44 Bible Verses about Jacob, Life And Character Of

And the first came out red, all {his body} [was] like a hairy coat, so they called his name Esau. And afterward his brother came out, and his hand grasped the heel of Esau, so his name was called Jacob. And Isaac {was sixty years old} at their birth.

And Isaac prayed to Yahweh on behalf of his wife, for she [was] barren. And Yahweh responded to his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children in her womb jostled each other, and she said, "{If it is going to be like this, why be pregnant}?" And she went to inquire of Yahweh. And Yahweh said to her, "Two nations [are] in your womb, and two peoples {from birth} shall be divided. And {one people shall be stronger than the other}. And [the] elder shall serve [the] younger."read more.
And when her days to give birth were completed, then--behold--twins [were] in her womb. And the first came out red, all {his body} [was] like a hairy coat, so they called his name Esau. And afterward his brother came out, and his hand grasped the heel of Esau, so his name was called Jacob. And Isaac {was sixty years old} at their birth.

Then he said, "{Isn't that why he is named Jacob}? He has deceived me these two times. He took my birthright and, look, now he has taken my blessing!" Then he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?"

Once Jacob cooked a thick stew, and Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, "Give me {some of that red stuff} to gulp down, for I am exhausted!" (Therefore his name was called Edom). Then Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright {first}."read more.
And Esau said, "Look, I am going to die; now what [is] this birthright to me?" Then Jacob said, "Swear to me {first}." And he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread, and thick lentil stew, and he ate and drank. Then he got up and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.

And it happened [that] when Isaac [was] old and {his eyesight was weak}, he called Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." And he said to him, "Here I [am]." And he said, "Look, I [am] old; I do not know the day of my death. So now, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt food for me.read more.
Then make for me tasty food like I love, and bring [it] to me. And I will eat [it] so that I can bless you before I die. Now Rebekah [was] listening as Isaac spoke to Esau his son, and [when] Esau went to the field to hunt wild game to bring [back], Rebekah said to Jacob her son, "Look, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother saying, 'Bring wild game to me and prepare tasty food so I can eat [it] and bless you before Yahweh before my death.' So now, my son, listen to my voice, to what I command you. Go to the flock and take two good young goats from it for me, and I will prepare them [as] tasty food for your father, just as he likes. Then you must take it to your father and he will eat [it] so that he may bless you before his death." Then Jacob said to his mother, "Behold, Esau my brother [is] a hairy man, but I [am] a smooth man. Perhaps my father will feel me and I will be in his eyes [as] a mocker, and he will bring upon me a curse and not a blessing." Then his mother said to him, "Your curse be upon me, my son, only listen to my voice--go and get [them] for me." So he went and took [them], and brought [them] to his mother, and his mother prepared tasty food as his father liked. Then Rebekah took [some of] her older son Esau's best garments that [were] with her in the house, and she put [them] on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the young goats over his hands and over the smooth [part of] his neck. And she put the tasty food and the bread that she had made into the hand of Jacob, her son. And he went to his father and said, "My father." And he said, "Here I [am]. Who [are] you, my son?" And Jacob said to his father, "I [am] Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please get up, sit up and eat from my wild game so that you may bless me." Then Isaac said to his son, "{How} did you find [it] so quickly, my son?" And he said, "Because Yahweh your God {caused me to find it}." Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please, come near and let me feel you, my son. {Are you really} my son Esau or not?" And Jacob drew near to Isaac his father. And he felt him and said, "The voice [is] the voice of Jacob, but the hands [are] the hands of Esau." And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of Esau his brother. And he blessed him. And he said, "{Are you really} my son Esau?" And he said, "I [am]." Then he said, "Bring [it] near to me that I may eat from the game of my son, so that I may bless you." And he brought [it] to him, and he ate. And he brought wine to him, and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near and kiss me, my son." And he drew near and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his garments, and he blessed him and said, "Look, the smell of my son [is] like the smell of a field that Yahweh has blessed! May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth, and abundance of grain and new wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you; Be lord of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. Cursed be those cursing you, and blessed be those blessing you."

