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G ENESIS 32
page 31
our relatives, for all to see. Let them judge between us!
38 “For twenty years I have been with you, caring for your flocks. In all that time your sheep
and goats never miscarried. In all those years I
never used a single ram of yours for food. 39 If
any were attacked and killed by wild animals,
I never showed you the carcass and asked you
to reduce the count of your flock. No, I took the
loss myself! You made me pay for every stolen
animal, whether it was taken in broad daylight
or in the dark of night.
40 “I worked for you through the scorching
heat of the day and through cold and sleepless
nights. 41 Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your
house! I worked for fourteen years earning
your two daughters, and then six more years
for your flock. And you changed my wages ten
times! 42 In fact, if the God of my father had not
been on my side—the God of Abraham and the
fearsome God of Isaac*—you would have sent
me away empty-handed. But God has seen your
abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you!”
Jacob’s Treaty with Laban
43 Then Laban replied to Jacob, “These women
are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks—in
fact, everything you see is mine. But what can I
do now about my daughters and their children?
44 So come, let’s make a covenant, you and I,
and it will be a witness to our commitment.”
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a
monument. 46 Then he told his family members,
“Gather some stones.” So they gathered stones
and piled them in a heap. Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a
covenant meal. 47 To commemorate the event,
Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which
means “witness pile” in Aramaic), and Jacob
called it Galeed (which means “witness pile”
in Hebrew).
48 Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones
will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why
it was called Galeed—“Witness Pile.” 49 But it
was also called Mizpah (which means “watchtower”), for Laban said, “May the Lord keep
watch between us to make sure that we keep
this covenant when we are out of each other’s
sight. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you
marry other wives, God will see it even if no one
else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.
51 “See this pile of stones,” Laban continued,
“and see this monument I have set between
us. 52 They stand between us as witnesses of
31:42 Or and the Fear of Isaac. 31:53 Or the Fear of his
father, Isaac. 31:55 Verse 31:55 is numbered 32:1 in Hebrew
text. 32:1 Verses 32:1-32 are numbered 32:2-33 in Hebrew
text. 32:2 Mahanaim means “two camps.”
our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones
to harm you, and you must never pass these
stones or this monument to harm me. 53 I call
on the God of our ancestors—the God of your
grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor—to serve as a judge between us.”
So Jacob took an oath before the fearsome
God of his father, Isaac,* to respect the boundary line. 54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God
there on the mountain and invited everyone to a
covenant feast. After they had eaten, they spent
the night on the mountain.
55*Laban got up early the next morning, and
he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters
and blessed them. Then he left and returned
home.
32
1*As
Jacob started on his way again, angels of God came to meet him. 2 When
Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, “This is God’s
camp!” So he named the place Mahanaim.*
Jacob Sends Gifts to Esau
3 Then Jacob sent messengers ahead to his
brother, Esau, who was living in the region of
Seir in the land of Edom. 4 He told them, “Give
this message to my master Esau: ‘Humble greetings from your servant Jacob. Until now I have
been living with Uncle Laban, 5 and now I own
cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and
many servants, both men and women. I have
sent these messengers to inform my lord of my
coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me.’”
6 After delivering the message, the messengers returned to Jacob and reported, “We met
your brother, Esau, and he is already on his
way to meet you—with an army of 400 men!”
7 Jacob was terrified at the news. He divided his
household, along with the flocks and herds and
camels, into two groups. 8 He thought, “If Esau
meets one group and attacks it, perhaps the
other group can escape.”
9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—
O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land
and to your relatives.’ And you promised me,
‘I will treat you kindly.’ 10 I am not worthy of all
the unfailing love and faithfulness you have
shown to me, your servant. When I left home
and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing
except a walking stick. Now my household fills
two large camps! 11 O Lord, please rescue me
from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid
that he is coming to attack me, along with my
wives and children. 12 But you promised me,
‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply
your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many
to count.’”
13 Jacob stayed where he was for the
night. Then he selected these gifts from his