God helps Isaac and Jacob

An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Genesis

chaters 2!"#$
www.easyenglish.info
Marie Wetherill and Keith Simons
This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.
Words in boxes are from the Bible.
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
About the Book of Genesis
We do not know who wrote the Book of enesis. And we do not know when that person wrote the
book. There is an ancient tradition that !oses was the author. !odern Bible students have many
other ideas. But we can see that enesis is a very old book. "ven the oldest books in the Bible
refer to it #for example$ "xodus %&'() *ob +,&+(-+./.
The author was not merely collecting ancient stories. And he was not merely recording ancient
history. 0n fact$ enesis is a very careful account$ which teaches the main principles in the Bible.
The author describes the nature of od. The author explains od1s plan for a perfect world. The
author describes *sin and *sacrifice. 2e speaks about od1s promise to forgive. And$ he speaks
about od1s promise to send *esus. The Bible teaches that the author was not merely setting out
his own ideas. 0nstead$ the author wrote by the 2oly 3pirit of od.
Chapter 25
When Abraham was old$ he married again. 2e did not want his new children to oppose 0saac.
Abraham provided for them. But he sent them to live far away from 0saac.
Abraham was very old when he died. 0saac and 0shmael met again then. They buried his body
together. This action showed that they both loved Abraham.
0shmael had many *descendants$ and they were successful. They lived across a large area. But
the writer1s account continues with 0saac1s sons$ called "sau and *acob.
"sau was the oldest son. 3o$ he had the right to benefit from od1s promises to Abraham #enesis
'+&+-%/. 0t seems that "sau did not care about this right. But *acob recognised the importance of
this right. And$ even as a youth$ *acob was plotting how he could get this right$ instead of "sau.
Abrahams death, 25:1-11
v1 Abraham married another wife. 3he was called 4eturah. v2 3he had baby sons for him.
Their names were 5imran$ *okshan$ !edan$ !idian$ 0shbak and 3huah. v3 *okshan was
3heba1s and 6edan1s father. 6edan1s sons were Asshurim$ 7etushim and 7eummim. v4
!idian1s sons were "phah$ "pher$ 2anoch$ Abida and "ldaah. All those were 4eturah1s
children.
v5 Abraham gave everything that he had to 0saac. v 2owever$ Abraham gave gifts to his
*concubines1 sons. While Abraham was still alive$ he sent those sons away from his son 0saac.
2e sent those sons towards the country that was in the east.
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v! Abraham lived for '8( years. v" Then he breathed his last breath. 2e died when he was an
old man. 2is life had been good and he had lived happily as an old man. Then he died and he
went to be with his *ancestors. v#-1$ Abraham1s sons 0saac and 0shmael buried him in the
cave in !achpelah. Abraham had bought the cave and field from "phron$ the son of 5ohar$
who was from 2eth1s family. The field was east from !amre. Abraham1s sons buried him
there$ where he had buried 3arah his wife. v11 After Abraham died$ od *blessed 0saac$
Abraham1s son. 0saac lived at Beer 7ahai 9oi.
:erses '-; Abraham may have married 4eturah before 3arah died. #0t seems that the <*concubines1
in verse ; include 4eturah./ od was carrying out his promise to Abraham that he #Abraham/
would be the father of many nations. od had promised the country called Canaan to 0saac and his
*descendants. Abraham wanted to protect 0saac. Abraham realised that 4eturah1s sons should not
live with 0saac in Canaan. 3o$ Abraham sent all his other sons away.
:erse , <Abraham went to be with his *ancestors.1 =erhaps the writer used these words to show
that people still exist even after death. But these words probably >ust mean that Abraham died.
:erses .-'? Again the writer gives the details about Abraham1s and 3arah1s grave. Abraham
owned the land where the grave was. And the land was in the country that od had promised to
Abraham1s *descendants. That fact was very important and so the writer wanted to remind us
about it.
%shmae&s 'des(endants, 25:12-1"
v12 These are 0shmael1s *descendants. 2agar$ 3arah1s *"gyptian maid$ had given birth to
0shmael for Abraham.
v13 These are the names of 0shmael1s sons. The names are in order of the sons1 birth.
@ebaioth was 0shmael1s oldest son. Then there came 4edar$ Adbeel$ !ibsam$ v14 !ishma$
6umah$ !assa$ v15 2adad$ Tema$ *etur$ @aphish and 4edemah. v1 Those are the names of
0shmael1s sons. Those names also refer to villages and camps. 0shmael1s sons were '+
princes over '+ *tribes. v1! 0shmael lived for '%8 years. Then he breathed his last breath and
he died. 2e went to be with his *ancestors. v1" 0shmael1s *descendants lived in the area from
2avilah to 3hur. The area is opposite "gypt. The area is on the way towards Assyria. 0shmael
went to live opposite all his brothers.
:erses '+-'; Again the writer reminds us that 0shmael was the son of 3arah1s *"gyptian maid.
0shmael was not the son that od had especially chosen. When we read about 0shmael1s
*descendants$ we can remember od1s promises to 0shmael. od had promised that 0shmael$ too$
would have many *descendants.
:erse '8 <2e went to be with his *ancestors1 means that he died.
:erse ', <0shmael went to live opposite all his brothers.1 0shmael1s *descendants would have a
tendency to make war. 2ere the writer reminds us about that.
)a(ob and *sau, 25:1#-34
v1# These are the *descendants of Abraham1s son 0saac.
Abraham was 0saac1s father. v2$ 0saac was A? years old when he married 9ebekah. 9ebekah
was Bethuel1s daughter and she was also 7aban1s sister. 9ebekah1s family lived in =addan-
Aram and they were from the people called Arameans.
v21 0saac prayed to the *7ord about his wife because she had no children. The *7ord granted
what 0saac prayed for. 9ebekah became *pregnant. v22 The children fought together inside
9ebekah. 3he said$ <0 cannot continue to live$ because it is like this.1 3o she went to ask the
*7ord about it.
v23 The *7ord said to her$ <There are two nations inside you. Bou will give birth to two nations$
and they will make war with each other. Cne nation will be stronger than the other nation. The
older child will serve the younger one.1
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v24 The time came for 9ebekah to give birth. There were *twins inside her then. v25 The first
*twin that came out was red. All his body was like a hairy skin. 3o he was called "sau. v2
And after that$ his brother was born. The brother had taken hold of "sau1s heel #the back part
of his foot/. 3o they called the brother *acob. 0saac was ;? years old when 9ebekah gave
birth to the *twins.
v2! When the boys grew up$ "sau was a good hunter. 2e liked to be outdoors. *acob was a
Duiet man$ who stayed in the tent. v2" 0saac loved "sau$ because "sau hunted. But 9ebekah
loved *acob.
v2# Cn one day$ *acob was cooking a *stew when "sau came in from the fields. "sau was
very hungry. v3$ "sau said to *acob$ <7et me have some of that red *stew. 0 am starving.1 #3o
"sau was called "dom also./
v31 *acob replied$ <Eirst sell your *birthright to me.1
v32 "sau said$ <0 am dying$ so my *birthright is no use to me.1
v33 *acob said$ <!ake a very serious promise to me first.1 3o "sau made a very serious
promise to *acob$ and he sold his *birthright to *acob.
v34 Then *acob gave bread to "sau. And *acob gave to him *stew that he #*acob/ had made
from lentils #vegetable seeds/. "sau ate and he drank. Then he went out. 3o "sau did not
care about his *birthright.
:erses '.-+? od made special promises to Abraham and his *descendant. We have seen in this
chapter that Abraham had many sons$ in the end. But od1s promises were not for those other
sons$ although od had also made promises about 0shmael. od1s promises were for 0saac. And
this is why the Book of enesis continues with 0saac1s life.
2owever$ it was clear that od1s promises would not end with 0saac. 0n the end$ these promises
were about *esus$ who was 0saac1s *descendant #alatians %&';/. 0t seems that people in the Book
of enesis were aware of this fact. 0n enesis %&'($ od promised that the woman1s *descendant
would defeat the devil.
3o$ it was important that 0saac should have a son.
:erse +' 0saac and 9ebekah had to wait for +? years before their sons were born. But od
answered 0saac1s prayer in the end.
:erse ++ 9ebekah was having *twins #two babies born together/. But even before their births$ the
babies seemed to be fighting inside her.
:erse +% od knew the character of each son$ even before the sons were born. And od knew
about the future of their *descendants. Cnly one son would receive the benefit of od1s promises.
And it was as if the babies were struggling for that right.
Fsually$ people expected the older son to rule the family. But od told 9ebekah that the opposite
would happen.
After the sons were born$ the younger son #called *acob/ would be desperate to benefit from od1s
promises. But the older son #called "sau/ did not care about od1s promises. 2owever$ *acob
would have a struggle to take the right away from "sau.
:erse +( The name <"sau1 is like the *2ebrew word for <hairy1.
:erse +; <*acob1 means <he takes hold of the *heel1. =eople sometimes used these words to mean$
<he cheats1. Cf course$ *acob was not cheating anyone when he was bornG But the circumstances
of the boys1 births would explain many things about their lives. "sau was the oldest son. But *acob
was desperate to gain the benefit of od1s promises. And this benefit would usually go to the
oldest son. *acob had struggled to be born first$ but he failed. 2owever$ *acob would not fail in his
desire to gain od1s special *blessing.
:erse +8 "sau and *acob had very different attitudes.
:erse +, 0saac liked the food that "sau hunted.
:erse +. "sau was a skilled hunter$ but he was not always successful. =erhaps$ he had been
away for several days when this event happened. 2e hoped to bring back a wild animal for food.
But$ this time$ he did not succeed. 3o$ he was very hungry.
:erse %? <"dom1 means <red1.
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:erse %' *acob wanted od1s special *blessing. And so *acob tried to take it from "sau when
"sau was weak.
:erse %+ "sau acted as if od1s special *blessing was not important. "sau preferred the food.
:erse %% *acob wanted to be sure that "sau had handed over the *birthright. 3o$ *acob asked
"sau to make a serious promise. "sau made the promise because he wanted the food. But he
also made the promise because he did not care about od1s special *blessing.
:erse %A The *birthright included od1s promises to Abraham for his family. "sau did not care
about od1s promises.
Chapter 2
%saa( and Abime&e(h
v1 @ow there was a *famine in Canaan. There had been a *famine in the time when Abraham
was alive. But this was another *famine. 0saac went to the place called erar. 2e went to
Abimelech$ the king of the *=hilistines. v2 The *7ord appeared in front of 0saac. And the *7ord
said$ <6o not go down to "gypt. 7ive in the country that 0 will tell you. v3 3tay there. And 0 will
be with you and 0 will *bless you. 0 will give all these countries to you and your *descendants. 0
will do as 0 promised to your father Abraham. v4 Bou will have as many *descendants as there
are stars in the sky. 0 will give all these countries to your *descendants. 0 will *bless all the
nations on the earth because of your *descendants. v5 0 will *bless the nations because
Abraham obeyed my voice. And he carried out my words$ my commands$ my orders and my
laws.1 v 3o 0saac lived in erar.
v! The men that lived there asked him about his wife. 3o 0saac answered$ <3he is my sister.1
2e could have said that 9ebekah was his wife. But he was afraid that then the men would kill
him. Cne of them would then be able to take 9ebekah as a wife for himself. 3he was
beautiful.
v" After 0saac had lived there for a long time$ Abimelech looked out of a window. Abimelech
was the king of the *=hilistines. 2e saw 0saac hug his #0saac1s/ wife 9ebekah. v# 3o
Abimelech called 0saac. And Abimelech said$ <7ookG 3he is your wife. Why did you say that
she was your sisterH1
0saac replied$ <0 thought that you would kill me. 3o then you could take my wife into your
house.1
v1$ Abimelech said$ <Bou have done a wrong thing to us. 3omeone might have had sex with
your wife$ and then we would have suffered because of our *sin.1
v11 3o Abimelech warned all the people$ <6o not touch this man or this woman. Ctherwise 0
will have someone kill you.1
v12 0saac sowed seed in that country. And he harvested a hundred times as much in the
same year. The *7ord *blessed him. v13 0saac became rich. And he got richer and richer. 2e
became very rich. v14 0saac owned *flocks and *herds. And he owned a large *household of
servants. The *=hilistines were >ealous of him. v15 #When Abraham lived in that country$
Abraham1s servants had dug wells there. But the *=hilistines had now filled all those wells with
earth again./
v1 Abimelech said to 0saac$ <o away from us. Bou are much more powerful than we are.1
v1! 3o 0saac went away from there. 2e camped in the valley that was round erar. And he
lived there. v1" 0saac dug out again the wells of water that his father Abraham had dug. The
*=hilistines had filled them with earth after Abraham died. 0saac gave names to the wells.
They were the names that his father had given to the wells.
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v1# 0saac1s servants dug in the valley. And they found a well with water that was springing
from the ground. v2$ Then the *herdsmen from erar Duarrelled with 0saac1s *herdsmen. The
*herdsmen from erar said that the well was theirs. 3o 0saac called the well "sek$ because
the *herdsmen Duarrelled with him. v21 0saac1s men dug another well. And the men from
erar Duarrelled about that one too. 3o 0saac called it 3itnah. v22 0saac went from there to
live in another place. And he dug another well. There was no Duarrel about this well$ so 0saac
called it 9ehoboth. 2e said$ <The *7ord has now given to us somewhere to live. We shall be
*fruitful in this country.1
v23 Erom there$ 0saac went up to Beersheba. v24 The *7ord appeared in front of him that
night. And the *7ord said$ <0 am the od of your father Abraham. 0 am with you and 0 will *bless
you. 3o do not be afraid. 0 will give to you very many *descendants because of my servant
Abraham.1
v25 3o 0saac built an *altar there. And he called the *7ord1s name to *worship the *7ord. 0saac
put up his tent there$ and his servants dug a well.
v2 Then Abimelech went from erar to visit 0saac. Abimelech took AhuIIath his adviser with
him. And Abimelech also took =hicol$ the leader of his army. v2! 0saac said to them$ <Why
have you come to meH Bou hate me and you have sent me away from you.1
v2" The men said to 0saac$ <We see clearly that the *7ord is with you. 3o please let us make a
very serious promise to each other. v2# 7et us make a *covenant that you will not hurt us. We
have not touched you. We have only done good things to you$ and we have sent you away in
peace.1
v3$ 0saac made a *feast for the men. And they all ate together and they drank together. v31 0n
the morning$ 0saac and the men got up early and they made a very serious promise to each
other. 0saac sent the men off on their >ourney and they went away in peace.
v32 That same day$ 0saac1s servants came. And they told him that they had dug a well. They
said$ <We have found water.1 v33 0saac called the well 3hebah. Therefore the city is called
Beersheba until this time.
v34 When "sau was A? years old$ he married *udith the daughter of Beer$ who was from
2eth1s family. And he married Basemath$ the daughter of "lon$ who was from 2eth1s family.
v35 Those women made 0saac and 9ebekah very unhappy.
"very person needs to invite od into that person1s own life. 0t is not enough if that person1s
parents were Christians. "ach person needs his or her own experience of a relationship with od.
0t was the same for 0saac. 2is father$ Abraham$ was a real friend of od. And Abraham had learnt
to trust od completely. 3o$ 0saac had always known about od. But 0saac still needed to know
od for himself. And 0saac needed to learn many of the lessons that Abraham learnt.
But it seems that 0saac learned easily. 2e had a good character. 2e wanted to serve od. And
0saac tried not to argue with people. od was kind to 0saac.
+otes on the verses
:erse ' <Abimelech1 may have been a title for the king$ like <*=haraoh1. The Abimelech that
Abraham knew may have died. The earlier *=hilistines may have been a different nation from the
*=hilistines whom we read about elsewhere in the Bible.
:erse + There was a *famine. 2owever$ od clearly let 0saac know that he was looking after 0saac.
But 0saac needed to obey od.
:erses %-( od reminded 0saac about the promises that od gave to Abraham. od was now
making these promises to 0saac and his *descendants. Cf course$ 0saac had already heard about
these promises from Abraham. But this experience was very important for 0saac. od was
speaking to 0saac. 3o$ Abraham1s od was now 0saac1s od too.
