Jacob’s Trip to Haran

Title options:Jacob becomes a father.God blessed Jacob with a family.God makes a promise to Jacob

Esau hated his [twin] brother Jacob, because Jacob had stolen [from him] their father’s final blessing. So Esau said to himself, “My father will die soon, and then I will kill Jacob!”

Isaac and Rebekah sent Jacob away to his uncle [Rebekah’s brother] to find a wife. His uncle’s name was Laban, and he lived in a country far away called Haran. There Jacob would be safe from Esau’s anger [vengeance].

The first night traveling [walking] on his way to Haran, Jacob lay on the ground at night. While he slept, he had a dream.

In his dream, Jacob saw angels coming down to him from heaven [the sky], and going back up by a tall ladder [stairway].

Jacob saw a bright person who stood at the top of the ladder.

The person said to Jacob, “I am the Lord, the God whom your father Isaac serves [worships], and whom your grandfather Abraham served [worshiped].

“I will give to you and to your descendants the ground [land] upon which you are lying [sleeping]. I will bring blessing to all families in the earth through you and your descendants.”

(This was the same promise that the Lord God had made [given] to Isaac, Jacob’s father, and to his grandfather Abraham.)

The Lord also promised [said] to Jacob, “I am with you and will protect you wherever you go. I will [one day] bring you back to this land [Canaan] [one day].”

When Jacob awoke, he said to himself, “The Lord is here in this place, although I did not know it. This must be God’s house, a gateway into heaven!”

When morning came [the sun rose], Jacob set up a stone to be a memorial [reminder about what the Lord had told him].

Jacob poured olive [vegetable] oil on the stone, to mark it as a worship place. He named that place Bethel. This word means God’s house.

Jacob made a promise to the Lord, “Lord, if you will supply [give me] all that I need, and if you will bring me back to this place, then you will be my only God, and I will give you a tenth [tithe] from everything I have.”

Jacob continued on his way to Haran. One day, he came to a water well. It was covered [closed] with a heavy [flat] stone.

Nearby three flocks of sheep were waiting to drink water. Their shepherds were waiting for someone to remove the stone from the well [and to replace it afterwards].

Jacob greeted the shepherds and talked with them. When they said they were from Haran, he asked them, “Do you know a man named Laban?”

They replied, “Yes, we know Laban. Look! Here comes Laban’s daughter Rachel herding a flock of sheep.”

Laban’s daughter Rachel arrived [came near], leading her father’s sheep, to take [drink] water.

Jacob removed the stone from over the water well, and gave water to the sheep belonging to his uncle Laban. Jacob told Rachel that he was the son of Laban’s [her father’s] sister Rebekah.

Rachel ran to her father Laban’s house and told him that Jacob had come. Laban welcomed Jacob into his house [home]. Jacob stayed there a month.

Laban had two daughters. Jacob saw that the younger daughter Rachel was prettier than the older daughter named Leah. Jacob wanted to marry Rachel.

When Laban offered to Jacob a job with pay, Jacob replied, “I will work for you for seven years, if you will give me Rachel to be my wife.”Laban agreed to do so.

So Jacob stayed seven years, working for Laban [taking care of his animals]. Jacob loved Rachel so much that seven years did not seem too long a time.

After seven years, Laban held [prepared/gave] a wedding feast for Jacob and Rachel.

However [But] that night, after the feast, Laban sent Leah to Jacob’s tent, instead of [sending] Rachel.

In the morning, when Jacob woke up, he saw that he had slept with Leah. Jacob realized [knew] then that Laban had deceived [tricked] him, and Jacob became angry towards Laban.

Jacob complained to Laban, who replied: “It is our custom that an older daughter must marry [get married] before a younger daughter may marry [get married]. If you agree to work another seven years, then I will give you Rachel also.”

After a week of marriage celebration for Leah, Laban also gave his younger daughter Rachel to Jacob to be his second wife. However [But] Jacob always loved Rachel more than Leah.

So that is how Jacob stayed with Laban and worked for him for 14 years [total].

It was the custom in those days that a man could have children with his wives and [also] with his wives’ servant women. Thus, Jacob fathered [had] eleven children with four women.

During those years, Rachel bore only one child, a son that Jacob named Joseph.

At the end of 14 years, Jacob wanted to return [go back] to [his father and mother in] Canaan. But Laban knew that God had made him rich because of Jacob. So Laban asked Jacob to stay longer with him.

Jacob agreed to stay, if Laban would let him [Jacob] take all the [sheep and goat] lambs that had color, and if Laban take all the white lambs [without color]. Thus [so] Jacob kept his flocks [sheep and goats / animals] separate from Laban’s flocks [sheep and goats / animals].

God blessed Jacob by making his sheep flocks and goat herds [animals] increase [in numbers and in strength].

Laban was always trying to cheat Jacob. But God made Jacob rich by making his [flocks and] herds have more young sheep and goats [animals] than Laban’s [flocks and] herds.

Jacob saw that Laban was becoming jealous toward him and because [Laban] was no longer friendly.

One day, the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to your father’s relatives in Canaan. I will still be with you there.”

Jacob obeyed the Lord. He left with his wives, children, servants and herds [animals], to go [back] to his father Isaac’s country [land] in Canaan.