Study Desk

So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.

Then God went up from him at the place where He had spoken with him.

So Jacob set up a memorial stone in the place where He had spoken with him, a memorial of stone, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.

And Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel.

And it came about, while Israel was living in that land, that Reuben went and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Now there were twelve sons of Jacob—

These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when he was seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.

Then they sat down to eat a meal. But as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying labdanum resin, balsam, and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt.

Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her as a wife and had relations with her.

Then Judah said to Onan, "Have relations with your brother's wife and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up a child for your brother."

Now Onan knew that the child would not be his; so when he had relations with his brother's wife, he wasted his seed on the ground so that he would not give a child to his brother.

So she removed her widow's garments and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gateway of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife.

So he turned aside to her by the road, and said, "Here now, let me have relations with you"; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, "What will you give me, that you may have relations with me?"

He said, "What pledge shall I give you?" And she said, "Your seal and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand." So he gave them to her and had relations with her, and she conceived by him.

And Judah recognized them, and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not have relations with her again.

And the LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all that he did prosper in his hand.

So he left Joseph in charge of everything that he owned; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

And it came about after these events that his master's wife had her eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Sleep with me."

But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put me in charge of all that he owns.

Though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her.