^10-11 (A) As the sign that you are keeping this promise, you must circumcise every man and boy in your family. ^12-13 From now on, your family must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old. You must even circumcise any man or boy you have as a slave, both those born in your homes and those you buy from foreigners. This will be a sign that my promise to you will last forever. ¹⁴ Any man who isn't circumcised hasn't kept his part of the promise and cannot be one of my people.

^2 (A) Although Abraham was very old, Sarah had a son exactly at the time God had said. ³ Abraham named his son Isaac, ^4 (B) and when the boy was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, just as God had commanded.

²⁶ The second baby grabbed on to his brother's heel, so they named him Jacob.^[a] Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.

³¹ The Lord knew that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah, and so he gave children to Leah, but not to Rachel. ³² Leah gave birth to a son and named him Reuben.^[a] Then she said, “The Lord has taken away my sorrow. Now my husband will love me more than he does Rachel.” ³³ She had a second son and named him Simeon,^[b] because she said, “The Lord has heard that my husband doesn't love me.” ³⁴ When Leah's third son was born, she said, “Now my husband will hold me close.” So this son was named Levi.^{[c] 35} She had one more son and named him Judah,^[d] because she said, “I'll praise the Lord!”

Problems between Rachel and Leah

30 Rachel was very jealous of Leah for having children, and she said to Jacob, “I'll die if you don't give me some children!”

² But Jacob became upset with Rachel and answered, “Don't blame me! I'm not God.”

³ “Here, take my servant Bilhah,” Rachel told him. “Have children by her, and I'll let them be born on my knees to show that they are mine.”

⁴ Then Rachel let Jacob marry Bilhah, ⁵ and they had a son. ⁶ Rachel named him Dan,^[e] because she said, “God has answered my prayers. He judged in my favor and has given me a son.” ⁷ When Bilhah and Jacob had a second son, ⁸ Rachel said, “I've struggled hard with my sister, and I've won!” So she named the boy Naphtali.^[f]

⁹ When Leah realized she could not have any more children, she let Jacob marry her servant Zilpah, ¹⁰ and they had a son. ¹¹ “I'm really lucky,” Leah said, and she named the boy Gad.^{[g] 12} When they had another son, ¹³ Leah exclaimed, “I'm happy now, and all the women will say how happy I am.” So she named him Asher.^[h]

Love Flowers

¹⁴ During the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some love flowers^[i] and took them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah for some of them, ¹⁵ but Leah said, “It's bad enough that you stole my husband! Now you want my son's love flowers too.”

“All right,” Rachel answered. “Let me have the flowers, and you can sleep with Jacob tonight.”

¹⁶ That evening when Jacob came in from the fields, Leah told him, “You're sleeping with me tonight. I hired you with my son's love flowers.”

They slept together that night, ¹⁷ and God answered Leah's prayers by giving her a fifth son. ¹⁸ Leah shouted, “God has rewarded me for letting Jacob marry my servant,” and she named the boy Issachar.^[j]

¹⁹ When Leah had another son, ²⁰ she exclaimed, “God has given me a wonderful gift, and my husband will praise me for giving him six sons.” So she named the boy Zebulun.^{[k] 21} Later, Leah had a daughter and named her Dinah.

^22-23 Finally, God remembered Rachel—he answered her prayer by giving her a son. “God has taken away my disgrace,” she said. ²⁴ “I'll name the boy Joseph,^[l] and I'll pray that the Lord will give me another son.”

Jacob and Laban

²⁵ After Joseph was born, Jacob said to Laban, “Release me from our agreement^[m] and let me return to my own country. ²⁶ You know how hard I've worked for you, so let me take my wives and children and leave.”

^27-28 But Laban told him, “If you really are my friend, stay on, and I'll pay whatever you ask. I'm sure^[n] the Lord has blessed me because of you.”

²⁹ Jacob answered:

You've seen how hard I've worked for you, and you know how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. ³⁰ You didn't have much before I came, but the Lord has blessed everything I have ever done for you. Now it's time for me to start looking out for my own family.

³¹ “How much do you want me to pay you?” Laban asked.

Then Jacob told him:

I don't want you to pay me anything. Just do one thing, and I'll take care of your sheep and goats. ³² Let me go through your flocks and herds and take the sheep and goats that are either spotted or speckled^[o] and the black lambs. That's all you need to give me. ³³ In the future you can easily find out if I've been honest. Just look and see if my animals are either spotted or speckled, or if the lambs are black. If they aren't, they've been stolen from you.

