Genesis 41

Pharaoh had a dream after two years that he was standing out by the stream of the Nile,
When out of the Nile came seven cows, fat of flesh, fair to look at, sturdy, and virile.
The cows grazed in the reed grass, but then seven other cows came from the Nile close behind,
Ill to look at and lean of flesh, these new cows stood on the Nile’s bank near the first kind.
Then the ugly and skinny cows ate up the seven cows sturdy and fair to look at.
Pharaoh woke from this dream, but then he fell asleep to dream a second time after that:
Seven ears of grain, solid and healthy, grew on one stalk. Seven more ears sprung up near,
But the seven new ears of grain had been scorched by the east wind, and so they were lean ears.
Then the lean ears devoured the seven full ears. Pharaoh awoke: It was all a dream!
But in the morning his spirit was agitated, so he sent throughout his regime
To have all the wise-men and magicians of Egypt brought in to give interpretation.
Pharaoh told his dream to them, but none of them could find meaning or present revelation.

Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh and said, “Now of my faults I must make admission.
At one point Pharaoh was angry with his servants, placed me in custody in his prison,
In the house of the captain of the guard, myself and the chief baker. And we both dreamt.
That one night we each dreamt dreams with their own meanings, but to understand, failed our attempt.
Now a young Hebrew lad was in there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard.
When we told him our dreams, he interpreted them for us, (which we had both found too hard).
He told each of us what our dreams meant. And it was just as he interpreted to us:
I was restored to my position, and the other was hanged and is now a carcass.”
Pharaoh sent and had Joseph called. They rushed him out of the dungeon. He shaved, changed his clothes,
Then he came before Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said, “I dreamt a dream. What it means, no one knows.
But I heard it said of you that when you hear a dream, you can give an interpretation.”
Joseph answered, “Not I! God will answer what is good for Pharaoh in this situation.”
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, I was standing on the Nile’s bank, when behold,
Out of the Nile came seven cows, fat of flesh, fair of form,” (their good health he extolled,)
“And they grazed in the reed grass. And then seven other cows came from the Nile close behind,
And these new seven were scrawny, ill, and ugly. In all Egypt, I’ve not seen their kind.
I had never seen any in such ill-condition, and then the ill cows ate the strong,
But when they ate the first cows, you could not tell, because they looked as ill as all along.
Then I woke. I saw also in my dream, on one stalk grew seven healthy ears of grain,
And then seven more stalks, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprung up behind them on the plain.
Then the thin, withered ears ate the seven good ears. Now, I’ve spoken with all my magicians,
But none of them can give me a good explanation. To do so, Joseph, is your mission.”

Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Your two dreams are the same. God has revealed His plan to Pharaoh.
Here, the seven good cows stand for seven years, the seven good ears, seven years also.
The dream is one dream. The seven ugly and lean cows that followed them are seven years,
And the seven ears of grain that were hollow, shriveled, and scorched by the east wind, those ears
Will be seven years of famine! Just as I’ve told Pharaoh, God has revealed his plan:
Here, immediately ahead are seven years of abundance in all Egypt’s land.
After them shall arise seven years of harsh famine, when all abundance is forgotten.
And the famine will ravage the land, with abundance no more. All the crops will grow rotten.
As the land becomes ravaged by famine, no trace of the plenty before shall remain,
For the famine that comes after will be exceedingly heavy, destroying all grain.
Now as for Pharaoh having the same dream twice, it means that God has determined the matter,
And that God will soon carry it out. So now let Pharaoh save Egypt from being shattered.
Now let Pharaoh select a discreet and wise man, set him over the land of Egypt.
And let Pharaoh take steps to appoint overseers for the land who are well-equipped,
To take one fifth of all Egypt’s produce in the seven years when plenty fills the land.
Let them gather the food of these good years ahead, and pile it up under Pharaoh’s hand.
All the food will be stored in the cities, and kept under guard, to act as a reserve
So that during the seven year famine that strikes Egypt, we’ll live on food we’ve preserved.”
Joseph’s plan was deemed good by Pharaoh and his servants. Pharaoh said to his servants, “Well,
Could we find us another man like him, a man in whom the spirit of God would dwell?”
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God made this known to you, there are none as wise as you.
You shall be the one over my house, and my servants will do as you tell them to do.
Only by the throne shall I be greater than you.” Pharaoh to Joseph said one more thing,
“See, I put you in charge of the land of Egypt!” Then Pharaoh removed his signet-ring;
He took it from his hand, placed it on Joseph’s hand, and had him dressed in fine linen clothes,
And then put a gold chain on his neck, had him mount the second chariot of Pharaoh’s,
And they called out before him, “Abrek!” (which can mean “Attention!” or sometimes “Bow the knee!”)
So it was that Pharaoh placed Joseph over all the land of Egypt to oversee.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your leave, no man in the area
Of Egypt shall raise hand or foot.” Pharaoh then gave Joseph the name “Zaphenath Paneah”
(Which means “God speaks and He lives”). Pharaoh gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera,
Priest of On, as a wife. So Joseph’s influence went out over Egypt in that era.
Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and went through all the land of Egypt, well-equipped.
During the seven years of abundance, the land produced plenty. He gathered the grain,
And collected all kinds of provisions from those seven years which graced Egypt’s domain.
He stored grain in each city, and put in the city the grain from the fields around it.
Joseph piled up grain, like the sand of the sea, until there were too many to count it.
Now Joseph fathered two sons by Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,
Before the years of famine came. Joseph gave the name of “Manasseh” to the firstborn,
(Which translates as “He Who Makes Forget”) meaning, “God made me forget all of my hardships,
And all my father’s house.” And he named the second “Ephraim” (”Double Fruit”) from his lips,
Meaning, “God has made me bear fruit in the land of my affliction.” The seven years ended,
And abundance in Egypt gave way to a seven year famine, as Joseph portended.
A great famine struck in all the lands, but in the land of Egypt there was bread throughout.
But when even all Egypt’s lands felt famine, for bread the people to Pharaoh cried out.
Pharaoh said to all of the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph, whatever he tells you, do!”
So when famine had spread through the land, Joseph opened the storehouses where grain accrued.
He gave rations to all the Egyptians, since famine in Egypt was slow gaining strength.
And all lands came to Egypt for rations, to Joseph, since famine had struck the world’s length.

Genesis 40

Some time later, the cupbearer and baker of Egypt’s king had both given offense
To their lord, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, and hence,
He took his chief cupbearer and chief baker, and had them taken into custody
In the house of the captain of the guard, the same dungeon where Joseph happened to be.
The guard captain appointed Joseph to attend them. In custody, they spent much time,
And the two of them– both the cupbearer and baker of Pharaoh who had been confined–
They both had dreams, each man with his own dream that had its own meaning on that single night.
When Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them, their depression was in plain sight.
He asked Pharaoh’s officials, in custody with him, “Why do you appear sad today?”
They replied, “We have dreamt dreams, and there’s no intepreter to tell us what the dreams say.”
Joseph said to them, “Are not all interpretations from God? Pray, tell your dreams to me.”
The chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph. He said, “In my dream, a vine I did see.
There was a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches each with winding shapes,
And just as it was budding, the blossoms came out, and the clusters ripened into grapes.
Then the Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand. I picked the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup,
And put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” Joseph said to him, “Here’s what your dream means, listen up:
The three branches are three days, in three days Pharaoh will lift up your head, your post restored,
And you shall again place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, like you did as cupbearer before.
But please keep me in mind when it goes well for you, kindly mention my name to Pharaoh,
So that you will free me from this place. For in truth, I was kidnapped– stolen!– long ago,
From the land of the Hebrews. And here too I’ve done nothing to merit a dungeon stay.”
When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he decided to say,
“I also had a dream of that type. On my head were three wicker baskets of bread,
And in the topmost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh. But then the birds fed!
The birds ate the food out of the basket atop my head.” Joseph then gave his reply,
“Here’s the interpretation: The three baskets are three days, and when three days have gone by,
Pharaoh will lift up your head– from off of your body!– and then hang you up from a tree,
And the birds will all pick at your flesh.” On the third day, Pharaoh’s birthday, it came to be
That he held a great banquet for all of his servants, and lifted the heads of a pair:
His chief cupbearer and his chief baker were singled out from all of those who were there.
He restored the chief cupbearer to his cupbearership, to put the cup once again
In the hand of Pharoah. But the chief baker he hanged, all just as Joseph told the men.
It all happened according to what Joseph gave as interpretations from their dreams.
But the cupbearer did not keep Joseph in mind, he forgot his promise to redeem.

