The Bible Story Part 131

And he abode with him the s.p.a.ce of a month.. And Laban said unto Jacob, "Because thou art my nephew, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me what shall thy wages be?"

And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. And Leah's eyes were tender; but Rachel was beautiful and well favored. And Jacob loved Rachel; and he said, "I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter."

And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me."

And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.

JACOB SETS OUT FOR HIS NATIVE LAND.

_He Is Pursued by Laban, but a Covenant of Peace Is Made Between Them_.

(Jacob also took Leah to be his wife. After many years of service, in which time many sons and daughters were born to him, Jacob, who increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and a.s.ses, wished to depart from the household of his father-in-law to his native land. So he went away secretly, with his wives and all his possessions. )

Now Laban was angry, and pursued Jacob, and Laban came up with Jacob.

Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountain of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob, "What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters as captives of the {72} sword? Wherefore didst thou flee secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs, with tabret and with harp; and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now hast thou done foolishly. It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the G.o.d of your father spoke unto me yesternight, saying, 'Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.'"

And Jacob was wroth with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, "What is my trespa.s.s? what is my sin, that thou hast hotly pursued after me? This twenty years have I been with thee. The sheep of the flock which were torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bore the loss of them; of my hand didst thou require them, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from mine eyes. These twenty years have I been in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. Except the G.o.d of my father, the G.o.d of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now hadst thou sent me away empty. G.o.d hath seen mine affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight."

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HEBRON

Hebron, famous in Old Testament story, is to-day one of the four sacred cities of the Moslems. It is in a little valley surrounded by hills, which are still covered with vineyards.

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And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have borne?

And now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee."

And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. And Jacob said unto his brethren, "Gather stones"; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they ate there by the heap. And Laban called it "Jegar-sahadutha": but Jacob called it Galeed.

And Laban said, "This heap is witness between me and thee this day."

Therefore was the name of it called Galeed: and "Mizpah" (that is, watchtower), for he said,

"The Lord watch between me and thee, When we are absent one from another."

"If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, G.o.d is witness between me and thee."

And Laban said to Jacob, "Behold this heap, and behold the pillar, which I have set between me and thee. This heap be witness, and the pillar be witness, that I will not pa.s.s over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pa.s.s over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.

"The G.o.d of Abraham, and the G.o.d of Nahor, the G.o.d of their father, judge between us."

And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mountain. And early in the morning {76} Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.

And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of G.o.d met him. And Jacob said when he saw them, "This is G.o.d's host": and he called the name of that place Mahanaim (that is, Two Hosts).

JACOB FEARS THE WRATH OF ESAU.

_He Wrestles with the Angel. The Brothers Meet and are Reconciled_.

And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, "Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau; 'Thus saith thy servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now: and I have oxen, and a.s.ses and flocks, and menservants and maidservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.'"

And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to thy brother Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him."

Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two companies; and he said, "If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the company which is left shall escape."

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THE VALLEY OF THE JABBOK

From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitch.e.l.l and used by his kind permission.

Over this stream Jacob sent his family and his flock while he remained to wrestle with the angel through the night.

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And Jacob said, "O G.o.d of my father Abraham, and G.o.d of my father Isaac, O Lord, who saidst unto me, 'Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good': I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I pa.s.sed over this Jordan; and now I am become two companies. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children. And thou saidst, 'I will surely do thee good, and make thy family as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for mult.i.tude.'"

And he lodged there that night; and took of that which he had with him a present for Esau his brother; two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty she-a.s.ses and ten foals.

And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself; and said unto his servants, "Pa.s.s over before me, and put a s.p.a.ce between drove and drove."

And he commanded the foremost, saying, "When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, 'Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?' then thou shalt say, 'They are thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, he also is behind us.'"

And he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, "On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him; and ye shall say, 'Moreover, behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us.'"

For he said, "I will appease him with the present that {80} goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept me."

So the present pa.s.sed over before him: and he himself lodged that night in the company.

And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven children, and pa.s.sed over the ford of Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that which he had. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him. And he said, "Let me go, for the day breaketh."

And he said, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me."

And he said unto him, "What is thy name?"

And he said, "Jacob."

And he said, "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for thou hast striven with G.o.d and with men, and hast prevailed."

And Jacob asked him and said, "Tell me, I pray thee, thy name."