³⁴ “I agree to that,” was Laban's response. ³⁵ Before the end of the day, Laban had separated his spotted and speckled animals and the black lambs from the others and had put his sons in charge of them. ³⁶ Then Laban made Jacob keep the rest of the sheep and goats at a distance of three days' journey.

³⁷ Jacob cut branches from some poplar trees and from some almond and evergreen trees. He peeled off part of the bark and made the branches look spotted and speckled. ³⁸ Then he put the branches where the sheep and goats would see them^[p] while they were drinking from the water trough. The goats mated there ³⁹ in front of the branches, and their young were spotted and speckled.

⁴⁰ Some of the sheep that Jacob was keeping for Laban were already spotted. And when the others were ready to mate, he made sure that they faced in the direction of the spotted and black ones. In this way, Jacob built up a flock of sheep for himself and did not put them with the other sheep.

⁴¹ When the stronger sheep were mating near the drinking place, Jacob made sure that the spotted branches were there. ⁴² But he would not put out the branches when the weaker animals were mating. So Jacob got all of the healthy animals, and Laban got what was left. ⁴³ Jacob soon became rich and successful. He owned many sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of slaves.

Jacob Runs from Laban

31 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were complaining, “Jacob is now a rich man, and he got everything he owns from our father.” ² Jacob also noticed that Laban was not as friendly as he had been before. ³ One day the Lord said, “Jacob, go back to your relatives in the land of your ancestors, and I will be with you.”

⁴ Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to meet him in the pasture where he kept his sheep, ⁵ and he told them:

Your father isn't as friendly with me as he used to be, but the God my ancestors worshiped has been on my side. ⁶ You know that I have worked hard for your father ⁷ and that he keeps cheating me by changing my wages time after time. But God has protected me. ⁸ When your father said the speckled sheep would be my wages, all of them were speckled. And when he said the spotted ones would be mine, all of them were spotted. ⁹ That's how God has taken sheep and goats from your father and given them to me.

¹⁰ Once, when the flocks were mating, I dreamed that all the rams were either spotted or speckled. ¹¹ Then God's angel called me by name. I answered, ¹² and he said, “Notice that all the rams are either spotted or speckled. I know everything Laban is doing to you, ^13 (A) and I am the God you worshiped at Bethel,^[q] when you poured olive oil on a rock and made a promise to me. Leave here at once and return to the land where you were born.”

¹⁴ Rachel and Leah said to Jacob:

There's nothing left for us to inherit from our father. ¹⁵ He treats us like foreigners and has even cheated us out of the bride price^[r] that should have been ours. ¹⁶ So do whatever God tells you to do. Even the property God took from our father and gave to you really belongs to us and our children.

¹⁷ Then Jacob, his wives, and his children got on camels and left ¹⁸ northern Syria^[s] for the home of his father Isaac in Canaan. Jacob took along all his flocks, herds, and other property.

¹⁹ Before Rachel left, she stole the household idols^[t] while Laban was out shearing his sheep.

²⁰ Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean^[u] by not saying that he intended to leave. ²¹ When Jacob crossed the Euphrates River and headed for the hill country of Gilead, he took with him everything he owned.

Laban Catches Up with Jacob

²² Three days later Laban found out that Jacob had gone. ²³ So he took some of his relatives along and chased after Jacob for seven days, before catching up with him in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴ But God appeared to Laban in a dream that night and warned, “Don't say a word to Jacob. Don't make a threat or a promise.”

²⁵ Jacob had set up camp in the hill country of Gilead, when Laban and his relatives came and set up camp in another part of the hill country. Laban went to Jacob ²⁶ and said:

Look what you've done! You've tricked me and run off with my daughters like a kidnapper. ²⁷ Why did you sneak away without telling me? I would have given you a going-away party with singing and with music on tambourines and harps. ²⁸ You didn't even give me a chance to kiss my own grandchildren and daughters goodbye. That was really foolish. ²⁹ I could easily hurt you, but the God your father worshiped has warned me not to make any threats or promises.

³⁰ I can understand why you were eager to return to your father, but why did you have to steal my idols?

³¹ Jacob answered, “I left secretly because I was afraid you would take your daughters from me by force. ³² If you find that any one of us has taken your idols, I'll have that person killed. Let your relatives be witnesses. Show me what belongs to you, and you can take it back.” Jacob did not realize that Rachel had stolen the household idols.