Genesis 39

Now when Joseph was brought down to Egypt, Potiphar, who served as Pharaoh’s chief steward,
An Egyptian man, a court official of Pharaoh’s, and also Captain of the guard,
Had acquired Joseph from the hands of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there.
And the Lord was with Joseph and so he was a man blessed with success beyond compare.
Joseph stayed in the house of his lord the Egyptian, who saw that The Lord was with him,
And also that the Lord brought success onto everything that Joseph had his hand in.
Joseph found favor with him and waited on him, so he set him over his household,
And all things that he owned. And as soon as Joseph as the household chief had been enrolled,
The Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph. His blessing was on everything,
All things in the house and in the fields owned by the Egyptian received the Lord’s blessing.
So he left all that he had in Joseph’s hands, and with him there, he had just one concern:
The bread that he ate. Joseph was well-built and nice to look at (like his mother, in turn).
After some time, the wife of the master laid eyes upon Joseph and said, “Lie with me!”
But Joseph refused, saying to his lord’s wife, “Look, with me here, my lord is worry-free.
All belonging to him he has placed in my hands; in this house, I rule as much as he,
And he has withheld not one thing from me, except you, for you are his wife. Don’t you see?
So how could I do this evil to him? It would be a sin against God, in addition!”
Though she coaxed Joseph day after day to lie with her and be with her, he did not listen.

Now one day, he came to the house to work, and none of the men were inside the homestead.
She grabbed him by his coat and said, “Lie with me!” But he left his coat in her hand and fled.
He escaped outside, but when she saw that he’d fled outside and left the coat in her hand,
She called in her house-servants and said to them, “See! He has brought to us a Hebrew man
To have play with us. He came to me, to lie with me, but I yelled out in a loud voice,
And when he heard my scream, he left his coat and fled outside, since he did not have much choice.”
Now she kept his coat next to her until his master came home, then she told him the tale,
“The Hebrew servant who you brought to us came to me to have play with me, but did fail.
I yelled out, and he left his coat with me and fled.” When his lord heard the words his wife spoke,
Saying, “This is what your servant has done to me,” then his anger was fully provoked.
Joseph’s lord had him put in the dungeon, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the dungeon, the Lord was with him, and was faithful and kind.
The Lord made the chief jailer find favor with Joseph. The chief jailer put in his hands
All the prisoners in the dungeon. All that got done, got done because of Joseph’s commands.
The chief jailer did not supervise anything; Joseph worked so well, there was no need,
Because the Lord was with him, and no matter what Joseph did, the Lord made it succeed.

Genesis 38

At about that time, Judah went down away from his brothers, and turned his camp aside
Towards an Adullamite man whose name was Hirah, and that’s where Judah had found a bride.
Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man whose name was Shua; she was the one.
He took her as a wife and came into her. She became pregnant and bore him a son,
He named him “Er”. Then she became pregnant again, bearing a son whom she named “Onan”.
Once again she bore a son, and named him “Shelah”; meanwhile he did lie in Chezib land.
Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn. The date was palmed off on a girl named Tamar.
But Judah’s firstborn Er was evil in the Lord’s eyes, and so he did not make it far.
The Lord caused him to die. Then Judah said to Onan, “Come into the wife of your brother,
Do a brother-in-law’s duty, preserve his seed, so the widow may still be a mother.”
But Onan knew that the seed would not be his, and his vexation at this was profound.
So whenever he came into his brother’s wife, he let it fall to waste on the ground,
That way Onan did not provide seed for his brother. In the Lord’s eyes, this was evil,
So He caused him to die as well. Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Still,
Sit as a widow in the house of your father until Shelah my son is grown up.”
For he said to himself, “Otherwise he will die like his brothers from Tamar’s bad luck.”
So Tamar went and stayed in the house of her father. And after that, many days passed.
Then Shua’s daughter, Judah’s wife, died. And when Judah had finished his mourning at last,
He went up with Hirah the Adullamite to Timnah to see his sheepshearers’ keep.
And Tamar was told, “Here, your father-in-law is going to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
Tamar took off her widow’s clothes, covered her face with a veil, wrapped herself, and sat down
By the entrance to Enayim (”Two Wells”) which is on the road that leads to Timnah town,
For she saw that Shelah had grown up, yet she had not been given to him as a wife.
When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a whore, for she was dressed like one of that life,
With her face covered up. He went over to her and said, “Come, let me come in to you.”
(For he did not know that it was Tamar his daughter-in-law, with her face hid from view.)
She said, “What will you give me for coming in to me?” He said, “I myself will have sent
A goat kid from my flock.” She said, “I will need a pledge, until I receive your payment.”
He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She said, “Your seal, your cord, and the staff in your hand.”
So he gave them to her and then came in to her, and by Judah she became pregnant.
She rose and went away, then she took off her veil, and put on her widow’s clothes once more.
Now when Judah had sent the goat kid by his friend the Adullamite, to set the score,
He was sent to fetch the pledge from the woman, but he couldn’t find her to get what was owed.
So he asked the townspeople, “Where is the cult prostitute near Enayim by the road?”
They said, “There’s no cult prostitute here!” So he went back to Judah, and said with a frown,
“I couldn’t find her, and also, the townspeople said, ‘There’s no cult-prostitute in this town.”
Judah said, “Let her keep my pledge for herself, otherwise we’ll become a laughing-stock.
I did send her the kid, but you could not find her, and all over the town you did walk.”