[that] no one [be] a sexually immoral or totally worldly [person] like Esau, who for one meal traded his own birthright. For you know that also afterwards, [when he] wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, because he did not find an occasion for repentance, although he sought it with tears.

Then Jacob went out from Beersheba and went to Haran. And he arrived at a [certain] place and spent the night there, because the sun had set. And he took [one] of the stones of the place and put [it] under his head and slept at that place. And he dreamed, and behold, a stairway was set on the earth, and its top touched the heavens. And behold, angels of God [were] going up and going down on it.read more.
And behold, Yahweh [was] standing beside him, and he said, "I [am] Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The ground on which you [were] sleeping I will give to you and to your descendants. Your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, and to the east, and to the north and to the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and through your descendants. Now behold, I [am] with you, and I will keep you wherever you go. And I will bring you to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised to you."

And Yahweh said to Abram, "Go out from your land and from your relatives, and from the house of your father, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great. And you will be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse. And all families of the earth will be blessed in you."

And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward the heavens and count the stars if you are able to count them." And he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you; Be lord of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. Cursed be those cursing you, and blessed be those blessing you."

Now, may El-Shaddai bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, so that you become an assembly of peoples. And may he give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojourning, which God gave to Abraham."

And God said to him, "I [am] El-Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and an assemblage of nations shall be from you, and kings shall go out from your loins. And [as for] the land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, I will give it to you. And to your descendants after you I will give the land. And God went up from him at the place where he spoke with him.

Then Esau held a grudge against Jacob on account of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are coming, then I will kill Jacob my brother." But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. And she sent and called for her younger son Jacob. And she said to him, "Look, Esau your brother [is] consoling himself concerning you, [intending] to kill you. Now then, my son, listen to my voice; arise and flee to Haran to Laban my brother.read more.
Stay with him a few days until the wrath of your brother has turned-- until the anger of your brother turns from you and he has forgotten what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I lose the two of you in one day?"

Then Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

Then Jacob went out from Beersheba and went to Haran. And he arrived at a [certain] place and spent the night there, because the sun had set. And he took [one] of the stones of the place and put [it] under his head and slept at that place. And he dreamed, and behold, a stairway was set on the earth, and its top touched the heavens. And behold, angels of God [were] going up and going down on it.read more.
And behold, Yahweh [was] standing beside him, and he said, "I [am] Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The ground on which you [were] sleeping I will give to you and to your descendants. Your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, and to the east, and to the north and to the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and through your descendants. Now behold, I [am] with you, and I will keep you wherever you go. And I will bring you to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised to you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely Yahweh {is indeed} in this place and I did not know!" Then he was afraid and said, "How awesome [is] this place! {This is nothing else than the house of God}, and this is the gate of heaven!" And Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up [as] a stone pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; however, the name of the city [was] formerly Luz. And Jacob made a vow saying, "If God will be with me and protect me on this way that I am going, and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear, and [if] I return in peace to the house of my father, then Yahweh will become my God. And this stone that I have set up [as] a pillar shall be the house of God, and [of] all that you give to me I will certainly give a tenth to you."

Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him. And he instructed him and said to him, "You must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother's father, and take for yourself a wife from there, from the daughters of Laban your mother's brother.

Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older [was] Leah, and the name of the younger [was] Rachel. Now the eyes of Leah [were] dull, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. And Jacob loved Rachel and said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter."read more.
Then Laban said, "Better [that] I give her to you than I give her to another man. Stay with me." And Jacob worked for Rachel seven years, but they were as a few days in his eyes because he loved her. And Jacob said to Laban, "Give [me] my wife, that I may go in to her, for {my time} is completed." So Laban gathered all the men of the place and prepared a feast. And it happened [that] in the evening he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him, and he went in to her. And Laban gave Zilpah his female servant to her, to Leah his daughter [as] a female servant. And it happened [that] in the morning, behold, it [was] Leah! And he said to Laban, "What [is] this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Now why did you deceive me?" Then Laban said, "{It is not the custom} in our country to give the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, then I will also give you the other, {on the condition that you will work for me} another seven years." And Jacob did so. So he completed the week of this [one], then he gave Rachel his daughter to him as a wife. And Laban gave Bilhah his female servant to Rachel his daughter as a female servant. Then he also went in to Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with him yet another seven years.