³³ Laban searched the tents of Jacob, Leah, and the two servant women,^[v] but did not find the idols. Then he went to Rachel's tent. ³⁴ She had already hidden them in the cushion she used as a saddle and was sitting on it. Laban searched everywhere and did not find them. ³⁵ Rachel said, “Father, please don't be angry with me for not getting up; I'm having my period.” Laban kept on searching, but still did not find the idols.

³⁶ Jacob became very angry and said to Laban:

What have I done wrong? Have I committed some crime? Is that why you hunted me down? ³⁷ After searching through everything I have, did you find anything of yours? If so, put it here, where your relatives and mine can see it. Then we can decide what to do.

³⁸ In all the 20 years that I've worked for you, not one of your sheep or goats has had a miscarriage, and I've never eaten even one of your rams. ³⁹ If a wild animal killed one of your sheep or goats, I paid for it myself. In fact, you demanded the full price, whether the animal was killed during the day or at night.^{[w] 40} I sweated every day, and I couldn't sleep at night because of the cold.

⁴¹ I had to work 14 of these 20 long years to earn your two daughters and another 6 years to buy your sheep and goats. During that time you kept changing my wages. ⁴² If the fearsome God^[x] worshiped by Abraham and my father Isaac had not been on my side, you would have sent me away without a thing. But God saw my hard work, and he knew the trouble I was in, so he helped me. Then last night he told you how wrong you were.

Jacob and Laban Make an Agreement

⁴³ Laban said to Jacob, “Leah and Rachel are my daughters, and their children belong to me. All these sheep you are taking are really mine too. In fact, everything you have belongs to me. But there is nothing I can do to keep my daughters and their children. ⁴⁴ So I am ready to make an agreement with you, and we will pile up some large rocks here to remind us of the agreement.”

⁴⁵ After Jacob had set up a large rock, ⁴⁶ he told his men to get some more rocks and pile them up next to it. Then Jacob and Laban ate a meal together beside the rocks. ⁴⁷ Laban named the pile of rocks Jegar Sahadutha.^[y] But Jacob named it Galeed.^{[z] 48} Laban said to Jacob, “This pile of rocks will remind us of our agreement.” That's why the place was named Galeed. ⁴⁹ Laban also said, “This pile of rocks means that the Lord will watch us both while we are apart from each other.” So the place was also named Mizpah.^[aa]

⁵⁰ Then Laban said:

If you mistreat my daughters or marry other women, I may not know about it, but remember, God is watching us! ^51-52 Both this pile of rocks and this large rock have been set up between us as a reminder. I must never go past them to attack you, and you must never come past them to attack me. ⁵³ My father Nahor, your grandfather Abraham, and their ancestors all worshiped the same God, and he will make sure that we each keep the agreement.

Then Jacob made a promise in the name of the fearsome God^[ab] his father Isaac had worshiped. ⁵⁴ Jacob killed an animal and offered it as a sacrifice there on the mountain, and he invited his men to eat with him. After the meal they spent the night on the mountain. ⁵⁵ Early the next morning, Laban kissed his daughters and his grandchildren goodbye, then he left to go back home.

Jacob Gets Ready To Meet Esau

32 As Jacob was on his way back home, some of God's angels came and met him. ² When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God's camp.” So he named the place Mahanaim.^[ac]

³ Jacob sent messengers on ahead to Esau, who lived in the land of Seir, also known as Edom. ⁴ Jacob told them to say to Esau, “Master, I am your servant! I have lived with Laban all this time, ⁵ and now I own cattle, donkeys, and sheep, as well as many slaves. Master, I am sending these messengers in the hope that you will be kind to me.”

⁶ When the messengers returned, they told Jacob, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is heading this way with 400 men.”

⁷ Jacob was so frightened that he divided his people, sheep, cattle, and camels into two groups. ⁸ He thought, “If Esau attacks one group, perhaps the other can escape.”

⁹ Then Jacob prayed:

You, Lord, are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful. ¹⁰ I don't deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals. ¹¹ Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well. ^12 (B) But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the grains of sand along the seashore.

¹³ After Jacob had spent the night there, he chose some animals as gifts for Esau: ^14-15 200 female goats and 20 males, 200 female sheep and 20 males, 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls, and 20 female donkeys and 10 males.