Three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been playing the whore,
In fact, she is with child from harlotry!” Judah said, “These are things she must burn for;
Bring her out and let her be burned!” But as she was being brought out, a message she sent
To her father-in-law saying, “By the man to whom these things belong I am pregnant.”
And she said, “Here are seal and cords and staff, now recognize, pray, to whom they belong.”
Judah recognized them and said, “She is in the right, while I have been wrong all along!
For I should have given her to Shelah my son.” And he did not lie with her again.
The time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb. She was in labor, when
One of them put a hand out. The midwife tied a scarlet thread to his hand signifying
That he had come out first. But just then he pulled back his hand, and his brother came out crying.
And she said, “What a breach you have breached for yourself!” So “Perez” (or “Breach”) was the boy’s name.
Then his brother came out, the red thread on his hand, so “Zerah” (”Red of Dawn”) he became.

Genesis 37

Jacob settled in the land where his father Isaac had sojourned, the land of Canaan.
These are the generations of Jacob.  Joseph, at just seventeen years old, was a man.
Joseph tended the flocks along with all his brothers, helped the sons of his father’s wives
Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought their father ill reports about all of their lives.
Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, for he was the son of his old age,
So he made him a coat ornamented in many colors, the cause of much outrage.
For when his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph much more than any of his brothers,
They despised him, and could not speak peacefully to him, for being loved more than all others.
Now Joseph had a dream which he told to his brothers– from then on, they hated him more–
He said to them, “Pray, hear this dream that I have dreamt: We were out binding sheaves by the score
In the field, when suddenly my sheaf arose, it was standing upright, and behold,
Your sheaves circled around it and bowed down to my sheaf!” They hated what they had been told.
His brothers said to him, “Would you reign over us? Would you rule over us like a king?”
From then on, Joseph was hated even more for the talk of his dreams that he would bring.
He dreamt another dream, and shared it with his brothers, saying, “I dreamt another dream:
Now the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me; what could it mean?”
When he told the dream to his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him and said,
“What is this dream that you have dreamt? Are we to come, I, your brothers, and mother, who’s dead,
And all bow down before you?” His brothers were envious, his father kept it in mind.

