Wayfinding Bible - Flipbook - Page 56
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Genesis 32
find anything else that belongs to you, identify
it before all these relatives of ours, and I will
give it back!” But Jacob did not know that Ra
chel had stolen the household idols.
33
Laban went first into Jacob’s tent to search
there, then into Leah’s, and then the tents of
the two servant wives—but he found nothing.
Finally, he went into Rachel’s tent. 34 But Ra
chel had taken the household idols and hidden
them in her camel saddle, and now she was
sitting on them. When Laban had thoroughly
searched her tent without finding them, 35 she
said to her father, “Please, sir, forgive me if I
don’t get up for you. I’m having my monthly
period.” So Laban continued his search, but he
could not find the household idols.
36
Then Jacob became very angry, and he
challenged Laban. “What’s my crime?” he
demanded. “What have I done wrong to make
you chase after me as though I were a criminal? 37 You have rummaged through everything
I own. Now show me what you found that belongs to you! Set it out here in front of us, before 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 e very 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
Then Laban replied to Jacob, “These women
are my daughters, these children are my grand
children, 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
43
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 Galee d (which means “witness
pile” in Hebrew).
48
Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones
will stand as a witness to remind us of the cov
enant 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
52
us. They stand between us as witnesses of
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
grand
father Abra
ham 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
*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.*
1
JACOB SENDS GIFTS TO ESAU
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
3
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
32:132 are numbered 32:2-33 in Hebrew text. 32:2 Mahanaim
means “two camps.”
