He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant ¹  Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now.

Let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the herds and the children, ¹  until I come to my lord at Seir.”

Then he became very attached ¹  to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her. ² 

When ¹  Jacob heard that Shechem ²  had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent ³  until they came in.

Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. ¹ 

All the men who assembled at the city gate ¹  agreed with ²  Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate ³  was circumcised.

Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once ¹  to Bethel ²  and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ³ 

So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession ¹  and the rings that were in their ears. ²  Jacob buried them ³  under the oak ⁴  near Shechem

When Joseph’s ¹  brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, ²  they hated Joseph ³  and were not able to speak to him kindly. ⁴ 

Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” ¹  They hated him even more ²  because of his dream and because of what he said. ³ 

When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? ¹  Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” ² 

His brothers were jealous ¹  of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said. ² 

He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell ¹  me where they are grazing their flocks.”

When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph ¹  from their hands, ²  saying, ³  “Let’s not take his life!” ⁴ 

Now ¹  in Egypt the Midianites ²  sold Joseph ³  to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. ⁴ 

After three months Judah was told, ¹  “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, ²  and as a result she has become pregnant.” ³  Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”

So Potiphar ¹  left ²  everything he had in Joseph’s care; ³  he gave no thought ⁴  to anything except the food he ate. ⁵  Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. ⁶ 

This is what she said to him: ¹  “That Hebrew slave ²  you brought to us tried to humiliate me, ³ 

When his master heard his wife say, ¹  “This is the way ²  your slave treated me,” ³  he became furious. ⁴ 

The warden did not concern himself ¹  with anything that was in Joseph’s ²  care because the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful.