Day 11 The Bible in a Year (Orthodox canon)

Genesis 30

1 And Rachel having perceived that she bore Jacob no children, was jealous of her sister; and said to Jacob, Give me children; and if not, I shall die. 2 And Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said to her, Am I in the place of God, who has deprived thee of the fruit of the womb? 3 And Rachel said to Jacob, Behold my handmaid Balla, go in to her, and she shall bear upon my knees, and I also shall have children by her. 4 And she gave him Balla her maid, for a wife to him; and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Balla, Rachel's maid, conceived, and bore Jacob a son. 6 And Rachel said, God has given judgment for me, and hearkened to my voice, and has given me a son; therefore she called his name, Dan. 7 And Balla, Rachel's maid, conceived yet again, and bore a second son to Jacob. 8 And Rachel said, God has helped me, and I contended with my sister and prevailed; and she called his name, Nephthalim. 9 And Lea saw that she ceased from bearing, and she took Zelpha her maid, and gave her to Jacob for a wife; and he went in to her. 10 And Zelpha the maid of Lea conceived, and bore Jacob a son. 11 And Lea said, [It is] happily: and she called his name, Gad. 12 And Zelpha the maid of Lea conceived yet again, and bore Jacob a second son. 13 And Lea said, I am blessed, for the women will pronounce me blessed; and she called his name, Aser. 14 And Ruben went in the day of barley-harvest, and found apples of mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Lea; and Rachel said to Lea her sister, Give me of thy son's mandrakes. 15 And Lea said, [Is it] not enough for thee that thou hast taken my husband, wilt thou also take my son's mandrakes? And Rachel said, Not so: let him lie with thee to-night for thy son's mandrakes. 16 And Jacob came in out of the field at even; and Lea went forth to meet him, and said, Thou shalt come in to me this day, for I have hired thee for my son's mandrakes; and he lay with her that night. 17 And God hearkened to Lea, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 And Lea said, God has given me my reward, because I gave my maid to my husband; and she called his name Issachar, which is, Reward. 19 And Lea conceived again, and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 And Lea said, God has given me a good gift in this time; my husband will choose me, for I have born him six sons: and she called his name, Zabulon. 21 And after this she bore a daughter; and she called her name, Dina. 22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and he opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bore Jacob a son; and Rachel said, God has taken away my reproach. 24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, Let God add to me another son. 25 And it came to pass when Rachel had born Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my place and to my land. 26 Restore my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, that I may depart, for thou knowest the service wherewith I have served thee. 27 And Laban said to him, If I have found grace in thy sight, I would augur [well], for the Lord has blessed me at thy coming in. 28 Appoint me thy wages, and I will give [them]. 29 And Jacob said, Thou knowest in what things I have served thee, and how many cattle of thine are with me. 30 For it was little thou hadst before my time, and it is increased to a multitude, and the Lord God has blessed thee since my coming; now then, when shall I set up also my own house? 31 And Laban said to him, What shall I give thee? and Jacob said to him, Thou shalt not give me anything; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again tend thy flocks and keep them. 32 Let all thy sheep pass by to-day, and separate thence every grey sheep among the rams, and every one that is speckled and spotted among the goats—[this] shall be my reward. 33 And my righteousness shall answer for me on the morrow, for it is my reward before thee: whatever shall not be spotted and speckled among the goats, and grey among the rams, shall be stolen with me. 34 And Laban said to him, Let it be according to thy word. 35 And he separated in that day the spotted and speckled he-goats, and all the spotted and speckled she-goats, and all that was grey among the rams, and every one that was white among them, and he gave them into the hand of his sons. 36 And he set a distance of a three days' journey between them and Jacob. And Jacob tended the cattle of Laban that were left behind. 37 And Jacob took to himself green rods of storax tree and walnut and plane-tree; and Jacob peeled in them white stripes; and as he drew off the green, the white stripe which he had made appeared alternate on the rods. 38 And he laid the rods which he had peeled, in the hollows of the watering-troughs, that whensoever the cattle should come to drink, as they should have come to drink before the rods, the cattle might conceive at the rods. 39 So the cattle conceived at the rods, and the cattle brought forth [young] speckled, and streaked and spotted with ash-coloured [spots]. 40 And Jacob separated the lambs, and set before the sheep a speckled ram, and every variegated one among the lambs, and he separated flocks for himself alone, and did not mingle them with the sheep of Laban. 41 And it came to pass in the time wherein the cattle became pregnant, conceiving in the belly, Jacob put the rods before the cattle in the troughs, that they might conceive by the rods. 42 But he did not put them in [indiscriminately] whenever the cattle happened to bring forth, but the unmarked ones were Laban's, and the marked ones Jacob's. 43 And the man became very rich, and he had many cattle, and oxen, and servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses.

