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Taking the Family Home Genesis

Jacob learnt that Laban’s sons were saying，

“Jacob has taken everything that was our father’s， and all his wealth has come from our father’s property¹.”He also noticed that Laban was not so well disposed² to him as he had once been. Then the Lord said to Jacob，“Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred. I will be with you”……Jacob at once set his sons and his wives on camels， and drove off all the herds and livestock which he had acquired in Paddanaram， to go to his father Isaac in Canaan.

Three days later， when Laban heard that Jacob had run away， he took his kinsmen with him， pursued³ Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the illcountry of Gilead. But God came to Laban in a dream by night and said to him， “Be careful to say nothing to Jacob， either good or bad.”

When Laban overtook him， Jacob had pitched⁴ his tent in the hillcoutry of Gilead， and Laban pitched his in the company of his kinsmen in the same hillcountry. Laban said to Jacob， “What have you done? Why did you slip away secretly without telling me? I would have set you on your way with songs and the music of tambourines⁵ and harps⁶. You did not even let me kiss my daughters and their children. In this you were at fault. Iknow that you went sway⁷ because you were homesick and pining for⁸ your father’s house， but why did you steal my gods?”

Jacob answered，“I was afraid; I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. Whoever is found in possession of your gods shall die for it. ”Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.

Now she had taken the house hold gods and put them . Laban went through everything in the tent and found nothing. Rachel said to her father， “Do not take it amiss⁹， sir， that I cannot rise in your presence: the common lot of woman is upon me” So for all his search Laban did not find his household gods.

Jacob was angry， and he expostulated¹⁰ with Laban， exclaiming， “What have I done wrong? What is my offence¹¹ ， that you have come after me in hot pursuit and gone through all my possessions? Have you found anything belonging to your household? You claimed compensation¹² from me for anything stolen by day or by night. This was the way of it: by day the heat consumed¹³ me and the frost by night， and sleep deserted¹⁴ me. For twenty years I have been in your household. I worked for you fourteen years to win your two daughters and six years for your flocks， and you changed my wages ten times over If the God of my father， the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac，had not been with me， you wold have sent me away emptyhanded. But God saw my labour and my hardships， and last night he rebuked¹⁵ you.”

Leban answered Jacob，“The daughters are my daughters， the children are my children ，the flocks are my flocks; all that you see is mine. But as for my daughters， what can I do today about them and the children they have borne? Come now， we will make an agreement， you and I ，and let it stand as a witness¹⁶ between us. ” And Jacob swore this oath in the name of the Fear of Isaac his father. He slaughtered¹⁷ an animal for sacrifice， there in the hillcountry， and summoned his kinsmen to the feast. So they ate together and spent the night there.

Laban rose early in the morning， kissed his daughters and their children， blessed them and went home again.

Jacob sent messengers on ahead to his brother Esau to the district of Seir in the Edomite country. The messengers returned to Jacob and said， “We met your brother Esau already on they way to meet you with four hundred men. ” Jacob， much afraid and distressed¹⁸， divided the people with him， as well as the sheep， cattle， and camels， into two companies， thinking that， if Esau should come upon one company and destroy it， they other company would survive¹⁹.

Jacob spent that night there; and as a present for his brother Esau he chose from the herds he had with him two hundred shegoats， twenty hegoats， two hundred ewes and twenty rams， thirty milch²⁰camels with their young， forty cows and ten young bulls， twenty sheasses and ten heasses. He put each herd separately into the care of a servant and gave these instructions to the first:“When my brother Esau meets you and asks you to whom you belong and where you are going and who owns these beasts you are driving， you are to say，‘They belong to your servant Jacob; he sends them as a present to my lord Esau， and he is behind us.’”He gave the same instructions to the second， to the third， and all the drovers. So Jacob’s present went on ahead of him， but he himself spent that night at Mahaneh.

During the night Jacob rose， took his two wives， his two slavegirls， and his eleven sons， and crossed the ford of Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the gorge with all that he had， So Jacob was left alone， and a man wrestled with him there till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not throw Jacob ，he struck him in the hollow²¹ of his thigh， so that Jacob’s hip was dislocated²² as they wrestled²³. He said to Jacob，What is your name? ”， and he answered， “Jacob.” The man said， “Your name shall no longer be Jacob， but Israel， because you strove with God and with men， and prevailed²⁴” Jacob said， “Tell me， I pray， your name. ” He replied， “Why do you ask my name? ” but he gave him his blessing there. Jacob called the place Peniel. “because”，he said， “I have seen God face to face and my life is spared.” The sun rose as Jacob passed through Penuel， limping²⁵ because of his hip. This is why they Israelites to this day do not eat the sinew²⁶ of the nerve that runs in the hollow of the thigh.

Jacob raised his eyes and saw Esau coming towards him. He then went on， bowing low to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. Esau ran to meet him and embraced him ; he threw his arms round him and kissed him， and they wept. When Esau looked up and saw the women and children， he said， “Who are these with you? ” Jacob replied， “The children whom God has graciously given to your servant .Esau said， “Ｗhat was all that company of yours that I met?” And he answered， “It was meant to win favour²⁷ with you ， my lord.”Esau answered， “I have more than enough. Keep what is yours， my brother. ”But Jacob said， “On no accout: if I have won your favour， then， I pray accept this gift from me.” So he urged him， and he accepted it.

注釋：

1 propertyn. 財產， 所有物

2 disposev. 處理，處置，部署

3 pursue vt.追趕，追蹤，追擊

4 pitch vt. 定位于，扎營

5 tambourine n. 小手鼓

6 harpn. 豎琴

7 sway v. 搖擺，搖動

8 pine for v. 渴望，渴慕

9 amiss adj. 有毛病的，出差錯的， adv. 錯誤的

10 expostulatevi. 勸誡，忠告

11 offence n. 犯罪，冒犯，違反，罪過，過錯

12 compensation n.補償，賠償

13 consumevt. 消耗，消費，消滅

14 desert vt. 放棄，遺棄，逃跑

15 rebuke vt.斥責，指責，非難，成為對……的指責

16 witness n. [律]證人，目擊者，證據

17 slaughter v. 屠宰，殘殺，屠殺

18 distress v. 使悲痛，使窮困，使憂傷

19 survive V. 幸免于，幸存，生還

20 milch n. 覆蓋，覆蓋物

21 hollow n. 洞，窟窿

22 dislocate vt. 脫臼，使……脫位

23 wrestle vi. 摔跤，格斗，斗爭

24 prevail vi. 流行，盛行，獲勝，成功

25 limp vi. 跛行

26 sinew n. 肌肉，精力，[解]腱

27 Peniel 又可拼作Penuel， 意思是：上帝的臉。

28 favour n. 親切，寵愛

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創世紀

雅各明白拉班的兒子們談論他：“雅各將我們父親的一切都奪走了，他現在所有的財富都來自我們父親的財產中。”他也看到拉班對他不像從前那樣好了。這時天主對雅各說：“回到你父親的土地上去吧，回到你的親人那里去，我將與你同在。”

……雅各讓妻妾兒子們上了駱駝，趕著他的巴旦亞蘭得到的全部牧群和牲畜，回迦南他父親以撒那里去。

三天后，拉班聽說雅各跑了，就領著男家人去追雅各，追了七天，在基列山區追上了雅各，但上帝夜里托夢給拉班，對他說：“你要當心，不要對雅各說任何事，好壞都不要說。”

拉班趕上雅各時，他已居基列山區搭好帳篷 ，拉班和他的一些家人也在這里搭起帳篷。拉班對雅各說：“你都做了些什么事？”你為什么不說一聲就偷偷溜走呢？原本我是會以唱歌和奏樂來歡送你上路的。你為什么不允許我同女兒及外孫們吻別？你真的是做錯了。我知道你離開是因為思念家鄉，但你為什么偷了我的神像？”

雅各說：“我怕你會爭奪回你的女兒，而你的神像，誰拿了誰就應當死。”雅各不知拉結真的偷了神像。

拉結是拿了拉班家的神像，她將它藏在駱駝的馱簍里，隨后自己坐在上面。拉班找了所有東西，沒有找到什么，拉結對她父親說：“我身上不方便，不能起來迎你，我父你不要介意。”所以拉班找遍了各處都沒有找出他家的神像來。