:erse ; 0saac had heard od1s instructions. 3o$ 0saac obeyed od. =erhaps 0saac was not sure
how he could find enough food during the *famine. But he decided to trust od. The same od
who created the world would look after 0saac.
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:erse 8 =eople used the word <sister1 to mean many different relatives. But we can see that 0saac
was lying. 2e did not want anyone to know that 9ebekah was his wife. 3o$ he said something that
would confuse other people. Abraham had done the same thing in enesis +?&+. Both 0saac and
Abraham were trying to protect themselves. 0saac had not learned from Abraham1s experience.
And 0saac was not yet ready to trust od to protect him.
:erse , 0saac did not need to be afraid. od was protecting 0saac. @obody took 9ebekah away
from 0saac.
:erses .-'' 0saac did not actually suffer because of his lies. But Abimelech had to warn 0saac.
=erhaps Abimelech realised that 0saac was a holy man. Abimelech was worried that innocent
people might suffer because of 0saac1s lie. =erhaps Abimelech remembered the message that od
gave him about Abraham #enesis +?&;-8/.
3o$ Abimelech gave an order to his people. 0t seems that od was using Abimelech to protect
0saac and 9ebekah.
:erses '+-'% We can see that od was *blessing 0saac. "ven during the *famine$ 0saac1s harvest
was very plentiful. 0n fact$ it was even more plentiful than you would expect in a good year.
:erses 'A-'; Abimelech had ordered the *=hilistines to keep 0saac safe. But they were >ealous of
his success. They tried to cause problems for him. And they tried to frighten him. Abraham and
Abimelech had made an agreement about wells #enesis +'&+(-%'/. These wells now belonged to
0saac. But the *=hilistines spoilt the wells. And Abimelech told 0saac to leave their country.
Abimelech1s men did not carry out the *covenant that people had made with Abraham. The
*covenant had showed that the wells belonged to Abraham.
Water was precious and people often Duarrelled about it. 7ot Duarrelled with Abraham and the
*=hilistines Duarrelled with 0saac. 7ater$ 7aban Duarrelled with *acob.
:erses '8-', But 0saac did not argue. 2e wanted to be at peace with the *=hilistines. 3o$ he
moved elsewhere.
:erses '.-+' The arguments continued. "veryone wanted a good supply of water. But 0saac >ust
moved to another place. 0t seems that he was trusting od to provide for him. 0saac had seen how
od gave a plentiful harvest in a *famine. 3o$ 0saac was not afraid to move elsewhere.
The name <"sek1 means <Duarrel1. <3itnah1 means <enemies1.
:erse ++ <9ehoboth1 means <space1. 0saac thanked od. 0saac did not need to fight the people who
opposed him. od had given 0saac a place to live.
:erses +%-+( od spoke to 0saac again. By his #od1s/ words$ od gave confidence to 0saac.
0saac did not need to be afraid. od was with 0saac. od would help 0saac. And od would do for
0saac everything that he #od/ promised to Abraham.
7ike his father Abraham$ 0saac stayed in Beersheba. And there$ 0saac prayed to od.
:erses +;-+. Abimelech came to see 0saac. Abimelech wanted to make an agreement with 0saac.
0saac had become wealthy and powerful. 3o perhaps Abimelech was afraid that 0saac1s men might
oppose him.
Abimelech1s words in verse +. were not Duite true. Abimelech had told his people to protect 0saac.
But then$ Abimelech told 0saac to leave the country. Abimelech1s people spoilt 0saac1s wells. And
they argued about other wells. But it seems that 0saac did not care about these matters. 0saac
wanted peace with Abimelech1s people. 3o$ 0saac made the agreement with them.
:erses %?-%' When people made *covenants$ they often had a meal together. They did that to
show friendship.
:erses %+-%% 0saac1s servants finished digging another well that day. They were glad. They had left
behind many wells. But od had provided another well for them.
:erses %A-%( "sau was 0saac1s first son. But "sau did not behave like 0saac. 0saac waited patiently
while his father arranged a wife. But "sau chose his own wives. 0saac1s wife belonged to a family
that knew about od. But "sau1s wives came from a country where people were wicked. 0saac
hated arguments. But "sau chose wives who caused constant trouble for 0saac and 9ebekah.
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Chapter 2!
%saa( 'b&esses )a(ob
v1 When 0saac was old$ he could not see. 2e was almost blind. 2e called his older son "sau
and he said to "sau$ <!y sonG1
"sau answered$ <2ere 0 am.1
v2 Then 0saac said$ <7ookG 0 am old. 0 do not know when 0 shall die. v3 Therefore$ now take
your arms for war$ your bow and *arrows. o into the country. And hunt wild animals in order
to get meat for me. v4 !ake a *stew for me that tastes very good. !ake the sort that 0 love.
And bring it to me to eat. Then 0 will *bless you greatly before 0 die.1
v5 9ebekah was listening when 0saac was talking to his son "sau. "sau went out into the
country to hunt wild animals for meat. v-! Then 9ebekah said to her son *acob$ <0 heard your
father ask "sau your brother to go out. 2e asked "sau to go out to hunt. Bour father wanted
his favourite *stew to eat. Then$ before your father1s death$ he would *bless "sau in front of
the *7ord. v" 3o now$ my son$ do exactly what 0 tell you to do. v# o to the *flock and fetch
two good *kids for me. 0 will make them into a *stew for your father. 0t will be a *stew that
tastes very good. 0t will be the sort that he loves. v1$ Bou will take the *stew to your father to
eat. And he will *bless you before his death.1
v11 But *acob said to his mother 9ebekah$ <7ookG !y brother "sau is a hairy man$ but my
skin is smooth. v12 =erhaps my father will feel me. Then he will think that 0 am cheating him.
2e will then *curse me. 2e will not *bless me.1
v13 *acob1s mother replied$ <7et him *curse me. 7et him not *curse you$ my son. *ust do what
0 say. o and bring the *kids to me.1
v14 3o *acob went. 2e caught the *kids and he brought them to his mother. 3he prepared a
*stew that tasted very good. 0t was exactly as *acob1s father liked. v15 9ebekah had the best
clothes of "sau$ her older son. They were with her in the house. 3o she took the clothes and
she put them on *acob$ her younger son. v1 3he then took the *kids1 skins. 3he put the skins
onto *acob1s hands. 3he also put the skins onto the smooth part of his neck. v1! 3he took the
*stew that tasted very good. And she took the bread that she had made. And she gave them to
her son *acob.
v1" 3o *acob went in to his father and he said$ <!y fatherG1
0saac replied$ <0 am here. Who are you$ my sonH1
v1# *acob said to his father$ <0 am "sau$ your older son. 0 have done as you asked. @ow sit up
and eat my meat. And then *bless me.1
v2$ But 0saac said to his son$ <Bou have found meat very Duickly$ my son.1
*acob answered$ <The *7ord your od made me successful.1
v21 Then 0saac said to *acob$ <Come near so that 0 can feel you$ my son. 0 must know
whether you are really my son "sau or not.1
v22 3o *acob went near to his father 0saac$ who felt him. And 0saac said$ <The voice is *acob1s
voice$ but the hands are "sau1s hands.1 v23 3o 0saac did not recognise *acob$ because
*acob1s hands felt hairy like his brother "sau1s hands. 3o 0saac *blessed *acob. v24 0saac
said$ <Are you really my son "sauH1
*acob replied$ <0 am.1
v25 Then 0saac said$ <Bring your meat to me$ my son$ so that 0 can eat it. And then 0 can
*bless you.1
3o *acob brought the meat to 0saac$ who ate it. *acob brought some wine for him to drink. v2
Then *acob1s father 0saac said this to him. <Come near and kiss me$ my son.1
v2! 3o *acob came near and he kissed 0saac. 0saac smelled the smell that came from the
clothes. And he *blessed *acob.
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0saac said <7ookG !y son smells like a field that the *7ord has *blessed. v2" 7et od give to
you *dew from heaven. 7et him give to you good crops from the earth. And let him give to you
plenty of grain and wine. v2# 7et nations serve you and let nations *bow down to you. Be a
*lord over your brothers. 7et your mother1s sons *bow down to you. 7et od *curse everyone
that *curses you. 7et od *bless everyone that *blesses you.1
v3$ 3o 0saac had *blessed *acob. 0saac had >ust finished and *acob went away from his
father 0saac. 0mmediately$ *acob1s brother "sau came in. "sau had been hunting. v31 "sau
also cooked a *stew that tasted very good. And he took it to his father. 2e said to his father$
<Come$ my father$ and sit up. "at some of the *stew that 0$ your son$ have prepared for you. 0t
tastes very good. Then *bless me.1
v32 "sau1s father 0saac said to him$ <Who are youH1
"sau answered$ <0 am your son$ your son "sau$ who was born first.1
v33 Then 0saac started to tremble and he could not stop. 2e said$ <Who was it then that
hunted for meatH Who brought the meat to meH 0 ate it all before you came. And 0 have
*blessed him. Certainly he will have *blessing.1
v34 "sau listened to his father1s words and he cried out very bitterly. 2e said to his father$
<*Bless meG *Bless me too$ my fatherG1
v35 But 0saac said$ <Bour brother cheated you. 2e came to me and he lied. 2e has stolen your
*blessing.1
v3 "sau said$ <*acob is a good name for him. 2e has cheated me twice. *acob stole my
*birthright. And lookG @ow he has stolen my *blessing.1 Then "sau said$ <2ave you not saved a
*blessing for meH1
v3! 0saac replied to "sau$ <7ookG 0 have made him your *lord. All his brothers will be his
servants. 0 have *blessed him with grain and wine. 3o there is nothing that 0 can give to you$
my son.1
v3" "sau said to his father$ <0 cannot believe that you cannot *bless me with something$ my
father. *Bless meG *Bless me too$ my fatherG1 "sau cried out and he wept.
v3# Then 0saac his father answered him$ <Bou will live away from the rich earth. Bou will live
away from the *dew that comes from the sky above. v4$ Bou will live by means of your sword.
Bou will serve your brother. 2owever$ you will pull yourself away so that you get loose. And
after that you will not serve him.1
v41 "sau hated *acob$ because his father had *blessed *acob. 3o "sau said this to himself&
<3oon we shall be sad when my father dies. After that$ 0 will kill my brother *acob.1
v42 3omeone told 9ebekah what her older son "sau had said. 3o she sent for her younger
son *acob and she said this to him& <7ookG Bour brother "sau is planning to kill you. That is
how he is comforting himself. v43 Therefore$ my son$ now do as 0 say. et up and run away.
9un away to 7aban$ my brother in 2aran. v44 3tay with him for a while until your brother
becomes less angry. v45 Bour brother will become calm and he will not be angry any longer.
And he will forget what you have done to him. Then 0 will send for you. Then you can come
back. 0 do not want to lose both my sons on the same day.1
v4 Then 9ebekah said to 0saac$ <The women from 2eth1s family make my life miserable and 0
am tired. 0f *acob marries a local woman$ a woman from 2eth1s family like these$ 0 shall not
want to live.1
0saac became an old man. 2e thought that he might die soon. #But in fact$ he would live for many
more years./ 0saac wanted to give a special *blessing to "sau$ who was 0saac1s first son. "sau was
also 0saac1s favourite son.
The whole family realised that this *blessing was an important matter. 0saac was a holy man. od
would be present when 0saac gave his *blessing. And 0saac1s words would not >ust come from his
own imagination. 0saac1s words would be a *prophecy that came from od1s 2oly 3pirit.
9ebekah wanted *acob to receive the *blessing instead of "sau. And *acob himself was desperate
for the *blessing. =reviously$ he bought the *birthright #the rights of the oldest son/ from "sau
#enesis +(&%%/.
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*acob obtained 0saac1s *blessing by methods that were not honest. But the *blessing that *acob
received really came from od. And it seems that *acob received nothing from 0saac except the
*blessing. "sau received great wealth in Canaan #enesis %;&;/. But *acob left Canaan with very
few possessions #enesis +,&+?/. *acob left home Duickly$ because he had to escape from "sau.
But the *blessing was all that *acob really needed. And$ as *acob escaped$ he received an even
better *blessing. od himself spoke to *acob. The od of Abraham and 0saac became *acob1s
od too #enesis +,&'%-+'/.
+otes on the verses
:erses '-+ 0saac should have called both sons to him. 2e knew about the *prophecy at his sons1
births #enesis +(&+%/. 0n the *prophecy$ *acob was the son that od had chosen.
0t is clear that 0saac spoke to "sau in secret.
:erse % 0saac loved food and he wanted "sau to make a special meal for him. "sau was happy to
do that$ although he had given his *birthright to *acob. "sau was the oldest son and so normally he
would have had the *birthright.
:erse A At special times$ people often ate special meals. 0saac1s reDuest for a special meal
emphasises the importance of his *blessing.
:erse ( 0saac spoke to "sau in secret$ but 9ebekah heard 0saac1s words. 0saac and 9ebekah may
have lived in a tent. 9ebekah was perhaps outside$ but she heard clearly. 3he knew that 0saac
loved "sau #enesis +(&+,/. But od had told her that *acob would be more important than "sau
#enesis +(&+%/. 3o$ she made a plan so that *acob would get 0saac1s *blessing.
:erse ; 9ebekah knew about od1s choice. 3he should have trusted od better. Then she would
have known that od1s plans never fail. 9ebekah wanted to get something that was right.
2owever$ her actions were not right. 3he lied and she cheated.
:erses 8-'? 9ebekah was careful. 3he made a plan. 3he did not tell *acob everything that he
would have to do. 2e would have to lie. And he would have to cheat. But if he had known how
much$ he might have been afraid.
:erse '' The *2ebrew text has <0 am a smooth man.1 The *2ebrew word for <smooth1 can also
mean that the person is not sincere.
:erse '+ *acob realised that 0saac would not >ust be speaking from his own imagination. 0saac1s
words would come from od1s 2oly 3pirit. 3o$ it mattered whether *acob received a *blessing or a
*curse.
:erse '% 9ebekah was encouraging *acob. 3he told him not to worry about a *curse. Cf course$
she had already heard the *prophecy in enesis +(&+%. 3o she was confident about *acob1s future.
:erse '( "sau was probably married$ but his best clothes were still with 9ebekah.
:erses ';-'8 9ebekah and *acob prepared everything carefully. They wanted 0saac to think that
*acob was really "sau.
:erses ',-+; *acob went to see his father$ 0saac. But *acob wanted 0saac to think that *acob was
really "sau. 0saac wanted to give his *blessing to "sau$ because "sau was 0saac1s oldest son. But
*acob was desperate to receive 0saac1s *blessing. This was because *acob wanted od1s
*blessing.
But *acob did not really know od when these events happened. And *acob did not realise how
od wanted him #*acob/ to behave. *acob imagined that he had to earn the *blessing by his own
clever schemes. 2e had already persuaded "sau to sell the *birthright to him. And here$ *acob
received 0saac1s *blessing by another scheme.
*acob made 0saac give him the *blessing. But we cannot really earn od1s *blessing by our own
efforts. od1s *blessing is a free gift because of his kindness. We receive od1s *blessing if we
humbly invite him into our lives. 0n chapter +,$ *acob would himself meet od. Then *acob would
understand these things better.
:erses +8-+, 0saac1s *blessing came from od. od would make *acob successful. od would do
good things in *acob1s life.
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:erse +. There were probably no other sons. But 0saac said this in case there would be other
sons. *Blessings for families probably had the same words in them every time. But 0saac added the
special words that od spoke to Abraham in enesis '+&%. *acob would receive the benefit of
od1s promises to Abraham.
:erse %? "sau too wanted 0saac1s *blessing. "sau had not cared about the *birthright$ but he still
wanted the *blessing.
:erse %' "sau was able to prepare food. 9ebekah did not stop him and neither did *acob.
:erses %+-%% Before$ 0saac had thought that he was *blessing "sau. But after that$ the real "sau
came in. 0saac could not deny that *acob had received the *blessing.
