When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken captive, he mobilized his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders as far as Dan.

Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “You are now pregnant and are about to give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your painful groans.

As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes; I will make him into a great nation.

One of them said, “I will surely return to you when the season comes round again, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him.

Then he said to them, “If you agree that I may bury my dead, then hear me out. Ask Ephron the son of Zohar

“No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell you both the field and the cave that is in it. In the presence of my people I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”

“Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”

Now Rebekah had been listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau went out to the open fields to hunt down some wild game and bring it back,

Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father tell your brother Esau,

When Esau heard his father’s words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. He said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!”

Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer and given me a son.” That is why she named him Dan.

When Jacob heard that Shechem had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent until they came in.

All the men who assembled at the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate was circumcised.

The man said, “They left this area, for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed.

Even though she continued to speak to Joseph day after day, he did not respond to her invitation to have sex with her.

When his master heard his wife say, “This is the way your slave treated me,” he became furious.

He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us so that we may live and not die.”

Reuben said to them, “Didn’t I say to you, ‘Don’t sin against the boy,’ but you wouldn’t listen? So now we must pay for shedding his blood!”

They got their gifts ready for Joseph’s arrival at noon, for they had heard that they were to have a meal there.