Abraham's sight, because of his son. And God said unto Abraham: Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad and because of the bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. And Abraham rose up early in the morning and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave them unto Hagar, putting them on her shoulder and the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. When the water was spent in the bottle, she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot; for she said: Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called unto Hagar out of heaven and said unto her: What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and he became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying: God is with thee in all that thou doest. Now therefore swear unto me by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son. According to the kindness that I have done to thee, thou shalt do unto me and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. And Abraham said, I will swear. And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. And Abimelech said: I wot not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it but to-day. And Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and they two made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham: What mean these seven ewe-lambs which thou hast set by themselves? And he said: These seven ewelambs shalt thou take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. Wherefore he called that place Beersheba (Well of an oath); because there they sware, both of them. So they made a covenant at Beersheba.

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him: Abraham! And he said: Behold, here I am. And he said: Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burntoffering upon one of the mountains which I shall tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then, on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men : Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac, his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham, his father, and said: My father! And he

said: Here am I, my son. And he said: Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering? And Abraham said: My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offering. So they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And the messenger of Yahweh called unto him out of heaven, and said: Abraham, Abraham! And he said: Here am I. And he said: Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering instead of his son.' Then Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

II

OF ESAU AND JACOB, TWIN SONS OF ISAAC

(Genesis, xxvii, 41a, 43, 44b-45; xxviii, 10-12, 17-18, 20-22; xxix, 15-23, 25-31; xxx, 1-5, 17-24; xxxi, 2, 4-16, 20-22, 24-25a, 26-29, 31, 41-43, 45-50, 53b-54; xxxii, 2-5, 14b-22, 24-33; xxxiii, 18-20; xxxv, 1-20.) Now Esau hated Jacob, because of the blessing wherewith his father had blessed him; and Rebekah told Jacob and said: Now therefore, my son, hear my voice; flee thou to Laban until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget what thou hast done to him. Then I will send and fetch thee thence. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day? And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place and tarried there all that night, because the sun was set. And he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head and lay down to sleep. And he dreamed; and behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the messengers of God ascending and descending upon it. And he was afraid, and said: How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying: If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on, so that I come to my father's house in peace; then shall Yahweh be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be the house of God. And of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.'

*

Then Laban said unto Jacob: Because thou art my kinsman, shouldest thou therefore serve me for naught? tell me, what shall thy wages

1 "And the messenger of Yahweh called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: By myself have I sworn, saith Yahweh, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son; that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gates of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." (xxii, 15-18.) (Fragment from a Judaic form of the same narrative.)

2 The meeting of Jacob and Rachel and his introduction to Laban are given by J.

be? Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah's eyes were weak; but Rachel was beautiful in form and fair to look upon. And Jacob loved Rachel, and 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 to another man; abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had to her.

And Jacob said unto Laban: Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. And it came to pass that in the morning, behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban: What is this thou hast done unto me? Did I not serve with thee for Rachel? Wherefore hast thou deceived me? And Laban said: It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week and I will give thee Rachel also for the service which thou shalt do for me for seven more years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled the week for the one and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. And he went in also unto Rachel, but he loved Rachel more than Leah; and he served him yet another seven years.

And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob: Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said: Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? And she said: Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her, and she shall bear upon my knees. And Bilhah conceived and bare Jacob a son; and Rachel said: God hath judged me, but hath also heard my voice, and given me a son. Therefore called she his name Dan (He judged). And Bilhah, Rachel's maid, conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. And Rachel said: With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed. And she called his name Naphthali (My wrestling). And God hearkened unto Leah; and she conceived and bare Jacob a fifth son. And Leah said: God hath given me my hire, because I have given my handmaid to my husband. And she called his name Issachar (Bought). And Leah conceived again and bare Jacob a sixth son. And Leah said: God hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me. And she called his name Zebulun (Dwelling). And afterwards she bare a daughter and called her name Dinah.

