Study Desk

Isaac preferred Esau, because he enjoyed eating the animals Esau killed, but Rebecca preferred Jacob.

But Jacob said to his mother, "You know that Esau is a hairy man, but I have smooth skin.

Jacob moved closer to his father, who felt him and said, "Your voice sounds like Jacob's voice, but your arms feel like Esau's arms."

but asked again, "Are you really Esau?" "I am," he answered.

You will live by your sword, But be your brother's slave. Yet when you rebel, You will break away from his control."

But when Rebecca heard about Esau's plan, she sent for Jacob and said, "Listen, your brother Esau is planning to get even with you and kill you.

Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful.

But that night, instead of Rachel, he took Leah to Jacob, and Jacob had intercourse with her.

When the Lord saw that Leah was loved less than Rachel, he made it possible for her to have children, but Rachel remained childless.

But Rachel had not borne Jacob any children, and so she became jealous of her sister and said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I will die."

Rachel said, "I have fought a hard fight with my sister, but I have won"; so she named him Naphtali.

But that day Laban removed the male goats that had stripes or spots and all the females that were speckled and spotted or which had white on them; he also removed all the black sheep. He put his sons in charge of them,

But he did not put the branches in front of the weak animals. Soon Laban had all the weak animals, and Jacob all the healthy ones.

He said to them, "I have noticed that your father is not as friendly toward me as he used to be; but my father's God has been with me.

Yet he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not let him harm me.

I have the power to do you harm, but last night the God of your father warned me not to threaten you in any way.

I know that you left because you were so anxious to get back home, but why did you steal my household gods?"

But if you find that anyone here has your gods, he will be put to death. Here, with our men as witnesses, look for anything that belongs to you and take what is yours." Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen Laban's gods.

Laban went and searched Jacob's tent; then he went into Leah's tent, and the tent of the two slave women, but he did not find his gods. Then he went into Rachel's tent.

Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in a camel's saddlebag and was sitting on them. Laban searched through the whole tent, but did not find them.