:erses %A-%; "sau was sorry because he did not receive the *blessing from 0saac. But "sau was
not sorry about the wrong things that he did in his life. "sau did not care about od. "sau did not
care about what od wanted. "sau wanted to kill his brother #verse A'/.
:erses %8-A? 0saac hesitated to give any *blessing to "sau. 0saac realised that od had told him
what to say about *acob. But then od gave 0saac a *prophecy about "sau.
"sau1s *descendants would live in a city that was later called =etra. This city was in the desert. And
"sau1s *descendants would oppose *acob1s *descendants. But *acob1s *descendants would be
more powerful. They would make "sau1s *descendants into slaves. Bou can read how this
happened in + 3amuel ,&''-'A.
:erse A' "sau was very angry. But he did not want to kill *acob while 0saac was still alive. 3o$
"sau waited. 0n fact$ 0saac would live for many more years. And when 0saac died$ "sau had
become friendly with *acob again.
:erses A+-A% 9ebekah knew "sau1s plan. 3o$ she decided to send *acob away to her relatives in
2aran. 2e would be safe there.
:erse AA 9ebekah said that *acob would need to be away for only a very short time. But he was
actually away for +? years.
:erse A( 9ebekah said that she did not want to lose both her sons at the same time. 0t is not clear
what she meant by that. "sau was not a <good1 son$ but he was a son anyway. But 9ebekah
thought that she would <lose1 him too. We can guess how this might happen. !aybe if "sau killed
his brother$ then od might kill "sau. Cr maybe other people would kill "sau for that reason. Cr
maybe he would have to go away to hide.
:erse A; Again 9ebekah showed how clever she was. 3he did not tell 0saac the real reason why
*acob should go away. 0saac would be happy if *acob married a good woman. 0n this story$
everyone in the family did something wrong. 2owever$ it does prove these facts to us. od gives
his *blessing as he wants. And he gives it by his *mercy. Although we may do <good1 things in our
life$ we cannot earn od1s *blessing in that way. And we certainly cannot earn od1s *blessing by
our own clever schemes. 0nstead$ we need to be humble. We should confess our evil deeds to
od. We should invite od into our lives. And we should trust him.
*acob1s actions in this chapter were wrong. 2e lied and he cheated. But his attitude was right. 2e
wanted to receive od1s *blessing. od gave a *blessing to *acob by means of 0saac. But *acob
did not receive this *blessing >ust because he cheated. 0saac did not know whom he was *blessing.
But od knew the truth. And od wanted to *bless *acob. The *prophecy in enesis +(&+% shows
this.
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Chapter 2"
)a(obs ,ourne-
v1-2 Then 0saac called *acob and he *blessed *acob. 2e ordered *acob not to marry a
*Canaanite woman. 0saac ordered *acob to go to the place called =addan-Aram. There$
*acob should go to Bethuel1s house. Bethuel was *acob1s grandfather #his mother1s father/.
0saac told *acob to marry someone from among 7aban1s daughters. 7aban was *acob1s uncle
#his mother1s brother/. v3 0saac asked od *Almighty to *bless *acob. 0saac asked od to
give very many *descendants to *acob. 3o then *acob would be the father of a very large
group of nations. v4 0saac said$ <od gave a *blessing to Abraham. 7et od give it to you and
your *descendants as well. 3o then you will own the country where you are camping. od
gave this country to Abraham.1 v5 3o 0saac sent *acob away$ and *acob went to =addan-
Aram. 2e went to visit 7aban$ the son of Bethuel$ who was from the people called Arameans.
7aban was the brother of 9ebekah$ *acob1s and "sau1s mother.
v "sau saw that 0saac *blessed *acob. 2e saw that 0saac sent *acob away to =addan-Aram
to find a wife. "sau heard 0saac tell *acob not to marry a *Canaanite woman. v! "sau saw
that *acob obeyed his father and mother and *acob went to =addan-Aram. v" 3o "sau saw
that his father 0saac did not like *Canaanite women. v# Therefore "sau went to 0shmael$
Abraham1s son. And "sau married !ahalath$ who was 0shmael1s daughter. !ahalath was
@ebaioth1s sister. "sau already had other wives.
v1$ *acob left Beersheba and he went towards 2aran. v11 When the sun set$ he stopped at a
certain place. 2e stayed there for the night. *acob took a stone and he put it under his head.
Then he lay down there to sleep. v12 2e dreamed that someone had put up a ladder on the
earth. The top of the ladder was in heaven. *acob saw od1s *angels there. They were going
up and down on the ladder. v13 The *7ord stood above it. And he said$ <0 am the *7ord. 0 am
the od of your father Abraham and 0 am the od of 0saac. 0 will give the land on which you
are lying to you and your *descendants. v14 There are very many bits of dust on the earth.
And you will have Duite as many *descendants. They will spread out to the west$ east$ north
and south. 0 will *bless all the families on the earth because of you and your *descendants.
v15 7ookG 0 am with you. 0 will protect you wherever you go. And 0 will bring you back to this
country. 0 will do what 0 have told you. 0 will not leave you until 0 have done it.1
v1 Then *acob woke from sleep. And he said$ <Certainly the *7ord is here$ but 0 did not know
it.1 v1! *acob was afraid. And he said$ <This place is very holy. This is truly od1s house and it
is the gate of heaven.1
v1" 3o *acob got up early in the morning. 2e took the stone that he had put under his head.
And *acob put the stone up as a column. 2e poured oil on it. v1# Then *acob called that
place Bethel$ although people had called it 7uI before.
v2$ *acob made a promise. 2e said$ <0 make a promise if od will be with me. 0 make this
promise if he will protect me on this >ourney. 0 make it if he will give bread for me to eat. 0 make
it if he will give clothes for me to wear. v21 0 make it if will bring me back in peace to my
father1s house. 0f those things are so$ then 0 promise this& The *7ord will be my od. v22 And
this stone$ which 0 have put up as a column shall be od1s house. And 0 will give back to you$
*7ord$ one tenth of everything that you give to me.1
*acob had to leave home in order to escape from "sau. 0saac *blessed *acob before *acob left.
This time$ 0saac knew whom he was *blessing. 2e gave a wonderful *blessing to *acob. 0saac said
that *acob would receive Abraham1s *blessing. And he said that *acob1s *descendants would
receive the country called Canaan.
*acob really wanted to receive this *blessing. @ow he received it. This was wonderful.
*acob travelled alone on his >ourney. 2e had to sleep outside. 2e took few possessions. 2e even
had to pray for his food and clothes #verse +?/. But something very special happened as he
travelled. 2e had a special dream. And in the dream$ od spoke to *acob. od gave to *acob the
same promises that he #od/ had given to Abraham and 0saac. And *acob promised that he$ too$
would serve od. And so$ we call od$ <the od of Abraham$ 0saac and *acob1 #"xodus %&;/.
235040174 - 28/05/06 - Page 11
+otes on the verses
:erse ' *acob needed to know that he was doing the right thing. 3o it was important for 0saac to
*bless *acob again. 2e needed to know that od wanted him to do that. *acob would have difficult
experiences sometimes. And so he needed the *blessing because the *blessing would help him to
carry on.
:erse + Abraham had sent a servant to choose 0saac1s wife. But *acob himself went to fetch his
own wife. 0saac said that *acob should marry *acob1s cousin$ someone from among 7aban1s
daughters. Cousins often married.
:erse % *acob would have '+ sons. And his *descendants would become a great nation.
"verything that od promised to Abraham and 0saac would happen to *acob1s *descendants.
:erse A od had already given the country to *acob and his *descendants$ although they did not
yet own any part of it.
:erses ;-. "sau tried to please his parents by means of another marriage. But "sau still had
*Canaanite wives$ and od had not chosen 0shmael. "sau did not understand od1s plan.
:erses '?-'' *acob had od1s *blessing. But *acob had no money and he had no friends. 2e slept
outside. 2e used a stone as his pillow.
:erse '+ This staircase was between earth and heaven. 3o it was similar to the *tower in Babel.
But there were many differences. !en built the *tower and they tried to reach heaven. They
thought that they were clever. And they thought that they could be eDual to od. But in *acob1s
dream$ od provided the staircase. 0n *ohn '&('$ *esus said$ <9eally and truly 0 say to you that you
will see heaven open. And you will see od1s *angels go up and down upon the 3on of !an.1
*esus is the way to heaven. *acob needed to know that od was near him. od was not far away.
:erse '% <The *7ord stood above it.1 This may be <The *7ord stood above *acob.1 Cr <The *7ord
stood near *acob.1 The word <above1 shows that od was controlling the situation.
Abraham was *acob1s grandfather. =eople often used the word <father1 to mean <*ancestor1. od
showed to *acob that od was really *blessing him. *acob really wanted od1s *blessing. 0n fact$
*acob had even used wrong methods to try to get it. But od gives his *blessing where he wants
to. We cannot earn it.
:erse 'A od made the same promises to *acob that he #od/ had made to Abraham and 0saac.
:erse '( *acob would return to this country that od had given to him. od would protect *acob
as he #*acob/ travelled.
:erse '8 *acob was not afraid that something evil would happen. That was not what he meant. 2e
knew od1s *almighty power. But in *acob1s dream$ he had seen od and he had heard od. od
had promised great things to him. And *acob realised how weak he was.
:erse ', 7ater$ od did not allow the **ews to put up columns. That was because the *Canaanites
did that to *worship false gods. But *acob put up this one here. 0n that way$ he wanted to remind
himself and other people how great od was. And *acob wanted to remember the exact place
where he had this experience.
:erse '. The place was probably not a city until later. 0t seems that *acob was alone in the desert.
<Bethel1 means <the house of od1. *acob gave this name to the place because he met od there.
:erses +?-+' *acob agreed to serve od if od helped him. *acob1s words might sound as if he
was trying to bargain with od. But we do not think that this was really *acob1s intention. 2e knew
that od was his od. 2e knew that od was great. 2e knew that od had promised to take care
of him. And so he would *worship od.
:erse ++ At that time$ *acob had nothing to giveG But he believed that od would *bless him. That
was why he said this.
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Chapter 2#
)a(ob marries
v1 Then *acob went on his >ourney. 2e came to that country where the people in the east
lived. v2 2e looked about and he saw a well in a field. Three *flocks of sheep were lying near
the well. The stone that covered the well was very large. v3 The *shepherds used to gather all
the *flocks there. Then they rolled the stone from the well and they gave water to the sheep.
After that$ they put the stone back to cover the well.
v4 *acob said to the *shepherds$ <!y brothers$ where do you come fromH1
They said$ <We are from 2aran.1
v5 Then *acob said to them$ <6o you know 7aban$ @ahor1s sonH1
They replied$ <Bes$ we know him.1
v *acob then asked whether 7aban was well.
The *shepherds said$ <Bes. 7ookG 9achel$ 7aban1s daughter$ is coming with the sheepG1
v! *acob said$ <7ookG 0t is still midday. 0t is not time to gather the *flocks together. ive water
to your sheep and take them away to grass.1
v" But the *shepherds said$ <We cannot do that until all the sheep are here. Then we roll away
the stone from the well and we give water to the sheep.1
v# While *acob was speaking to the *shepherds$ 9achel came with her father1s sheep.
9achel looked after the sheep. v1$ *acob saw 9achel with 7aban1s sheep. *acob went up to
the well. 2e rolled away the stone that was covering the well. And he gave water to 7aban1s
*flock. 7aban was the brother of *acob1s mother$ and 9achel was 7aban1s daughter. v11 Then
*acob kissed 9achel and he wept aloud. v12 *acob told 9achel that he was her father1s
nephew. *acob told her that he was 9ebekah1s son. 9achel ran and she told her father about
it.
v13 3o 7aban heard that *acob$ his sister1s son$ had come. And so then 7aban ran to meet
*acob. 7aban hugged *acob and he kissed *acob. And he took *acob to 7aban1s home. *acob
told 7aban what had happened. v14 7aban said to *acob$ <Truly you are my relative.1
*acob stayed with 7aban for a month. v15 After that time$ 7aban said this to *acob. <Bou work
for me. But you have no wages. That is not right$ although you are my nephew. What shall 0
pay youH1
v1 7aban had two daughters. The older one was called 7eah$ and the younger one was
called 9achel. v1! 7eah had weak eyes. But 9achel was beautiful and she was lovely to look
at. v1" *acob loved 9achel. 2e said this to 7aban. <0 will work for you for 8 years. 3o then 0
can marry 9achel$ your younger daughter.1
v1# 7aban replied$ <0 would rather give her to you than to any other man. 3tay with me.1 v2$
3o *acob worked for 8 years for 9achel. But they only seemed like a few days because he
loved her so much.
v21 Then *acob said to 7aban$ <ive my wife to me$ so that 0 can have sex with her. 0 have
finished the 8 years of work.1
v22 3o 7aban gathered together all the local men and he made a *feast. v23 But in the
evening he took his daughter 7eah and he brought her to *acob. And *acob had sex with
7eah. v24 #7aban gave his maid 5ilpah to his daughter 7eah to be 7eah1s maid./
v25 0n the morning$ *acob saw that it was 7eah. 2e said to 7aban$ <Bou have cheated me. 0
worked for you so that 0 could marry 9achel. Why have you cheated meH1
v2 7aban said$ <2ere$ in our country$ the younger daughter should not marry before the
daughter that was born first. That is not our custom. v2! Einish the *feast for the wedding. The
*feast lasts for a week. Then we will give the other daughter to you. But you must work for me
for 8 more years.1
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v2" *acob did that. 2e finished the *feast for 7eah1s wedding. Then 7aban gave 9achel to
*acob as his wife. v2# #7aban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter 9achel to be 9achel1s
maid./ v3$ 3o *acob had sex with 9achel too. 2e loved 9achel more than he loved 7eah. And
he worked for 7aban for 8 more years.
v31 The *7ord saw that *acob did not love 7eah. 3o then he made 7eah able to have children.
But 9achel was *barren. v32 7eah became *pregnant and she had a baby son. 3he called
him 9euben. 3he said$ <The *7ord has seen that 0 was unhappy. @ow therefore my husband
will love me.1
v33 7eah became *pregnant again and she had a baby son. 3he said$ <The *7ord has heard
that *acob did not love me. And so the *7ord has given me another son.1 3he called that son
3imeon.
v34 7eah became *pregnant again and she had a baby son. And she said$ <@ow my husband
will want me because 0 have had three sons for him.1 3o 7eah called that son 7evi.
v35 7eah became *pregnant again and she had another baby son. 3he said$ <This time 0 will
praise the *7ord.1 Therefore she called that son *udah. Then she stopped. 3he did not have
any more children.
0t was od1s plan that *acob would have a large family. od had already promised Abraham$ 0saac
and *acob that they would have many *descendants. But perhaps *acob did not realise that od
wanted him #*acob/ to have many children. 0t was the custom at that time for an important man to
have many wives. But *acob1s father$ 0saac$ married only one wife.
*acob1s intention was to marry 9achel. 2e loved her as soon as he saw her. And he tried to
impress her. 2e moved a large stone so that he could give water to her sheep. 3oon afterwards$
*acob offered to work for 8 years so that he could marry 9achel.
At the end of the 8 years$ 7aban #9achel1s father/ cheated *acob. 0t was the custom that the bride
would cover her face at the wedding. The morning afterwards$ *acob discovered that he had
married 7eah #9achel1s sister/. *acob never really loved 7eah. But he did not refuse to accept her
as his wife.
7aban allowed *acob to marry 9achel too. But 7aban insisted that *acob must work for another 8
years for 9achel.
All this time$ *acob was learning to be humble. At home$ *acob used schemes to get whatever he
wanted. But on the >ourney$ *acob had decided to serve od #enesis +,&+?-+'/. And now *acob
was learning to accept whatever od wanted to give him. 0n the end$ od would give *acob '+
sons. And their families would become the great nation that od had promised.
+otes on the verses
:erses '-% *acob arrived near the home of @ahor1s family$ who were 9ebekah1s relatives. The
*shepherds had brought some sheep near the well. But they were waiting for other *shepherds to
arrive. Then they would remove the stone that covered the well.
:erse A 7ike Abraham1s servant #chapter +A/$ *acob Duickly found the people that he was looking
for.
