42-46. Jacob sent to Mesopotamia. These things were told to Gen.XXVII. Rebecca: and she sent and called Jacob her son, B.C. 1759. and said to him: Behold Esau thy brother threateneth to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, hear my voice; arise and flee to Laban my brother to Haran: and thou shalt dwell with him a few days, till the wrath of thy brother be assuaged, and his indignation cease, and he forget the things thou hast done to him afterwards I will send, and bring thee from thence hither. Why shall I be deprived of both my sons in one day? And Rebecca said to Isaac: I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of this land, I choose not to live. 1-9. And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, Gen. saying: Take not a wife of the stock of Canaan: but go, and XXVIII. take a journey to Mesopotamia of Syria, to the house of Bathuel thy mother's father, and take thee a wife thence of the daughters of Laban thy uncle. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee to increase, and multiply thee: that thou mayst be a multitude of people, and give the blessings of Abraham to thee, and to thy seed after thee that thou mayst possess the land of thy sojournment, which He promised to thy grandfather. And when Isaac had sent him away, he took his journey and went to Mesopotamia of Syria to Laban the son of Bathuel the Syrian, brother to Rebecca his mother. And Esau seeing that his father had blessed Jacob, and had sent him into Mesopotamia of Syria, to marry a wife thence; and that after the blessing he had charged him, saying: Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan: and that Jacob obeying his parents was gone into Syria: experiencing also that his father was not well pleased with the daughters of Canaan he went to Ismael, and took to wife, besides them he had before, Maheleth the daughter of Ismael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nabajoth. XXVIII. Jacob's Vision. But Jacob being departed from Bersabee, Gen. went on to Haran. And when he was come to a certain place, 10-22. and would rest in it after sunset, he took of the stones that lay there, and putting under his head, slept in the same place. And he saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth, and the top thereof touching heaven: the angels also of God ascending and descending by it,* and the Lord leaning upon the ladder, saying to him: I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land, wherein thou sleepest, I will give *This vision was a type of the Church, which is the means of communication between heaven and earth. Gen. XXIX. 1-28. to thee and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and thy seed all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed. And I will be thy keeper whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land neither will I leave thee, till I shall have accomplished all that I have said. And when Jacob awaked out of sleep, he said: Indeed the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. And trembling he said: How terrible is this place! this is no other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven. And Jacob, arising in the morning, took the stone, which he had laid under his head, and set it up for a title, pouring oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of the city Bethel,* which before was called Luza. And he made a vow, saying: If God shall be with me, and shall keep me in the way by which I walk, and shall give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, and I shall return prosperously to my father's house: the Lord shall be my God: and this stone, which I have set up for a title, shall be called the house of God: and of all things that Thou shalt give to me, I will offer tithes to Thee. Jacob's Stay at Haran.—Then Jacob went on in his journey, and came into the east country. And he saw a well in the field, and three flocks of sheep lying by it: for the beasts were watered out of it, and the mouth thereof was closed with a great stone. And the custom was, when all the sheep were gathered together, to roll away the stone, and after the sheep were watered, to put it on the mouth of the well again. : And he said to the shepherds: Brethren, whence are you? They answered: Of Haran. And he asked them, saying: Know you Laban the son of Nachor? They said: We know him. He said: Is he in health? He is in health, say they and behold Rachel his daughter cometh with his flock. And Jacob said: There is yet much day remaining, neither is it time to bring the flocks into the folds again: first give the sheep drink, and so lead them back to feed. They answered: We cannot, till all the cattle be gathered together, and we remove the stone from the well's mouth that we may water the flocks. : They were yet speaking, and behold Rachel came with her father's sheep for she fed the flock. And when Jacob saw her, and knew her to be his cousin-german, and that they were the sheep of Laban, his uncle, he removed the stone wherewith This name signifies the house of God.' Jacob anointed the stone, and thus dedicated the spot to God, because He had manifested Himself there. the well was closed. And having watered the flock, he kissed her and lifting up his voice, wept. And he told her that he was her father's brother, and the son of Rebecca: but she went in haste and told her father. Who, when he heard that Jacob his sister's son was come, ran forth to meet him: and embracing him, and heartily kissing him, brought him into the house. And when he had heard the causes of his journey, he answered: Thou art my bone and my flesh. And after the days of one month were expired, he said to him: Because thou art my brother, shalt thou serve me without wages? Tell me what wages thou wilt have. Now he had two daughters: the name of the elder was Lia, and the younger was called Rachel. But Lia was blear-eyed: Rachel was wellfavoured, and of a beautiful countenance. And Jacob being in love with her, said: I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. Laban answered: It is better that I give her to thee than to another man. Stay with me. So Jacob served seven years for Rachel: and they seemed but a few days, because of the greatness of his love. And he said to Laban: Give me my wife; for now the time is fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. And he, having invited a great number of his friends to the feast, made the marriage. And at night he brought in Lia his daughter to him, giving his daughter a handmaid, named Zelpha. Now when Jacob had gone in to her according to custom, when morning was come he saw it was Lia: and he said to his father-in-law: What is it that thou didst mean to do? did not I serve thee for Rachel? why hast thou deceived me? Laban answered: It is not the custom in this place, to give the younger in marriage first. Make up the week of days of this match and I will give thee her also, for the service that thou shalt render me other seven years. He yielded to his pleasure and after the week was past, he married Rachel. -SECT. XIV. JACOB'S RETURN TO THE LAND OF CANAAN. HE MEETS ESAU. Jacob leaves Haran.