Study Desk

May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, be our judge. Then Jacob took an oath by the Fear of his father Isaac.

And on his way Jacob came face to face with the angels of God.

And when he saw them he said, This is the army of God: so he gave that place the name of Mahanaim.

Then Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, the God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, Go back to your country and your family and I will be good to you:

And he said, Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel: for in your fight with God and with men you have overcome.

And Jacob gave that place the name of Peniel, saying, I have seen God face to face, and still I am living.

Then Esau, lifting up his eyes, saw the women and the children, and said, Who are these with you? And he said, The children whom God in his mercy has given to your servant.

And Jacob said, Not so; but if I have grace in your eyes, take them as a sign of my love, for I have seen your face as one may see the face of God, and you have been pleased with me.

Take my offering then, with my blessing; for God has been very good to me and I have enough: so at his strong request, he took it.

And there he put up an altar, naming it El, the God of Israel.

And God said to Jacob, Go up now to Beth-el and make your living-place there: and put up an altar there to the God who came to you when you were in flight from your brother Esau.

And let us go up to Beth-el: and there I will make an altar to God, who gave me an answer in the day of my trouble, and was with me wherever I went.

So they went on their journey: and the fear of God was on the towns round about, so that they made no attack on the sons of Jacob.

And there he made an altar, naming the place El-beth-el: because it was there he had the vision of God when he was in flight from his brother.

Now when Jacob was on his way from Paddan-aram, God came to him again and, blessing him, said,

And God said to him, I am God, the Ruler of all: be fertile, and have increase; a nation, truly a group of nations, will come from you, and kings will be your offspring;

Then God went up from him in the place where he had been talking with him.

And Jacob put up a pillar in the place where he had been talking with God, and put a drink offering on it, and oil.

And he gave to the place where God had been talking with him, the name of Beth-el.

So that no one has more authority in this house than I have; he has kept nothing back from me but you, because you are his wife; how then may I do this great wrong, sinning against God?