Then he said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you and how your livestock have been with me. For you had little before me, and it has increased abundantly. And Yahweh has blessed you {wherever I turned}. So then, when shall I provide for my own family also?" And he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "Do not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flocks and keep [them].read more.
Let me pass through all your flocks today, removing all the speckled and spotted sheep from them, along with every dark-colored sheep among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. That shall be my wages. And my righteousness will answer for me {later} when you come concerning my wages before you. Every [one] that [is] not speckled or spotted among the goats, or dark-colored among the sheep shall be stolen [if it is] with me." Then Laban said, "Look! Very well. It shall be according to your word." But that day he removed the streaked and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, all that [had] white on it, and every dark-colored ram, and {put them in the charge of his sons}. And he put a journey of three days between him and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the remainder of Laban's flock. Then Jacob took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled white strips on them, exposing the white which [was] on the branches. And he set the branches that he had peeled in front of the flocks, in the troughs [and] in the water containers. And they were in heat when they came to drink. And the flocks mated by the branches, so the flocks bore streaked, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob separated the lambs and turned the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the dark-colored in Laban's flocks. And he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with the flocks of Laban. And whenever any of the stronger of the flocks were in heat, Jacob put the branches {in full view} of the flock in the troughs that they might mate among the branches. But with the more feeble of the flock he would not put [them there]. So the feebler were Laban's and the stronger [were] Jacob's. And the man became {exceedingly} rich and had large flocks, female slaves, male slaves, camels, and donkeys.

So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flocks, and he said to them, "Look, I see the face of your father, that {it is not like it has been toward me in the past}. But the God of my father is with me. Now you yourselves know that I have served your father with all my strength,read more.
and your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God has not allowed him to harm me. If thus he said, 'Speckled shall be your wage,' then all the flock bore speckled. And [if] he said, 'Streaked shall be your wage,' then all the flock bore streaked. God has taken away your father's livestock and given [them] to me.

Now he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, "Jacob has taken all that our father has," and "From that which [was] our father's he has gained all this wealth." Then Jacob saw the face of Laban and, behold, {it was not like it had been in the past}. And Yahweh said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your ancestors and to your family, and I will be with you."

Now it happened [that] at the time of the mating of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams mounting the flock [were] streaked, speckled, and dappled. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I [am].' And he said, 'Lift up your eyes and see--all the rams mounting the flock [are] streaked, speckled, and dappled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.read more.
I [am] the God of Bethel where you anointed a stone pillar, where you made a vow to me. Now get up, go out from this land and return to the land of your birth.'"

And Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the dawn. And when he saw that he could not prevail against him, he struck his hip socket, so that Jacob's hip socket was sprained as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for dawn is breaking." But he answered, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."read more.
Then he said to him, "What [is] your name?" And he said, "Jacob." And he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked and said, "Please tell me your name." And he said, "Why do you ask this--for my name?" And he blessed him there. Then Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [which means] "I have seen God face to face and my life was spared."

