Study Desk

Esau hated his brother Jacob because he had stolen the blessing that was supposed to be his. So he said to himself, "Just as soon as my father dies, I'll kill Jacob."

Esau found out that his father Isaac had blessed Jacob and had warned him not to marry any of the Canaanite women. He also learned that Jacob had been sent to find a wife in northern Syria

and that he had obeyed his father and mother.

Esau already had several wives, but he realized at last how much his father hated the Canaanite women.

At sunset he stopped for the night and went to sleep, resting his head on a large rock.

As Jacob continued on his way to the east,

"How is he?" Jacob asked. "He's fine," they answered. "And here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep."

While Jacob was still talking with the men, his cousin Rachel came up with her father's sheep.

When Jacob saw her and his uncle's sheep, he rolled the rock away and watered the sheep.

As soon as Laban heard the news, he ran out to meet Jacob. He hugged and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him everything that had happened.

At the end of the week of celebration, Laban let Jacob marry Rachel, and he gave her his servant woman Bilhah. Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah, but he had to work another seven years for Laban.

During the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some love flowers and took them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah for some of them,

Before the end of the day, Laban had separated his spotted and speckled animals and the black lambs from the others and had put his sons in charge of them.

Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to meet him in the field where he kept his sheep,

Then Jacob, his wives, and his children got on camels and left

for the home of his father Isaac in Canaan. Jacob took all of the flocks, herds, and other property that he had gotten in northern Syria.

Before Rachel left, she stole the household idols while Laban was out shearing his sheep.

So he took some of his relatives along and chased after Jacob for seven days, before catching up with him in the hill country of Gilead.

Jacob had set up camp in the hill country of Gilead, when Laban and his relatives came and set up camp in another part of the hill country. Laban went to Jacob

he told his men to get some more rocks and pile them up next to it. Then Jacob and Laban ate a meal together beside the rocks.