Later on, as Isaac was returning one evening from Beer-lahai-roi (he had been living in the Negev),

Later, Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent that had belonged to his mother Sarah and married her. Isaac loved her, and that's how he was comforted following the loss of his mother.

Abraham had taken another wife whose name was Keturah.

Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. Dedan's sons were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites.

While he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to his concubines and sent them to the east country in order to keep them away from his son Isaac.

This was the same field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites, where Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried.

Here's a list of the names of Ishmael's sons, recorded by their names and descendants: Nebaioth was the firstborn, followed by Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the Aramean from Paddan-aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, since she was unable to conceive children, and the LORD responded to him his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

The first son came out reddish his entire body was covered with hair so they named him Esau.

After that, his brother came out with his hand clutching Esau's heel, so they named him Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.

As the boys were growing up, Esau became skilled at hunting and was a man of the outdoors, but Jacob was the quiet type who tended to stay indoors.

One day, while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau happened to come in from being outdoors, and he was feeling famished.

Later on, a famine swept through the land. This famine was different from the previous famine that had occurred earlier, during Abraham's lifetime. So Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.

Later on, the men of that place asked about his wife, so he replied, "She's my sister," because he was afraid to call her "my wife." He kept thinking, ""otherwise, the men around here will kill me on account of Rebekah, since she's very beautiful."

When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

Now Rebekah overheard Isaac while he was speaking to his son Esau. When Esau had gone out to the field to hunt and bring in some game,

When Esau realized what his father Isaac was saying, he began to wail out loud bitterly. "Bless me," he cried, "even me, too, my father!"

Eventually, what Rebekah's older son Esau had been saying was reported to her, so she sent for her younger son Jacob and warned him, "Look! Your brother is planning to get even by killing you.

Esau noticed that after Isaac had blessed Jacob as he was sending him off to Paddan-aram to marry a wife from there, he had instructed Jacob, "Don't marry a Canaanite woman."

so he went to Abraham's son Ishmael and married Ishmael's daughter Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaioth.

Meanwhile, Jacob had left Beer-sheba and was on his way to Haran.

He reached a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun was setting. He found a stone there, used it for a pillow, and slept there for the night,

And there was the LORD, standing above it and telling Jacob, "I am the LORD God of your grandfather Abraham. I'm Isaac's God, too. I'm giving you and your descendants the ground on which you're sleeping.

As he was observing a well that had been dug out on the open range, all of a sudden he noticed three flocks of sheep lying there, because shepherds watered their flocks from that well. There was a very large stone that covered the opening of the well,

While he was still talking with them, Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, since she was a shepherdess.

Jacob told Rachel that he was related to her father, since he was Rebekah's son, so she ran and told her father.

Now Laban happened to have two daughters. The older one was named Leah and the younger was named Rachel.

Leah looked rather plain, but Rachel was lovely in form and appearance.

The next morning, Jacob realized that it was Leah! "What have you done to me?" he demanded of Laban. "Didn't I serve you for seven years in order to marry Rachel? Why did you deceive me?"

Later, the LORD noticed that Leah was being neglected, so he made her fertile, while Rachel remained childless.

Leah conceived, bore a son, and named him Reuben, because she was saying, "The LORD had looked on my torture, so now my husband will love me."

Rachel noticed that she was not bearing children for Jacob, so because she envied her sister Leah, she told Jacob, "If you don't give me sons, I'm going to die!"

In response, Leah asked her, "Wasn't it enough that you've taken away my husband? Now you also want to take my son's mandrakes!" But Rachel replied, "Okay, let's let Jacob sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes."

What you had previously was only a few head, but the herd has now multiplied, because the LORD has blessed you through my efforts. But now, when am I going to be able to provide for my own household?"

Jacob also noticed that the way Laban had been looking at him wasn't as nice as it had been just two days earlier.

Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come out to the field where his flock was

and informed them, "I've noticed that the way your father has been looking at us hasn't been as nice as it was just two days ago. But my father's God has been with me.

As it was, when it was time for the livestock to breed, I once looked up in a dream, and the male goats that were mating with the flock were producing streaked, speckled, and spotted offspring.

Meanwhile, Laban had been out shearing his sheep. While he was away, Rachel stole her father's personal idols.

Moreover, Jacob had deceived Laban the Aramean, because he had never told him that he was intending to leave.

so he took his relatives with him and pursued Jacob. Laban was on the road for seven days when he finally caught up with Jacob in the hill country of Gilead.

"I was afraid," Jacob replied. "I thought you might take your daughters from me.

and whatever was torn by beasts, I never bothered to bring to you. Instead, I bore the losses myself. Even so, you demanded that I provide restitution for anything that was stolen, whether during the day or the night.

As it was, I was attacked by drought during the day and by cold at night. I never got any decent rest.

It was also called Mizpah, because Laban said, "May the LORD watch between you and me, when we are estranged from each other.

As he was watching them, Jacob said, "This must be God's camp," so he named that place Mahanaim.

Jacob was thinking, "If Esau comes to one group and attacks it, then the remaining group may escape."

Jacob was thinking, "I'll pacify him with the presents that are being sent ahead of me. Then, when I meet him, perhaps he'll accept me." So the presents went ahead of him, while he spent that night in the camp.

And so Jacob was left alone, and he struggled with a man until daybreak.

Jacob would later call that place Peniel, because "I saw God face to face, but my life was spared."

The sun was rising above Jacob as he crossed over from Peniel, limping due to his wounded thigh.

