Study Desk

When Esau saw Jacob, he ran to meet him. He put his arms around Jacob, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both cried.

So that day Esau started on his trip back to Seir.

But Jacob went to Succoth. There he built a house for himself and small barns for his cattle. That is why the place was named Succoth.

Jacob safely ended his trip from Paddan Aram when he came to the town of Shechem in Canaan. He made his camp in a field near the city.

But he was so attracted to her that he fell in love and began expressing his feelings to her.

He told his father, "Please get this girl for me so that I can marry her."

Jacob learned that Shechem had done this very bad thing to his daughter. But all his sons were out in the fields with the cattle. So he did nothing until they came home.

Jacob's sons decided to lie to Shechem and his father because Shechem had done such a bad thing to their sister Dinah.

Shechem was very happy to do what Dinah's brothers asked. Shechem was the most honored man in his family.

Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, killed Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah out of Shechem's house and left.

So Jacob told his family and all the other people with him, "Destroy all these foreign gods that you have. Make yourselves pure. Put on clean clothes.

Then Jacob and his sons left that place. The people in the surrounding cities wanted to follow and kill them, but God filled them with such great fear that they did not go after them.

So Jacob and his people went to Luz, which is now called Bethel. It is in the land of Canaan.

Jacob built an altar there. He named the place "El Bethel." Jacob chose this name because that is the place where God first appeared to him when he was running from his brother.

Jacob and his group left Bethel. Before they came to Ephrath, Rachel began giving birth to her baby.

Then Israel continued his journey. He camped just south of Eder tower.

His firstborn son was Reuben, whose mother was Leah. Jacob's other sons by Leah were Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

His sons by Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

His sons by Bilhah, Rachel's maid, were Dan and Naphtali.

His sons by Zilpah, Leah's maid, were Gad and Asher. These were Jacob's sons who were born in Paddan Aram.