Study Desk

Then Laban said: If you mistreat my daughters or marry other women, I may not know about it, but remember, God is watching us!

My father Nahor, your grandfather Abraham, and their ancestors all worshiped the same God, and he will make sure that we each keep the agreement. Then Jacob made a promise in the name of the fearsome God his father Isaac had worshiped.

Then Jacob prayed: You, Lord , are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful.

The man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won. That's why your name will be Israel."

Jacob said, "I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive." So he named the place Peniel.

"No!" Jacob said. "Please accept these gifts as a sign of your friendship for me. When you welcomed me and I saw your face, it was like seeing the face of God.

Please accept these gifts I brought to you. God has been good to me, and I have everything I need." Jacob kept insisting until Esau accepted the gifts.

then he set up his tents and built an altar there to honor the God of Israel.

God told Jacob, "Return to Bethel, where I appeared to you when you were running from your brother Esau. Make your home there and build an altar for me."

Jacob said to his family and to everyone else who was traveling with him: Get rid of your foreign gods! Then make yourselves acceptable to worship God and put on clean clothes.

Afterwards, we'll go to Bethel. I will build an altar there for God, who answered my prayers when I was in trouble and who has always been at my side.

While Jacob and his family were traveling through Canaan, God terrified the people in the towns so much that no one dared bother them.

Jacob built an altar there and called it "God of Bethel," because that was the place where God had appeared to him when he was running from Esau.

After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan, God appeared to him again. This time he gave Jacob a new name and blessed him by saying: I am God All-Powerful, and from now on your name will be Israel instead of Jacob. You will have many children. Your descendants will become nations, and some of the men in your family will even be kings.

After God had gone,

Jacob set up a large rock, so that he would remember what had happened there. Then he poured wine and olive oil on the rock to show that it was dedicated to God,

No one in my master's house is more important than I am. The only thing he hasn't given me is you, and that's because you are his wife. I won't sin against God by doing such a terrible thing as this."

"We each had a dream last night," they answered, "and there is no one to tell us what they mean." Joseph replied, "Doesn't God know the meaning of dreams? Now tell me what you dreamed."

"Your Majesty," Joseph answered, "I can't do it myself, but God can give a good meaning to your dreams."

Joseph replied: Your Majesty, both of your dreams mean the same thing, and in them God has shown what he is going to do.