雅各很生氣，就同拉班吵起來，他喊道：“我做了什么錯事？我冒犯了你什么，你居然這樣追著我來搜查我的財物？你找到你家的東西了嗎？你要我償還白天或黑夜偷走的你的東西。但是，我白天受日曬，夜里受寒凍，夜不能寐。我在你家二十年，為你干了十四年活兒，才得到你的兩個女兒，干了六年活才得到你的一些羊。你十次減我的工錢。倘若我祖亞伯拉罕的上帝和我父以撒敬畏的神沒有與我同在，你就會讓我空手回老家了。但上帝看到了我的辛勞所以昨夜責備了你。”

拉班回答雅各說：“女兒是我的女兒，孩子們是我的孫子，羊群是我的羊群。你眼前都是我的，對于我的女兒們，今天我又會對她們和她們的孩子們怎么樣呢？來吧，讓你我立一個條約，作為我們相處的原則吧。”雅各就對父親以撒敬畏的神起誓，他就地在山里殺牲作祭，又請所有人一起吃喝就在那里過夜。

第二天拉班一早起來，親吻了兩個女兒和外孫兒，給了他們祝福后就返回了。

雅各派人趕在前頭送信給住在埃多瑪西珥地區的哥哥以掃。使者返回對雅各說：“我們已遇見你的哥哥以掃，他正帶著四百人朝著你來。”雅各非常害怕和憂慮，就將他的隨從和牛、羊、矣駝都分成了兩半。他心想，如果以掃遇到其中一半，并且殺掉他們，那另一半還可以幸存。

那晚雅各就在那里住下。作為送給哥哥以掃的禮物，他從牲畜群中挑了二百頭母山羊，二百頭公山羊，二百頭母綿羊和二十頭公綿羊，三十頭奶崽子的矣駝以及它的幼子，四十頭母牛和十頭公牛，二十頭母驢同十頭公驢。每群牲畜讓一個仆人趕著，他對趕頭一群的人說：“當我哥哥以掃見到你，問你是誰家的，去什么地方，你趕的牲畜是誰的，你就說：‘它們是你的仆人雅各的，他把它們作為禮品貢奉給你以掃老爺，他自己隨后就來。’”他對第二個、第三個和所有趕畜群的人都這么吩咐了。這樣，雅各的禮品先走在他的前頭，而他自己卻在瑪哈耐歇宿。

到夜里，雅各就起來將兩個妻子、兩個女奴和十一個兒子都送過了雅博渡口。又把他們和所有財物都送過了峽谷。這樣，就余下雅各一個人。此時，有一個人過來和他摔跤，一直到天亮，那人看見難以戰勝雅各，就往雅各大腿窩敲了一下，雅各的股關節就脫臼了。那人對雅各說：“你叫什么名字？”雅各回答：“雅各。”那人說：“你不要叫雅各了，更名為以色列，因為你同神和人都較量過，并且得勝了。”雅各說：“請告訴我你的名字。”那人答道：“無須問我名字？”但他賜福給雅各。雅各把那地方做毗努伊勒（Peniel），他說：“這是因為我已面對面地見到上帝，而且安然無恙”太陽出來了，雅各因為股關節脫臼。而一瘸一瘸地走過了毗努伊勒（Penuel）這就是為什么至今以色列人都不吃獸腿窩的筋肌的緣由。

雅各放眼望去看見以掃向他走來，他迎向他哥哥時，一連七次拜伏在地上。以掃跑上前擁抱他，張開胳膊摟著他親吻。他們都哭了。以掃抬頭看見那些同來的婦女和孩子，就問：“和你同來的這些人是誰？”雅各說：“是上帝恩賜給你的仆人我的。”以掃說：“我遇見的你那些畜群又是怎么的呢？”他回答說：“我的主人，那是我想得到你的寵愛而準備的。”以掃回答：“我已經有足夠的財產了。我的兄弟，你的東西自己存留好了。”但雅各說：“千萬別這樣，如果我可得到你的喜愛，那就請你收下這份禮物吧。”你這樣求以掃，以掃只好接受了。