foolishly in so doing. It is in the power of my hand to do thee evil; but the God of your father yesternight spoke to me, saying, Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. And now though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet, wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? Jacob answered, It was because I was afraid; for I said, Lest thou take thy daughters by force from me. With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live. In the presence of our brethren, search thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. (For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.) So Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tents of the two handmaids, and found them not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent. But Rachel had taken the images and had them put into the camels' basket,* and sat above them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee, for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images. And Jacob was angry and contended with Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my offence? What is my sin? that thou art so hot after me. And since thou hast searched all my furniture, what hast thou found of all thy furniture? Lay it here before my brethren and * Basket.-Furniture, literally Car; and, as appears from the manner in which females in that district of country still travel upon camels, was a sort of pannier of basket-work, covered with cloth, one of which was hung on each side of the camel; somewhat ir form like a cradle, with head, back and sides. In these baskets or panniers, females and children were placed during the journey. thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both. These twenty years am I with thee; thy ewes and thy she-goats have not been barren, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to thee; I bore the loss of it; at my hand thou didst require what was stolen by day, or what was stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day, the drought consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from mine eyes. Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle; and thou hast changed my wages ten times. Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had remained to me, surely thou hadst sent me away no empty. God hath seen my affliction, and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight. And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, and the cattle are my cattle; and what can I do this day to these my daughters, or unto their children that they have born? And now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou, and it shall be for a testimony between me and thee. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father judge betwixt us. And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered sacrifices upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread; and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount. And Laban arose early at the dawn of the morning, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them, and returned to his place. WORDS, &C. TO BE EXPLAINED IN LESSON XX. QUESTIONS ON LESSON XX WHOм did Jacob ask to send him away? When did he ask to be sent away? What did Laban answer? Did Jacob agree to remain longer? What wages was he to have? What happened in consequence of this arrangement? What did the Lord say to Jacob? What did Jacob do? What did he say to Rachel and Leah? What did Rachel and Leah answer? What did Jacob then do? What did Rachel do, when she was leaving her father's house? Where was Laban, when Jacob set out on his journey' When Laban heard that Jacob was gone, what did he do? Where did he overtake Jacob? What did God say to Laban? and when did he say it? What did Laban say to Jacob? What answer did Jacob make? What did Laban search for in Jacob's tent? LESSON XXI. The Meeting of Jacob and Esau. B. C. 1739. FROM GENESIS XXXII. AND XXXIM. And AND Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when he saw them, he said, These are the encampments of God; and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.* Jacob sent messengers before him, to Esau his brother, unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak to my lord Esau: thus saith thy servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there till now. And I have oxen and asses, sheep, and men-servants, and women-servants: and I have sent to shew this to my lord, that I may find favour in thy sight. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to Esau, thy brother, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. And Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that was with him, and the sheep, and the oxen, and the camels into two encampments. and said, If Esau comes to the one encampment and smite it, then the other encampment which is left shall escape. And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who saidst to me, Return to thy country, and to thy kindred. and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast done to thy servant; for with my staff, I passed over this Jordan, and now I am Encampments. become two encampments. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I am afraid of him, lest he come and smite me, and the mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will surely deal well with thee, and make thy seed to be as the sand of the sca, which cannot be numbered for multitude. And he lodged there that night; and he took of that which had come into his hands a present for Esau his brother; two hundred she-goats, and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, thirty milch camels, with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. And he gave them into the hand of his servant, every drove by itself, and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove. And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? thus thou shalt say, Thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau : and, behold, also he is behind us. In like manner, he commanded the second and the third, and all that followed the dro es, saying, According to these words, speak ye to Esau, when ye find him and ye shall also say, Behold thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterwards I will see his face, it may be that he will accept of me.* * Jacob had prayed to God to deliver him from the resentment of his brother, and God, in answer to his prayer, had taught him the method described above, of appeasing Esau. It was just that Jacob should be humbled before his brother, previously to their reconciliation, on account of the deceit which he had practised, in obtaining his father's blessing; but having been made sensible of his fault, it pleased God to incline Esau to lay aside all farther purposes of revenge, and to be cordially reconciled to him. |