Chapter 26 - There was a famine in the land (not sure which land) like the one Abraham witnessed passing through the south on his way to Egypt years earlier.
Isaac traveled to Gerar to meet with Abimelech, king of the Philistines. (He must be getting pretty old by now)
God told Isaac not to go to Egypt, but to instead sojourn in Gerar and reminded Isaac of the Covenant made with his father and all his descendants.
When asked about his wife Rebekah, Isaac replied that she was his sister for he feared the men of Gerar would kill him to have her. (Gah! Not this again!)
After staying in the land for a while, Abimelech spots Rebekah and Isaac outside a window together. He summons them and asks Isaac why he is telling everyone they are brother and sister.
Isaac tells the king he fears being slayed, and Abimelech angrily responds that one of his subjects might have slept with her not knowing she was his wife and brought guilt upon them all.
Abimelech tells all his people that anyone who touches Isaac or Rebekah will be put to death.
(This is about the shrewdest order I've heard a king give yet. Avoids a great many terrible consequences for his kingdom after what almost happened last time)
Isaac prospered in Gerar, and became very great. His flocks and herds and stores of servants multiplied greatly.
Eventually, Abimelech and the Philistines grew envious, and the king told him he was mightier than they, and sent Isaac away.
Isaac departed, and stayed in the valley of Gerar.
He had wells dug and competed with the Philistines for water, and eventually moved on to Beersheba and built an altar to God.
One day Abimelech and his troop leader Phicol and Abimelech's friend Ahuzzath came visiting. They offered a fresh covenant with Isaac that he do them no harm which they would match. They've been nothing but peaceful with him and sent him away in peace and that he was blessed by God. Isaac agreed and had a feast and sent them away. (So a fresh peace treaty)
Isaac dug a well and found water, named it Sheebah, and started the beginning of a city named Beersheeba. (In the wilderness of Beersheeba heh)
Esau was 40 when he married Judith and Bashemath, who were a "grief of mind" to Isaac and Rebekah
Chapter 27 - It came to pass that when Isaac was old and blind, he called to Esau and told him to go hunting and bring him venison.
Esau was to prepare it how Isaac liked it, and then Isaac would eat it and give him his blessing.
So Isaac went deer? hunting and Rebekah, who overheard their conversation, told Jacob what was happening.
She commanded Jacob to bring 2 kids (children goats) from the herd of goats so she could prepare them as food so that Jacob could get Esau's blessing instead.
Jacob objected saying that Esau was a hairy man and he was smooth, and father was sure to discover the deception.
Rebekah covered Jacob's hands and neck in the fur cut from the young goats and dress him in Esau's clothing so he'd smell like Esau also.
Jacob went to Isaac with the food and presented it to him. Isaac asked how he got it so fast, and Jacob said that God provided the animal quickly.
Isaac commanded him closer and felt his hands. He commented that he heard Jacob's voice, but definitely felt the hands of Esau.
He asked Jacob if he was Esau, and Jacob confirmed that he was.
Then Isaac commanded him to kiss him, and when Jacob did he smelt Esau.
So then Isaac gave Jacob his blessing: (couldn't tell the difference between mutton and venison? must be made spicey
)
God give thee the dew of heaven
and the fatness of the earth
and plenty of corn and wine (wasn't corn from South American? must be a middle east version)
Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee:
be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee:
cursed be everyone that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee
Jacob is not long gone before Esau arrives with the prepared venison and asks for his father's blessing.
Isaac begins shaking when he discovers he gave the blessing to the wrong person.
Esau is furious and asks his father for another blessing, but Isaac says he already gave it away to his brother who took it through subtlety.
Esau realizes that his brother has now taken both his birthright and his blessing from him, and asks Isaac once again for his blessing.
Isaac tells him that he must serve his brother, just as the servants will serve him, and asks what should he do with Esau.
Again Esau asks for a blessing and then starts to cry. (40 years younger than old Isaac
)
Isaac is only able to bless him the fatness of the earth and the dew of heaven. He must serve his brother and live by the sword.
And that he will one day be free of his brother? (not sure about this part)
Esau hated Jacob and vowed in his heart that as soon as Isaac dies, he will kill Jacob.
These words were told to Rebekah (what? who could possibly overhear that to tell her?
Esau must talk in his sleep)
Rebekah tells Jacob to flee to her brother Laban back in Haran. (Mesopotamia/Ur/Abraham's original homeland/that place the servant found her)
When Esau calms down and forgets what Jacob did, then she will send for him to come back.
Later, Rebekah tells Isaac that she is weary of life because of the Canaan women (Esau's 2 wives?) and that if Jacob marries one too, she won't have much reason to live?
