20 And Jacob stole away 'unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled.

21 So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead.

22 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.

23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.

24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad,

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25 ¶ Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead.

26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword?

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27 Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?

28 And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.

29 It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

30 And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?

31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me.

32 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.

33 And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maidservants' tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.

34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban 'searched all the.tent, but found them not.

35 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 wroth, and chode with Laban and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?

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37 Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.

38 This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not

eaten.

39 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.

40 Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.

41 Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.

43 ¶ And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?

44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.

45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.

46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap and they did eat there upon the heap.

47 And Laban called it 'Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob called it 10 Galeed.

48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;

49 And "Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.

50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.

51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee;

52 This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.

53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac.

54 Then Jacob 12 offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.

55 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.

IT is not without abundant proof that the Word of God has asserted, that envy is the rottenness of the bones. (Prov. xiv. 30.) It is utterly impossible there can be any peace or harmony where envy reigns. All who have ever unhappily been under its influence must know this; and the constant scenes of vexation, distrust, animosity, and bad feeling, too often harboured in the bosoms of men, are further proofs of the painful lesson.

We have a striking illustration of these remarks in this chapter. In such a worldly and covetous family as that of Laban we might be sure such feelings would certainly break out on seeing any one prospering more than themselves. And when such prosperity appeared on the part of one whom Laban had oppressed and sought to impoverish, the feeling would have become the stronger, and

overtop every barrier. Such we find was the case. In a very wonderful and remarkable manner, contrary to every intention on the part of Laban, God had taken away his cattle, and given them to Jacob. There was no doubt of the fact; the increase of the one, and the decrease of the other, was evident to all. Nor could Jacob well be blamed by Laban. There was the compact between them, and the colour of the cattle witnessed to his innocence.

Yet the sons of Laban expressed their discontent; and he himself fostered the feeling. Nor can there be much doubt, had circumstances permitted, but he would, after all, have seized upon the whole; which his pursuit after Jacob, and the language he used, "These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle" (v. 43), seemed to indicate.

Where, then, was Jacob's safety? In his covenant God. It was God who watched over him all the time he sojourned with Laban; it was God who kept him from all harm in the midst of peril; it was God who bade him return to his own land; it was God that softened the heart of Laban when he overtook him, and charged him not to touch him; and, as we shall soon see, it was God who brought him again in peace and safety to his own home. Thus Jacob realised the truth of the blessed promise, and found the Lord faithful; for he never left him, nor forsook him. He kept him in all places; overruled all his mistakes; pardoned all his sins; and brought him back to Isaac his father in peace.

We pass over many things not to be commended in this chapter; such as Jacob's stealing away privately; the improper spirit of Leah and Rachel; Rachel stealing the images, and such like. These things humble us. Our attention should be fixed upon God's faithfulness and love, and his never-ceasing kindness towards his chosen servant. Well, indeed, may our hearts desire that Jacob's God may be ours! He holds all hearts in his hands; envious and covetous Labans he can turn into loving and faithful friends. And every spot and every occasion where the Lord thus interposes should become to us a sort of Miz

pah: a sweet memorial of the Lord's watchful care over his servants, and a precious token of his maintaining their cause when absent from each other. May the Lord thus watch over us in all our ways! May his eye be ever upon us for good! May his arm be ever stretched out for our help! May his love ever dwell in our hearts! And, at last, may he bring us in peace and safety to our home above!

CHAPTER XXXII.

1 Jacob's vision at Mahanaim. 3 His message to Esau. 6 He is afraid of Esau's coming. 2 He prayeth for deliverance. 13 He sendeth a present to Esau. 24 He wrestleth with an angel at Peniel, where he is called Israel. 31 He halteth.

ND Jacob went on his way, and the

Angels of God met him.

2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:

5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.

6¶ And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;

8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.

9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:

10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.

12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

13 ¶ And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;

14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,

15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.

16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.

17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?

18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.

19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.

20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face ; peradventure he will accept of me.

21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.

22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.

23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

24¶ And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the 'breaking of the day.

25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said,

THERE are several important truths to be noted in this chapter, such as Jacob's distress, his urgent prayer, his prudent precautions, and his special blessing. All these are written for our admonition and improvement.

