Study Desk

On the third day [after his departure] Laban was told that Jacob had fled.

So he took his relatives with him and pursued him for seven days, and they overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.

Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent on the hill, and Laban with his relatives camped on the same hill of Gilead.

Jacob said to his relatives, "Gather stones." And they took stones and made a mound [of stones], and they ate [a ceremonial meal together] there on the mound [of stones].

"The God of Abraham [your father] and the God of Nahor [my father], and the god [the image of worship] of their father [Terah, an idolater], judge between us." But Jacob swore [only] by [the one true God] the Fear of his father Isaac.

Then Jacob offered a sacrifice [to the LORD] on the mountain, and called his relatives to the meal; and they ate food and spent the night on the mountain.

Early in the morning Laban got up and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters [goodbye] and pronounced a blessing [asking God's favor] on them. Then Laban left and returned home.

Then as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him [to reassure and protect him].

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

So Jacob spent the night there. Then he selected a present for his brother Esau from the livestock he had acquired:

He put them into the care of his servants, every herd by itself, and said to his servants, "Go on ahead of me, and put an interval [of space] between the individual herds."

But he got up that same night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and waded over the ford of the Jabbok.

When the Man saw that He had not prevailed against Jacob, He touched his hip joint; and Jacob's hip was dislocated as he wrestled with Him.

Now the sun rose on him as he passed Penuel (Peniel), and he was limping because of his hip.

Then Jacob crossed over [the stream] ahead of them and bowed himself to the ground seven times [bowing and moving forward each time], until he approached his brother.

But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and hugged his neck and kissed him, and they wept [for joy].

"Please let my lord go on ahead of his servant, and I will move on slowly, governed by the pace of the livestock that are in front of me and according to the endurance of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir [in Edom]."

So Esau turned back [toward the south] that day on his way to Seir.

But Jacob journeyed [north] to Succoth, and built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock; so the name of the place is Succoth (huts, shelters).

Then he bought the piece of land on which he had pitched his tents from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money.