Chapter 28 - Isaac called Jacob in and forbid him to marry a local Canaan woman.
He is to travel to Padanaram and take a wife from one of Rebekah's brother Laban's daughters.
eek: Wow, I can't believe Rebekah just manipulated him into doing exactly what she secretly wanted. It will save Jacob's life though)
Jacob receives Isaac's blessing and departs.
Esau sees that the daughters of Canaan do not please his father, so he goes to his uncle Ishmael and marries his daughter Mahalath. (What happened to his other 2 wives? Guess he has 3 now)
On the road, Jacob lays down and sleeps with his head on a rock (ouch!)
He dreams of a ladder stretching to heaven with angles climbing up and down it. God is at the top and reminds him of The Covenant.
Jacob awakes and pours oil on the rock and names the place Bethel. He vows that God will be his god if he makes it through his journey to home safely.
He says the rock, which he set as a pillar, will be God's house. That all that God gives him, he will give 1/10th in return. (tithe?)
Chapter 29 - Jacob traveled east until he entered the lands of the people of the east.
He found a well with 3 flocks of sheep and a boulder that was moved off the top when the sheep were ready to drink. (keeps wild animals from taking all the water I suppose)
He asked them where they were from and they replied Haran. He asked if they knew Laban and they did. Then Rachel, Laban's daughter arrived with her father's flock and Jacob went to meet her.
Jacob told her who he was after watering her sheep for her. She ran home to tell Laban. Laban arrived and heard Jacob's story, then hugged and kissed him and invited him home.
Jacob stayed with Laban for a month. Laban had 2 daughters, Leah the eldest, and Rachel the youngest.
Then Laban asked Jacob, since he was kin, whether he should be paid. (Jacob can't go home, make him work for free mwahaha!)
Jacob said that he would serve Laban for 7 years in return for Rachel, whom he loved.
Laban agreed and Jacob worked for him 7 years.
Jacob demanded Rachel, and Laban threw a feast. Later that night, Laban gave Leah a servant named Zilpah, and sent her in to be with Jacob.
The next morning, Jacob discovered he had slept with and married Leah, not Rachel!
eek
He asked Laban why the deception, and was told that in Laban's country, the eldest must be given before the younger. (ya right, he wants to get rid of both daughters and profit bigtime
)
If Jacob wanted Rachel too, he'd have to wait 1 week, and then he must serve another 7 years.
Jacob agreed, and married Rachel the following week. Rachel was given the servant Bilhah.
Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, but Rachel was barren and Leah was not. God saw that Leah was hated, and gifted her with children.
Leah had Jacob's first son named Reuben. She felt sure that he would now love her.
Leah had more sons named Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Each time she thanked God.
Chapter 30 - Rachel envied her sister Leah and demanded that Jacob give her a child even though she is barren. They fight over it.
Rachel convinced him to take her servant Bilhah and have kids with her that would then be hers/adopted?
Jacob agreed and had 2 sons with Bilhah, Dan and Naphtali.
Leah got the same idea and gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob. Zilpah had 2 sons with Jacob, Gad and Asher.
One night, Rachels sees some mandrakes (flowers?) that Reuben collected and bargains with Leah to have them in return for giving Leah Jacob for the night.
Leah has a 5th and 6th son for Jacob, Issachar and Zebulon. She also has a daughter named Dinah (Wow, a woman finally in a lineage. Will probably see her again later
)
Finally, God hearkened to Rachel, and she bore a son for Jacob herself. The son was named Joseph. (3rd time God has cured barrenness for this family. Sarah, Rebekah, and now Rachel ^.^)
When Jacob's additional 7 years were up, he told Laban to send him home to Canaan. He wished to bring only his wives and his children (12 so far), none of the flocks/animals.
Laban replied sweetly that Jacob should stay. That God had blessed him because God had blessed Jacob who tended his flocks. (Greedy Laban!)
Laban asked what Jacob wanted to be paid, and he'd pay it for him to stay. (Probably knows Jacob won't demand much grr)
Jacob said that he'd stay and tend the flocks if he could have the speckled and spotted cattle and goats and the brown sheep? (I don't really understand this part. Brown sheep suck but the others still taste good)
He'd keep such that were born and hand over the others to Laban? (Not sure if I read this right)
Jacob used colored stakes to control breeding and eventually prospered with growing flocks. Jacob got the strong animals and Laban the weaker.
(Even though the deal was probably weighted very favorably towards Laban. Some kind of divine+genius chocobo breeding occurred here I think
)
Jacob prospered exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and manservants, and donkeys.
There's an audio version too. Wow. Someone really likes Lol cats. That is a multi thousand hour project I think.