When Jacob looked off in the distance, there was Esau coming toward him, accompanied by 400 men! So Jacob divided Leah's children, Rachel, and the children of the two servants into separate groups.

After Jacob had arrived safely from Paddan-aram, he entered the city of Shechem, which was located in the territory of Canaan, and encamped facing that city.

He was attached to Dinah, Jacob's daughter, since he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her.

so the young man did not delay the matter any further, since he was delighted with Jacob's daughter.

Now Shechem was the most important person in his father's household. So Hamor and his son Shechem entered the gate of their city and addressed the men of their city.

seizing all of their flocks, herds, donkeys, and whatever else was in the city or had been left out in the field.

Then let's get up and go to Bethel, where I'll build an altar to the God who answered me when I was in distress and who was with me on the road, wherever I went."

He built an altar there to God and named the place El Beth-el, because God had revealed himself there when he was fleeing from his brother.

Rebekah's nurse Deborah died and was buried there, under the oak tree that was below Beth-el. That's why the place was named Allon-bacuth.

While she was suffering due to her difficult labor, the midwife told her, "Don't fear! You're going to have another son."

So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrathah, also known as Bethlehem.

Esau had married Canaanite women, including Elon the Hittite's daughter Adah, Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah (who was Zibeon the Hivite's daughter), and

Ishamael's daughter Basemath (who was Nebaioth's sister).

because their holdings were too vast to allow them to stay together, since the land where they had settled was not able to support all of their livestock.

So Esau lived in Mount Seir. (Esau was also known as Edom.)

Timnah was a concubine of Esau's son Eliphaz. She bore Amalek to Eliphaz.

These were the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, who was the daughter of Zibeon. She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah for Esau.

These were the tribal leaders of Esau's descendants; that is, the children of Eliphaz, who was Esau's firstborn: tribal leaders Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,

Lotan's children were Hori and Hemam. Lotan's sister was Timna.

Beor's son Bela ruled over Edom. His city's name was Dinhabah.

After Husham died, Bedad's son Hadad, who killed Midian in the field of Moab, ruled in his place. His city's name was Avith.

After Achbor's son Baal-hanan died, Hadar ruled in his place. His city's name was Pau. And his wife's name was Mehetabel, who was the daughter of Matred, and granddaughter of Me-zahab.

Magdiel, and Iram. These were the chiefs who descended from Edom, according to their territories in their own land. This was the dynasty of Esau, who was the ancestor of the Edomites.

When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was helping his brothers tend their flocks. He was a young man at that time, as were the children of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. But Joseph would come back and tell his father that his brothers were doing bad things. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his brothers, since he was born to him in his old age, so he had made a richly-embroidered tunic for him.

As it was, when Joseph arrived where his brothers were, they stripped off the tunic that Jacob had given him that is, the richly-embroidered tunic that he was wearing.

They grabbed him and tossed him into the cistern, but the cistern was empty. (There was no water in it.)

Later, when Reuben returned to the cistern, Joseph wasn't there! In mounting panic, he tore his clothes,

Meanwhile, down in Egypt, the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's court officials, who was also Commander-in-Chief of the imperial guards.

Then she bore yet another son and named him Shelah. Judah was living in Kezib when she bore him.

Judah found a wife for his oldest son Er. Her name was Tamar.

The LORD considered what Onan was doing to be evil, so he put him to death, too.

After this, Judah told his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Go live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." But he was really thinking, ""otherwise, Shelah might die like his brothers." So Tamar left and lived in her father's house.

Some years later, Shua's daughter (that is, Judah's wife) died. As Judah was grieving, he visited the shearers of his flock in Timnah, accompanied by his Adullamite friend Hirah.

So she took off her mourning apparel, covered herself with a shawl, and concealed her outward appearance. Then she went out and sat at the entrance of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah, because she knew that even though Shelah had grown up, she wasn't being given to him as his wife.

When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, since she had concealed her face.

So on the way, he turned aside, approached her, and said, "Come on! Let's have some sex!" But he didn't realize that he was talking to his own daughter-in-law. "What will you give me," she asked, "in order to have sex with me?"

He asked the men who lived in that area, "Where's that temple prostitute who was sitting alongside the road at Enaim?" But they replied, "There's been no temple prostitute here."

Three months later, it was reported to Judah, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution! And look! She's pregnant because of it!" "Bring her out," Judah responded. "Let's burn her to death!"

Later, when it was time for Tamar to give birth, she was carrying twins in her womb!

While she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand, so the midwife grabbed it and tied something scarlet around his hand, observing, "This one came out first."

As it was, he withdrew his hand, and then his brother was born. Amazed, the midwife cried out loud, "What's this? A breach birth?" So that boy was named Perez.

Afterwards, his brother came out, and around his hand was the scarlet. So they named him Zerah.

But the LORD was with Joseph. He became a very prosperous man while in the house of his Egyptian master,

who could see that the LORD was with Joseph, because the LORD made everything prosper that Joseph did.

Now Joseph was well built and good looking. That's why, sometime later, Joseph's master's wife looked straight at Joseph and propositioned him: "Come on! Let's have a little sex!"

But the LORD was with Joseph. He extended gracious love to him, causing the prison warden to be pleased with Joseph.

So the prison warden entrusted into Joseph's care all the prisoners who were confined in prison. Whatever they did, Joseph was in charge of the work detail.

The prison warden did not have to worry about anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with him. That's why Joseph prospered in everything he did.