Then Abimelech instructed all the people, saying, "The [one who] touches this man or his wife shall certainly die."

And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go [away] from us, for you have become much too powerful for us."

And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after the death of Abraham. And he gave to them {the same names} which his father had given them.

And from there he went up to Beersheba.

And Yahweh appeared to him that night and said, "I [am] the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I [am] with you, and I will bless you and make your descendants numerous for the sake of my servant Abraham."

Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his friend and Phicol his army commander.

And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me? You hate me and sent me away from you."

that you may not do us harm just as we have not touched you, but have only done good to you and sent you away in peace. You [are] now blessed by Yahweh."

And they arose early in the morning and each one swore to the other, and Isaac sent them away. And they left him in peace.

And it happened [that] on that same day the servants of Isaac came and told him about the well that they had dug. And they said, "We have found water!"

And he called it Sheba. Therefore the name of the city [is] Beersheba unto this day.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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."

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."

He too prepared tasty food and brought [it] to his father. And he said to his father, "Let my father arise and eat from the wild game of his son, that you may bless me."

And Isaac his father said to him, "Who [are] you?" And he said, "I [am] your son, your firstborn, Esau."

Then Isaac {trembled violently}. Then he said, "Who then [was] he that hunted wild game and brought [it] to me, and I ate [it] all before you came, and I blessed him? Moreover, he will be blessed!"

When Esau heard the words of his father he cried out [with] a great and exceedingly bitter cry of distress. And he said to his father, "Bless me as well, my father!"

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?"

Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Behold, I have made him lord over you and I have given him all his brothers as servants, and [with] grain and wine I have sustained him. Now what can I do for you, my son?"

And Esau said to his father, "Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me also, my father!" And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, "Your home shall be from the fatness of the land, and from the dew of heaven above.

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.

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 Rebekah said to Isaac, "I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from Hittite women like these, from the {native women}, {what am I living for}?"

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.

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."

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.

Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-Aram, to take for himself a wife from there, and he blessed him and instructed him, saying, "You must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,"

and [that] Jacob listened to his father and to his mother and went to Paddan-Aram.

then Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, son of Abraham, sister of Nebaioth, as a wife, in addition to the wives he had.

Then Jacob went out from Beersheba and went to Haran.

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 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."

And Jacob {continued his journey} and went to the land of the Easterners.

And [when] all the flocks were gathered there, they rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well. And they watered the sheep and returned the stone upon the mouth of the well to its place.

And Jacob said to them, "My brothers, where [are] you from?" And they said, "We [are] from Haran."

And he said to them, "Do you know Laban, son of Nahor?" And they said, "We know [him]."

And he said to them, "{Is he well}?" And they said, "[He is] well. Now look, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep."

And he said, "Look, [it is] still {broad daylight}; it is not the time [for] the livestock to be gathered. Give water to the sheep and go, pasture them."

While he was speaking with them, Rachel came with the sheep which belonged to her father, for she was pasturing [them].

And it happened [that] when Laban heard the message about Jacob, the son of his sister, he ran to meet him. And he embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.

And Laban said to him, "Surely you [are] my flesh and my bone!" And he stayed with him a month.

Then Laban said to Jacob, "[Just] because you [are] my brother should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wage [should be]."

Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older [was] Leah, and the name of the younger [was] Rachel.

Then Laban said, "Better [that] I give her to you than I give her to another man. Stay with me."

And Jacob said to Laban, "Give [me] my wife, that I may go in to her, for {my time} is completed."

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.

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 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.

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.

When Rachel saw that she could not bear children to Jacob, Rachel envied her sister. And she said to Jacob, "Give me children--if not, I will die!"

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.

And Bilhah, Rachel's servant, conceived again and bore a second son to Jacob.

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.

And Zilpah, Leah's female servant, bore a second son to Jacob.

And in the days of the wheat harvest, Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and he brought them to Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."

And she said to her, "[Is] your taking my husband [such] a small [thing] that you will also take the mandrakes of my son?" Then Rachel said, "Then he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes."

When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him. And she said, "Come in to me, for {I have hired} you with my son's mandrakes." And he slept with her that night.

And God listened to Leah and she conceived and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.

Then Leah said, "God has given [me] my wage since I gave my servant girl to my husband." And she called his name Issachar.

And Leah conceived again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob.

And afterward she gave birth to a daughter. And she called her name Dinah.

Then God remembered Rachel and listened to her, and God opened her womb.

And she conceived and gave birth to a son. And she said, "God has taken away my disgrace."