We follow the fortunes of Jacob as he leaves the land of Canaan to travel to the ancestral home in Mesopotamia, spends 20 years there and leaves to return to Canaan in this portion. Jacob, fleeing for his life, stops for a night at a place near the border and has a dream in which the angels ascend and descend a ladder to heaven. God confirms the blessing of Abraham for Jacob, and Jacob, upon awakening, names the place Beth El, the House of God. Arriving in Mesopotamia, Jacob encounters Rachel, his cousin, at a well and falls in love with her. He negotiates with his uncle, Laban, for Rachel’s hand, is tricked by Laban, and then decides it is time to return home. He leaves with two wives, two concubines, eleven sons, one daughter and much livestock. These events show how Jacob begins to become worthy of the blessing he has been given and of being a successor to Abraham and Isaac.