And God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, and make an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from before Esau your brother." Then Jacob said to his household and to all who [were] with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods that [are] in your midst and purify yourselves and change your garments. Then let us make ready and let us go up to Bethel, so that I can make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my trouble, and who has been with me on the way that I have gone."read more.
So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that [were] in their hands, and the ornamental rings that [were] in their ears. And Jacob buried them under the oak which [was] near Shechem. Then they set out on their journey, and the terror of God was upon the cities that [were] all around them, so that they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, Esau [was] coming and four hundred men [were] with him. And he divided the children among Leah and among Rachel, and among the two of his female servants. And he put the female slaves and their children first, then Leah and her children next, then Rachel with Joseph last. And he himself passed on before them and bowed down to the ground seven times until he came to his brother.read more.
But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him, and they wept. Then Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children and said, "Who [are] these with you?" And he said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant." Then the female servants drew near, they and their children, and they bowed down. Then Leah and her children drew near and bowed down, and afterward Joseph and Rachel drew near and they bowed down. And he said, "{What do you mean by} all this company that I have met?" Then he said, "To find favor in the eyes of my lord." Then Esau said, "{I have enough} my brother; {keep what you have}." And Jacob said, "No, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, you must take my gift from my hand, for then I have seen your face [which is] like seeing the face of God, and you have received me. Please take my gift which has been brought to you, for God has dealt graciously with me, and because {I have enough}." And he urged him, so he took [it]. Then he said, "Let us journey and go [on], and I will go ahead of you." But he said to him, "My lord knows that the children [are] frail, and the flocks and the cattle [which are] nursing [are a concern] to me. Now [if] they drove them hard for a day all the flocks would die. Let my lord pass on before his servant and I will move along slowly at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me, and at the pace of the children until I come to my lord in Seir." And Esau said, "Let me leave some of my people with you." But he said, "{What need is there}? Let me find favor in the eyes of my lord." So Esau turned that day on his way to Seir. But Jacob traveled on to Succoth, and he built for himself a house, and he made shelters for his livestock. Therefore he called the name of the place Succoth.

And while Israel was living in that land Reuben went and had sexual relations with Bilhah, his father's concubine. And Israel heard [about it]. The sons of Leah: The firstborn of Jacob [was] Reuben. Then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.read more.
The sons of Bilhah, the female servant of Rachel: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, the female servant of Leah: Gad and Asher. These [were] the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-Aram.

Then Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, "Because Yahweh has noticed my misery, that I [am] unloved. Now my husband will love me." And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. And she said, "[It is] because Yahweh has heard that I [am] unloved that he gave me this [son] also." And she called his name Simeon. And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. Then she said, "Now this time my husband will be joined to me, for I have borne him three sons." Therefore, she called his name Levi.read more.
And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. And she said, "This time I will praise Yahweh." Therefore she called his name Judah. And she ceased bearing children.

Then she said, "Here [is] my servant girl Bilhah; go in to her that she may bear children {as my surrogate}. Then I will even {have children} by her." Then she gave him Bilhah, her female servant, as a wife, and Jacob went in to her And Bilhah conceived and gave birth to a son for Jacob.read more.
Then Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan. And Bilhah, Rachel's servant, conceived again and bore a second son to Jacob. And Rachel said, "I have struggled a mighty struggle with my sister and have prevailed." And she called his name Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took Zilpah her female servant and gave her to Jacob as a wife. And Zilpah, the female slave of Leah, bore a son to Jacob. Then Leah said, "Good fortune!" And she called his name Gad. And Zilpah, Leah's female servant, bore a second son to Jacob. Then Leah said, "How happy [am] I! For women have called me happy." So she called his name Asher.

Then they journeyed from Bethel. And {when they were still some distance} from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor. And she had hard labor. And {when her labor was the most difficult} the midwife said to her, "Do not be afraid {for you have another son}." And it happened [that] when her life was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-Oni. But his father called him Benjamin.

Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. And he took her and lay with her and raped her.

And Jacob heard that Dinah his daughter had been defiled, but his sons were with his flocks in the field. And Jacob kept silent until they came.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, for he [was] a son of his old age. And he made a robe with long sleeves for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and were not able to speak peaceably to him.

Then they took the robe of Joseph and slaughtered a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. Then they sent the robe with long sleeves and they brought [it] to their father and said, "We found this; please examine [it]. [Is] it the robe of your son or not?" And he recognized it and said, "The robe of my son! A wild animal has devoured him! Joseph [is] surely torn to pieces!"read more.
And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and daughters tried to console him, but he refused to be consoled. And he said, "No, I shall go down to my son, to Sheol, mourning." And his father wept for him.

When Jacob realized that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" Then he said, "Look, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us there that we may live and not die." And the ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt.read more.
But Jacob did not send Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, for {he feared harm would come to him}.

And we said to my lord, 'We have an aged father, and a younger [brother], the child of his old age, and his brother died, and he alone remains from his mother, and his father loves him.'

Then Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and fell upon his neck and wept upon his neck a long time. Then Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die since I have seen your face, for you are still alive."