And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened unto her and opened her womb. And she conceived and bare a son, and said: God hath taken away my reproach. And she called his name Joseph, (He will add), and said: Yahweh shall add to me another son:

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and behold, it was not toward him as before. And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, and said unto them: I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me; and ye know, that with all my power I have served your father. And your father hath deceived me and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. If he said: The speckled shall be your wages; then all the flock bare speckled; and if he said thus: The striped shall be thy hire; then all the flock bare striped. Thus hath God taken away the flocks of

your father, and given them to me. And it came to pass at the time that the flocks conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were striped, speckled and spotted. And the angel of God said unto me in a dream: Jacob! And I said: Here am I. And he said: Lift up thine eyes now and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are striped, speckled and spotted; for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the pillar, and where thou didst vow a vow unto me. Now arise, get thee out from this land and return to the land of thy kindred. And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him: Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us and hath quite devoured our money. But all the riches which God hath taken from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now, then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. Then Jacob deceived Laban the Aramæan, in that he did not tell him that he was about to flee away. And he rose up and passed over the River. And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled. But God came to Laban the Aramæan in a dream by night, and said unto him: Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob, good or bad. Then Laban overtook Jacob and said unto Jacob: What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares, and carried away my daughters as captives by the sword? Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now hast thou acted foolishly. It is in the power of my hand to do thee harm; but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying: Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. And Jacob answered Laban saying: I was afraid lest thou shouldst tear thy daughters from me. These twenty years have I been in thy house. I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters and six years for the flock, and thou hast changed my wages ten times. Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac had been with us, surely thou hadst sent me away empty. God hath seen my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked thee yesternight. And Laban answered and said unto Jacob: The daughters are my daughters and the children are my children, and the flock is my flock, and all thou seest is mine; and what can I do unto these my daughters and unto their children which they have borne?

Then Jacob took a stone and set it up for a pillar. Then Laban said: If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us; understand, God is witness between me and thee. And Jacob sware by the Fear of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice upon the mount, and called his kinsmen to eat bread. And they did eat bread and tarried all night in the mount. And early in the morning Laban rose up and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. And Laban departed and returned to his place.

And Jacob went on his way, and the messengers of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said: This is God's host. And he called the name of that place Mahanaim, (Encampments).

And Jacob took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine

and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals; and he delivered them into the hands of his servants, drove by drove, and said unto his servants: Pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove. And he commanded the foremost, saying: When Esau my brother meeteth thee and asketh thee, saying: Whose man art thou? and whither art thou going? and whose are these droves before thee? then thou shalt say: Thy servant Jacob's. It is a present sent unto my lord Esau; and behold, he himself is behind us. And so commanded he the second and the third and all that followed the droves, saying: In this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. (For he said to himself: I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will look favorably upon me.) So the present passed over before him, but he remained that night in the camp. And he took them [his family] and sent them over the brook and all his possessions; and Jacob was left alone. And there wrestled a man with him until the break of day. And when he saw that he prevailed not over him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him. And he said: Let me go! for the day breaketh. And he said: I will not let thee go unless 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 (Supplanter), but Israel (Prince of God); for as a prince hast thou striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him and said: Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said: Why dost thou ask my name? and he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place, Peniel (Face of God); for I have seen God face to face, and my life is spared. And as he passed over Peniel, the sun rose over him, and he halted upon his thigh. Therefore the Children of Israel eat not of the sinew that shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank. And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram, and pitched his tent before the city. And he bought the piece of land where he had spread his tent at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money. And he erected there an altar, and called

it El-Elohe-Israel (El, God of Israel).

And God said unto Jacob: Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make there an altar unto God who appeared unto thee when thou didst flee from the face of Esau, thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him: Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean and change your garments; and let us arise and go up to Bethel. And I will make there an altar unto God who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and the earrings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. And they journeyed; and a great terror was upon the cities that were around about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, (that is, Bethel), he and all the people with him. And he built there an altar and called the place El-Bethel (God of Bethel), because there God appeared unto him when he fled from the face of his brother. But Deborah,