Genesis 31

1 And Jacob heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and of our father's property has he gotten all this glory. 2 And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and behold it was not toward him as before. 3 And the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of thy father, and to thy family, and I will be with thee. 4 And Jacob sent and called Lea and Rachel to the plain where the flocks were. 5 And he said to them, I see the face of your father, that it is not toward me as before, but the God of my father was with me. 6 And ye too know that with all my might I have served your father. 7 But your father deceived me, and changed my wages for the ten lambs, yet God gave him not [power] to hurt me. 8 If he should say thus, The speckled shall be thy reward, then all the cattle would bear speckled; and if he should say, The white shall be thy reward, then would all the cattle bear white. 9 So God has taken away all the cattle of your father, and given them to me. 10 And it came to pass when the cattle conceived and were with young, that I beheld with mine eyes in sleep, and behold the he-goats and the rams leaping on the sheep and the she-goats, speckled and variegated and spotted with ash-coloured spots. 11 And the angel of God said to me in a dream, Jacob; and I said, What is it? 12 And he said, Look up with thine eyes, and behold the he-goats and the rams leaping on the sheep and the she-goats, speckled and variegated and spotted with ash-coloured spots; for I have seen all things that Laban does to thee. 13 I am God that appeared to thee in the place of God, where thou anointedst a pillar to me, and vowedst to me there a vow; now then arise and depart out of this land, depart into the land of thy nativity, and I will be with thee. 14 And Rachel and Lea answered and said to him, Have we yet a part or inheritance in the house of our father? 15 Are we not considered strangers by him? for he has sold us, and quite devoured our money. 16 All the wealth and the glory which God has taken from our father, it shall be our's and our children's; now then do whatsoever God has said to thee. 17 And Jacob arose and took his wives and his children up on the camels; 18 and he took away all his possessions and all his store, which he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and all that belonged to him, to depart to Isaac his father in the land of Chanaan. 19 And Laban went to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole her father's images. 20 And Jacob hid [the matter from] Laban the Syrian, so as not to tell him that he ran away. 21 And he departed himself and all that belonged to him, and passed over the river, and went into the mountain Galaad. 22 But it was told Laban the Syrian on the third day, that Jacob was fled. 23 And having taken his brethren with him, he pursued after him seven days' journey, and overtook him on Mount Galaad. 24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in sleep by night, and said to him, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not at any time to Jacob evil things. 25 And Laban overtook Jacob; and Jacob pitched his tent in the mountain; and Laban stationed his brothers in the mount Galaad. 26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done? wherefore didst thou run away secretly, and pillage me, and lead away my daughters as captives taken with the sword? 27 Whereas if thou hadst told me, I would have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, and timbrels, and harp. 28 And I was not counted worthy to embrace my children and my daughters; now then thou hast wrought foolishly. 29 And now my hand has power to hurt thee; but the God of thy father spoke to me yesterday, saying, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not evil words to Jacob. 30 Now then go on thy way, for thou hast earnestly desired to depart to the house of thy father; wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? 31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid; for I said, Lest at any time thou shouldest take away thy daughters from me, and all my possessions. 32 And Jacob said, With whomsoever thou shalt find thy gods, he shall not live in the presence of our brethren; take notice of what I have of thy property, and take it; and he observed nothing with him, but Jacob knew not that his wife Rachel had stolen them. 33 And Laban went in and searched in the house of Lea, and found [them] not; and he went out of the house of Lea, and searched in the house of Jacob, and in the house of the two maid-servants, and found them not; and he went also into the house of Rachel. 34 And Rachel took the idols, and cast them among the camels' packs, and sat upon them. 35 And she said to her father, Be not indignant, Sir; I cannot rise up before thee, for it is with me according to the manner of women. Laban searched in all the house, and found not the images. 36 And Jacob was angry, and strove with Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my injustice, and what my sin, that thou hast pursued after me, 37 and that thou hast searched all the furniture of my house? what hast thou found of all the furniture of thine house? set it here between thy relations and my relations, and let them decide between us two. 38 These twenty years have I been with thee; thy sheep, and thy she-goats have not failed in bearing; I devoured not the rams of thy cattle. 39 That which was taken of beasts I brought not to thee; I made good of myself the thefts of the day, and the thefts of the night. 40 I was parched with heat by day, and [chilled] with frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. 41 These twenty years have I been in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years among thy sheep, and thou didst falsely rate my wages for ten lambs. 42 Unless I had the God of my father Abraam, and the fear of Isaac, now thou wouldest have sent me away empty; God saw my humiliation, and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesterday. 43 And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the cattle are my cattle, and all things which thou seest are mine, and [the property] of my daughters; what shall I do to them to-day, or their children which they bore? 44 Now then come, let me make a covenant, both I and thou, and it shall be for a witness between me and thee; and he said to him, Behold, there is no one with us; behold, God is witness between me and thee. 45 And Jacob having taken a stone, set it up for a pillar. 46 And Jacob said to his brethren, Gather stones; and they gathered stones and made a heap, and ate there upon the heap; and Laban said to him, This heap witnesses between me and thee to-day. 47 And Laban called it, the Heap of Testimony; and Jacob called it, the Witness Heap. 48 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and the pillar, which I have set between me and thee; this heap witnesses, and this pillar witnesses; therefore its name was called, the Heap witnesses. 49 And the vision of which he said—Let God look to it between me and thee, because we are about to depart from each other,— 50 If thou shalt humble my daughters, if thou shouldest take wives in addition to my daughters, see, there is no one with us looking on. God [is] witness between me and thee. 50a And Laban said to Jacob, Behold, this heap, and this pillar are a witness. 52 For if I should not cross over unto thee, neither shouldest thou cross over to me, for mischief beyond this heap and this pillar. 53 The God of Abraam and the God of Nachor judge between us; and Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 And he offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his brethren, and they ate and drank, and slept in the mountain.