Then they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them. And when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, then the spirit of Jacob their father revived. And Israel said, "[It is] enough. Joseph my son [is] still alive. I will go and see him before I die."

So Israel journeyed with all that he had, and he came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here I [am]." Then he said, "I [am] the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.read more.
I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I myself will also bring you up. And Joseph will place his hand over your eyes."

And Joseph settled his father and his brothers, and he gave them property in the land of Egypt in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had instructed.

By faith Jacob, [as he] was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, [leaning] on the top of his staff.

And he blessed Joseph and said, "The God before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, walked, The God who shepherded me {all my life} unto this day, The angel who redeemed me from all evil, may he bless the boys. And through them let my name be perpetuated, and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac. And let them multiply into many in the midst of the earth. When Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, he was displeased. And he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from the head of Ephraim [over] to the head of Manasseh.read more.
And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father; because this one [is] the firstborn. Put your right [hand] upon his head." But his father refused and said, "I know, my son; I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great, but his younger brother shall be greater than him, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations." So he blessed them that day, saying, Through you Israel shall pronounce blessing, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.'" So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather together so that I can tell you what will happen with you in {days to come}. Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob! Listen to Israel your father! Reuben, you [are] my firstborn, my strength, and the firstfruit of my vigor, excelling in rank and excelling in power.read more.
Unstable as water, you shall not excel [any longer], for you went up upon the bed of your father, then defiled [it]. You went up upon my couch! Simeon and Levi [are] brothers; weapons of violence [are] their swords. Let me not come into their council. Let not my person be joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and at their pleasure they hamstrung cattle. Cursed be their anger, for [it is] fierce, and their wrath, for [it is] cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and I will scatter them in Israel. Judah, [as for] you, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand [shall be] on the neck of your enemies. The sons of your father shall bow down to you. Judah [is] a lion's cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bowed down; he crouched like a lion and as a lioness. Who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff between his feet, until Shiloh comes. And to him shall be the obedience of nations. Binding his donkey to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he washes his clothing in the wine and his garment in the blood of grapes. The eyes [are] darker than wine, and the teeth whiter than milk. Zebulun shall settle by the shore of the sea. He [shall become] a haven for ships, and his border [shall be] at Sidon. Issachar [is] a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. He saw a resting place that [was] good, and land that [was] pleasant. So he bowed his shoulder to the burden and became a servant of forced labor. Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent on the way, a viper on the road that bites the heels of a horse, so that its rider falls backward. I wait for your salvation, O Yahweh. Bandits shall attack Gad, but he shall attack [their] heels. Asher's food [is] delicious, and he shall provide from the king's delicacies. Naphtali [is] a doe running free that puts forth beautiful words. Joseph [is] the bough of a fruitful vine, a fruitful bough by a spring. His branches climb over the wall. {The archers} fiercely attacked him. They shot arrows [at him] and were hostile to him. But his bow remained in a steady position; {his arms} were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. From there [is] the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. Because of the God of your father he will help you and [by] Shaddai he will bless you with the blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and the womb. The blessings of your father are superior to the blessings of my ancestors, to the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the forehead of the prince of his brothers. Benjamin [is] a devouring wolf, devouring the prey in the morning, and dividing the plunder in the evening. All these [are] the twelve tribes of Israel, and this [is] what their father said to them when he blessed them, each according to their blessing.

And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. And the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred and forty-seven years. When {the time of Israel's death drew near}, he called to his son, to Joseph. And he said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, please put your hand under my thigh, that you might [vow] to deal kindly and faithfully with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my ancestors. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial site." And he said, "I will do according to your word."

Then he instructed them and said to them, "I am [about to be] gathered to my people. Bury me among my ancestors in the cave that [is] in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that [is] in the field of Machpelah that [is] before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife. And there I buried Leah--read more.
the purchase of the field and the cave which [was] in it from the Hittites." When Jacob finished instructing his sons he drew his feet up to the bed. Then he took his last breath and was gathered to his people.

And Joseph instructed his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Forty days {were required for it}, for thus [are] the days {required for} embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.