:erse ( 7aban was actually @ahor1s grandson. The *2ebrew word for <son1 can also mean
<*descendant1. This is what it means here.
:erse ; To look after the sheep seems to have been a woman1s >ob too. 3o$ 9achel brought
7aban1s sheep. 9achel was the first member of 7aban1s family that *acob met. *acob was very
excited to see her. 0t seems that he loved her at once.
:erses 8-, =erhaps there were very many sheep that used water from the same well. 3o it might
have been difficult to wait until the cooler evening to give water to them all. The stone that covered
the well was very heavy. 0t was fairly difficult for one man to move it alone. 0t was easier when more
than one man moved it. Also$ it was safer to take the cover off the well less often. 0t was safer
because then the well had a cover over it for a longer time.
:erses .-'? *acob wanted to impress 9achel. 3o$ he moved the stone himself in order to provide
water for her sheep. By this action$ *acob was showing 9achel that he would look after her.
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*acob1s mother$ 9ebekah$ had used a well in that area in chapter +A. 3he provided water for
Abraham1s servant and his camels. 3oon afterwards$ 9ebekah married 0saac. =erhaps *acob was
already hoping that he could marry 9achel.
:erse '' *acob and 9achel were relatives. 3o$ perhaps it was the custom to kiss. But we shall
soon see how much he really loved her.
:erses '+-'% 7aban and 9achel may have thought that *acob would have valuable presents.
Abraham1s servant had brought presents when he was arranging a wife for 0saac. But *acob had
nothing.
:erses 'A-'8 0t was the custom to be friendly to all visitors. And 7aban was especially pleased with
*acob$ who was a relative. 7aban invited *acob to stay in 7aban1s home. 7aban was probably
hoping that *acob would marry 7eah or 9achel.
*acob was not laIy. 2e worked hard while he stayed with 7aban.
:erse ', *acob had no <bride price1 to offer. #0n other words$ he had no money to <pay for1 his
bride./ 8 years of work was a lot to give for a bride. But *acob loved 9achel and he needed a
home. =robably *acob and 9achel were engaged$ but they were not living together. That is like
*oseph and !ary in the *@ew Testament.
:erse +? *acob really loved 9achel. 2e was happy as he worked. 3o he did not feel as if he was
waiting for her.
:erse +' *acob had to go to 7aban to claim his wife. =erhaps 7aban did not want *acob and
9achel to marry at once. 7aban could remember how Duickly 9ebekah left home #enesis +A&(A-
(;/. Both *acob and 9achel were good workers. 7aban did not want them to leave.
:erse ++ 7aban arranged the wedding for his daughter and *acob. But 7aban was not an honest
man.
0t seems that 7aban and his family knew about the real od #enesis +A&%') +A&(?/. But perhaps
they were not still serving od. They had images of false gods in their home #enesis %'&%?-%(/.
:erse +% 7aban cheated *acob. 7aban gave his older daughter$ 7eah$ to *acob instead of 9achel.
The bride wore a *veil for the wedding$ and the place was very dark. Also$ *acob had drunk wine.
:erse +( 0n the morning$ *acob discovered that he had married the wrong woman. 2e complained
to 7aban. 9achel was the woman whom *acob loved.
:erse +; Among *acob1s relatives the oldest son #the son that was born first in the family/ had
special rights. #0n fact$ *acob bought those rights from "sau./ 2ere$ 7aban mentioned the idea that
in his country the oldest daughter had special rights. But this excuse was not fair. *acob believed
that he was marrying 9achel. And 7aban had not been honest.
:erse +8 When there was a wedding$ people organised a *feast for it. The *feast lasted for one
week. *acob could have left afterwards$ with his two brides. But 7aban trusted that *acob would
stay. *acob could not trust 7aban. But 7aban knew that he could trust *acob.
7ater$ od1s law did not allow a man to marry two sisters.
:erses +,-%? 3o$ *acob had two wives. And each wife had a maid.
:erse %' od was carrying out his promise. od was watching *acob and his family$ so that od
could look after them.
*acob never really loved 7eah. But he accepted her as his wife. And od was kind to her. 2e
helped her to have several children.
9achel was the wife whom *acob really loved. But$ like 3arah and 9ebekah$ it was difficult for
9achel to have children.
:erse %+ 9euben meant <7ook$ a sonG1 od was making 7eah into the mother of many *tribes. The
*tribes would belong to the nation called 0srael. 0n that way$ 7eah was a part of od1s plan. But she
could not force *acob to love her.
:erse %% <3imeon1 is like a *2ebrew word. The word means that someone <has heard1.
:erse %A <7evi1 is like the word for <love1.
:erse %( <*udah1 is like the word for <praise1. 7eah was grateful to od for her children. =erhaps
she was not still trying to persuade *acob to love her. =erhaps now she was content that od
cared about her. 3o she praised od.
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Chapter 3$
)a(obs fami&-
v1 9achel saw that she was not having any children for *acob. 3o then she was >ealous of her
sister. 9achel said to *acob$ <ive children to me$ otherwise 0 shall die.1
v2 *acob was very angry with 9achel. And he said$ <0 am not odG Bou have not had children
because od has prevented it.1
v3 Then 9achel said$ <2ere is my maid Bilhah. 2ave sex with her. 3o then she can have a
child for me. And so then 0 shall have children.1
v4 3o 9achel gave Bilhah to *acob as a wife. And *acob had sex with her. v5 Bilhah became
*pregnant and she had a baby son. v Then 9achel said$ <od has been fair to me. 2e heard
my voice and he has given a son to me.1 3o she called the son 6an.
v! 9achel1s maid Bilhah became *pregnant again. And she had another baby son for *acob.
v" Then 9achel said$ <0 have struggled hard with my sister and 0 have won.1 3o she called that
son @aphtali.
v# 7eah saw that she #7eah/ was not having children any longer. 3o then she took her maid
5ilpah. And she gave 5ilpah to *acob as a wife. v1$ Then 7eah1s maid 5ilpah had a baby son
for *acob. v11 7eah said$ <We are lucky.1 3o she called the son ad.
v12 7eah1s maid 5ilpah had another son for *acob. v13 7eah said$ <0 am very happy. The
women will call me happy.1 3o she called that son Asher.
v14 0t was the time when people harvested wheat. 9euben went and he found *mandrakes in
the field. 2e took them to his mother 7eah. 9achel said to 7eah$ <=lease give some of your
son1s *mandrakes to me.1
v15 But 7eah replied$ <Bou have already taken away my husband. @ow you want to take away
my son1s *mandrakes tooG1
9achel said$ <*acob can have sex with you tonight$ if you will give your son1s *mandrakes to
me.1
v1 *acob was coming in from the field in the evening. Then 7eah went out to meet him. And
she said$ <Bou must have sex with me tonight. 0 have hired you with my son1s *mandrakes.1 3o
*acob had sex with 7eah that night.
v1! od heard 7eah and she became *pregnant. 3he had her (
th
son for *acob. v1" 7eah
said$ <od has given my reward to me$ because 0 gave my maid to my husband.1 3o she
called her son 0ssachar.
v1# 7eah became *pregnant again. And she had her ;
th
son for *acob. v2$ Then 7eah said$
<od has given a good reward to me. @ow my husband will give honour to me. 0 have had ;
sons for him.1 3o she called that son 5ebulun.
v21 After that$ 7eah had a baby daughter. And she called her 6inah.
v22 Then od *blessed 9achel. od listened to her. And he made her able to have children.
v23 9achel became *pregnant and she had a baby son. 3he said$ <od has taken away my
shame.1 v24 9achel called her son *oseph. And she said$ <7et the *7ord add another son to
meG1
v25 When 9achel had given birth to *oseph$ *acob said this to 7aban& <3end me away to my
own home$ to my own country. v2 ive my wives and my children to me. 0 have worked hard
for them. =lease let me go. Bou know how well 0 have served you.1
v2! 7aban replied$ <0 have grown rich and the *7ord has *blessed me. 0 have learned that it
has happened because of you. v2" =lease name the wages that you want. And 0 will give
them.1
v2# *acob said$ <Bou yourself know how hard 0 have worked for you. Bour *cattle have grown
fat and healthy in my care. v3$ Bou had few things before 0 came. But now you have many
things. The *7ord has *blessed you by means of everything that 0 have done here. @ow 0 need
to take care of my own *household.1
v31 7aban replied$ <What shall 0 give to youH1
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*acob said$ <Bou need not give anything to me. But please do this for me. 0 will take care of
your *flock and 0 will feed it. v32 But please let me go through all your *flock today. 7et me
remove all those sheep and goats that have *speckles and spots. And let me remove the
black *lambs. Those will be my wages. v33 Afterwards you can prove that 0 have not cheated
you. Bou can prove that 0 have not taken more than 0 should. All my goats will have *speckles
or spots. And my *lambs will be black. 0f there are any other animals$ then 0 will have stolen
them.1
v34 7aban said$ <That is good. 0 agree to that.1 v35 But that same day$ 7aban took away the
male goats that had stripes and spots. And he took away the female goats that had *speckles
and spots. 7aban took away all the animals that had any white on them. And he took away
every *lamb that was black. 7aban told his sons to look after them. v3 And he told his sons to
go away from *acob$ so that the >ourney between them and *acob took three days. *acob fed
the rest of 7aban1s *flock.
v3! *acob then took fresh branches from *poplar trees$ *almond trees and *plane trees. And
he *peeled the branches so that they had white stripes. v3" 2e took the branches that he had
*peeled. And he placed them in the *troughs that contained water. The water was for the
animals to drink. 3o when the *flocks came to drink$ those branches were in front of them. And
the animals mated when they came to drink. v3# 3o they mated in front of the branches. The
*flocks then gave birth to *kids that had stripes$ *speckles and spots. v4$ *acob separated the
*lambs. 0n 7aban1s *flocks$ there were animals with stripes. And there were black sheep.
*acob put his own *flocks so that their faces were towards those particular animals. Then
*acob put his own *flocks aside. 2e separated them from 7aban1s *flock. v41 3ome animals
that came to mate were stronger and healthier. Then *acob took the branches that he had
*peeled. And he put those branches in the *troughs of water. 3o the branches were in front of
those stronger animals. And those animals saw the branches as they mated among them. v42
*acob did not put up those branches when the weaker animals were mating. Therefore the
weaker animals were 7aban1s and the stronger ones were *acob1s. v43 3o *acob became
extremely rich. 2e had large *flocks. 2e had male and female servants. And he had camels
and *donkeys.
Chapter %? continues the account of the birth of *acob1s sons. *acob1s wives persuaded *acob to
accept their maids as *concubines. 3o$ *acob had children by A different women. 9achel$ whom
*acob really loved$ was the last of these women have babies.
Afterwards$ *acob wanted to leave 7aban. od had promised *acob that *acob would return home
#enesis +,&'(/. =erhaps *acob wanted to bring up his sons in the country that od had promised
to their *descendants. But 7aban persuaded *acob to wait. 7aban offered to pay *acob for his
work. They agreed which animals would belong to *acob in the future. And so$ *acob became
wealthy.
+otes on the verses
:erses '-+ *acob1s wives could have shared the >oys that their husband and children gave to them.
0nstead$ they were >ealous of each other. And as a result$ there was trouble among *acob1s sons
later. 9achel became sad when she could not have children. 3he even blamed *acob.
:erses %-( 0t was the custom for a man to accept his wife1s maid as a *concubine. Abraham did
this in enesis ';&+-A. We do not know whether *acob wanted to follow this custom. But 9achel
was desperate. 3he could not have her own children. 3o$ she wanted Bilhah to have children that
9achel could look after$ with her.
:erse ; The name <6an1 means <od is my >udge1. That is$ od has been fair to me.
:erse , <@aphtali1 probably means a <fight1 or a <struggle1. 0t is a rare word. And so we are not sure
what it means. 3ome people think that it means <od1s fight1. The <fight1 or <struggle1 might mean
these things&
'/ a powerful fight or struggle)
+/ a struggle in the place where od had put her) that is$ a struggle with her sister as *acob1s other
wife)
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%/ a struggle with od when she was asking him to give children to her) that is$ a struggle in
prayer.
:erse .-'? We do not know whether *acob wanted another *concubine. *acob did not really love
7eah. 7aban forced *acob to marry her. But *acob was always fair to 7eah. 3o$ he accepted her
maid too.
:erse '' <ad1 means <good luck1.
:erse '% <Asher1 means <happy1.
:erse 'A *!andrakes were plants. =eople thought that those plants could help a person to love his
or her partner. They thought that the plants could help *barren women. The plants would help such
women to become *pregnant. 9achel had never been *pregnant. And she was desperate to have
children. This is why she wanted the *mandrakes.
:erses '(-'8 0t is clear that *acob spent very little time with 7eah. 7eah very much wanted *acob1s
love and 9achel very much wanted children. But it was 7eah who had another son after this event.
:erse ', <0ssachar1 may mean <7et od be *merciful1. Cr it may mean a <hired man1.
:erse +? 5ebulun probably means <honour1.
:erse +' =eople did not usually include daughters in lists of people1s children. 7ater$ however$
6inah was an important part of the story about this family. <6inah1 meant <>udgement1.
:erses ++-+% At last$ 9achel had a son. 3he always wanted children. But she had to wait for a long
time.
:erse +A <*oseph1 means <7et the *7ord add.1 9achel was praying for another son. And$ in the end$
9achel did have another son. But that was not a happy event #enesis %(&';-'./.
:erses +(-+; *acob had stayed with 7aban for 'A years. 6uring that time$ *acob worked in order to
pay for his marriages to 7eah and 9achel. The time that he agreed to work had ended. 3o$ *acob
wanted to return home to the country that od promised to him. 2e probably also wanted to
introduce his wives and children to his mother.
:erses +8-+, 7aban knew that od had made him #7aban/ rich because of *acob. And so 7aban
did not want *acob to go. 7aban offered wages in order to keep *acob there.
:erses +.-%A A *shepherd1s wages were sometimes one from every four animals that were born.
7aban thought that the animals with marks would be fewer than that. We do not know how
*speckles and spots were different. The siIes of the marks were probably different.
7aban and *acob agreed which animals would belong to *acob. The animals with marks would
belong to *acob. The animals without marks would belong to 7aban.
:erse %(-%; 7aban did not really want *acob to receive any wages. 7aban led away all the animals
that had marks. 3o$ *acob was looking after animals that had no marks. Cf course$ young animals
would be born. 7aban thought that the young animals would have no marks. 2e was trying to cheat
*acob.
:erses %8-A? 0t seems that *acob had a dream at this time #enesis %'&'?-'+/. *acob1s behaviour
may seem strange to us. But perhaps he was acting the events that he saw in this dream.
Whatever happened$ od made *acob wealthy. *acob knew that 7aban was trying to cheat. But
*acob was trusting od #enesis %'&(-8/
:erse A'-A+ od even allowed *acob to own the stronger animals. But 7aban1s animals were
weaker.
:erse A% od had promised that he would take care of Abraham and his *descendants. And
clearly$ od was doing what he had promised.
Chapter 31
)a(ob runs a.a- to Canaan
v1 7aban1s sons said that *acob had taken all their father1s things. *acob heard that. They
said that *acob had become very rich from 7aban1s *flocks. v2 *acob saw that 7aban was not
so kind to him as before.
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v3 Then the *7ord said to *acob$ <9eturn to your fathers1 country. o back to your family and 0
will be with you.1
v4 3o *acob sent for 9achel and 7eah. 2e called them into the field where his *flock was. v5
*acob said to his wives$ <0 see this. Bour father is not so kind to me as he was. But my father1s
od has been with me. v Bou know that 0 have served your father with all my strength. v!
