Chapter 27
1; And it happened when Isaac was old and his eyes were dim for seeing, he called his elder son Esau and said to him, My son! And he said to him, I am here.
2; And he said, Behold! Now, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.
3; And now please lift up your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go to the field and hunt game for me.
4; And make for me savory meat, such as I love, and bring to me, and I will eat; so that my soul may bless you before I die.
5; And Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. And Esau went to the field to hunt game, to bring it in.
6; And Rebekah spoke to her son Jacob, saying, Behold, I heard your father speaking to your brother Esau saying,
7; Bring game to me and make delicious meat that I may eat, that I may bless you before YAHWEH before my death.
8; And now my son hear my voice, that which I command you.
9; Go now to the flock and bring me from there two good kids of the goats. And I will make them into delicious things for your father which he loves;
10; and you shall bring it to your father and let him eat, so that he may bless you before his death.
11; And Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I a smooth man.
12; Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall be like a deceiver in his eyes, and I shall bring a curse on me, and not blessing.
13; And his mother said to him, Your curse be on me, my son; only listen to my voice and go, take for me.
14; And he went and took and came to his mother. And his mother made savory meat, such as his father loved.
15; And Rebekah took the clothing of her elder son Esau, the costly ones which were with her in the house. And she dressed her younger son Jacob;
16; and she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands, and on the smoothness of his neck.
17; And she put the savory meat and the bread which she had made in the hand of her son Jacob.
18; And he went in to his father and said, My father. And he said, I am here. Who are you, my son?
19; And Jacob said to his father, I am your first-born, Esau. I have done as you said to me. Rise up now, sit and eat of my game, so that your soul may bless me.
20; And Isaac said to his son, How then have you so quickly found it, my son? And he said, Because YAHWEH your Elohim made it come to me.
21; And Isaac said to Jacob, Come near now and let me feel you, whether then you are my son Esau, or not.
22; And Jacob came near to his father Isaac. And he felt him, and he said, The voice is the voice of Jacob and the hands are Esau's hands.
23; And he did not know him, because his hands were like the hairy hands of his brother Esau. And he blessed him.
24; And he said, Are you then my son Esau? And he said, I am.
25; And he said, Bring to me and let me eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you. And he came near to him; and he took and he ate. And he came to him, and he drank wine.
26; And his father Isaac said to him, Now come and kiss me, my son.
27; And he came near and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his clothes. And he blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which YAHWEH has blessed.
28; And may Elohim give you of the dew of the heavens, and of the fatness of the earth, and much grain and wine.
29; May the nations serve you and peoples bow to you; be a ruler to your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow to you, and cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you.
30; And it happened that when Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, then it came about that Jacob had hardly left his father Isaac, and his brother Esau came in from his hunting.
31; And he also made savory meat and came to his father. And he said to his father, Let my father rise and eat from the game of his son, so that your soul may bless me.
32; And his father Isaac said to him, Who are you? And he said, I am your son, your first-born, Esau.
33; And Isaac was terrified with a very great anxiety. And he said, Who then was the one who hunted game and came to me; and I ate from it all before you came; and I blessed him? Yea, he shall be blessed.
34; When Esau heard the words of his father he cried out a great and very bitter cry. And he said to his father, Bless me, me also, my father.
35; And he said, Your brother came with deceit and took your blessing.
36; And he said, It is because his name is called Jacob, and this twice he took me by the heel and defrauded me; he took my birthright and, behold, now he has taken my blessing. And he said, Have you not reserved a blessing for me?
37; And Isaac answered and said to Esau, Behold, I have set him over you as a ruler, and I have given him all his brothers for servants; I have girded him with grain and wine. And what then can I do for you, my son?
38; And Esau said to his father, Is one blessing left to you, my father? Bless me also, my father. And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
39; And his father Isaac answered and said to him, Behold, your dwelling shall be from the fat of the earth and from the dew of the heavens above;
40; and you shall live by your sword, and you shall serve your brother; and when it shall be that you have the dominion, you shall break his yoke from your neck.
41; And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.
42; And the words of her older son Esau were told to Rebekah. And she sent and called her younger son Jacob. And she said to him, Behold! Your brother Esau is going to ease himself on you, to kill you.
43; And now, my son, listen to my voice, and rise, flee for yourself to my brother Laban, to Haran.
44; And stay with him some days until your brother's fury turns away,
45; until your brother's anger turns back from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. And I will send and take you from there. Why should I also be bereaved of two of you in one day?
46; And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life from the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these from the daughters of the land, what is my life to me?
Chapter 28
1; And Isaac called Jacob. And he blessed him and commanded him, and said to him, You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.
