The History of Antiquity, Vol. 1 (of 6)Duncker, Max
History
The History of Antiquity, Vol. 1 (of 6)
Duncker, Max
History, Ancient
Esau was at enmity with Jacob, because he had deceived him in his
father's blessing; and Esau said in his heart: The days of mourning for
my father will come, for I will slay Jacob. Then Rebekah said to Jacob:
Arise and flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran, till the anger of thy
brother is turned away. And Rebekah spoke to Isaac, that Jacob should
not take a wife from the daughters of the Hittites; and Isaac bade Jacob
go to Mesopotamia, to the house of Bethuel, the father of his mother,
and there take a wife from the daughters of Laban. Then Jacob went from
Beersheba to Haran. And when he abode for the night at the city of Luz,
he put a stone under his head, and there rested. Then in a dream he saw
a ladder placed upon the earth, the end of which touched heaven, and the
angels of God went up and down upon the ladder. Jehovah stood over it,
and said: I am the God of Abraham thy father and of Isaac; the land
whereon thou sleepest I will give to thee and thy seed. And in the
morning Jacob arose, and set up the stone which he had placed under his
head for a sign, and poured oil on the stone, and called the name of the
place Bethel.
In the land of the children of the east Jacob saw a well, round which
lay three flocks of sheep. Then Jacob said to the shepherds: Whence are
ye, my brethren? They answered, From Haran. Jacob asked again: Know ye
Laban, Nahor's son? And they said: We know him; it is well with him, and
lo! there is Rachel, his daughter, with the sheep of her father. And
Jacob rolled away the great stone, which lay at the mouth of the well,
and watered Rachel's sheep; and Laban came, and took his sister's son
into his house. Laban had two daughters: Leah the eldest had dim eyes,
but Rachel was fair to look upon; and Jacob said to Laban: I will serve
seven years for Rachel. And these seven years were as seven days in
Jacob's eyes, because he loved Rachel. When the time was past, Laban
gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. But in
the dark of the evening he brought Leah instead of Rachel to Jacob, and
it was not till the morning that Jacob knew Leah. Why hast thou deceived
me? Jacob asked of Laban; have I not served thee seven years for Rachel?
Laban answered, It is not so done in our country, to give the younger
daughter before the firstborn. Serve me yet seven years, and thou shalt
have Rachel also to wife. So Jacob abode seven years more with Laban,
and gained Rachel for his second wife, and he kept Laban's flock for six
years more, and the sheep increased under Jacob's hand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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