2owever$ your father has cheated me. 2e has changed my wages '? times. But od did not
let him hurt me. v" 3ometimes your father said that my wages would be the animals with
spots. Then all the *flocks had young animals with spots. 3ometimes he said that my wages
would be the animals with stripes. Then all the *flocks had young animals with stripes. v# 3o
od took away your father1s animals and he gave them to me.
v1$ 0n the season when the *flock mated$ 0 looked up. And 0 saw this in a dream. The male
goats that mated with the *flock had stripes$ spots and *speckles. v11 Then the *angel of od
spoke to me. 2e spoke in my dream. 2e said$ J*acobGK And 0 replied$ J2ere 0 am.K v12 2e
said$ J7ook up and see. All the goats that are mating with the *flock have stripes$ spots and
*speckles. 0 have seen what 7aban is doing to you. v13 0 am the od who was at Bethel. Bou
put oil on a column and you made a promise to me there. @ow get up. o away from this
country. o back to the country where you were born.K 1
v14 Then 9achel and 7eah replied$ <Cur father will not give any of his wealth to us. v15 2e
behaves towards us as if we were foreigners. 2e has sold us and he has used up our money.
v1 od has taken things away from our father. All this belongs to us and it belongs to our
children. 3o do what od has told you.1
v1! 3o *acob got up. 2e put his sons on camels and he put his wives on camels. v1" 0n
=addan Aram$ *acob had got *cattle and animals. 2e took them away with him. 2e set out for
the country called Canaan to go to his father 0saac.
v1# 7aban had gone to cut the wool off his sheep. 9achel stole the gods that her father had
had in his *household. v2$ And *acob cheated 7aban$ who was from the people called
Arameans. *acob did not tell 7aban that he #*acob/ was going away. v21 3o *acob ran away
with everything that he had. 2e got up and he crossed the "uphrates 9iver. 2e set out for the
hilly country called ilead.
v22 Three days later$ someone told 7aban that *acob had run away. v23 7aban took his
relatives with him. 2e chased *acob for 8 days. 2e came near to *acob in the hilly country
called ilead. v24 od came to 7aban$ who was from the people called Arameans. od came
in a dream at night. 2e said to 7aban$ <Be careful. 6o not say anything either good or bad to
*acob.1
v25 7aban caught up with *acob. *acob had put up his tent in the hilly country. 7aban and his
relatives also put up their tents in that hilly country called ilead. v2 7aban said to *acob$
<Bou have cheated me. Bou have carried away my daughters. They are like prisoners that
someone has taken in war. v2! Bou ran away in secret. Bou cheated me. Bou did not tell me
that you were going. 0 would have had a merry party for you with songs$ *tambourine and
*lyre. v2" 0 was not able to kiss my daughters and family. 0 was not able to say goodbye. Bou
have been silly. v2# 0 am able to hurt you. 2owever$ your father1s od spoke to me last night.
2e said to me$ JBe careful. 6o not say anything either good or bad to *acob.K v3$ Bou very
much wanted to go back to your father1s house. That is why you have gone away. But why did
you steal my godsH1
v31 *acob answered 7aban$ <0 ran away because 0 was afraid. 0 thought that you would take
away your daughters from me by force. v32 Bou might discover that someone has taken your
gods. 0f so$ that person shall die. 0 might have something that is yours. 0f that is so$ then take
it. We have our relatives as witnesses.1 @ow *acob did not know that 9achel had stolen the
gods from the *household.
v33 3o 7aban went into *acob1s tent. Then 7aban went into 7eah1s tent. 2e also went into the
tent where the two female servants were living. But he did not find the gods. 7aban went out
of 7eah1s tent. 2e went into 9achel1s tent. v34 9achel had taken the gods that were from the
*household. And she had put them in the camel1s saddle. 3he was then sitting on them. 7aban
felt all round the tent. But he did not find the gods.
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v35 9achel said to her father$ <6o not be angry because 0 do not stand up in front of you. What
happens to women is happening to me.1 3o 7aban searched everything. But he did not find
the gods from the *household.
v3 Then *acob became very angry. 2e accused 7aban. *acob said to 7aban$ <0 have done
not done anything wrong. 0 have not hurt you. But you have chased after me. v3! Bou have
felt everything that 0 have. But you have not found the gods from your *household. Tell your
story here in front of our relatives$ yours and mine. 7et them decide who is right. 7et them
decide whether it is you or 0.
v3" 0 have served you as a slave for +? years. Bour female sheep and female goats have
given birth safely. 0 have not eaten the male sheep from your *flocks. v3# 0 did not bring to you
the animals that wild animals had torn. 0 myself paid for them. Bou made me pay for animals
that someone had stolen during the day or the night. v4$ That is how 0 suffered. 0 worked
during the very hot days and 0 worked during the cold nights. 0 could not sleep. v41 Eor +?
years 0 have been in your house. 0 served you as your slave. 0 served you for 'A years to get
your two daughters. And then 0 served you for ; years to get your *flock. Bou changed my
wages '? times. v42 !y father1s od looked after me. 2e is Abraham1s od. And he is the
od whom 0saac greatly respects. Bou would have sent me away with nothing if od had let
you do that. od saw how much 0 suffered. 2e saw how hard 0 have worked for you. 2e
warned you last night.1
v43 Then 7aban answered *acob. 7aban said$ <These daughters are my daughters. These
children are my family. "verything that you can see is mine. 0 cannot do anything today for my
family. v44 ComeG 7et us #you and me/ make a *covenant. 7et it show what you and 0 have
promised between us.1
v45 3o *acob took a stone. 2e put it up as a column. v4 *acob asked his relatives to collect
stones. 3o they took stones. They heaped them up into a pile. Then they ate together by that
heap of stones. v4! 7aban called the pile <*egarsahadutha1. And *acob called it <aleed1.
v4" 7aban said$ <This heap of stones shows what you and 0 have promised between us today.1
3o it was called aleed. v4# 7aban also called the column !iIpah$ because he said this& <7et
the *7ord watch between you and me when we are away from each other. v5$ 6o not hurt my
daughters. 6o not take any other wives apart from my daughters. !aybe nobody will see what
we do. But remember this. od is watching you and me.1
v51 Then 7aban also said this to *acob. <7ook at this heap of stones and look at this column. 0
have put them up between you and me. v52 This heap of stones shows what we have
promised. The column also shows what we have promised. 0 will not go past this heap in order
to hurt you. And you will not go past the heap #and the column/ in order to hurt me. v53 7et
od be the >udge between you and me. 2e is Abraham1s od and he is @ahor1s od. And he
is their father1s od.1
3o *acob made a very serious promise. As a witness$ he named the =erson that his father
0saac respected greatly. v54 *acob offered a *sacrifice on the mountain. 2e called his
relatives to eat food. They had a meal. They stayed on the mountain all night.
v55 "arly in the morning$ 7aban got up. 2e kissed his grandchildren and his daughters. 2e
*blessed them. Then he set out and he returned home.
*acob had worked very hard for 7aban. But 7aban and his sons did not respect *acob. 7aban
continued to cheat and he did not pay fair wages to *acob. And 7aban1s sons were starting to
accuse *acob. They said that *acob stole his wealth from 7aban. This was not true. 0n fact$ *acob
had become wealthy. But it was od who made *acob wealthy.
0n the end$ od told *acob to leave 7aban. *acob did not delay. 2e took his family and his animals.
*acob did not tell anyone else that his family were leaving. They did not even say goodbye to
7aban.
After three days$ 7aban heard that *acob had left. 7aban gathered his relatives to chase *acob.
We do not know what 7aban intended to do to *acob. =robably 7aban wanted to take back his
daughters and the animals. But$ that night$ od warned 7aban in a dream. 3o$ od was protecting
*acob.
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Cn the next day$ 7aban and *acob met. They argued with each other. But 7aban was careful about
his words$ because od had warned him.
7aban and *acob decided to make a *covenant. But this *covenant was not an agreement of
friendship. 0nstead$ they promised to stay apart. Then$ their sons would not fight each other.
+otes on the verses
:erse ' 7aban was getting old. 7aban1s sons were now adults. The sons were afraid that they
would not receive 7aban1s wealth. They were afraid that *acob might get it. But they were accusing
*acob of something that was not true. *acob never stole 7aban1s wealth. 0n fact$ 7aban became
wealthy because *acob was working for 7aban #enesis %?&+8/. And now od had made *acob
wealthy too.
:erse + "veryone knew that 7aban did not like *acob. That was because *acob had become very
rich. And 7aban was >ealous.
:erse % *acob had a good reason to go away. Also$ od had ordered him to go. 0n the *2ebrew
text$ the writer says that 7aban had <turned his face away from *acob1. 0t means that 7aban did not
like *acob. But od had <turned his own face1 towards *acob. 2e was looking after *acob.
:erse A *acob wanted his wives to go with him. 2e did not want them to stay with 7aban. 2e
wanted to be sure about that. *acob and his wives met together in a field. Erom that$ we learn that
they were >ust part of 7aban1s *household. They did not have their own home where they could be
alone and safe.
*acob did not force his wives to leave 7aban. *acob allowed them to choose.
:erses (-; *acob knew that od had helped him. And *acob was grateful.
:erse 8 <'? times1 may be a way to say <many times1.
:erse , 0t seems that the story in enesis %?&+(-A% was >ust an example of *acob1s problems with
7aban. 0n fact$ 7aban changed *acob1s wages many times. 7aban was not an honest employer.
:erse . 0n the *2ebrew text$ the writer says this& <od has res(ued your father1s animals.1
:erses '?-'+ od was guiding *acob. An *angel spoke to *acob during the dream.
:erse '% At Bethel$ *acob had made a promise to od. *acob would obey od if od looked after
him. 2ere$ od is reminding him about that promise. *acob should do as he had promised.
:erse 'A 7eah and 9achel believed that 7aban had cheated them. They were his daughters. But
he seemed to act as if they were strangers. A husband usually paid <bride money1 to his bride1s
father. #0t was like a payment to get the bride./ The father usually kept that money. But *acob had
no money. 0nstead$ he worked for the father as a payment. 7eah and 9achel thought that they
should receive money from their father 7aban. They thought that because their husband *acob had
worked for him.
:erse '( 7aban was behaving towards his daughters as if they were the wives of a slave.
6aughters did not *inherit from their father. Cnly sons *inherited. But 7aban had not given the right
wages to *acob. 0n that way$ he had cheated *acob. 3o he had cheated *acob1s wives and family
also.
:erse '; 9achel and 7eah thought that they could take their father1s wealth. 9achel even stole
something #verse './. But$ in fact$ od had not given 7aban1s wealth to them. 9eally$ od had
given to *acob his own wealth.
:erse ', *acob had come to 7aban alone. *acob had come without anything. The story shows how
od had *blessed *acob. od had given a lot of wealth to *acob. od had promised to do that. 2e
had also done that to Abraham and 0saac.
:erse '. 7aban was probably a fairly long distance away from home. When people cut the wool off
sheep$ it was a very important occasion. There was often a *feast at that time. The <gods1 that
9achel took from the *household were probably small *idols. Eamilies *worshipped them. They
thought that the *idols protected them. The *idols might have been images that were like
*ancestors. We do not know why 9achel stole them. =erhaps the person that had them had a right
to the family1s property. =erhaps she thought that the *idols would protect her during the >ourney.
=erhaps she liked the *idols. !aybe 9achel >ust wanted to have something from home. Cr maybe
she wanted to make her father angryG
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=eople in the Bible often had *idols. They did not always realise that *idols are false gods. 3o they
did not always realise that it is wrong to have *idols. But od1s command was that people should
not make *idols #6euteronomy (&,/. We should only serve the real od #6euteronomy (&8/.
:erses +?-+' *acob and his family left in secret. 7aban did not discover until three days afterwards.
:erses ++-+% 7aban and his relatives followed *acob. But 7aban travelled faster than *acob. Fnlike
*acob$ 7aban did not have children and animals to look after as he travelled. 3o$ 7aban soon
caught up with *acob.
:erse +A od told 7aban to agree with *acob always. 0n the *2ebrew text$ od says this to 7aban&
<3ay not a word to *acob either good or bad.1 0n other words$ <6o not encourage *acob to return.
And do not force him.1
:erse +; *acob did not owe anything to 7aban. 7aban wanted to keep *acob. That was because
*acob was a good worker. And od was *blessing what *acob did. !asters did not let slaves take
away wives and families. But *acob had worked hard to get his wives. 2e was 7aban1s nephew. 2e
was not a slave.
:erses +8-+, 7aban was unhappy that *acob had left in secret. But 7aban pretended that he was
happy for *acob to leave. This was probably not true.
0t seems that 7aban did not really care about his daughters. They had complained that he was
unfair to them in verses 'A-';.
:erses +.-%? 7aban knew that the real od had spoken to him. But 7aban still wanted *acob to
return 7aban1s *idols #false gods/. =erhaps the *idols were gold. 3o$ they were valuable. *acob did
not know who stole them.
:erse %+ The writer writes in a very clever way here. We know that 9achel stole the gods from the
*household at the beginning. And the writer makes us wonder whether 7aban will find the *idols.
We wonder what will happen. But we have to wait for a while before we can know that.
:erses %%-%A 7aban looked for his *idols. @obody expected that 9achel would steal anything. 3o
7aban looked in the other tents first.
:erse %( 9achel was not very gentle with the *idols here. 3he was sitting on them.
:erses %,-A? *acob1s and 7aban1s argument sounds like the discussions in a court. 7aban
accused *acob. But 7aban could not prove anything. @ow *acob accused 7aban. Cf course$ there
was no human >udge. od was their only >udge.
:erse A' <Ten times1 may not mean the exact number ten. 0t may mean <many times1.
:erse A+ 0n the *2ebrew text$ *acob calls od <the fear of 0saac1. 0t can mean the od whom 0saac
respected very greatly. And he was the od whom 0saac obeyed. 0t can also mean the od who
makes people afraid. *acob spoke to 7aban very clearly. *acob said that od was *blessing him
#*acob/. 2e said that od was watching him so that he #od/ could protect him. And *acob said
that od had already acted as their >udge. od had already spoken to 7aban. And od had told
7aban what to do.
:erse A% 7aban was not willing to give in to *acob. But 7aban knew that he #7aban/ could not win
against od.
:erses A(-A; When people made *covenants$ they sometimes built a heap of stones. 3o$ when
people saw the stones$ they would remember about the *covenant.
:erses A8-A. The name that 7aban called the stones was in his language. And the name that
*acob called them was in *acob1s language. Both names mean <heap of witness1. The heap was
like a witness. A witness gives evidence. And the heap was evidence that those men had made the
*covenant. !iIpah means <watch-post1 #a place where a guard is watching/.
:erse (? *acob had to promise not to marry any more wives.
:erses ('-(+ The purpose of the heap of stones was to separate *acob1s *descendants from
7aban1s *descendants. Then$ they would not fight.
:erse (% 7aban talked about <Abraham1s od1. 7aban also talked about <@ahor1s od1 and <their
father1s od1. !aybe 7aban meant that all those men had the same od. Cr he might have meant
that @ahor and the father did not have the same od as Abraham did. #7ook at *oshua +A&+$ 'A$
'(./ Abraham *worshipped the one real od. And *acob called only the one real od$ the od of
his father 0saac$ as his witness.
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:erse (A The writer does not tell us whether 7aban was also offering the *sacrifice together with
*acob.
:erse (( When 7aban first met *acob$ 7aban was very friendly to him. But when 7aban said
goodbye to *acob$ 7aban was less friendly to him.
Chapter 32
)a(obs ,ourne- home
v1 *acob went on his >ourney and od1s *angels met him. v2 And when *acob saw them$ he
said$ <This is od1s army.1 3o *acob called that place <!ahanaim1.
v3 *acob sent some people ahead of him to take a message to his brother "sau. #"sau was in
the region called 3eir$ in the country called "dom./ v4 *acob told those people to say this
message to "sau. <Bour servant *acob says this to my *lord "sau. *acob has stayed with
7aban. And he has lived with 7aban until now. v5 *acob has *oxen$ *donkeys and *flocks. And
he has male and female servants. 2e has sent us to tell this to my *lord "sau. *acob wants
"sau to have a kind attitude towards him #*acob/.1
v The people that had taken the message came back to *acob. And they said$ <We went to
your brother "sau. 2e is coming to meet you with A?? men.1
v! Then *acob was very afraid and he was very unhappy. 2e divided his people into two
groups. 2e also divided the *flocks$ *herds and camels into two groups. v" 2e thought that
"sau might come to one group. 2e thought that "sau might kill that group. Then the other
group might escape.
v# *acob said to od$ <Bou are the od of my father Abraham and you are the od of my
father 0saac. *7ord$ you told me to go back to my country and relatives. Then you would *bless
me. v1$ Bou have always been kind to me$ your servant. And you have always been *faithful
to me. 0 do not deserve that. 0 only had my stick when 0 crossed this river *ordan. @ow 0 have
become two large groups of people and animals. v11 =lease save me from my brother1s
power. 3ave me from "sau1s power. 0 am afraid of him. 0 am afraid that he will come to kill me.
