I A 
acquaint Efan with the circumftances in which he was re- 
turninn to his native country, and to conciliate his good¬ 
will by l'ubmiflive compliments. When the mefl'engers re- 
turned with the information that Elau was coming to meet 
Jiim, accompanied with four hundred of his men, Jacob 
began to conclude that his brother intended to deftroy 
hint, and he endeavoured to provide for the lafety of a 
part of his family and property, by dividing the whole 
into two bands, in hopes that, if the one perilhed, the 
other might efcape. Having, afterwards recommended 
himfelf in an humble prayer to the Divine protection, he 
refolved to try how far prefents would work upon Elau’s 
temper in his favour; and feleCted numerous choice fpe- 
cimens from his flocks and herds, and cattle of different 
kinds, which he lent forwards in feparate droves, under 
the care of perfons who were inftructed when they met 
his brother to tell him, that they were prefents from Ja¬ 
cob to his lord Elau, in order to propitiate his good-will. 
On the morning after he difpatched thefe droves, long 
before day-break, he made all his family and flocks crof’s 
over a brook which lay in his way, while he remained 
alone on the other fide. Here he met with an occurrence, 
which appears to have been a prophetic vifion, calculated 
to allay his fears. He was encountered by a perfon, with 
whom he grappled till the break of day, who, after giving 
him proof of his fupernatural power, by touching the 
hollow of his thigh and putting it for a fhort fpace of 
time out of joint, encouraged him with afi’urances that 
the Divine Being whp had taken him under his protec¬ 
tion, would deliver him from every threatening harm, and 
fulfil the great promifes which he had made to him. At 
the fame time this heavenly mefl'enger gave him the name 
of Ifrael, .which fignifies “ a man who has prevailed with 
God.” Animated by the aflurances now given him, Ja¬ 
cob went on cheerfully after his family, which he joined 
juft as Efau had come in fight. In the life of the latter 
we have already 1 'een that, contrary to Jacob's expecta¬ 
tions, his brother behaved towards him on their meeting 
in the moft kind and affectionate manner, and invited 
him to fettle in his neighbourhood. Jacob, however, was 
afraid of fixing too near the brother whom he had fup- 
planted ; but it is probable that he paid him a vifit, ac¬ 
cording to his promil'e to come to Efau to Mount Seir. The 
place which he chofe for his refidence was in the vicinity 
of Shechem, where he purchal'ed fome ground, on which 
he built an altar to the Lord. In this fituation Jacob 
continued for fome time highly refpefted and flourilhing, 
till a frefli trouble in his eventful life obliged him to re¬ 
move to another fcene. During a vifit which his daugh¬ 
ter Dinah paid to fome of the females of that country, {he 
was feen by Shechem the fon of Hamor, the Hivite prince, 
who found means to triumph over her Jionour, either 
through the arts of feduftion or by violence. It is true 
that he offered what reparation was in his power for the in¬ 
jury, by engaging his father to afk her of Jacob for him in 
marriage, at the expence of any dowry and gift which he 
chofe to demand. At the lame time Hamor propoled that 
a clofe alliance and intermarriages (hould take place be¬ 
tween the family of Jacob and the Shechemites. On this 
occafion, the Ions of Jacob, who privately meditated deep 
revenge for the difgrace brought on their filler, “anfwered 
Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully.” After Hating 
that their religion would not permit them to bellow their 
lifter on one who was uncircumcifed, they declared.their 
readinefs to confent to the marriage as well as to the pro- 
pofed alliance, provided that the Shechemites would liib- 
mit to the rite of circumcilicn. So powerful were the 
influence and perluafion of Hamor and his fon, that the 
people conl’ented, and every male underwent the painful 
ceremony. Before they had recovered from the effefts of 
this operation, Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob’s fons, 
armed themfelves and their fervants, and treacheroully 
attacked and carried the city, inhumanly putting every 
male to the fword, plundering the whole property of the 
VoL, X. No. 6<jS, 
COB. 66d 
Shechemites, and .feizing their wives and children for 
Haves. > 
This barbarous aftiop of his fons drew from Jacob the 
feverelt reproaches ; and alio made it neceilary lor him 
to conliilt his lafety, by withdrawing to a diftance from 
the neighbours of the Shechemites, who might be dii- 
pofed to revenge their maflacre. While he was anxioufly 
confidering which way he Ihould direft his courfe, he was 
divinely in ft rutted in a dream to go to Bethel, and to 
ereft there an altar to God. Before he fet out for that 
place, where he had received the earlieft aflurances of the 
protection and favour of God, that he might carry no¬ 
thing with him that would be dil'pleafnlg to the Divine Be¬ 
ing, he ordered his family-to bring the idols which they 
had either taken from the Shechemites or brought from 
Padan-aram, and the ear-rings which they wore as talif- 
mans or charms, and having, as is moft probable, broken 
them in pieces, buried them in a deep hole which he 
caufed to be dug near Shechem. Jacob arrived at Bethel 
without moleftation ; and, after having built and confe- 
crated there an altar to God, fet out on a vifit to his father. 