Now his brothers went to tend their father’s flock of sheep in Shechem, and at that same time,
Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers pasturing the flock of sheep in Shechem?
Come here, and I will send you to them.” Joseph said to Israel, “Okay, here I am.”
Israel said to him, “Come, go see how your brothers are faring, and how fare the sheep,
And bring word back to me.” So he sent Joseph out from Hebron, where the valley was steep.
Joseph came to Shechem, and a man came upon him while he was roaming in the field.
The man asked him, “What do you seek?” He answered, “I seek my brothers.” And then he appealed,
“Tell me, where do they pasture their sheep?” The man said, “They’ve moved on from here. I heard them say,
‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph followed them to Dothan, and found them in that way.
They saw him from afar, and before he got near, they conspired against him to slay him.
They said to one another, “Here comes the dream master, and now is the time to repay him.
Let us kill him and throw him in one of these pits, we can then say ‘A savage beast ate him.’
Then let’s see what becomes of his dreams!” Upon hearing their plans, Reuben tried to abate them.
He tried to rescue Joseph and said, “Let us not take his life. Don’t let his blood be shed!
Don’t lay one hand upon him, but throw him into this pit in the wilderness instead.”
He intended to save Joseph from them and then return him to his father intact.
When Joseph came to his brothers, they took his coat, with the many colors from his back.
Then they took Joseph and cast him into the pit. The pit was empty, no water in it.
And they sat down to eat their food, but when they lifted their eyes and looked up in a minute,
They saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, all in a band,
And their camels bore balm, balsam, and laudanum to be taken down to Egypt land.
Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain by killing our brother, hiding his blood?
Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let not our own hand shed Joseph’s blood.
For he is, after all, our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers all agreed to it.
When the Midianite men, the merchants, passed by, they all pulled Joseph out of the pit,
And his brothers sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites.
They took him to Egypt, so when Reuben returned to the pit, he was nowhere in sight.
Now when Reuben saw that Joseph wasn’t there, he rent his clothes (having failed his rescue).
He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! What am I supposed to do?”
Then they took Joseph’s coat, and they slaughtered a kid, dipped the coat in the blood of the goat.
They had it sent to their father and said, “We found this. Look at it; is this your son’s coat?”
Jacob recognized it, and said, “My son’s coat! He’s been devoured by some savage beast!
Joseph has, no doubt, been torn to pieces!” Jacob rent his clothes, and his mourning increased.
He put sackcloth on his loins and mourned his son for many days, thinking Joseph was dead.
All his sons and daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.
He said, “No, I will go down to my son in mourning, to Sheol!” (to Hell, or “the grave”)
Thus his father wept for him. Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold him as a slave.
They had sold Joseph into Egypt to Potiphar, who served as Pharaoh’s chief steward,
A court-officer of Pharaoh’s, and in addition, the Captain of the palace Guard.

Genesis 36

These are the generations of Esau (Edom). He took wives from the women of Canaan:
Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and
Granddaughter of Zibeon the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Ishmael
Sister of Nebaioth. Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel,
And Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. Those were the sons of Esau,
Who were born to him in the land of Canaan. Esau decided to journey abroad.
He took his wives, his sons and his daughters, all members of his household, cattle and beasts,
All his animals, and everything he had gained while in Canaan, from greatest to least.
He went off into another land, away from Jacob his brother, on his account,
For together, they had too much livestock to feed, and the land couldn’t support that amount.
So Esau settled in the hill-country of Seir (Esau is Edom, please be aware).
This is the line of Esau, father of the Edomites, in the hill-country of Seir:
Now these are the names of the sons of Esau: Eliphaz son of Esau’s wife Adah,
And Reuel son of Basemath, the wife of Esau. And then the sons of Eliphaz:
There were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. Now Timna was a concubine
To Eliphaz son of Esau, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz, in his line.
Those were the sons of Esau’s wife Adah. And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath,
And Zerah, and Shammah and Mizzah. And those were the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
These are the sons of Oholibamah, Anah’s daughter, granddaughter of Zibeon
(Whose name can mean “hyena”), and Esau’s wife. Oholibamah bore Esau three sons:
Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the clans of Esau’s sons: The sons of Eliphaz,
His firstborn: The clans Teman, Omar, Zepho, Korah, Gatam, Amalek, and Kenaz.
Those are the clans of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. Those are the sons of Adah.
These are the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: the clans Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah;
Those are the clans of Reuel in the land of Edom, sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.
And these are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the ones to whom she gave life:
Clans Jeush, Jalam, and Korah; these are the clans of Esau’s wife Oholibamah,
Daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife. Those are the sons and clans of Edom, who was Esau.

These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who were settled in the land: Shobal and Lotan,
Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan. Those were the Horite clans,
The children of Seir in the land of Edom. The sons of Lotan were Hemam and Hori,
And Lotan’s sister was Timna (the concubine who was mentioned before in the story).
These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Onam and Shepho.
These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah–the Anah who found long ago
The hot springs in the wilderness, while pasturing the asses of Zibeon his father.
And these are the children of Anah: his son Dishon, and Oholibamah his daughter.
And these are the children of Dishon: There were Hemdan, Eshban, and Ithran and Cheran.
These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. These are the sons of Dishan:
Uz and Aran. These are the clans of the Horites: the clans Zibeon, Shobal, Lotan,
Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. Those are the Horite families, by clan, in Seir’s land.

