January 8
Genesis 24:50 27:17

 
 50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said: “From Jehovah this thing has issued. We are unable to speak bad or good to you. 51 Here is Rebekah before you. Take her and go, and let her become a wife to the son of your master, just as Jehovah has spoken.” 52 And it came about that when Abraham’s servant had heard their words, he at once prostrated himself on the earth before Jehovah. 53 And the servant began to bring out articles of silver and articles of gold and garments and to give them to Rebekah; and he gave choice things to her brother and to her mother. 54 After that they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and they spent the night there and got up in the morning.

      Then he said: “SEND me off to my master.” 55 To this her brother and her mother said: “Let the young woman stay with us at least ten days. Afterward she can go.” 56 But he said to them: “Do not detain me, seeing that Jehovah has given success to my way. Send me off, that I may go to my master.” 57 So they said: “Let us call the young woman and inquire at her mouth.” 58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her: “Will you go with this man?” In turn she said: “I am willing to go.”

      59 At that they sent off Rebekah their sister and her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they began to bless Rebekah and say to her: “O you, our sister, may you become thousands times ten thousand, and let your seed take possession of the gate of those who hate it.” 61 After that Rebekah and her lady attendants rose and they went riding on the camels and following the man; and the servant took Rebekah and got on his way.

      62 Now Isaac had come from the way that goes to Beer-lahai-roi, for he was dwelling in the land of the Negeb. 63 And Isaac was out walking in order to meditate in the field at about the falling of evening. When he raised his eyes and looked, why, there camels were coming! 64 When Rebekah raised her eyes, she caught sight of Isaac and she swung herself down from off the camel. 65 Then she said to the servant: “Who is that man there walking in the field to meet us?” and the servant said: “It is my master.” And she proceeded to take a headcloth and to cover herself. 66 And the servant went relating to Isaac all the things he had done. 67 After that Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother.  Thus he took Rebekah and she became his wife; and he fell in love with her, and Isaac found comfort after the loss of his mother.
 
 25 Furthermore, Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 In time she bore him Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Ishbak and Shuah.

      3 And Jokshan became father to Sheba and Dedan.
       And the sons of Dedan became Asshurim and Letushim and Leummim.

      4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah and Epher and Hanoch and Abida and Eldaah.
       All these were the sons of Keturah.

      5 Later on Abraham gave everything he had to Isaac, 6 but to the sons of the concubines that Abraham had Abraham gave gifts. Then he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he was still alive, eastward, to the land of the East. 7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, a hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham expired and died in a good old age, old and satisfied, and was gathered to his people. 9 So Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite that is in front of Mamre, 10 the field that Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and also Sarah his wife. 11 And it developed that after Abraham’s death God continued to bless Isaac his son, and Isaac was dwelling close by Beer-lahai-roi.

      12 And this is the history of Ishmael the son of Abraham whom Hagar the Egyptian the maidservant of Sarah bore to Abraham.

      13 Now these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their family origins: Ishmael’s firstborn Nebaioth and Kedar and Adbeel and Mibsam 14 and Mishma and Dumah and Massa, 15 Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their courtyards and by their walled camps: twelve chieftains according to their clans. 17 And these are the years of Ishmael’s life, a hundred and thirty-seven years. Then he expired and died and was gathered to his people. 18 And they took up tabernacling from Havilah near Shur, which is in front of Egypt, as far as Assyria. In front of all his brothers he settled down.

      19 And this is the history of Isaac the son of Abraham.

      Abraham became father to Isaac. 20 And Isaac happened to be forty years old at his taking Rebekah the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian, as his wife. 21 And Isaac kept on entreating Jehovah especially for his wife, because she was barren; so Jehovah let himself be entreated for him, and Rebekah his wife became pregnant. 22 And the sons within her began to struggle with each other, so that she said: “If this is the way it is, just why am I alive?” With that she went to inquire of Jehovah. 23 And Jehovah proceeded to say to her: “Two nations are in your belly, and two national groups will be separated from your inward parts; and the one national group will be stronger than the other national group, and the older will serve the younger.”

      24 Gradually her days came to the full for giving birth, and, look! twins were in her belly. 25 Then the first came out red all over like an official garment of hair; so they called his name Esau. 26 And after that his brother came out and his hand was holding onto the heel of Esau; so he called his name Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old at her giving them birth.

      27 And the boys got bigger, and Esau became a man knowing how to hunt, a man of the field, but Jacob a blameless man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac had love for Esau, because it meant game in his mouth, whereas Rebekah was a lover of Jacob. 29 Once Jacob was boiling up some stew, when Esau came along from the field and he was tired. 30 So Esau said to Jacob: “Quick, please, give me a swallow of the red—the red there, for I am tired!” That is why his name was called Edom. 31 To this Jacob said: “Sell me, first of all, your right as firstborn!” 32 And Esau continued: “Here I am simply going to die, and of what benefit to me is a birthright?” 33 And Jacob added: “Swear to me first of all!” And he proceeded to swear to him and to sell his right as firstborn to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he went to eating and drinking. Then he got up and went his way. So Esau despised the birthright.
 

