During the night Jacob quickly took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.

When the man saw that he could not defeat Jacob, he struck the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.

“No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, “but Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have prevailed.”

Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” “Why do you ask my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.

Jacob looked up and saw that Esau was coming along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants.

When Esau looked up and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob replied, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”

Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he bought it from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money.

You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, and I’ll give whatever you ask of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”

So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes.

and they started on their journey. The surrounding cities were afraid of God, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel because there God had revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

(Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named Oak of Weeping.)

Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants!

because they had too many possessions to be able to stay together and the land where they had settled was not able to support them because of their livestock.

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated Joseph and were not able to speak to him kindly.

Then they brought the special tunic to their father and said, “We found this. Determine now whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning as you are!

But you must bring your youngest brother to me. Then your words will be verified and you will not die.” They did as he said.

When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Return, buy us a little more food.”

Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life!