These are the kings who reigned in Edom, before any king o’er the Israelites reigned.
Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom as king, and “Dinhabah” was his city’s name.
When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah, from Bozrah, became king and reigned in his stead.
When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites then became king in his stead.
When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad succeeded him as king, and reigned in his stead,
(The Hadad who defeated Midian in Moab) “Avith” was the city he led.
When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah succeeded him as king, and reigned in his stead.
When Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-on-the-River became king and reigned in his stead.
When Saul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor succeeded him and became king in his stead.
When Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, Hadar became the next king, and reigned in his stead.
“Pau” was his city’s name, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred,
Daughter of Me-zahab. These are the names of the clans of Esau, by name, place, and clan:
The clans Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman,
Mibzar, Magdeil, and Iram. Those are the clans of Edom, listed by their habitations
In the land of their holdings. And that is Esau, the father of the Edomite nation.

Genesis 35

Now the Lord said to Jacob, “Arise, go to Bethel and stay there, and there build an altar
To the God who appeared to you when you fled your brother Esau.” And he did not falter.
Jacob said to his household and all with him, “Rid yourself of all foreign deities.
Remove them from your midst, purify yourselves, change your clothes, rise, come to Bethel with me.
There I will build an altar to the God who answered me on the day of my distress,
Who has been with me all places that I have gone.” And the people agreed and said, “Yes.”
So they gave Jacob all of the foreign gods they had, and all sacred rings in their ears,
And Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem, to stay there for thousands of years.
As they moved on, upon all the towns that were near where they journeyed, a fear of God fell,
So that they did not chase the sons of Jacob. And Jacob came back to Luz (now Bethel),
In the land of Canaan, he and all that were with him. And Jacob built an altar there,
And he called the place “El-Bethel” (”Godhead”) for that was where God unto him had appeared,
When he fled from his brother. Now Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, died in their keeping.
She was buried below Bethel, under an oak named “Allon Bacuth” (or “Oak of Weeping”).

God appeared again to Jacob, when he came back from the country of Aram, and blessed him.
God said to him, “You who are named Jacob, you shall be named Jacob no more.” God addressed him,
“For your name shall be Israel!” God called his name “Israel”, and God said to him too,
“I am God Almighty, be fertile and increase, nation and nations shall come from you,
Kings shall spring from your loins. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac, to you I give it,
And to your offspring after you I give the land.” Then God left before Jacob could pivot.
God went up from beside him, where He’d spoken with him. And Jacob set up at that site
A stone pillar where God spoke to him, he poured oil and drink offerings on the granite.
Jacob named the place where God had spoken to him “Bethel” (”House of God”). They left Bethel.
But when they were still some distance short of Ephrath, a hard childbirth came to Rachel.
She had difficult labor, but at its hardest, the midwife told her, “Don’t be afraid,
For this one is another son for you.” But as Rachel died and her life slipped away,
She named him “Ben-Oni” (”Son of My Suffering”), but his father named him “Benjamin”,
(Or “Son of the Right Hand”). Rachel died. It was the road to Ephrath she was buried in.
(That’s now Bethlehem.) Jacob set a pillar which remains on Rachel’s grave to this day.
Israel journeyed on, pitching his tent beyond Migdal-Eder (”Herd-Tower”), to stay.
While Israel stayed in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his dad’s concubine.
And Israel found out. Now the sons of Jacob numbered twelve, twelve strong boys from his line.
The sons of Leah: Jacob’s firstborn Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar,
And Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. Then the sons of Bilhah,
Rachel’s maid: Dan and Naphtali. And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maid: Asher and Gad
These are Jacob’s sons who were born to him in the country of Aram. Twelve sons he had.

Jacob came home to Isaac his father at Mamre, in Arba (which is now Hebron),
Where both Abraham and Isaac had sojourned once. And in years, Isaac was getting on.
The days of Isaac’s life were one hundred and eighty years, when he breathed his last and died.
Isaac died and was gathered to his kinspeople, at ripe old age, in years satisfied.
He was buried by his sons Esau and Jacob (now Israel), both there to preside.

Genesis 34

Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter, whom she’d borne to Jacob, went to see the girls of the land.
Shechem son of Hamor the Hivvite, prince of the land, saw her, and forced her with his hand.
He took her and lay with her by force. And his spirit drew him to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter;
He loved Dinah and spoke to her tenderly. So Shechem stated to Hamor, his father,
“Get me this girl as a wife!” Now Jacob heard he’d defiled his daughter Dinah with violence,
But his sons were out in the fields with the livestock, so Jacob waited for them in silence.
Then Hamor, Shechem’s father, went out to Jacob to speak with him, but Jacob’s sons came;
They came back from the fields when they heard what happened, exceedingly upset and pained.
For Shechem had done a disgrace in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter forcefully.
Such a thing is not to be done. Hamor spoke with them and tried to convince them resourcefully.
He said, “My son Shechem, he longs for your daughter, so please give her to him as a wife.
Intermarry with us, give us your daughters, and take ours for yourselves. Join us in life!
Dwell among us, the land will be open to you, dwell and trade in it, gain property.”
And Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, “Please do this one favor for me:
I will pay you whatever you ask, and a dowry and gifts as much as you can name,
I will give you whatever you want, just give me the girl Dinah as my wife to claim.”

Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully due to his deed,
For Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah. They said to them, “Our words you must heed.
We cannot do this thing, giving our sister to men with foreskins– Disgrace in our eyes.
Only on one condition will we comply: All males among you must be circumcised.
Then we’ll give you our daughters, and we’ll take your daughters for ourselves, and settle with you,
To become one people. But if you don’t heed us and circumcise yourselves, then we’re through,
We will take our daughter and go.” Their words seemed good in the eyes of Hamor and his son,
And the young man Shechem wanted Jacob’s daughter, so he quickly set to see it done.
Now Shechem was respected in his father’s house, so he and Hamor went to the gate.
At the gate of the city they spoke to the townsmen and said, “These men bring peace, not hate.
Let them settle in the land and travel in it, for the land is large enough for them.
Let us take their daughters as wives for ourselves and let us give our own daughters to them.
But there is one condition to these men’s compliance, to settle with us as one kin,
That every male of ours will be circumcised, just as they have removed their own foreskin.
All their livestock, beasts, and property shall be ours! Let’s comply so they settle with us.”
So they heeded Hamor and Shechem his son, all at the city’s gate, with little fuss.
All the males who went out of the city’s gate were circumcised. When three days had gone by,
While they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, brothers of Dinah, Simeon and Levi,
Each took their sword and came upon the city, feeling secure, and killed all of the males.
And Hamor and his son Shechem they also killed by the sword, which slashes and impales.
They took Dinah from Shechem’s house and went off. Then Jacob’s other sons found all the slain,
(Whom had all been defeated quite easily since they were still off their guard from the pain),
And they plundered the town, because their sister had been defiled. They seized their livestock,
All their sheep, oxen, donkeys, all in the city and the field, all their wealth in stock.
All their children and wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and plundered the lot.
But Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “Far too much trouble for me you have brought.
You’ve made me odious to the men of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
My men are few in number, so if the two of them should launch an attack and unite,
They could band against me, and I will be destroyed, me and my household lost in this war.”
But Simeon and Levi answered him, “Should our sister Dinah be treated like a whore?”

Genesis 33

Jacob lifted his eyes and saw Esau approaching, and with him were four hundred men.
He divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and also the two handmaidens.
He put the handmaidens and their children first, with Leah and her children right behind,
And Rachel and Joseph behind them, while Jacob himself went to the head of the line.
He bowed low to the ground seven times, until he neared his brother. Esau came to meet him,
And then Esau embraced Jacob, flinging himself around his neck, and kissed him to greet him.
They both wept. Esau lifted his eyes and saw all of the women and children and said,
“Who are these with you?” He said, “Children with whom your servant has by God been favored.”
Then the maids came close, they and their children bowed low. Leah and her children did the same.
Then Joseph and Rachel came close and bowed low. Esau said, “What do you mean by this game?”
Jacob said, “To find favor in my lord’s eyes.” Esau said, “My brother, I have enough.
Let what is yours remain yours.” But Jacob said, “Please, if I’ve found favor, accept this stuff.
Take these gifts from my hand, for I have, after all, seen your face as one sees that of God,
You’ve been gracious to me. Take this gift I bring you, for God’s favor shown me leaves me awed.
I have more than enough.” And he pressed him, so he took it. Then Esau said, “Let us go.
Let us travel onwards, I shall go at your side.” But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows
That the children are frail, and the flocks and herds in my care are still nursing, and weak.
If we were to push them hard for one single day, they would die. So now heed what I speak:
Pray let my lord cross on ahead of his servant, while I travel slowly, in the rear,
At the pace of the cattle before me, and the children, ‘til I reach my lord in Seir.”
Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of my men.” Jacob said, “That is unnecessary.
I wish only to find favor with you.” So Esau left that same day, and did not tarry.
He started back to Seir, while Jacob went to Succot, and built himself a house and home.
And he built sheds for his livestock, therefore since then as “Succot” (”Sheds”) that place has been known.