Notice, first, Jacob's great distress. Considering how much he was disliked by Esau, on account of the birthright, and what were his murderous intentions when he left his home, he could not but be very apprehensive of his brother's displeasure at this time. This appears from the fact of his sending messengers before him to Esau to inform him of his journey, with the humble desire of obtaining his good will; and more especially was he distressed when, on the return of his messengers, they informed him of Esau's coming to meet him with four hundred men. Might not this have been wisely ordered to remind him of his former sins, and to shew him where his help lay? It is always well when present distress humbles us under a sense of our sin, and when we are brought to see that all our safety is in the Lord alone.

Let us next consider Jacob's urgent prayer. Trials and troubles should always lead to prayer. The more urgent our danger, the more fervent should be our supplication. Thus it was with Jacob on the present occasion. And what a sweet and simple prayer have we here before us! See how he pleads God's covenant character as the God of his father Abraham, and the God of his father Isaac. See how he pleads the Lord's direction and promise: "The Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy

kindred, and I will deal well with thee" (v. 9). See how he confesses his great unworthiness: "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands" (v. 10). See, also, how he prays for deliverance: "Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he should come and smite me, and the mother with the children" (v. 11). And see, again, how he reminds the Lord of former promises: "And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good" (v. 12). Thus, in like manner, should you, by prayer and supplication, make known your requests unto God; plead the Lord's gracious character in Christ; confess your unworthiness; plead the promises; cast your burden upon the Lord; ask in the name of Christ, and you will not ask in vain.

Let us briefly notice, in the next place, the precautions Jacob took for the safety of his flocks and herds, his wives and his children. These are all minutely given. They shew his affectionate anxiety for all that were dear to him; and they teach us that prayer, so far from releasing our obligations to diligence, calls upon us the more loudly to use every prudent or appointed means, in dependence on the Lord, for our safety, as the occasion may require. This is an essential part of Christian wisdom. To act without prayer is the greatest presumption, and to pray without action is the vilest hypocrisy.

But, in the last place, let us notice what a night did Jacob pass after all his previous precautions! Never did he pass such a night before; not even at Bethel, when he saw the ladder reaching unto heaven. Nor ever had he before obtained such a blessing as he now found. The Lord was pleased personally to suffer himself to be overcome by his importunity, and to crown him with renewed blessings. Ah! have you thus seen the face of God in earnest prayer? Have you ever wrestled hard for the blessing? Have you been led to this point, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me?" (v. 26.) If so, you are no supplanter," taking what was never intended for you. But 66 you are an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." As a prince

you have power with God and prevail; and though you may henceforth go halting under a sense of your own weakness, the Lord is your almighty support; your everlasting salvation.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

1 The kindness of Jacob and Esau at their meeting. 17 Jacob cometh to Succoth. 18 At Shalem he buyeth a field, and buildeth an altar called El-elohe-Israel.

AND Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked,

and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.

2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.

3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him and they wept.

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5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.

6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.

7 And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

8 And he said, 'What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.

9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.

10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased

with me.

11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have 'enough. And he urged him, and he took it. 12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.

13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.

14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over

before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.

15 And Esau said, Let me now 'leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, "What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.

16 ¶ So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

18 ¶ And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of "Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram; and pitched his tent before the city.

19 And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred "pieces of money.

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20 And he erected there an altar, and called it 12 El-elohe-Israel.

The

and answereth prayer. Innumerable promises are given to this effect; and the many instances recorded prove the truth of those promises. Every child of God on earth, and every glorified saint in heaven, is a living monument of the efficacy of prayer. case before us is a further illustration; and whenever we meet with the words Jacob and Israel, let us be reminded, that, under the one name, he wrestled with God for the blessing; and, under the other, as a prince, he had power with God and with men, and prevailed.

The Scripture before us proves the power of prayer, and the constancy of God's loving-kindness. In the previous chapter we witnessed his great distress; we viewed his prudent precautions; we listened to his earnest cries; and here we are called to improve the pleasing result of the whole. His prayer was heard; his request was granted. Can none of us bear witness to the Lord's hearing and answering prayer?