, either good or bad." 
25 Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsfolk camped in the hill country of Gilead. 
26 Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done? You have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword. 
27 Why did you flee secretly and deceive me and not tell me? I would have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre. 
28 And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? What you have done is foolish. 
29 It is in my power to do you harm; but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, "Take heed that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.' 
30 Even though you had to go because you longed greatly for your father's house, why did you steal my gods?" 
31 Jacob answered Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 
32 But anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsfolk, point out what I have that is yours, and take it." Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods. 
33 So Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah's tent, and entered Rachel's. 
34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt all about in the tent, but did not find them. 
35 And she said to her father, "Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me." So he searched, but did not find the household gods. 
36 Then Jacob became angry, and upbraided Laban. Jacob said to Laban, "What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? 
37 Although you have felt about through all my goods, what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsfolk and your kinsfolk, so that they may decide between us two. 
38 These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. 
39 That which was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself; of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 
40 It was like this with me: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 
41 These twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten 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. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night." 
43 Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about their children whom they have borne? 
44 Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I; and let it be a witness between you and me." 
45 So Jacob took a stone, and set it up as a pillar. 
46 And Jacob said to his kinsfolk, "Gather stones," and they took stones, and made a heap; and they ate there by the heap. 
47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed. 
48 Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me today." Therefore he called it Galeed, 
49 and the pillar Mizpah, for he said, "The Lord watch between you and me, when we are absent one from the other. 
50 If you ill-treat my daughters, or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, though no one else is with us, remember that God is witness between you and me." 
51 Then Laban said to Jacob, "See this heap and see the pillar, which I have set between you and me. 
52 This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. 
53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor"—the God of their father—"judge between us." So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac, 
54 and Jacob offered a sacrifice on the height and called his kinsfolk to eat bread; and they ate bread and tarried all night in the hill country. 
55 Early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them; then he departed and returned home.

Genesis 32
1 Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him; 
2 and when Jacob saw them he said, "This is God's camp!" So he called that place Mahanaim. 
3 Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, 
4 instructing them, "Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, "I have lived with Laban as an alien, and stayed until now; 
5 and I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves; and I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.' " 
6 The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him." 
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies, 
8 thinking, "If Esau comes to the one company and destroys it, then the company that is left will escape." 
9 And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, "Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good,' 
10 I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. 
11 Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all, the mothers with the children. 
12 Yet you have said, "I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted because of their number.' " 
13 So he spent that night there, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau, 
14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 
15 thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 
16 These he delivered into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, "Pass on ahead of me, and put a space between drove and drove." 
17 He instructed the foremost, "When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, "To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?' 
18 then you shall say, "They belong to your servant Jacob; they are a present sent to my lord Esau; and moreover he is behind us.' " 
19 He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, "You shall say the same thing to Esau when you meet him, 
20 and you shall say, "Moreover your servant Jacob is behind us.' " For he thought, "I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterwards I shall see his face; perhaps he will accept me." 
21 So the present passed on ahead of him; and he himself spent that night in the camp.
22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 
23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 
24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 
25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 
26 Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." 
27 So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 
28 Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." 
29 Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. 
30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." 
31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 
32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the hip socket, because he struck Jacob on the hip socket at the thigh muscle.