0 am afraid that he will kill us all$ including the mothers and children. v12 Bou did say$ J0 will
*bless you. 0 will make your *descendants like the sand on the beach. @obody will be able to
count them.K 1
v13 3o *acob stayed there that night. Then he chose a present for his brother "sau. v14 2e
took +?? female goats$ +? male goats$ +?? female sheep and +? male sheep. v15 2e took %?
female camels that could give good milk$ with their young camels. 2e took A? female cows
and '? male cows. And he took +? female *donkeys and '? male *donkeys. *acob took those
from the animals that he had with him. v1 2e took the animals that he had chosen. And he
put them into his servants1 care. "very *flock was separate. 2e said to his servants$ <o ahead
in front of me. 7eave a space between the separate *flocks.1
v1! 2e said this to the servant in front. <"sau$ my brother$ will meet you. 2e will ask you who
your master is. 2e will ask you where you are going. 2e will also ask you who owns all these
animals. v1" Then you must say to him$ JThey belong to your servant *acob. They are a
present to my *lord "sau. *acob himself is behind us.K 1
v1# *acob said the same thing to the second and third servants. 2e said the same thing to all
those that were looking after the *flocks. 2e told them that each servant must say the same
thing to "sau when they met "sau. They must say the same thing as the first servant said.
v2$ They must make sure that they say this& <Bour servant *acob himself is behind us.1 *acob
thought$ <With my present$ 0 may stop his anger. !y present is in front of me. After that$ 0 shall
see "sau1s face. =erhaps he will accept me.1 v21 3o *acob1s present went ahead in front of
*acob. *acob himself stayed in the camp that night.
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v22 That same night$ *acob got up. 2e took his two wives$ his two maids and his '' children.
2e crossed the *abbok 9iver at the place where the water was very shallow. v23 *acob took
all those people and he sent them across the river. 2e sent across the river everything that he
owned. v24 Then *acob remained alone. A man fought with *acob until dawn. v25 The man
saw that he was not winning against *acob. 3o the man touched the curve between *acob1s
*thigh and *acob1s stomach. *acob had stretched the >oint of his *thigh while he fought with
the man. v2 Then the man said$ <7et me go because day is coming.1
But *acob said$ <0 will not let you go until you *bless me.1
v2! The man said to *acob$ <What is your nameH1
2e replied$ <*acob.1
v2" Then the man said$ <Bour name will not be *acob any longer. 0t will be 0srael. Bou have
fought with od and you have fought with men. And you have won.1
v2# Then *acob said$ <=lease tell me your name.1
But the man replied$ <Bou do not need to ask my name.1 Then he *blessed *acob.
v3$ 3o *acob called the place =eniel. 2e said$ <0 have seen od. 0 have looked at his face
while he was looking at mine. And although that happened$ 0 am still alive.1
v31 The sun rose while *acob passed =eniel. 2e was walking badly because of what
happened to his *thigh. v32 There is a *sinew in the curve next to an animal1s *thigh. But the
*0sraelites do not eat that *sinew. od touched the curve next to *acob1s *thigh where *acob1s
similar *sinew was. That is why the *0sraelites still do not eat that *sinew in an animal.
When *acob left Canaan$ "sau was plotting to kill him. @ow *acob was returning to Canaan. And
*acob realised that he would have to meet "sau.
*acob was afraid. 2e thought that "sau might still be very angry. And he heard that "sau had A??
men with him. *acob knew that his family and servants could not defeat "sau1s men.
*acob made plans in case "sau1s men attacked. *acob separated his family into groups. 2e hoped
that some would escape. And he sent his servants with gifts for "sau. *acob hoped that the gifts
would please "sau. And *acob wanted to show that he respected "sau as his older brother.
*acob had to depend on od. 0f "sau was angry$ only od could save *acob. *acob prayed for
help. *acob had a special experience in prayer. 2e seemed to be fighting a man. That man was
probably an *angel. The man was stronger than *acob. But the man could not overcome *acob.
3o$ *acob struggled with od in prayer. And *acob continued until od *blessed him. @ow$ *acob
was trusting od.
+otes on the verses
:erse ' *acob met od1s *angels. They showed that od was with him.
:erse + <!ahanaim1 means <two camps1. !aybe there were two armies of *angels. #But we do not
know why there would be two armies./ Cr maybe <two camps1 meant *acob1s camp and the
*angels1 camp. Afterwards$ *acob separated his own camp into two camps #verse 8/.
:erse % The region was called 3eir. <3eir1 is like the *2ebrew word for <hairy1. The country was
called "dom. <"dom1 is like the *2ebrew word for <red1. And "sau had red skin$ because he was
outdoors so much. "sau was a good hunter and he liked to be outdoors #enesis +(&+8/. 3o$
because of the name <"dom1$ people could easily remember who "sau was.
:erses A-( *acob was trying to make sure that "sau was not angry. 3o several times *acob called
"sau <my *lord1 and *acob called himself <your servant1. This was the usual way for a younger
brother to speak to his older brother. *acob used these words to show that he respected "sau.
:erse ; The writer shows to us that *acob was afraid. "sau had brought A?? men$ without *cattle
and children. That was an army that *acob might easily be afraid ofG *acob had servants and some
of his sons were young men. But *acob1s group were much too small and too weak to fight "sau1s
men.
:erses 8-, *acob separated his family$ servants and animals into two groups. 0f "sau attacked one
group$ the other group would run away.
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:erse . *acob prayed and he prepared. od expects us to do both. od has done good things in
the past for us. 0t is good to say such things when we pray. 0t helps us to remember what od has
done. And it shows to od that we are grateful. We are grateful for what he has done for us.
:erse '? When *acob left home$ he had only his stick. But when he came back$ he had a family.
2e had many servants and animals also.
:erses ''-'+ *acob said the right things in his prayer. But he was not yet ready to trust od. *acob
was still trying to use clever schemes to protect himself. 2e knew that od had promised to look
after him. But *acob thought that he would have to save himself by his own schemes.
:erse '% *acob made ready a very large present for "sau.
:erses 'A-+' *acob1s scheme was to send several separate gifts to "sau. *acob thought that "sau
would perhaps still be angry after the first gift. But "sau would be less angry after the second gift.
0n the end$ "sau would receive many such gifts$ even before he met *acob.
:erses ++-+A The writer does not tell us why *acob stayed behind alone. =erhaps *acob realised
that he needed to pray more. *acob did not want anyone to disturb him as he prayed. 2e needed
to spend time alone with od.
We do not know why od1s man fought with *acob. #The man was probably an *angel./ But we do
know why *acob continued to struggle with the man. *acob wanted to receive od1s *blessing
#verse +;/. 0t would have been difficult to fight in the dark.
:erse +( The man was much stronger than *acob was. The man hurt *acob badly when he merely
touched *acob. Afterwards$ *acob could not walk well #verse %'/.
:erse +; *acob did not want to fight for nothing. 2e wanted od1s *blessing. *acob always
believed that od1s *blessing was very important. *acob would do anything to get od1s *blessing.
:erse +8 0srael means <od struggles1. Cr it means <he who struggles with od1. *acob had to
struggle that night as he prayed. But *acob overcame.
3o$ *acob1s name changed to 0srael$ although we still call him *acob. And *acob1s character also
changed. *acob did not continue to use schemes. 0nstead$ he learnt to trust od more.
:erse %? =eniel means <od1s face1. 0n verse %'$ the *2ebrew text has <=enuel1. 0t is another way
to say the same name.
od is very holy. At that time$ if people saw od$ they did not usually stay alive. The verse might
also mean this& *acob knew that od was keeping him alive. That was because od had *blessed
him.
:erse %' od sometimes makes us weak in some way. That makes us trust him for his strength.
#0n + Corinthians '+&.$ =aul wrote$ <The *7ord said to me$ J!y grace #kindness/ is enough for you.
When you are weak$ then my power becomes perfect in you.K 3o 0 am very happy to talk proudly
about my weaknesses. Then Christ1s power can live in me.1 7ook also at the verse after that$ +
Corinthians '+&'?./
Chapter 33
)a(ob meets *sau
v1 *acob looked up. 2e saw that "sau was coming. "sau had A?? men with him. 3o *acob
divided the children among 7eah$ 9achel and the two maids. v2 *acob put the maids in front
with their children. Then 7eah and her children were next. Then 9achel and *oseph came last.
v3 *acob went in front of them all. 2e *bowed 8 times to the ground as he came near to his
brother.
v4 But "sau ran to meet *acob and he hugged *acob. 2e hugged *acob closely and he
kissed him. And they both wept. v5 "sau looked up and he saw the women and children.
Then he said$ <Who are these people with youH1
*acob replied$ <These are the children that od has kindly given to me$ your servant.1
v Then the maids and their children came near. They *bowed down. v! Also 7eah and her
children came near and they *bowed down. Einally$ *oseph and 9achel came near and they
*bowed down.
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v" "sau said$ <Why have you sent all this crowd of animals which 0 metH1
*acob answered$ <0 wanted you to be kind to me$ my *lord.1
v# But "sau replied$ <0 have plenty$ my brother. 4eep for yourself what you have.1
v1$ *acob replied$ <@o$ 0 ask you to do this. 0f you are not angry with me$ please take my
present. 0 give it to you. 0 would be very happy to see od1s face. And 0 am eDually happy to
have seen you. Bou have received me in such a kind way. v11 =lease take my gift. 0 have
brought it for you. od has been kind to me. 0 have plenty.1 3o *acob persuaded "sau. And
"sau took the gift.
v12 Then "sau said$ <7et us travel from here together. 0 will go in front of you.1
v13 But *acob said to him$ <Bou$ my *lord$ know this& The children are weak. And 0 worry about
the animals. They are feeding their young animals. 0f 0 make them go too far in one day$ then
all the *flocks will die. v14 =lease$ my *lord$ go ahead in front of me$ your servant. 0 will follow
slowly$ because of the *cattle and children. 0 will follow slowly until 0 meet you$ my *lord$ in
3eir.1
v15 3o "sau said$ <7et me leave some of the men that are with me. 0 will leave them so that
they will be with you.1
*acob replied$ <There is no need for that. =lease do not worry about me.1
v1 3o "sau turned back to 3eir on that day. v1! But *acob went to 3uccoth. 2e built a house
there and he made sheds there for his *cattle. Therefore the place is called 3uccoth.
v1" Then *acob came safely to the city called 3hechem. That city is in the country called
Canaan. 0t is on the way back from =addan-Aram. *acob camped in front of the city. v1# 2e
bought a piece of land where he had put up his tent. 2e paid '?? pieces of money for the
land. 2e paid them to 2amor1s sons. 2amor was 3hechem1s father. v2$ *acob built an *altar
there on that land. 2e called the *altar "l-"lohe-0srael.
At last$ it was time to meet "sau. *acob had been very afraid about this meeting. *acob1s body was
weaker because of his experience when he struggled with the *angel. But *acob probably felt
stronger$ because he now had od1s *blessing. *acob led his family as they approached "sau.
But "sau was not angry. 0n fact$ he was kind to *acob. "sau did not even want to accept *acob1s
gifts. But *acob insisted that "sau should accept them.
*acob stayed in Canaan. 2e bought some land near a city called 3hechem. 2e prayed there. And
nobody opposed him. But there would soon be more troubles.
+otes on the verses
:erse ' *acob had a lot of time to wait for "sau. *acob had time to arrange his people and animals
in order. 2e had fought all night with the <man1 #od1s man/. *acob was afraid to meet "sau. 3o$
*acob needed the strength that od gave to him.
"sau still had A?? men with him. *acob himself had an in>ury. 2e did not have A?? men. The men
that he had were not able to fight. They had to take care of the animals. And they were probably
tired after the long >ourney.
:erse + 0t was the custom to arrange sons in the order of their age #enesis A%&%%/. This would
usually be the same order as their importance in the family #' 3amuel ';&;-''/. But *acob
arranged his sons in the order of the importance of their mothers. *acob probably did not realise
that he had given the most important place to *oseph. *oseph was *acob1s youngest son at this
time. But *oseph was the son of *acob1s favourite wife.
:erse % *acob showed that he had come in peace. 2e wanted to be friends with "sau. And he was
careful to show it. 2e was willing to be humble. 2e did not want to get things from other people. 2e
was content$ because od was *blessing him.
:erses A-'' "sau was not still angry. 2e$ too$ was content. 2e did not even want to take *acob1s
gifts. They were both happy to be together.
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:erses '+-'8 *acob wanted to go to the country that od had promised. 3o he did not want to go
to 3eir$ where "sau lived. We do not know why *acob built a house at 3uccoth. <3uccoth1 means
<shelters1. That is$ simple shelters. The people and animals probably needed a rest after the long
>ourney. !aybe they did not stay there for a long time. 2owever$ we do not know how long they
actually stayed there.
:erses ',-'. *acob wanted to have a calm life. These verses are like enesis +'&%%-%A and
enesis +;&+(. Both Abraham and 0saac found Duiet places where they could live. These places
were calm and Abraham and 0saac were able to pray there. *acob hoped that he had arrived at
such a place.
:erse +? <"l-"lohe-0srael1 means <od is 0srael1s #*acob1s/ od1. *acob remembered that he
#*acob/ had promised this #enesis +,&+'/. 2e had promised that od would be his od. And now$
od had brought him safely back to Canaan.
Chapter 34
/inah
v1 @ow 6inah was the daughter of *acob and 7eah. 6inah went out to visit the women in that
country. v2 3hechem was 2amor1s son. 2amor was a *2ivite and he was the prince of that
country. 3hechem saw 6inah. 2e seiIed her and he had sex with her. 2e *raped her. v3
3hechem thought that *acob1s daughter 6inah was very attractive. 3hechem loved her very
much. 2e spoke to her in a kind way. v4 3o 3hechem spoke to his father 2amor. 3hechem
said$ <et this girl for me to be my wife.1
v5 3hechem had *raped *acob1s daughter$ 6inah. *acob heard that news. *acob1s sons were
taking care of the *cattle in the field. *acob said nothing until they came back.
v 2amor$ 3hechem1s father$ went out to speak to *acob. v! *acob1s sons heard about what
had happened. They came in from the field. Those men were very sad and angry. 3hechem
had done something that nobody should ever do in 0srael. 2e had had sex with *acob1s
daughter.
v" But 2amor spoke to *acob1s sons. 2e said$ <!y son 3hechem loves your daughter very
much. =lease give her to him to be his wife. v# 7et people from our nations marry each other.
ive your daughters to us. Take our daughters for yourselves. v1$ 3tay with us. Cur country
is open to you. 7ive in it and trade in it. Buy land in it.1
v11 3hechem$ too$ spoke to 6inah1s father and brothers. <0 want to please you. 0 will give to
you whatever you ask. v12 0 will give to you whatever price you want me to pay for the bride.
And 0 will give to you whatever present you want. 0 will give them to you$ even if it is a lot of
money. =lease give the girl to me to be my wife.1
v13 *acob1s sons answered 3hechem and 2amor$ 3hechem1s father. The sons lied to them.
The sons were angry because 3hechem had *raped their sister 6inah. v14 *acob1s sons said
to 2amor and 3hechem$ <We cannot do this. We cannot give our sister as a bride to
3hechem. 0f we did that$ people would not respect us any longer. They would not respect us
because 3hechem has not received *circumcision. v15 We can agree to do what you ask. But
we will agree only if you do this. All your men must receive *circumcision as we have done.
v1 Then we will let you marry our daughters. And we will marry your daughters. Then we will
live among you. We will become one nation with you. v1! But perhaps you will not listen to us.
