Study Desk

The God of Abraham, and the gods of Nahor—the gods of their father—will judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.

Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. So they ate a meal and spent the night on the mountain.

Laban got up early in the morning, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban left to return home.

Jacob went on his way, and God’s angels met him.

Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the territory of Edom.

He spent the night there and took part of what he had brought with him as a gift for his brother Esau:

He entrusted them to his slaves as separate herds and said to them, “Go on ahead of me, and leave some distance between the herds.”

During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two slave women, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok.

He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.

When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob’s hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip.

The sun shone on him as he passed by Penuel—limping because of his hip.

He himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times until he approached his brother.

But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept.

Let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a pace suited to the livestock and the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”

That day Esau started on his way back to Seir,

but Jacob went to Succoth. He built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.

He purchased a section of the field where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.

“Get me this girl as a wife,” he told his father.

Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent until they returned.

Hamor said to Jacob’s sons, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.