¹⁶ Jacob put servants in charge of each herd and told them, “Go ahead of me and keep a space between each herd.” ¹⁷ Then he said to the servant in charge of the first herd, “When Esau meets you, he will ask whose servant you are. He will want to know where you are going and who owns those animals in front of you. ¹⁸ So tell him, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob, who is coming this way. He is sending them as a gift to his master Esau.’ ”

¹⁹ Jacob also told the men in charge of the second and third herds and those who followed to say the same thing when they met Esau. ²⁰ And Jacob told them to be sure to say that he was right behind them. Jacob hoped the gifts would make Esau friendly, so Esau would be glad to see him when they met. ²¹ Jacob's men took the gifts on ahead of him, but he spent the night in camp.

Jacob's Name Is Changed to Israel

^22-23 (C) Jacob got up in the middle of the night and took his wives, his eleven children, and everything he owned across to the other side of the Jabbok River for safety. ^24 (D) Afterwards, Jacob went back and spent the rest of the night alone.

A man came and fought with Jacob until just before daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not win, he struck Jacob on the hip and threw it out of joint. ²⁶ They kept on wrestling until the man said, “Let go of me! It's almost daylight.”

“You can't go until you bless me,” Jacob replied.

²⁷ Then the man asked, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

^28 (E) The man said, “From now on, your name will no longer be Jacob. You will be called Israel,^[ad] because you have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won.”

^29 (F) Jacob said, “Now tell me your name.”

“Don't you know who I am?” he asked. And he blessed Jacob.

³⁰ Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive.” So he named the place Peniel.^{[ae] 31} The sun was coming up as Jacob was leaving Peniel. He was limping because he had been struck on the hip, ³² and the muscle on his hip joint had been injured. That's why even today the people of Israel don't eat the hip muscle of any animal.

Jacob Meets Esau

33 Later that day Jacob met Esau coming with his 400 men. So Jacob told his children to walk with their mothers. ² The two servant women, Zilpah and Bilhah, together with their children went first, followed by Leah and her children, then by Rachel and Joseph. ³ Jacob himself walked in front of them all, bowing to the ground seven times as he came near his brother.

⁴ But Esau ran toward Jacob and hugged and kissed him. Then the two brothers started crying.

⁵ When Esau noticed the women and children he asked, “Whose children are these?”

Jacob answered, “These are the children the Lord has been kind enough to give to me, your servant.”

⁶ Then the two servant women and their children came and bowed down to Esau. ⁷ Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down; finally, Joseph and Rachel also came and bowed down.

⁸ Esau asked Jacob, “Why did you send those herds I met along the road?”

“Master,” Jacob answered, “I sent them so you would be friendly to me.”

⁹ “But, brother, I already have plenty,” Esau replied. “Keep them for yourself.”

¹⁰ “No!” Jacob said. “Please accept them as a sign of your friendship for me. When you welcomed me and I saw your face, it was like seeing the face of God. ¹¹ Please accept these as gifts I brought to you. God has been good to me, and I have everything I need.” Jacob kept insisting until Esau agreed.

¹² “Let's get ready to travel,” Esau said. “I'll go along with you.”

¹³ But Jacob answered, “Master, you know traveling is hard on children, and I have to look after the sheep and goats that are nursing their young. If my animals travel too much in one day, they will all die. ¹⁴ Why don't you go on ahead and let me travel along slowly with the children, the herds, and the flocks. We can meet again in the country of Edom.”

¹⁵ Esau replied, “Let me leave some of my men with you.”

“You don't have to do that,” Jacob answered. “I am happy, simply knowing that you are friendly to me.”

¹⁶ So Esau left for Edom. ¹⁷ But Jacob went to Succoth,^[af] where he built a house for himself and set up shelters for his animals. That's why the place is called Succoth.

Jacob Arrives at Shechem

¹⁸ After leaving northern Syria,^[ag] Jacob arrived safely at Shechem in Canaan and set up camp outside the city. ^19 (G) The land where he camped was owned by the descendants of Hamor, the father of Shechem. So Jacob paid them 100 pieces of silver^[ah] for the property, ²⁰ then he set up his tents and built an altar there to honor the God of Israel.

Dinah Is Raped

34 Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the women who lived nearby. ² She was seen by Hamor's son Shechem, the leader of the Hivites, and he grabbed her and raped her. ³ But Shechem was attracted to Dinah, so he told her how much he loved her. ⁴ Shechem even asked his father to arrange for him to marry her.

⁵ Meanwhile, Jacob heard what had happened. But his sons were out in the fields with the cattle, so he did not do anything at the time. ⁶ Hamor arrived at Jacob's home ⁷ just as Jacob's sons were coming in from work. When they learned that their sister had been raped, they became furiously angry, because nothing is more disgraceful than rape, and it must not be tolerated.