=erhaps you will refuse to receive *circumcision. Then we will take our daughter and we will
go away.1
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v1" 2amor and his son 3hechem were pleased to hear that. v1# The young man 3hechem
did not wait. 2e *circumcised himself$ because he was so happy with *acob1s daughter.
3hechem was the noblest man in his family. v2$ 3o 2amor and his son 3hechem came to
their city1s gate. They spoke to the men that lived in their city. 2amor and 3hechem said this&
v21 <These men are friendly to us. 7et them stay in our country and let them trade in it. 7et
them stay because the country is big enough for them to be there. 7et us marry their
daughters. And let them marry our daughters. v22 They will agree to live among us. They will
become one nation with us. But they will do it only if we do this one thing. All our men must
receive *circumcision as they have received *circumcision. v23 Their *cattle$ their animals and
everything that they own will be ours. They will stay among us if we agree with them.1
v24 "veryone that went out of the city1s gate listened to 2amor and his son 3hechem. "very
man received *circumcision. All those men that went out of the city gate received
*circumcision.
v25 Cn the third day$ all those men were very sore. Two of *acob1s sons$ 3imeon and 7evi$
who were 6inah1s brothers$ eagerly took their swords. They attacked the city$ where the
people felt safe. They killed all the men. v2 3imeon and 7evi used swords to kill 2amor and
his son 3hechem. Then they took 6inah out of 3hechem1s house and they went away. v2!
*acob1s sons stole things from the dead bodies. They stole things from the city. They did that
because 3hechem had *raped their sister. v2" The brothers took the *flocks and *herds and
*donkeys. They took everything that was in the city. And they took everything that was in the
field. v2# They took everything that was valuable. They took the wives and children and they
took everything from the houses. They took everyone as prisoners.
v3$ Then *acob said to 3imeon and 7evi$ <Bou have caused trouble for me. The nations in this
country$ both the *Canaanites and the *=eriIIites$ will hate me. 0 do not have a big army.
=erhaps they will unite to fight against me. =erhaps they will attack me. Then they will kill me
and my *household.1
v31 But 7evi and 3imeon >ust replied$ <2e should not have sex with our sister as he would do
with a *prostitute.1
*acob served the real od #enesis %A&+?/. But *acob1s family did not. They used *idols$ which
were images of false gods #enesis %(&+/. And they were not behaving in the same manner as
people who serve the real od.
This became a very serious matter when a man called 3hechem *raped 6inah. 6inah was the
daughter of *acob and 7eah. 3imeon and 7evi were brothers of 6inah. They became very angry
when they heard about 3hechem.
They made a cruel plot. They pretended that 3hechem could marry 6inah. But first$ 3hechem
would have to accept *circumcision. And they wanted every male in 3hechem1s town to accept
*circumcision. 3hechem1s town was called 3hechem too #enesis '+&;/. The men agreed. But
while the men were still hurting$ 3imeon and 7evi attacked them. 3imeon and 7evi killed every man
in the town$ including 3hechem.
*acob was very unhappy about the behaviour of 3imeon and 7evi. They had acted in the same
manner as very wicked people behave. 3hechem deserved punishment. But the actions of 3imeon
and 7evi were much too cruel. And now$ *acob1s whole family was in danger.
Before he died$ *acob *blessed his sons. But he did not *bless 3imeon or 7evi. 0nstead$ he said
that their anger was terrible. 3o$ od would scatter their *descendants across the country called
0srael #enesis A.&(-8/.
+otes on the verses
:erse ' We do not know whether 6inah had sisters. =eople often made lists that showed members
in a family. #3ee enesis +.&%'-%() %?&'-+A/. But such a list did not include girls$ unless there was
a special reason for that. !aybe 6inah should not have gone out to visit those people. !aybe that
was dangerous.
:erse + At that time$ people considered that sex between unmarried people was very seriously
wrong. od says that this is wrong. There are laws about this in 6euteronomy ++&+%-+..
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:erses %-A 3hechem very much wanted to marry 6inah. We do not know whether 6inah wanted to
marry 3hechem.
:erse ( The report about 6inah probably upset *acob greatly. But *acob did not say anything.
=erhaps he was too sad to speak about the matter. =erhaps he did not want to make any decisions
while his sons were away. =erhaps he was being careful not to speak too Duickly$ in case his
reaction was angry. 3o$ *acob waited.
:erse 8 0n *2ebrew$ the writer says that 3hechem had <done a foolish thing in 0srael1. The word
<foolish1 can mean <evil1. <0n 0srael1 may mean <in 0srael1s family1. That is *acob1s family$ because
*acob was also called 0srael. 0t may also mean that the writer was referring to the future nation
called 0srael. The nation called 0srael would come from *acob1s #0srael1s/ family.
:erses ,-'. 2amor and 3hechem were very polite. And *acob and his sons were also very polite.
2owever$ *acob1s sons were telling lies about what they would do. And 3hechem had not given
6inah back.
:erses ,-. od would give very clear rules about marriages between *0sraelites and other nations.
*acob and his family did not know these rules yet. But both Abraham and 0saac thought that their
children should not marry anyone from Canaan.
:erse '? To <trade1 may mean to <move about1. !erchants #traders/ were people that moved about.
:erse '% The brothers were angry because 3hechem had *raped their sister. 0t seems that he was
still living with her.
:erses 'A-'8 *acob1s sons were not respecting od. They were using *circumcision for their own
advantage. They were not using it to show a *covenant with od. *acob1s sons wanted only to
make the men in 3hechem weak. The sons wanted to defeat and to kill those men.
:erse +? =eople usually discussed all the important things at the city1s gate.
:erses +'-+% 2amor and 3hechem were clever. They told the men in their city that the *0sraelites1
wealth would come to the city. Actually$ 2amor had invited the *0sraelites to have land in the city.
But 2amor and 3hechem did not tell that to the men in the city. The reason for all that was so that
3hechem could marry 6inah$ the *0sraelite woman. But 2amor and 3hechem did not say the
reason. The writer writes about <men that went out of the gate1. 0t probably means healthy$ skilful
men that could fight. 3uch men could also work in the fields.
:erse +( 3imeon and 7evi punished the men in 3hechem too severely. The brothers were very
cruel.
:erse +; 3imeon and 7evi took 6inah away. 0n the meantime$ 6inah had been with 3hechem all
the time. That was another reason why her brothers were so angry. 3imeon and 7evi may have
had other men with them. But in a surprise attack$ it was sometimes better to have only a few men.
:erses +8-+. After 3imeon and 7evi killed the men$ *acob1s sons took everything away from the
city. They took all the possessions that had belonged to the dead men. And they kept these things
for themselves. They also took the women and children to be their slaves. 3o$ *acob1s sons
became wealthy. But they became wealthy because of 3imeon and 7evi1s cruelty.
:erses %?-%' The behaviour of *acob1s sons upset *acob greatly. 2e realised that other people
would oppose him because of his sons1 actions. @ow$ his sons had become wealthy and powerful.
And *acob had learned that he could not control them.
od had promised to make *acob1s *descendants into a great nation. But *acob did not want that
nation to be a wicked nation. 3o$ *acob needed to teach his sons about od #enesis %(&'-'(/.
@obody in the story was innocent. 6inah went out to visit those people. That was a dangerous
thing to do. 2amor and 3hechem did something wrong to her. And they were not honest with
*acob1s family about it. 2amor and 3hechem were not honest with their own people either. *acob
probably should have done more about 6inah1s situation. But he was perhaps more worried about
his own safety among his neighbours.
But the behaviour of 3imeon and 7evi was terrible. The brothers punished the men in 3hechem too
severely. They were cruel. 0t is clear that people in *acob1s family were bitter and angry. And they
were behaving like people who did not know od.
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Chapter 35
)a(ob 0oes home and %saa( dies
v1 od said to *acob$ <et up. o to Bethel and live there. When you ran away from your
brother "sau$ you saw od. @ow make an *altar there for od1s honour.1
v2 3o *acob said this to his *household and to everyone with him& <Throw away the foreign
gods that you have. Wash yourselves and change your clothes. v3 7et us get up. We will go
up to Bethel. There 0 will make an *altar for od1s honour. od listened to me when 0 was in
trouble. 2e has been with me wherever 0 have gone.1 v4 3o they gave to *acob all the foreign
gods that they had. They also gave their ear-rings to him. *acob hid the ear-rings under the
*oak tree near 3hechem. v5 Then *acob set out on his >ourney with all those people. od
made the people in the cities along the way very afraid. 3o they did not chase *acob and his
sons.
v *acob came to 7uI. #That is$ Bethel./ 0t is in the country called Canaan. 2e came with all
the people that were with him. v! *acob built an *altar there. *acob had seen od there when
he ran away from his brother. 3o he called the place "l-Bethel.
v" 6eborah$ 9ebekah1s nurse$ died. =eople buried her below Bethel under an *oak tree. They
called the place Allon-Bacuth.
v# After *acob had come back from =addan-Aram$ od appeared in front of him again. od
*blessed him. v1$ And od said to him$ <Bour name is *acob. But it will not be *acob any
longer. Bour name will be 0srael.1 3o *acob1s name became 0srael.
v11 od also said$ <0 am od *Almighty. 2ave a large family. 2ave many *descendants. A
nation will come from you. And a group of nations will come from you. 4ings will be in your
family. v12 0 promised a country to Abraham and 0saac. 0 will give that same country to you.
And 0 will give it to your *descendants after you.1 v13 Then od went up from *acob. od left
the place where he had spoken to *acob.
v14 *acob put up a column of stone where od had spoken to him. *acob poured out an
*offering to od on it. 2e poured oil on it. v15 *acob called that place Bethel$ because od
had spoken to him there.
v1 Then *acob and those with him left Bethel. They were still not near "phrath. 9achel had
bad pains because she would soon have a baby. v1! 3he was suffering in her pain. The nurse
who was helping at the birth spoke to her. 3he said$ <6o not be afraid. @ow you will have
another son.1 v1" 9achel did not stay alive. As she was dying$ she called her son Benoni. But
his father called him Ben>amin.
v1# 3o 9achel died. And *acob buried her on the way to "phrath. #That is$ Bethlehem./ v2$
*acob put up a column on her grave. That column on 9achel1s grave was still there when the
writer wrote this down.
v21 0srael continued his >ourney. 2e put up his tent beyond the *tower called "der. v22 0srael
lived there for a while. 9euben went in to Bilhah. Bilhah was a slave$ but she was also his
father1s wife. 9euben had sex with her. And 0srael heard about it.
*acob had '+ sons.
v23 The sons of 7eah were 9euben$ #*acob1s oldest son/$ 3imeon$ 7evi$ *udah$ 0ssachar and
5ebulun. v24 The sons of 9achel were *oseph and Ben>amin. v25 The sons of Bilhah$
9achel1s maid$ were 6an and @aphtali. v2 The sons of 5ilpah$ 7eah1s maid$ were ad and
Asher. Those were *acob1s sons. They were born for him in =addan-Aram.
v2! *acob came to his father 0saac at !amre. #0t is also called 4iriath-Arba or 2ebron./ That is
where Abraham and 0saac had lived. v2" @ow 0saac was ',? years old. v2# 0saac breathed
his last breath. 2e died and he went to be with his people. 2e was very old. 0saac1s sons "sau
and *acob buried him.
*acob did not feel safe now near the town called 3hechem. 2is sons$ 3imeon and 7evi$ had been
angry$ so they killed many men there. And *acob was afraid that the relatives of those men might
attack his family. od told *acob to take his family to Bethel.
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0t seems that *acob was pleased to take his family to Bethel. od first spoke to *acob at Bethel.
*acob could teach his family about od during the >ourney. 2e explained to them how he met the
real od. 2e told them that they should not keep their *idols #images of false gods/. And he told his
family that they were going to a holy place. 3o$ they had to prepare themselves.
At Bethel$ od repeated his promises to *acob. And *acob rebuilt the *altar that he made there.
3oon afterwards$ *acob1s last son$ called Ben>amin$ was born. But Ben>amin1s mother$ 9achel$
died at the birth.
A terrible event happened afterwards. 0t was the custom in Canaan that the oldest son should have
sex with his father1s wives. Then$ that son would become the leader of the family. #3ee + 3amuel
';&+'-++./ *acob knew that this action was very wicked. And he hoped that his own sons had
learned about od. But *acob could not control his sons. They were adults now. 3o$ they were
responsible for their own behaviour.
9euben$ who was *acob1s first son$ had sex with Bilhah. Bilhah was *acob1s *concubine. 3he had
been 9achel1s maid. *acob heard about 9euben1s behaviour. 3o$ *acob decided that 9euben must
not receive the *birthright. And 9euben did not receive a *blessing from *acob #enesis A.&%-A/.
3imeon and 7evi were the oldest sons after 9euben. But *acob would not give them the *birthright
because of their cruelty. 3o instead$ *acob chose *oseph #enesis %8&%) ' Chronicles (&'-+/.
+otes on the verses
:erse ' od was gently reminding *acob that he #od/ had been *faithful. 2e had taken care of
*acob. @ow *acob needed to *worship od at Bethel. *acob had promised to do that.
:erses +-A =eople in *acob1s *household still had *idols. That seems strange. 2owever$ they threw
the *idols away when *acob asked them to. They also threw away ear-rings. We think that the ear-
rings had some connection with *idols. 3o those that wore the ear-rings served the *idols. The ear-
rings were evidence of that. 0t is also strange that *acob buried those things under a tree. 2e did
not destroy them. Fsually$ before people *worshipped od in a special way$ they washed
themselves. They put on clean clothes. They did those things to respect od. 0t made the people
remember that od is perfect. 3o$ they must prepare themselves to *worship him.
:erse ( *acob1s sons had done an evil thing to the men in 3hechem #chapter %A/. 3o *acob was
afraid of the people that lived near.
:erse 8 "l-Bethel means <od of Bethel1. That is$ od who appeared at Bethel. Bethel means <the
house of od1. Bethel was the place where *acob decided to serve od #enesis +,&'.-++/.
:erse , 6eborah was very old. The writer speaks about her death. They buried her <below Bethel1.
3ome people think that it means <near Bethel1. Cr perhaps they buried her at the actual spot where
od first appeared to *acob #enesis +,&''-'./.
The wives of Abraham$ 0saac and *acob all had maids #also called nurses/. And all these maids
became *concubines$ except for 6eborah. 6eborah was a loyal servant. And it seems that the
whole family loved her.
:erse . =erhaps the writer was saying again what had happened earlier. #7ook at verse './ When
something was repeated in the Bible$ it was very important.
:erses '?-'% od repeated his promises to *acob. *acob1s *descendants would become a great
nation. And od would give to them the country called Canaan.
:erses 'A-'( This was the way that they *worshipped od. 0t made the column special for them.
This was the same place where od spoke to *acob during a dream. #3ee enesis +,&'?-++./ At
that time$ *acob put up a stone column. But it was now +? years later. At last$ *acob was able to
return to that place. =erhaps his column had fallen down and *acob rebuilt it.
:erses ';-', 9achel had the second son that she wanted #enesis %?&+A/. But she did not stay
alive after the birth. Benoni means <son of my sorrow1. #That means <the son that 0 got when 0 was
sad1. <3orrow1 means sad feelings./
Ben>amin means <son of my right hand1. A man would place his right hand on his oldest son when
he *blessed that son. #3ee enesis A,&'%-'../ 3o$ people associated the right hand with the
*blessing. 3o$ the name <Ben>amin1 meant that od would *bless him.
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:erses '.-+? Bethlehem became a very important town. 4ing 6avid came from Bethlehem$ so
Bethlehem became a royal town. And *esus was born in Bethlehem.
:erse ++ What 9euben did was very serious. 3uch actions in a family were very bad. 9euben was
probably trying to become the head of the family instead of *acob. 9euben wanted to show his
authority. *acob heard. And he decided that *oseph would receive the *birthright instead of
9euben.
:erses +%-+; @early all *acob1s sons were born in =addan-Aram. Ben>amin was not born there.
But the writer added Ben>amin1s name #in verse +A/ so that this list of *acob1s sons was complete.
:erses +8-+. *acob and "sau met together again. They buried their father 0saac together.
