CHAPTER VII.

GENESIS, xxviii.-xxxiii., xxxv.

JACOB, THE PATRIARCH.

Jacob's Ladder-Meeting with Rachel - Laban's Wages-Jacob's Flight-The Pursuit-The Stolen Gods-Treaty with LabanAfraid of Esau-Wrestling with God-Peace with Esau-Putting away Strange Gods-Ben-oni and Benjamin.

Now Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took one of the stones of that place, and put it for his pillow, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and, behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reaching to heaven; and, behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said: I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth; and thou shalt spread westward, and eastward, and northward, and southward; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that whereof I have spoken to thee. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said: Surely Jehovah is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid,

MEETING WITH RACHEL.

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and said: How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillow, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el (House of God). And Jacob vowed a vow, saying: If God will be with me, and will keep me in this journey that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again in safety to my father's house, then shall Jehovah be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth to thee.

Then Jacob went on his way, and came to the land of the children of the east. And he looked, and, behold, a well in the field, and, lo, three flocks of sheep lying there by it-for out of that well they watered the flocks, and a great stone upon the well's mouth. And thither all the flocks were wont to gather; and they would roll the stone from the well's mouth, and water the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in its place. And Jacob said to them: My brethren, whence are ye? And they said: From Haran are we. And he said to them: Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said: We know him. And he said to them: Is it well with him? And they said: It is well; and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep. And Jacob said: Lo, it is yet high day; it is not time that the cattle should be gathered together. Water ye the sheep, and go and feed them. And they said: We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep. While he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's

sheep; for she kept them. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob drew near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's kinsman, and that he was Rebekah's son; and she ran and told her father. And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house.

Then Jacob told Laban all that had come to pass. And Laban said to him: Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And Jacob abode with him the space of a month. Then Laban said to him: Because thou art my kinsman, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? Tell me, what shall thy wages be? Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah was weak-eyed ; but Rachel was beautiful and well favored. And Jacob loved Rachel; and he said: I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said: It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man; abide with me. And Jacob served for Rachel seven years; and they seemed to him but a few days for the love he bore her.

Then Jacob said to Laban : Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. And Laban gave his daughter Leah Zilpah, his maid, to be her handmaid. And it came to

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pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. And Jacob said to Laban: What is this thou hast done to me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Wherefore, then, hast thou deceived me? And Laban said: It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee the other also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week; and Laban gave him Rachel his daughter to wife. And he gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his maid, to be her handmaid. And Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

And it came to pass after Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban : Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go; for thou knowest my service wherewith I have served thee. But Laban said to him: If now I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry; for I have divined that Jehovah hath blessed me for thy sake. So Jacob still fed and kept the flocks of Laban, his father-in-law. And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and

asses.

Then Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, saying: Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this wealth. And Jacob beheld the face of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. And Jehovah said to Jacob: Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, and said to

hurt me.

them I see your father's face, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages many times; but God suffered him not to And the angel of God said to me in a dream : Jacob; and I said: Here am I. And he said: I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst a pillar, where thou didst vow a vow to me; now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity. And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him: Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our price. Therefore all the riches which God hath taken away from our father, that is ours and our children's; now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.

Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels; and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Paddan-aram, for to go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan. Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep. And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, and fled with all that he had. And he set forth, and passed over the river Euphrates, and set his face toward the mountains of Gilead.

And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night, and said to him: Take