Day 7: Genesis 23 - 35


Genesis 23
1 Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years; this was the length of Sarah's life. 
2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 
3 Abraham rose up from beside his dead, and said to the Hittites, 
4 "I am a stranger and an alien residing among you; give me property among you for a burying place, so that I may bury my dead out of my sight. 
5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 
6"Hear us, my lord; you are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places; none of us will withhold from you any burial ground for burying your dead." 
7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 
8 He said to them, "If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me Ephron son of Zohar, 
9 so that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as a possession for a burying place." 
10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, 
11 "No, my lord, hear me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it; in the presence of my people I give it to you; bury your dead." 
12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 
13 He said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, "If you only will listen to me! I will give the price of the field; accept it from me, so that I may bury my dead there." 
14 Ephron answered Abraham 
15 "My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver—what is that between you and me? Bury your dead." 
16 Abraham agreed with Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants. 
17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, passed 
18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, in the presence of all who went in at the gate of his city. 
19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan 
20 The field and the cave that is in it passed from the Hittites into Abraham's possession as a burying place.
Genesis 24
1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 
2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh 
3 and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, 
4 but will go to my country and to my kindred and get a wife for my son Isaac." 
5 The servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land; must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?" 
6 Abraham said to him, "See to it that you do not take my son back there. 
7 The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and swore to me, "To your offspring I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 
8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there."
9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter. 
10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, taking all kinds of choice gifts from his master; and he set out and went to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nahor. 
11 He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water; it was toward evening, the time when women go out to draw water. 
12 And he said, "O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 
13 I am standing here by the spring of water, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.
14 Let the girl to whom I shall say, "Please offer your jar that I may drink,' and who shall say, "Drink, and I will water your camels'—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master." 
15 Before he had finished speaking, there was Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, coming out with her water jar on her shoulder. 
16 The girl was very fair to look upon, a virgin, whom no man had known. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. 
17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me sip a little water from your jar." 
18 "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 
19When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw for your camels also, until they have finished drinking." 
20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.
21 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. 
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold nose-ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, 
23 and said, "Tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?" 
24 She said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor." 
25She added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder and a place to spend the night." 
26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord 
27 and said, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the way to the house of my master's kin." 
28 Then the girl ran and told her mother's household about these things. 
29 Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran out to the man, to the spring. 
30 As soon as he had seen the nose-ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, "Thus the man spoke to me," he went to the man; and there he was, standing by the camels at the spring.
31 He said, "Come in, O blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside when I have prepared the house and a place for the camels?" 
32 So the man came into the house; and Laban unloaded the camels, and gave him straw and fodder for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 
33 Then food was set before him to eat; but he said, "I will not eat until I have told my errand." He said, "Speak on." 
34 So he said, "I am Abraham's servant. 
35 The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. 
36 And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has. 
37My master made me swear, saying, "You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 
38 but you shall go to my father's house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.' 
39 I said to my master, "Perhaps the woman will not follow me.' 
40 But he said to me, "The Lord, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you and make your way successful. You shall get a wife for my son from my kindred, from my father's house. 
41 Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my kindred; even if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.' 
42 "I came today to the spring, and said, "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! 
43 I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, "Please give me a little water from your jar to drink," 
44 and who will say to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also"—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son.' 
45 "Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, "Please let me drink.' 
46 She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, "Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels. 
47 Then I asked her, "Whose daughter are you?' She said, "The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. 
48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son. 
49 Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left."
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered, "The thing comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you anything bad or good. 
51 Look, Rebekah is before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the Lord has spoken." 
52 When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before the Lord. 
53 And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. 
54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they rose in the morning, he said, "Send me back to my master." 
55 Her brother and her mother said, "Let the girl remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go." 
56 But he said to them, "Do not delay me, since the Lord has made my journey successful; let me go that I may go to my master." 
57 They said, "We will call the girl, and ask her." 
58 And they called Rebekah, and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" She said, "I will." 
59 So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham's servant and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, "May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring gain possession of the gates of their foes." 
61 Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. 
62 Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb. 
63 Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. 
64 And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, 
65 and said to the servant, "Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?" The servant said, "It is my master." So she took her veil and covered herself. 
66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 
67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
Genesis 25
1 Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 
2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 
3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 
4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 
5 Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. 
6 But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, while he was still living, and he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country. 
7 This is the length of Abraham's life, one hundred seventy-five years.
8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 
9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, 
10 the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with his wife Sarah. 
11 After the death of Abraham God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi. 
12 These are the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's slave-girl, bore to Abraham. 
13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 
14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 
15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 
16 These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes. 
17 (This is the length of the life of Ishmael, one hundred thirty-seven years; he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.)
18 They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria; he settled down alongside of all his people. 
19 These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, 
20and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. 
21 Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 
22 The children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it is to be this way, why do I live?" So she went to inquire of the Lord. 
23 And the Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger." 
24 When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 
25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. 
26 Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 
27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 
28 Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. 
29 Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. 
30 Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!" (Therefore he was called Edom. ) 
31 Jacob said, "First sell me your birth right." 
32 Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a birth right to me?" 
33 Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore to him, and sold his birth right to Jacob. 
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birth right.