I will indeed bless you,<n id="1" /> and I will greatly multiply<n id="2" /> your descendants<n id="3" /> so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession<n id="4" /> of the strongholds<n id="5" /> of their enemies.

<p class="bodytext">Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah<n id="1" /> with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham&#8217;s brother Nahor).<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Before I finished praying in my heart,<n id="1" /> along came Rebekah<n id="2" /> with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, &#8216;Please give me a drink.&#8217;

<p class="bodytext">When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, &#8220;She is my sister.&#8221;<n id="1" /> He was afraid to say, &#8220;She is my wife,&#8221; for he thought to himself,<n id="2" /> &#8220;The men of this place will kill me to get<n id="3" /> Rebekah because she is very beautiful.&#8221;p>

So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, &#8220;She is really<n id="1" /> your wife! Why did you say, &#8216;She is my sister&#8217;?&#8221; Isaac replied, &#8220;Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac<n id="1" /> named it<n id="2" /> Rehoboth,<n id="3" /> saying, &#8220;For now the <sc>Lordsc> has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">So Esau hated<n id="1" /> Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother.<n id="2" /> Esau said privately,<n id="3" /> &#8220;The time<n id="4" /> of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill<n id="5" /> my brother Jacob!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there.<n id="1" /> As he blessed him,<n id="2" /> Isaac commanded him, &#8220;You must not marry a Canaanite woman.&#8221;<n id="3" />

When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban,<n id="1" /> and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he<n id="2" /> went over<n id="3" /> and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban.<n id="4" />

<p class="bodytext">She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, &#8220;Now this time my husband will show me affection,<n id="1" /> because I have given birth to three sons for him.&#8221; That is why he was named Levi.<n id="2" />p>

My integrity will testify for me<n id="1" /> later on.<n id="2" /> When you come to verify that I&#8217;ve taken only the wages we agreed on,<n id="3" /> if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen.&#8221;<n id="4" />

Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face<n id="1" /> the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban&#8217;s flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban&#8217;s flocks.

Then he said, &#8216;Observe<n id="1" /> that all the male goats mating with<n id="2" /> the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you.

&#8220;No, please take them,&#8221; Jacob said.<n id="1" /> &#8220;If I have found favor in your sight, accept<n id="2" /> my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me,<n id="3" /> it is as if I have seen the face of God.<n id="4" />

In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob&#8217;s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah&#8217;s brothers, each took his sword<n id="1" /> and went to the unsuspecting city<n id="2" /> and slaughtered every male.

<p class="bodytext">Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, &#8220;You have brought ruin<n id="1" /> on me by making me a foul odor<n id="2" /> among the inhabitants of the land &#8211; among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I<n id="3" /> am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!&#8221;

From the time<n id="1" /> Potiphar<n id="2" /> appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the <sc>Lordsc> blessed<n id="3" /> the Egyptian&#8217;s household for Joseph&#8217;s sake. The blessing of the <sc>Lordsc> was on everything that he had, both<n id="4" /> in his house and in his fields.<n id="5" />

In three more days Pharaoh will reinstate you<n id="1" /> and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh&#8217;s cup in his hand, just as you did before<n id="2" /> when you were cupbearer.

Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah.<n id="1" /> He also gave him Asenath<n id="2" /> daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,<n id="3" /> to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of<n id="4" /> all the land of Egypt.p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Reuben said to his father, &#8220;You may<n id="1" /> put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my care<n id="2" /> and I will bring him back to you.&#8221;