While he was on his journey, he had the unhappinefs to 
lofe his beloved wife Rachael, who died in child-birth of 
her fon Benjamin; and his heart was alfo deeply alfefted 
by a difeovery which he made, that his fon Reuben had 
fo far yielded to his criminal paflions, as to be guilty of an 
incelluous commerce with Bilh&h, Rachael’s maid, and 
his father’s concubine. Soon after this, Jacob arrived at 
Mamre, where he continued during the remainder of 
Ifaac’s life, and after his death appears to have entered 
on the undifturbed poffefiion of thole privileges of birth¬ 
right which Efau had bartered away. But in this fitua¬ 
tion his happinefs was cruelly interrupted by the wicked 
and inhuman conduct of his Ions. Jol'eph, who was now 
about feventeen years of age, was become his father’s 
darling, on account of the perfonal and mental endow¬ 
ments by which he was diftinguilhed; but for this rea- 
fon he had alfo become an object of no little jealoufy to 
his brethren. This jealoufy was turned to hatred in the 
Ions of Bilhah and Zilpah, who had been guilty of fome 
wicked aftions which Jofeph had difeovered to his.father. 
His other brethren alfo conceived a fimilar'hatred to him, 
upon Jofeph’s innocently relating finne of his dreams, 
which feemed to forefhow that he Ihould one day rife to 
power and authority over them. They therefore wick- 
edly combined to leize the firft opportunity of making 
away with him. It was not long before the victim of 
their hatred fell into their powe^r; for, having gone to 
Shechem with their flocks, and Jacob becoming uneafy 
that he had not heard from them, Jofeph was lent to make 
enquiry after them. No fooner did they fee him ap¬ 
proaching than they agreed immediately to get rid of the 
dreamer, as they called him, and to perfuade their father 
that he had been devoured by a wild bealt. Without any 
feelings of pity they would have imbrued their hands in 
his blood, had not Reuben difluaded them from that 
procedure, and advifed them to throw him alive into a 
pit, where he might perilh by hunger and grief. In the 
mean time a troop of Ilhmaelites palling by, on a mercan¬ 
tile journey to Egypt, Judah, in the abfence of Reuben, 
perfuaded bis other brethren to fell Jofeph to them, as 
his death would be of no more fervice than his being car¬ 
ried into (lavery. This they did accordingly ; but when 
Reuben afterwards went privately to the pit with thede- 
fign of drawing him out of it, and lending him back to 
his father, he uttered fuch complaints upon finding him 
miffing, that they took care not to let him know how 
they had difpofed of Jofeph, and he probably fufpefted 
that they had put him to death. Be that as it may, he 
concurred with them in their fcheme of impofing upon 
their father, by dipping Jofeph’s veil in the blood of a 
kid, and fending it to the old man with a tale which might 
lead him to believe that his beloved fon had been torn in 
pieces by a wild beaft. When the veil was brought to 
8 G Jacob, 
/ 