 26 Now there arose a famine in the land, besides the first famine that occurred in the days of Abraham, so that Isaac directed himself to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, to Gerar. 2 Then Jehovah appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt. Tabernacle in the land that I designate to you. 3 Reside as an alien in this land, and I shall continue with you and bless you, because to you and to your seed I shall give all these lands, and I will carry out the sworn statement that I swore to Abraham your father, 4 ‘And I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens and I will give to your seed all these lands; and by means of your seed all nations of the earth will certainly bless themselves,’ 5 due to the fact that Abraham listened to my voice and continued to keep his obligations to me, my commands, my statutes, and my laws.” 6 So Isaac went on dwelling at Gerar.

      7 Well, the men of the place kept asking with respect to his wife, and he would say: “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say “My wife” for fear that, to quote him, “the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance. 8 So it came about that as his days there extended themselves Abimelech, king of the Philistines, was looking out of the window and taking in the sight, and there was Isaac having a good time with Rebekah his wife. 9 At once Abimelech called Isaac and said: “Why, she is no other than your wife! So how is it that you said, ‘She is my sister’?” At this Isaac said to him: “I said it for fear I should die on her account.” 10 But Abimelech continued: “What is this you have done to us? A little more and certainly one of the people would have lain down with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us!” 11 Then Abimelech commanded all the people, saying: “Anybody touching this man and his wife will surely be put to death!”

      12 Afterward Isaac began to sow seed in that land, and in that year he was getting up to a hundred measures to one, as Jehovah was blessing him. 13 Consequently the man became great and went on advancing more and more and growing great until he got very great. 14 And he came to have flocks of sheep and herds of cattle and a large body of servants, so that the Philistines began to envy him.

      15 As for all the wells that the servants of his father had dug in the days of Abraham his father, these the Philistines stopped up and they would fill them with dry earth. 16 Finally Abimelech said to Isaac: “Move from our neighborhood, because you have grown far stronger than we are.” 17 So Isaac moved from there and encamped in the torrent valley of Gerar and took up dwelling there. 18 And Isaac proceeded to dig again the wells of water that they had dug in the days of Abraham his father but which the Philistines went stopping up after Abraham’s death; and he resumed calling their names by the names that his father had called them.

      19 And the servants of Isaac went on digging in the torrent valley and so they found there a well of fresh water. 20 And the shepherds of Gerar fell to quarreling with the shepherds of Isaac, saying: “The water is ours!” Hence he called the name of the well Esek, because they had contended with him. 21 And they went digging another well, and they fell to quarreling over it also. Hence he called its name Sitnah. 22 Later he moved away from there and dug another well, but they did not quarrel over it. Hence he called its name Rehoboth and said: “It is because now Jehovah has given us ample room and has made us fruitful in the earth.”

      23 Then he went up from there to Beer-sheba. 24 And Jehovah proceeded to appear to him during that night and to say: “I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not be afraid, because I am with you, and I will bless you and multiply your seed on account of Abraham my servant.” 25 Accordingly he built an altar there and called on the name of Jehovah and pitched his tent there, and the servants of Isaac went excavating a well there.

      26 Later on Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his confidential friend and Phicol the chief of his army. 27 At this Isaac said to them: “Why have YOU come to me, seeing that YOU yourselves hated me and so sent me away from YOUR neighborhood?” 28 To this they said: “We have unmistakably seen that Jehovah has proved to be with you. Hence we said, ‘Let, please, an oath of obligation occur between us, between us and you, and let us conclude a covenant with you, 29 that you will do nothing bad toward us just as we have not touched you and just as we have done only good toward you in that we sent you away in peace. You now are the blessed of Jehovah.’” 30 Then he made a feast for them and they ate and drank. 31 Next morning they were early in rising and they made sworn statements one to the other. After that Isaac sent them away and they went from him in peace.

      32 Now on that day it occurred that the servants of Isaac proceeded to come and report to him regarding the well that they had dug, and to say to him: “We have found water!” 33 Hence he called its name Shibah. That is why the name of the city is Beer-sheba, down to this day.
 34 And Esau grew to be forty years old. Then he took as wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and also Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 And they were a source of bitterness of spirit to Isaac and Rebekah.
 
 27Now it came about that when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see he then called Esau his older son and said to him: “My son!” at which he said to him: “Here I am!” 2 And he went on to say: “Here, now, I have become old. I do not know the day of my death. 3 So at this time take, please, your implements, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt some venison for me. 4 Then make me a tasty dish such as I am fond of and bring it to me and, ah, let me eat, in order that my soul may bless you before I die.”

      5 However, Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went on out into the field to hunt game and to bring it in. 6 And Rebekah said to Jacob her son: “Here I just heard your father speaking to Esau your brother, saying, 7 ‘Bring me some game and make me a tasty dish and, ah, let me eat, that I may bless you before Jehovah before my death.’ 8 And now, my son, listen to my voice in what I am commanding you. 9 Go, please, to the herd and get me from there two kids of the goats, good ones, that I may make them up into a tasty dish for your father such as he is fond of. 10 Then you must bring it to your father and he must eat it, in order that he may bless you before his death.”

      11 And Jacob proceeded to say to Rebekah his mother: “But Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man. 12 What if my father feels me? Then I shall certainly become in his eyes like one making a mockery, and I shall certainly bring upon myself a malediction and not a blessing.” 13 At this his mother said to him: “Upon me be the malediction meant for you, my son. Only listen to my voice and go, get them for me.” 14 Accordingly he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made a tasty dish such as his father was fond of. 15 After that Rebekah took garments of Esau her older son, the most desirable ones which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the kids of the goats she put upon his hands and upon the hairless part of his neck. 17 Then she gave the tasty dish and the bread that she had made into the hand of Jacob her son.