-But after that he heard the words of Gen. XXXI 1-18. the sons of Laban, saying: Jacob hath taken away B.C. 1739. Gen. XXXII. 1-13. not towards me as yesterday and the other day but the God of my father hath been with me. And you know that I have served your father to the uttermost of my power. Yea, your father also hath overreached me, and hath changed my wages ten times and yet God hath not suffered him to hurt me. If at any time he said: The speckled shall be thy wages: all the sheep brought forth speckled: but when he said on the contrary: Thou shalt take all the white ones for thy wages: all the flocks brought forth white ones. And God hath taken your father's substance, and given it to me... And the angel of God said to me in my sleep: Jacob? And I answered: Here I am. . . I am the God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the stone, and make a vow to Me. Now therefore arise and go out of this land, and return into thy native country. And Rachel and Lia answered: Have we anything left among the goods and inheritance of our father's house? Hath he not counted us as strangers, and sold us, and eaten up the price of us? But God hath taken our father's riches, and delivered them to us, and to our children: wherefore do all that God hath commanded thee. Then Jacob rose up, and having set his children and wives upon camels, went his way. And he took all his substance, and flocks, and whatsoever he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and went forward to Isaac his father to the land of Canaan. : Jacob meets Esau.-Jacob also went on the journey he had begun and the angels of God met him. And when he saw them, he said: These are the camps of God: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim, that is, Camps. And he sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir, to the country of Edom: and he commanded them, saying: Thus shall ye speak to my lord Esau: Thus saith thy brother Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban, and have been with him until this day. I have oxen, and asses, and sheep, and men-servants, and women-servants: and now I send a message to my lord, that I may find favour in thy sight. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: We came to Esau thy brother, and behold he cometh with speed to meet thee with four hundred men. Then Jacob was greatly afraid; and in his fear divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the sheep, and the oxen, and the camels, into two companies, saying: If Esau come to one company and destroy it, the other company that is left shall escape. And Jacob said: O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who saidst to me: Return to thy land and to the place of thy birth, and I will do well for thee, I am not worthy of the least of all Thy mercies, and of Thy truth which Thou hast fulfilled to Thy servant. With my staff I passed over this Jordan: and now I return with two companies. Deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am greatly afraid of him; lest perhaps he come, and kill the mother with the children. Thou didst say that Thou wouldst do well by me, and multiply my seed like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. And when he had slept there that night, he set apart, of the things which he had, presents for his brother Esau. 21-32. So the presents went before him, but himself lodged that Gen. XXXII. night in the camp. And rising early he took his two wives, and his two handmaids, with his eleven sons, and passed over the ford of Jaboc. And when all things were brought over that belonged to him, he remained alone. And behold a man wrestled with him till morning. And when he saw that he could not overcome him, he touched the sinew of his thigh, and forthwith it shrank. And he said to him: Let me go, for it is break of day. He answered: I will not let thee go except thou bless me. And he said: What is thy name? He answered: Jacob. But he said: Thy name shall not be called Jacob, but Israel:* for if thou hast been strong against God, how much more shalt thou prevail against men? Jacob asked him: Tell me by what name art thou called? He answered: Why dost thou ask my name? And he blessed him in the same place. And Jacob called the name of the place Phanuel, saying: I have seen God face to face, and my soul has been saved. And immediately the sun rose upon him, after he was past Phanuel; but he halted on his foot. Therefore the children of Israel, unto this day, eat not the sinew, that shrank in Jacob's thigh: because he touched the sinew of his thigh and it shrank. XXXIII. And Jacob lifting up his eyes, saw Esau coming, and with Gen. him four hundred men; and he divided the children of Lia 1-20. and of Rachel, and of the two handmaids. And he put both the handmaids and their children foremost; and Lia and her children in the second place; and Rachel and Joseph last. And he went forward and bowed down with his face to the ground seven times, until his brother came near. Then Esau ran to meet his brother, and embraced him: and * 'Israel means Prince of God. This mysterious wrestling with an angel in human form was directed to inspire Jacob with still greater confidence; inasmuch as he might hope to overcome his fellow men, since he was enabled to struggle with a heavenly spirit.' KENRICK. |