Jacob came home in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan,
He encamped facing the city after his homecoming from the country of Aram.
Then he purchased the parcel of land where he pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor.
Hamor (or “Donkey”) was the father of Shechem, who shared the name that the city bore.
And the price of purchase was one hundred kesitahs, worth one hundred lambs, as the deal.
There he set up an altar and called it “El Elohe Yisrael” (”God, God of Israel”)

Genesis 32

Early in the morn, Laban kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them, before heading home.
Now as Jacob went on his way, he met God’s messengers on the same path he did roam.
When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is a camp of God!” And he named that place “Mahanaim”.
(And that means “Double-Camp”, because Jacob had camped there, and God’s messengers had camped by him.)
Jacob sent messengers to his brother Esau, in the land of Seir, Edom’s country.
He had sent them ahead and commanded them saying, “To my lord Esau, say thusly:
‘Here is what Jacob, your servant, says: I have sojourned with Laban and rested ‘til now,
I’ve acquired both male and female slaves, flocks of sheep, oxen, donkeys, and cows.
I have sent out this message for you to hear, my lord, in hope that I will gain your favor.’”
Then the messengers came back to Jacob and said, “We have ill tidings you will not savor.
We came to your brother, to Esau, but he’s already coming to meet you, with men.
Now four hundred men are coming with him.” Jacob was exceedingly scared and frightened.
He divided the people with him, and the flocks, oxen, and camels into two camps,
Saying to himself, “If Esau strikes at one, the other may yet escape from those scamps.”
Jacob then said, “God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord,
Who said to me, ‘Return to your native land, and then I shall give to you a reward.’
I am unworthy of all the good faith and kindness you’ve steadfastly shown to Your servant.
With my staff alone I crossed this Jordan, and now have become two camps. My faith is fervent.
Pray save me from the hand of my brother, the hand of Esau, for of him I’m afraid.
I fear that Esau may come and strike me down, mothers and children alike to be slayed.
But you’ve said, ‘I will deal well with you, I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea,
An abundant amount that’s too many to count.’ That’s the promise that you made to me.”
After spending the night there, he took gifts for his brother Esau from what was at hand:
A full two hundred she-goats, and twenty young kids, and two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
Thirty milch camels and their young, forty cows, ten bulls, and twenty she-asses, ten males.
Jacob handed them over to his servants, herd by herd, and gave his servants details.
He said, “Cross on ahead of me, leave room between herds.” To the servants in front he said,
“When my brother Esau meets you and asks of you, ‘Whose man are you? To where do you head?
And whose animals are those ahead of you?’ Then say, ‘By your servant Jacob they’re owned;
They are gifts for my lord Esau, and Jacob is behind us, his arrival postponed.’”
Jacob gave the same charge to the second and third groups, and all groups that walked with the herds,
Saying, “When you should come upon Esau, my brother, then speak to him using these words:
You shall say, ‘And your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For Jacob had thought in this case,
“I will wipe the rage from the face of Esau by sending presents ahead of my face,
And when we’re face to face, maybe my face will please him, and he will be gracious and kind.”
So the gift went ahead, while he stayed in the camp for the night, but no sleep did he find.
He arose in the night and he took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven kids,
To the Jabbok crossing, where he sent them across, and then also sent all that was his.
Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until dawn came up in the sky.
When he saw that he could not prevail against Jacob, he touched the socket of his thigh.
And the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him. He said,
“Let me go, for the dawn has come up!” But he said, “I will not let you go, but instead,
I will hold on until you have blessed me.” He asked, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he replied.
Then the man said, “‘Jacob’ (‘Heel-Sneak’) shall no more be your name, but a name with more pride.
You shall be named ‘Israel’ (‘God-Fighter’), for you have fought with God and man, and prevailed.”
And then Jacob asked, “Tell me your name!” But he said, “Don’t ask for such things to be revealed.”
(For names of the divine give power over them.) So he blessed Jacob, and took his leave.
Jacob named the place “Peniel” (”Face of God”), for “I’ve seen God face to face, I believe,
Yet my life has been saved.” The sun rose on him as he crossed Peniel, limping along
On his thigh; which is why the Children of Israel to this day believe it is wrong
To eat of the thigh muscle and sinew that lies on the inner socket of the thigh,
For that sciatic nerve is the socket of muscle where Jacob was touched by that guy.