2; Go up, go to Padan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father. And take a wife for yourself from there, from the daughters of Laban the brother of your mother.
3; And may El Shaddai bless you and make you fruitful, and multiple you; and may you become an assembly of people.
4; And may He give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your seed with you, for you to possess the land of your travels, which Elohim gave to Abraham.
5; And Isaac sent away Jacob. And he went to Padan-Aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6; And Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and had sent him away to Padan-Aram to take a wife for himself from there. In his blessing he had commanded him, saying, You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan;
7; and that Jacob listened to his father and his mother, and went to Padan-Aram.
8; And when Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of his father Isaac,
9; then Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, Nebajoth's sister. To his wives he added her for his wife.
10; And Jacob went out from Beer- Sheba and went toward Haran.
11; And he came on a place and stayed the night there, for the sun had gone. And he took stones of the place and placed them at his head; and he lay down in that place.
12; And he dreamed. And, behold, a staircase was placed on the earth, its top reaching to the heavens. And, behold, the messengers of Elohim were going up and going down on it!
13; And, behold, YAHWEH stood above it and said, I am YAHWEH the Elohim of your father Abraham, and the Elohim of Isaac; the land on which you are lying, I will give it to you and to your seed.
14; And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your Seed.
15; And, behold, I will be with you and will guard you in every place in which you may go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not forsake you until I have surely done that which I have spoken to you.
16; And Jacob awakened from his sleep, and said, Surely YAHWEH is in this place, and I did not know.
17; And he was afraid, and said, How fearful is this place! This is nothing except the house of Elohim, and this is the door to Heaven.
18; And Jacob started up early in the morning and took the stone which he had placed at his head, and he placed it as a pillar; and he poured oil on the top of it.
19; And he called the name of that place, Beit-El (The House of Elohim). And yet the name of the city was at first Luz.
20; And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If Elohim is with me and keeps me in this way which I am going, and gives to me bread to eat and clothing to wear,
21; and I return in peace to the house of my father, then YAHWEH shall be my Elohim,
22; and this sandstone which I have placed as a memorial pillar shall become the house of Elohim; and all which You shall give to me, I will tithe the tenth to You.
Chapter 29
1; And Jacob lifted his feet and went to the land of the sons of the east.
2; And he looked, and, behold, a well in the field. And, behold, three flocks of sheep were lying by it; for from that well they watered the flocks, and the stone on the mouth of the well was great.
3; And all the flocks were usually gathered there, and they rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep, and replaced the stone on the mouth of the well, to its place.
4; And Jacob said to them, My brothers, from where are you? And they said, We are from Haran.
5; And he said to them, Do you know Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him.
6; And he said to them, Well-being to him? And they said, Well-being. And, behold, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.
7; And he said, Behold, the day is still high; it is not time to gather the livestock. Water the sheep and go feed them.
8; And they said, We are not able until all the flocks are gathered and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.
9; He still was speaking with them, and Rachel came with the sheep which were her father's; for she was feeding them.
10; And it happened when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, brother to his mother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother.
11; And Jacob kissed Rachel and lifted up his voice and wept.
12; And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was the son of Rebekah. And she ran and told her father.
13; And it happened when Laban heard the report of Jacob, his sister's son, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him. And he took him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.
14; And Laban said to him, Truly you are my bone and my flesh. And he lived with him a month of days.
15; And Laban said to Jacob, are you not my brother? And should you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall be your wages?
16; And Laban had two daughters, the name of the older, Leah, and the name of the younger, Rachel.
17; And the eyes of Leah were weak, and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.
18; And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.
19; And Laban said, It is better for me to give her to you than to give her to another man; live with me.
20; And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they were in his eyes like a few days, in his love for her.
21; And Jacob said to Laban, Give my wife, for my days are completed. And let me go in to her.
22; And Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast.
23; And it happened in the evening, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and he went in to her.
24; And Laban gave to her Zilpah, his slave-girl, to his daughter Leah as a slave.
25; And it happened in the morning; behold! She was Leah. And he said to Laban, What have you done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? And why have you tricked me?
26; And Laban said, It is not done this way in our place, to give the younger before the first-born.
27; Fulfill the week of this one and we will also give you this other one, for the service which you will serve with me, yet another seven years.
28; And Jacob did so, and he fulfilled the week of this one, and he gave to him his daughter Rachel, to him for a wife.
29; And Laban gave his slave-girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel, to her for a slave-girl.
30; And he also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with him yet another seven years.
31; And YAHWEH saw that Leah was hated. And He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.
32; And Leah conceived and bore a son. And she called his name Reuben; for she said, Surely YAHWEH has looked on my affliction, for now my husband will love me.