0saac lived much longer than anyone had expected. 0saac was a man with a calm attitude. 2e did
not like arguments. 2e would have been pleased that *acob and "sau met together for his funeral.
Their arguments had ended. And they were friendly again.
Chapter 3
*saus 'des(endants
v1 These are "sau1s #"dom1s/ *descendants.
v2 "sau married *Canaanite wives. 2e married Adah$ the daughter of "lon the *2ittite. And
"sau also married Cholibamah$ the daughter of Anah. Anah was the son of 5ibeon the *2ivite.
v3 Also$ "sau married Basemath$ 0shmael1s daughter. 3he was @ebaioth1s sister.
v4 Adah had a baby called "liphaI for "sau. Basemath had a baby called 9euel. v5
Cholibamah had babies called *eush$ *alam and 4orah. Those are "sau1s sons. They were
born for him in the country called Canaan.
v Then "sau went away. 2e took his wives$ his sons and his daughters. And he took
everyone in his *household. 2e also took his *cattle and all his animals. 2e took everything
that he had got in the country called Canaan. "sau went into a country that was away from his
brother *acob. v! They could not live near each other$ because they both had so much
wealth. "sau and *acob had many *cattle. Where they were living before$ there was not
enough land for them both. 0t was not enough to feed all their *cattle. v" 3o "sau lived in the
hilly region called 3eir. =eople also call "sau <"dom1.
v# These are "sau1s *descendants. "sau was the father of the *"domites. They live in the
hilly region called 3eir.
v1$ These are the names of "sau1s sons. "liphaI was the son of "sau1s wife Adah. 9euel
was the son of "sau1s wife Basemath.
v11 "liphaI1s sons were Teman$ Cmar$ 5epho$ atam and 4enaI.
v12 #Timna was a *concubine of "sau1s son "liphaI. 3he had a baby called Amalek for
"liphaI./ Those were the grandsons of "sau1s wife Adah.
v13 9euel1s sons were @ahath$ 5erah$ 3hammah and !iIIah. Those were the grandsons of
"sau1s wife Basemath.
v14 These were the sons of "sau1s wife Cholibamah. 3he was the daughter of Anah$ who was
5ibeon1s son. Cholibamah had babies called *eush$ *alam and 4orah for "sau.
v15 These were the chief men among "sau1s sons. The sons of "liphaI$ "sau1s oldest son$
included the chief men Teman$ Cmar$ 5epho and 4enaI. v1 The other sons of "liphaI were
the chief men 4orah$ atam and Amalek. They were chief men in the country called "dom.
And they were Adah1s grandsons.
v1! These were the sons of 9euel$ "sau1s son. They were the chief men @ahath$ 5erah$
3hammah and !iIIah. They were chief men in the country called "dom. They were 9euel1s
sons. And they were the grandsons of "sau1s wife Basemath.
v1" The chief men *eush$ *alam and 4orah were the sons of "sau1s wife Cholibamah. 3he
was Anah1s daughter.
v1# All those were "sau1s #"dom1s/ sons. Those men were chief men.
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v2$ These were the sons of 3eir$ the *2orite. They lived in that country. They included 7otan$
3hobal$ 5ibeon and Anah. v21 The other sons of 3eir were 6ishon$ "Ier and 6ishan. Those
men were *2orite chief men. They were 3eir1s sons in the country called "dom.
v22 7otan1s sons were 2ori and 2eman. 7otan had a sister$ Timna.
v23 These were 3hobal1s sons. They were Alvan$ !anahath$ "bal$ 3hepho and Cnam.
v24 These were 5ibeon1s sons. They were Aiah and Anah. This man Anah used to feed the
*donkeys of his father 5ibeon in the desert. There$ one day$ he found wells where hot water
came up.
v25 These were Anah1s children. They were his son 6ishon and his daughter Cholibamah.
v2 These were 6ishon1s sons. They were 2emdan$ "shban$ 0thran and Cheran.
v2! These were "Ier1s sons. They were Bilhan$ 5aavan and Akan.
v2" These were 6ishan1s sons. They were FI and Aran.
v2# Those men were the *2orite chief men. They were 7otan$ 3hobal$ 5ibeon and Anah.
v3$ There were also 6ishon$ "Ier and 6ishan. Those were the chief men among the *2orites.
They were the chief men in their *tribes in the region called 3eir.
v31 These were the kings that ruled in the country called "dom. They ruled there before any
king ruled over the *0sraelites.
v32 Bela$ Beor1s son$ was the king in "dom. Bela1s city was called 6inhabah.
v33 Bela died. After him$ 5erah1s son *obab ruled. *obab was from BoIrah.
v34 *obab died. After him$ 2usham ruled. 2usham was from the region where Teman1s
*descendants lived.
v35 2usham died. After him$ Bedad1s son 2adad ruled. 2adad1s city was called Avith. 2adad
defeated the army from !idian in the country called !oab.
v3 2adad died. After him$ 3amlah from !asrekah ruled.
v3! 3amlah died. After him$ 3haul ruled. 3haul was from 9ehoboth by the "uphrates 9iver.
v3" 3haul died. After him$ Achbor1s son Baal-2anan ruled.
v3# Baal-2anan$ Achbor1s son$ died. After Baal-2anan$ 2adar ruled. 2adar1s city was called
=au. 2adar1s wife was !ehetabel. 3he was the daughter of !atred$ who was !eIahab1s
daughter.
v4$ These were the chief men that were "sau1s *descendants. "ach *descendant1s name also
refers to his family. The name also refers to the place where the family lived. The chief men
included Timna$ Alvah$ *etheth. v41 They also included Cholibamah$ "lah and =inon. v42
There were also 4enaI$ Teman and !ibIar. v43 The other chief men were !agdiel and 0ram.
They all were chief men in "dom. "ach name also refers to the area where the chief man
lived. "ach chief man owned the area where he lived. Those were *descendants of "sau$ who
was the father of the *"domites.
=eople try to discover what the names of "sau1s *descendants meant. =eople try to link the names
with nations that people knew in that area later. But that is not very helpful. od always does the
things that he promises to do. 0n this chapter$ the writer reminds us about this principle. "sau was
not the son that od had chosen. But od had made a promise about "sau #enesis +(&+%/. 3o$
od gave many *descendants to "sau. 7ater$ 4ing 6avid defeated the *"domites and he ruled
over them. 3o they did serve *acob1s *descendants.
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+otes on the verses
:erses +-, "sau1s first two wives did not come from Abraham1s family. The writer reminds us about
that. od had especially chosen Abraham1s family. 3o od did not want them to marry *Canaanite
wives. But "sau did not care about that. 0t is very difficult to compare the lists that contain "sau1s
wives. Erom chapters +; and +,$ we can make one list of "sau1s wives. There is *udith$ the
daughter of Beeri the *2ittite. There is Basemath$ the daughter of "lon the *2ittite. And there is
!ahalath$ the daughter of 0shmael. Then here in verses + and %$ we have another list of "sau1s
wives. Both lists have the name Basemath$ but in each list she has a different father. And there are
two fathers that have a different daughter in each list. !aybe the wives had more than one name.
!aybe "sau had more than three wives. We do not know.
:erse 8 od led "sau away from *acob1s family. 2e did not want "sau and *acob to marry
members of each other1s family. We do not know when "sau went to live in 3eir. #0n enesis %+&%$
we see that "sau was already living in 3eir then./ od was *blessing both brothers with large
*flocks. 2e had promised to do that.
:erses .-A? The list of "sau1s *descendants continues. Their nation became large and successful.
They appointed kings before *acob1s *descendants did #verse %'/. But od1s ideas about success
are different from people1s ideas. 0n od1s opinion$ a nation is not really successful >ust because it
becomes large and powerful. And a nation does not become really successful >ust because it
appoints important kings. The only really successful nations are those whose rulers and people
serve od.
1ord 2ist
a&mi0ht- L when someone has enough power to defeat all his enemies) the =erson who is better
than everyone else) the *7ord over everything) the =erson who has power over everything.
a&mond L a kind of tree with pink flowers) a nut that this tree produces.
a&tar L a table that people made out of stone or metal. =eople burned gifts to od #*sacrifices/ on
it.
an(estor L a relative that lived a long time ago. A person1s parents are *descendants of such a
relative.
an0e&s L od1s servants from *heaven$ who sometimes bring od1s messages to people.
arro. L a stick with a point on it. =eople shoot it from a bow.
barren L a description of a married woman who has no children.
birthri0ht L the oldest son had the birthright in the *Cld Testament. 2e would be the leader of his
family when his father died. And he would get a double share of the things that had belonged to his
father. 3ometimes in the Book of enesis$ a younger son actually received the birthright. "ach
time$ there were special reasons why the birthright did not belong to the oldest son.
b&ess L to give someone a *blessing) or to be kind to someone) or to do good things for someone)
or to promise good things to someone.
b&essin0 L a good thing that od does for us) or when we ask od to help a person) or when we
ask od to do something good in that person. 0n the Book of enesis$ blessings were often a type
of *prophecy.
bo. L to bend one1s body over to respect someone else. To bow one1s head means to bend one1s
head forward.
Canaanites L people that were living in Canaan$ the country that od had promised to the
*0sraelites. The Canaanites were already living in that country before the *0sraelites went there.
(att&e L animals that people look after in order to get milk or meat from them. They include cows.
(ir(um(ise L to cut off the loose skin from the end of a boy1s or man1s sex part.
(ir(um(ision L when someone cuts off the loose skin from the end of the male sex part)
something that specially reminds people about od1s agreement with 0srael. Eor *0sraelites$ it was
a proof that a man agreed to obey od1s laws. Cr it might show that a person had a good$ innocent
spirit.
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(on(ubine L a woman that lives with a man but she is not his wife) or people do not know her as
his wife.
(ovenant L an agreement between two or more people$ in which they all have responsibilities)
such an agreement between od and a person #or people/.
(urse L say that something bad will happen to a person or thing by od1s #or a false god1s/ power)
when someone curses a person or thing) what someone says when they curse a person or thing.
0n the Book of enesis$ the word <curse1 often means a *prophecy about future troubles.
des(endant L a child$ grandchild$ and so on) a person in your family who lives after you are dead.
de. L water on the ground at night. 0t comes from the air.
dome L a roof with a round top. 2ere$ it means a very big roof over the whole earth.
donke- L an animal like a small horse. 0t carries things or people.
*domites L the *descendants of *acob1s brother "sau$ who was also called "dom.
*0-ptian L a person from the country called "gypt) when someone or something is from "gypt.
faithfu& L loyal) when someone does what they promise.
famine L a time when plants for food do not grow$ so people cannot eat food from them.
feast L a very big$ special meal) a special time when people eat a lot and they drink a lot. =eople
usually have a feast for a certain special reason.
f&o(k L a large group of such animals as sheep.
fruitfu& L fruitful land produces a lot of good crops. When a thing is fruitful$ it produces many good
results. When people are fruitful$ they have many children.
heaven L the place that is od1s home.
3ebre. L the language that the **ews spoke) someone from the nation that spoke the 2ebrew
language. The writer wrote enesis in the 2ebrew language.
hee& L the back part of the foot.
herd L a large group of such animals as cows.
herdsman L a man that keeps cows and other animals safe.
3ittite L someone from a group #*tribe/ of people called the 2ittites. They lived in the country
called Canaan.
3ivite L someone from a group #*tribe/ of people called the 2ivites. They lived in the country called
Canaan.
ho&- L what od is like) completely good$ with nothing bad in it) separate from *sin) perfect and
clean) when something belongs to od.
3orite L someone from a group #*tribe/ of people called the 2orites. They lived in the country
called "dom. The 2orites were already living in that country before "sau #"dom/ went to live there.
househo&d L your household means everyone that lives with you. They do not have to be your
family.
ido& L a false god that people made out of wood or stone or metal.
inherit L to receive something from someone that has died. That thing is a gift. od too gives gifts
to us$ but he has not diedG
%srae&ite L a person from the nation called 0srael) a *descendant of *acob$ who was also called
0srael.
)e. L a person that was born from Abraham$ 0saac and *acob and their children. =eople also use
it to mean a person from the nation called 0srael.
kid L a very young goat.
&amb L a very young sheep.
&ord L a man that has complete authority over someone or something.
2ord L a special name for od. 3ometimes it is the *2ebrew word B2W2. B2W2 means that od
is always od. "lsewhere$ it is the *2ebrew word A6C@A0$ which means <my master1. =eople used
these words to give honour to od.
&-re L something with strings that people can pull gently in order to make music.
235040174 - 28/05/06 - Page 35
mandrake L a kind of plant. =eople thought that it would make them want to have sex.
mer(ifu& L when someone has *mercy or he or she shows *mercy.
mer(- L help to those that have lack or difficulty) the love that od shows when he forgives
people) od1s love and goodness) od1s pity towards all that he has made) when someone is kind
to bad people.
+e. 4estament L the second part of the Bible$ which the writers wrote after *esus went back to
*heaven.
oak L a kind of tree whose leaves fall off in winter. =eople often considered an oak tree a *holy
tree.
offerin0 L a gift to please od.
5&d 4estament L the first part of the Bible$ which the writers wrote before *esus came) the *holy
things that the writers wrote before Christ1s birth.
o6 L a big cow.
o6en L the plural of *ox.
pee& L to take the thin outer cover off something #a branch$ a fruit or a vegetable for example/.
7eri88ites L a group #*tribe/ of people that lived in the country called Canaan.
7haraoh L the king of "gypt.
7hi&istines L a nation of people that lived in Canaan or near Canaan.
p&ane L a kind of tree. 0ts leaves fall off in winter. 0t often has white or nearly white spots on its
stem.
pop&ar L a kind of tree$ whose leaves fall off in winter. This particular kind of poplar had a white or
nearly white colour.
praise L to say how great somebody is) words to express how great someone is.
pre0nant L when a lady is expecting to have a baby.
prophe(- L messages that od wants to tell or teach to people$ often about future events.
prostitute L a woman whom a man pays for sex.
rape L when a man forces a woman to have sex with him although she does not want to.
sa(rifi(e L when someone puts an animal on an *altar in order to offer the animal to od) to give
something valuable for someone or for od) to die for someone or for od.
shepherd L a person that looks after sheep.
sin L to do bad things against od or other people) a bad thing that a person does against od or
other people) when a person does a bad thing.
sine. L a narrow piece of hard$ thick skin that connects a bone to a muscle.
spe(k&e L a small$ slight mark on an animal$ bird or egg. There are usually many speckles close to
each other.
ste. L food that people make from vegetables$ meat or fish$ which they cook slowly in water.
tambourine L something that people use in order to make the rhythm in music. They can hit it. Cr
they can shake it. #That is$ they can move it very fast many times from one side to another and
back again./
thi0h L the upper part of a leg.
to.er L a tall$ narrow building.
tribe L a family #and *descendants/ from the same father) the whole family #and *descendants/
from one of *acob1s '+ sons.
trou0h L a long narrow container from which animals can drink water #or they can eat food from it/.
t.in L someone that was born about the same time as a brother or sister) twins are two children
that were born together from the same mother.
vei& L a piece of material that covers a woman1s face.
.orship L to show very great honour to od) to show that we respect him very much) to *praise
od and to serve him) to tell od that we love him very much.
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Book 2ist
*ohn Calvin L Commentary on enesis L "erdmans
9ev. 3tephen 6ray L enesis M 7ecture notes #unpublished/
:ictor =. 2amilton L The Book of enesis #+ volumes/ L @ew 0nternational Commentary on the Cld
Testament L "erdmans
!atthew 2enry L Commentary on the Whole Bible L !arshall !organ and 3cott
9ev. 6erek 4idner L enesis L Tyndale
C. 2. 3purgeon L Treasury of the Cld Testament L !arshall !organ and 3cott
ordon *. Wenham L enesis #+ volumes/ L Word Biblical Commentary L Word
Bibles L 93:$ @0:$ 0nternational Children1s Bible$ Bible for the 6eaf
2006, Wycliffe Associates (UK)
This publication is written in EasyEnlish !e"el # (2$00 wor%s)&
Auust 2006
'isit our website( www&easyenlish&info
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