Genesis 32

1 And Laban rose up in the morning, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them; and Laban having turned back, departed to his place. 2 And Jacob departed for his journey; and having looked up, he saw the host of God encamped; and the angels of God met him. 3 And Jacob said, when he saw them, This is the Camp of God; and he called the name of that place, Encampments. 4 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir, to the country of Edom. 5 And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye say to my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jacob; I have sojourned with Laban and tarried until now. 6 And there were born to me oxen, and asses, and sheep, and men-servants and women-servants; and I sent to tell my lord Esau, that thy servant might find grace in thy sight. 7 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and lo! he comes to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. 8 And Jacob was greatly terrified, and was perplexed; and he divided the people that was with him, and the cows, and the camels, and the sheep, into two camps. 9 And Jacob said, If Esau should come to one camp, and smite it, the other camp shall be in safety. 10 And Jacob said, God of my father Abraam, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, thou [art] he that said to me, Depart quickly to the land of thy birth, and I will do thee good. 11 Let there be to me a sufficiency of all the justice and all the truth which thou hast wrought with thy servant; for with this my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two camps. 12 Deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him, lest haply he should come and smite me, and the mother upon the children. 13 But thou saidst, I will do thee good, and will make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which shall not be numbered for multitude. 14 And he slept there that night, and took of the gifts which he carried [with him], and sent out to Esau his brother, 15 two hundred she-goats, twenty he-goats, two hundred sheep, twenty rams, 16 milch camels, and their foals, thirty, forty kine, ten bulls, twenty asses, and ten colts. 17 And he gave them to his servants [each] drove apart; and he said to his servants, Go on before me, and put a space between drove and drove. 18 And he charged the first, saying, If Esau my brother meet thee, and he ask thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither wouldest thou go, and whose are these possessions advancing before thee? 19 Thou shalt say, Thy servant Jacob's; he hath sent gifts to my lord Esau, and lo! he is behind us. 20 And he charged the first and the second and the third, and all that went before him after these flocks, saying, Thus shall ye speak to Esau when ye find him; 21 and ye shall say, Behold thy servant Jacob comes after us. For he said, I will propitiate his countenance with the gifts going before his presence, and afterwards I will behold his face, for peradventure he will accept me. 22 So the presents went on before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp. 23 And he rose up in that night, and took his two wives and his two servant-maids, and his eleven children, and crossed over the ford of Jaboch. 24 And he took them, and passed over the torrent, and brought over all his possessions. 25 And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him till the morning. 26 And he saw that he prevailed not against him; and he touched the broad part of his thigh, and the broad part of Jacob's thigh was benumbed in his wrestling with him. 27 And he said to him, Let me go, for the day has dawned; but he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 28 And he said to him, What is thy name? and he answered, Jacob. 29 And he said to him, Thy name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name; for thou hast prevailed with God, and shalt be mighty with men. 30 And Jacob asked and said, Tell me thy name; and he said, Wherefore dost thou ask after my name? and he blessed him there. 31 And Jacob called the name of that place, the Face of God; for, [said he], I have seen God face to face, and my life was preserved. 32 And the sun rose upon him, when he passed the Face of God; and he halted upon his thigh. 33 Therefore the children of Israel will by no means eat of the sinew which was benumbed, which is on the broad part of the thigh, until this day, because [the angel] touched the broad part of the thigh of Jacob—[even] the sinew which was benumbed.