⁸ Hamor said to Jacob and his sons:

My son Shechem really loves Dinah. Please let him marry her. ⁹ Why don't you start letting your families marry into our families and ours marry into yours? ¹⁰ You can share this land with us. Move freely about until you find the property you want; then buy it and settle down here.

¹¹ Shechem added, “Do this favor for me, and I'll give whatever you want. ¹² Ask anything, no matter how expensive. I'll do anything, just let me marry Dinah.”

¹³ Jacob's sons wanted to get even with Shechem and his father because of what had happened to their sister. ¹⁴ So they tricked them by saying:

You're not circumcised!^[ai] It would be a disgrace for us to let you marry Dinah now. ¹⁵ But we will let you marry her, if you and the other men in your tribe agree to be circumcised. ¹⁶ Then your families can marry into ours, and ours can marry into yours, and we can live together like one nation. ¹⁷ But if you don't agree to be circumcised, we'll take Dinah and leave this place.

¹⁸ Hamor and Shechem liked what was said. ¹⁹ Shechem was the most respected person in his family, and he was so in love with Dinah that he hurried off to get everything done. ²⁰ The two men met with the other leaders of their city and told them:

²¹ These people really are friendly. Why not let them move freely about until they find the property they want? There's enough land here for them and for us. Then our families can marry into theirs, and theirs can marry into ours.

²² We have to do only one thing before they will agree to stay here and become one nation with us. Our men will have to be circumcised just like theirs. ²³ Just think! We'll get their property, as well as their flocks and herds. All we have to do is to agree, and they will live here with us.

²⁴ Every grown man followed this advice and got circumcised.

Dinah's Brothers Take Revenge

²⁵ Three days later the men who had been circumcised were still weak from pain. So Simeon and Levi,^[aj] two of Dinah's brothers, attacked with their swords and killed every man in the town, ²⁶ including Hamor and Shechem. Then they took Dinah and left. ²⁷ Jacob's other sons came and took everything they wanted. All this was done because of the horrible thing that had happened to their sister. ²⁸ They took sheep, goats, donkeys, and everything else that was in the town or the countryside. ²⁹ After taking everything of value from the houses, they dragged away the wives and children of their victims.

³⁰ Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “Look what you've done! Now I'm in real trouble with the Canaanites and Perizzites who live around here. There aren't many of us, and if they attack, they'll kill everyone in my household.”

³¹ They answered, “Was it right to let our own sister be treated that way?”

Jacob Returns to Bethel

35 ^(H) God told Jacob, “Return to Bethel, where I appeared to you when you were running from your brother Esau. Make your home there and build an altar for me.”

² Jacob said to his family and to everyone else who was traveling with him:

Get rid of your foreign gods! Then make yourselves acceptable to worship God and put on clean clothes. ³ Afterwards, we'll go to Bethel. I will build an altar there for God, who answered my prayers when I was in trouble and who has always been at my side.

⁴ So everyone gave Jacob their idols and their earrings,^[ak] and he buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.

⁵ While Jacob and his family were traveling through Canaan, God terrified the people in the towns so much that no one dared bother them. ⁶ Finally, they reached Bethel, also known as Luz. ⁷ Jacob built an altar there and called it “God of Bethel,” because that was the place where God had appeared to him when he was running from Esau. ⁸ While they were there, Rebekah's personal servant Deborah^[al] died. They buried her under an oak tree and called it “Weeping Oak.”

God Blesses Jacob at Bethel

^9-11 (I)(J) After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan, God appeared to him again. This time he gave Jacob a new name and blessed him by saying:

I am God All-Powerful, and from now on your name will be Israel^[am] instead of Jacob. You will have many children. Your descendants will become nations, and some of the men in your family will even be kings. ¹² I will give you the land that I promised Abraham and Isaac, and it will belong to your family forever.

¹³ After God had gone, ^14 (K) Jacob set up a large rock, so that he would remember what had happened there. Then he poured wine and olive oil on the rock to show that it was dedicated to God, ¹⁵ and he named the place Bethel.^[an]

Benjamin Is Born

¹⁶ Jacob and his family had left Bethel and were still a long way from Ephrath, when the time came for Rachel's baby to be born. ¹⁷ She was having a rough time, but the woman who was helping her said, “Don't worry! It's a boy.” ¹⁸ Rachel was at the point of death, and right before dying, she said, “I'll name him Benoni.”^[ao] But Jacob called him Benjamin.^[ap]