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to travel on to Canaan, he requested his brother to depart for the land of Seir, promising to follow leisurely, on account of driving the cattle slowly, which were with him. Esau accordingly departed for Seir, when Jacob, instead of following him, turned off to Succoth, and journeyed from thence to Shechem.

There is something peculiarly generous and noble in Esau's reception of his brother. How entirely he appears to have forgiven his former injuries, and how affectionately and kindly does he receive him after his long absence, as though Jacob had never done him wrong! Jacob, who had done the wrong, was fearful and suspicious; while Esau, who had suffered the wrong, had forgotten it, and met his brother with no painful feelings of remorse. Let us consider which of these feelings is the better and happier, and strive to imitate the generous forgiveness of Esau, although we justly condemn his conduct in other respects.

CHAPTER VIII.

ISAAC DIES. JACOB SETTLES AT HEBRON.

BEFORE leaving Shechem, Jacob piously resolved to purify his household from any pollution of idolatry which it might have imbibed: he commanded every image to be brought to him, even to the earrings, which were probably small images, and were perhaps regarded as charms by their superstitious wearers: when all were collected, Jacob buried them "under the oak which was by Shechem." Thus Rachel was justly deprived of those images, to obtain which she had been guilty of fraud and deceit towards her father! From Shechem Jacob went to Bethel, where he had had the dream which encouraged him to continue in the worship of the True God, whilst a sojourner in Haran: here he set up a pillar of stone, and poured a drink offering upon it, and here God again graciously renewed his promise to bless him, and to give the land of Canaan to his descendants. Soon after leaving Bethel, Rachel died, and was buried at Ephrath, or Bethlehem.

Jacob at length reached his father's house at Hebron. His mother appears to have been dead, but his aged father was still alive: here

*

Jacob finally settled: some years after, Isaac died, and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

We here subjoin the names of Jacob's twelve sons it is important to remember them, as they and the two sons of Joseph, are the ancestors of the future tribes of Israel, which are called after their names:

REUBEN, SIMEON, Levi, Judah, Dan, NAPHTALI, GAD, ASHER, ISSACHAR, ZEBULUN, JOSEPH AND BENJAMIN.t

* Isaac was 180 years old when he died; consequently his death did not take place till the year before Christ 1716, that is, twelve years after Joseph was sold into Egypt, and one year before he interprets Pharoh's dreams, and the commencement of the seven years of plenty; his death is here recorded as following the order preserved in Genesis, by which arrangement interruption in the narrative is avoided, and the life of each patriarch is kept distinct.

+ Joseph and Benjamin were the sons of Rachel: the rest were the children of Leah, and of two inferior wives.

CHAPTER IX.

JOSEPH'S DREAMS. JOSEPH SOLD INTO EGYPT.

"Now Israel (or Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him."

"And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren, and they hated him yet the more." "And Joseph said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo! my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf."

"And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

"And Joseph dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more, and behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance And he told it to his father, and to his

to me. brethren

and his father rebuked him, and said

unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying."

The dreams here recorded, and others which occur in the future history of Joseph, are very different from common dreams now. In the times of the Patriarchs, God frequently made known future events by dreams; and therefore we find that Jacob "observed the saying," although he blamed Joseph for boasting of his superiority to the rest of his family.

"And Joseph's brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And Israel said unto Joseph, Do thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said unto him, Here am I. And Jacob said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem."

"And a certain man found him; and behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethren; tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. And the man said, they are departed hence, for I heard them say, let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan."

"And when his brethren saw him afar off, even

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