Study Desk

He built there an altar and called the place El-Beit-El [God of Beit-El], because it was there that God was revealed to him, at the time when he was fleeing from his brother.

But she died in childbirth. As she was dying she named her son Ben-Oni [son of my grief], but his father called him Binyamin [son of the right hand, son of the south].

Isra'el continued his travels and pitched his tent on the other side of Migdal-‘Eder.

It was while Isra'el was living in that land that Re'uven went and slept with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Isra'el heard about it. Ya‘akov had twelve sons.

Ya‘akov came home to his father Yitz'chak at Mamre, near Kiryat-Arba (also known as Hevron), where Avraham and Yitz'chak had lived as foreigners.

Then he breathed his last, died and was gathered to his people, an old man full of years; and his sons ‘Esav and Ya‘akov buried him.

‘Esav chose Kena‘ani women as his wives: ‘Adah the daughter of Eilon the Hitti; Oholivamah the daughter of ‘Anah the daughter of Tziv‘on the Hivi;

‘Esav took his wives, his sons and daughters, the others in his household, his cattle and other animals and everything else he owned, which he had acquired in the land of Kena‘an, and went off to a country distant from his brother Ya‘akov.

The sons of Tziv‘on were Ayah and ‘Anah. This is the ‘Anah who found the hot springs in the desert while pasturing his father Tziv‘on's donkeys.

Bela the son of B‘or reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhavah.

When Bela died, Yovav the son of Zerach from Botzrah reigned in his place.

When Yovav died, Husham from the land of the Temani reigned in his place.

When Husham died, Hadad the son of B'dad, who killed Midyan in the field of Mo'av, reigned in his place; the name of his city was ‘Avit.

When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.

When Samlah died, Sha'ul of Rechovot-by-the-River reigned in his place.

When Sha'ul died, Ba‘al-Chanan the son of ‘Akhbor reigned in his place.

When Ba‘al-Chanan died, Hadar reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pa'u; and his wife's name was M'heitav'el the daughter of Matred the daughter of Mei-Zahav.

Ya‘akov continued living in the land where his father had lived as a foreigner, the land of Kena‘an.

Here is the history of Ya‘akov. When Yosef was seventeen years old he used to pasture the flock with his brothers, even though he was still a boy. Once when he was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, he brought a bad report about them to their father.

Now Isra'el loved Yosef the most of all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long-sleeved robe.