33; And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, Surely YAHWEH has heard that I am hated and has given this one to me also. And she called his name Simeon.
34; And she conceived again and bore a son. And she said, Now, this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne to him three sons. So his name was called Levi.
35; And she conceived again and bore a son. And she said, This time I will praise YAHWEH. So she called his name Judah. And she ceased from bearing.
Chapter 30
1; And Rachel saw that she did not bear to Jacob, and Rachel was jealous of her sister. And she said to Jacob, Give me sons; and if there is none, I shall die.
2; And Jacob's anger glowed against Rachel, and he said, Am I in Elohim's place, who has kept you from the fruit of the womb?
3; And she said, Behold my servant Bilhah! Go in to her and let her bear on my knees; yea, let me be built up from her, me also.
4; And she gave her slave-girl Bilhah to him for a wife. And Jacob went in to her.
5; And Bilhah conceived and bore a son to Jacob.
6; And Rachel said, Elohim has judged and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son. So she called his name Dan.
7; And Bilhah, Rachel's slave-girl, conceived again, and bore a second son to Jacob.
8; And Rachel said, With struggles of Elohim I have struggled with my sister; yea, I have prevailed. And she called his name Naphtali.
9; And Leah saw that she had ceased from bearing. And she took Zilpah, her slave-girl, and gave her to Jacob for a wife.
10; And Leah's slave-girl Zilpah bore a son to Jacob.
11; And Leah said, With fortune. And she called his name Gad.
12; And Zilpah, Leah's slave-girl, bore a second son to Jacob.
13; And Leah said, In my happiness; for the daughters shall call me happy. And she called his name Asher.
14; And in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went out and found mandrakes in the field. And he brought them to his mother Leah. And Rachel said to Leah, Please give to me from the mandrakes of your son.
15; And she said to her, is your taking my husband a little thing? Will you also take my son's love-apples? And Rachel said, So he shall be with you tonight, for your son's mandrakes.
16; And Jacob came in from the field at evening. And Leah went out to meet him. And she said, You must come in to me, for surely I have hired you with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her during that night.
17; And Elohim listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob.
18; And Leah said, Elohim has given my hire; I gave my slave-girl to my husband. And she called his name Issachar.
19; And Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
20; And Leah said, Elohim has given me a good present. This time my husband will live with me, because I have borne six sons to him. And she called his name Zebulun.
21; And afterwards she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.
22; And Elohim remembered Rachel; and Elohim listened to her and opened her womb.
23; And she conceived and bore a son. And she said, Elohim has taken away my reproach.
24; And she called his name Joseph, saying, May YAHWEH add to me another son.
25; And it happened when Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away so I may go to my own place and to my land.
26; Give 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.
27; And Laban said to him, Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, stay. I have seen omens, also YAHWEH has blessed me because of you.
28; And he said, Set your wages on me and I will give.
29; And he said to him, You know how I have served you and what your livestock has become with me.
30; For little was yours before my presence, and it has spread out into a host. And YAHWEH has blessed you at my foot. And now when shall I work for my house, I also?
31; And he said, What shall I give you? And Jacob said, You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will remain. I will feed your flock and keep it.
32; I will pass among all your flock today, taking from there every speckled and spotted sheep, and every black sheep among the lambs, also the spotted and speckled goats; these shall be my wages.
33; And my righteousness shall testify for me in the day to come. When you come in about my wages, before your face everyone that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the lambs, it is stolen with me.
34; And Laban said, Yes, if it be so let it be as you speak.
35; And he turned out in that day all the striped and spotted lambs, and all the speckled and spotted goats, every one which had white, and every black one among the lambs. And he gave them into the hands of his sons.
36; And he put three days journey between himself and Jacob. And Jacob was feeding the remaining flocks of Laban.
37; And Jacob took for himself rods of a fresh white popular tree, and the almond and plane tree. And he peeled white stripes in them, laying bare the white on the rods.
38; And he set the rods which he had peeled by the troughs, by the water troughs where the flocks came to drink, across from the flocks. And they were in heat when they came to drink.
39; And the flocks were in heat before the rods and bore striped, speckled and spotted offspring.
40; And Jacob separated the lambs, and he set the faces of the flock toward the striped, and every black one in the flocks of Laban. And he put his own droves by themselves, and did not put them with the flock of Laban.
41; And it happened that whenever the strong flocks conceived, Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the flocks, before the troughs, that they might conceive by the rods.
42; And the flocks being feeble, he did not set them. And usually it happened that the weak were for Laban, and the strong for Jacob.
43; And the man increased very much, and many flocks were his, and slave-girls, and male slaves, and camels and donkeys .