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born;

gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, 50 into the hand of her son Jacob. And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstI have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. 55 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because Jehovah thy God brought it to me. And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. And Jacob went near unto Isaac his 60 father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him. And he said, Art thou my very son Esau ? And he said, I am. And he said, Bring it near to me, and I 65 will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, 70 and said,

See, the smell of my son

Is as the smell of a field which Jehovah hath blessed :

Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven,

And the fatness of the earth,

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And plenty of corn and wine:

Let peoples serve thee,

And nations bow down to thee:

Be lord over thy brethren,

And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee:
Cursed be every one that curseth thee,

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And blessed be he that blesseth thee.

And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 85 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy first

90 born Esau. And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed. And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and 95 said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. 100 And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? And

Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? And Esau said unto his father, 105 Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said unto him,

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Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth,
And of the dew of heaven from above;

And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy
brother;

And it shall come to pass when thou shalt revolt,

That thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his 115 father blessed him and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching 120 thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away; until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: 125 then I will send, and fetch thee from thence why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?

LESSON VIII

JACOB IN HARAN

GENESIS 28.10 to 30.43

28.10. And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder 5 set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and 10 thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south and by thee and by thy seed shall all the families of the earth bless themselves. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee 15 again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Jehovah is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this 20 is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place 1 Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God 25 will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall Jehovah be my God, and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the 30 tenth unto thee.

29.1. Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the "House:" so that Bethel means "The house of

1 Beth means God."

land of the children of the 2 east. And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying 35 by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well's mouth. And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place. And Jacob said unto them, My 40 brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep. And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, 45 neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them. And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep. And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her 50 father's sheep for she kept them. And it came to pass, 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. And Jacob kissed 55 Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son: and she ran and told her father. And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. 60 And he told Laban all these things. And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month. And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? And Laban had two daugh65 ters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah was 3 tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to

2 The children of the east are the Bedouins, or Arabs of the desert. 3 i.e. Leah suffered from the disease of the eyes which is so common in the East.

thee, than that I should give her to another man abide 70 with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel ; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass 75 in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and Jacob said unto him, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel ?

wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger 80 before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week : and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. And Jacob loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him 85 yet seven other years.

30.25. And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go for thou 90 knowest my service which I have done thee. And Laban said, unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes tarry : for I have learned by experience that Jehovah hath blessed me for thy sake. And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have 95 served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and Jehovah hath blessed thee wherever I went : and now when shall I provide for mine own house also? And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt 100 not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock. I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats and of such shall be my hire. So 105 shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when thou shalt come concerning my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. And Laban said,

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