Assassination Attempt
As Jacob flees to Haran, Esau secretly commands his son Eliphaz to hunt down and kill his brother. At just 13 years old, Eliphaz, a skilled hunter, leads a group of warriors in pursuit, catching up to Jacob on the border of Canaan. Faced with imminent death, Jacob pleads for mercy, offering all he owns to Eliphaz in exchange for his life. Moved by compassion, Eliphaz spares Jacob but strips him of everything, returning to a furious Esau, who scolds his son for failing to carry out the murderous plot. Meanwhile, Esau, resentful of his family’s disdain for his Canaanite wives, marries Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael, and relocates to Mount Seir, leaving Isaac behind.
Major Characters
Minor Characters
Insignificant Characters
GENESIS
28%
JASHER
72%
Exposition
Esau tells his son Eliphaz to kill Jacob
Jasher 29:31-32
Rising Action
Eliphaz pursues Jacob
Jasher 29:33
Climax
Eliphaz intercepts Jacob
Jasher 29:34-41
Falling Action
Esau becomes envious of Jacob
Genesis 28:6-8, Jasher 29:42
Resolution
Esau goes to the house of Ishmael and marries Mahalath, his 3rd wife
Genesis 28:9, 36:3, Jasher 29:43
Esau tells his son Eliphaz to kill Jacob
Jasher 29:31-32
31 And when Jacob went away to go to Haran Esau called unto his son Eliphaz, and secretly spoke unto him, saying, Now hasten, take thy sword in thy hand and pursue Jacob and pass before him in the road, and lurk for him, and slay him with thy sword in one of the mountains, and take all belonging to him and come back.
32 And Eliphaz the son of Esau was an active man and expert with the bow as his father had taught him, and he was a noted hunter in the field and a valiant man.
Eliphaz pursues Jacob
Jasher 29:33
33 And Eliphaz did as his father had commanded him, and Eliphaz was at that time thirteen years old, and Eliphaz rose up and went and took ten of his mother’s brothers with him and pursued Jacob.
Eliphaz intercepts Jacob
Jasher 29:34-41
34 And he closely followed Jacob, and he lurked for him in the border of the land of Canaan opposite to the city of Shechem.
35 And Jacob saw Eliphaz and his men pursuing him, and Jacob stood still in the place in which he was going, in order to know what this was, for he did not know the thing; and Eliphaz drew his sword and he went on advancing, he and his men, toward Jacob; and Jacob said unto them, What is to do with you that you have come hither, and what meaneth it that you pursue with your swords.
36 And Eliphaz came near to Jacob and he answered and said unto him, Thus did my father command me, and now therefore I will not deviate from the orders which my father gave me; and when Jacob saw that Esau had spoken to Eliphaz to employ force, Jacob then approached and supplicated Eliphaz and his men, saying to him,
37 Behold all that I have and which my father and mother gave unto me, that take unto thee and go from me, and do not slay me, and may this thing be accounted unto thee a righteousness.
38 And the Lord caused Jacob to find favor in the sight of Eliphaz the son of Esau, and his men, and they hearkened to the voice of Jacob, and they did not put him to death, and Eliphaz and his men took all belonging to Jacob together with the silver and gold that he had brought with him from Beersheba; they left him nothing.
39 And Eliphaz and his men went away from him and they returned to Esau to Beersheba, and they told him all that had occurred to them with Jacob, and they gave him all that they had taken from Jacob.
40 And Esau was indignant at Eliphaz his son, and at his men that were with him, because they had not put Jacob to death.
41 And they answered and said unto Esau, Because Jacob supplicated us in this matter not to slay him, our pity was excited toward him, and we took all belonging to him and brought it unto thee; and Esau took all the silver and gold which Eliphaz had taken from Jacob and he put them by in his house.
Esau becomes envious of Jacob
Genesis 28:6-8
6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;
8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
Jasher 29:42
42 At that time when Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and had commanded him, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife from amongst the daughters of Canaan, and that the daughters of Canaan were bad in the sight of Isaac and Rebecca,
Esau goes to the house of Ishmael and marries Mahalath, his 3rd wife
Genesis 28:9
9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
Genesis 36:3
3 And Bashemath Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebajoth.
Jasher 29:43
43 Then he went to the house of Ishmael his uncle, and in addition to his older wives he took Machlath the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebayoth, for a wife.
Jubilees 29:18
18 For in the days when Jacob went to Mesopotamia, Esau took to himself a wife Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, and he gathered together all the flocks of his father and his wives, and went Up and dwelt on Mount Seir, and left Isaac his father at the Well of the Oath alone.
No notes.
Exposition
Esau tells his son Eliphaz to kill Jacob
Jasher 29:31-32
And when Jacob went away to go to Haran Esau called to his son Eliphaz, and secretly spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, take your sword in your hand and pursue Jacob and pass before him in the road, and lurk for him, and slay him with your sword in one of the mountains, and take all belonging to him and come back.”
And Eliphaz the son of Esau was an active man and expert with the bow as his father had taught him, and he was a noted hunter in the field and a valiant man.
Rising Action
Eliphaz pursues Jacob
Jasher 29:33
And Eliphaz did as his father had commanded him, and Eliphaz was at that time 13 years old, and Eliphaz rose up and went and took 10 of his mother’s brothers with him and pursued Jacob.
Climax
Eliphaz intercepts Jacob
Jasher 29:34-41
And he closely followed Jacob, and he lurked for him in the border of the land of Canaan opposite to the city of Shechem. And Jacob saw Eliphaz and his men pursuing him, and Jacob stood still in the place in which he was going, to know what this was, for he did not know the thing; and Eliphaz drew his sword and he went on advancing, he and his men, toward Jacob; and Jacob said to them, “What is to do with you that you have come here, and what means it that you pursue with your swords.”
And Eliphaz came near to Jacob and he answered and said to him, “Thus did my father command me, and now therefore I will not deviate from the orders which my father gave me; and when Jacob saw that Esau had spoken to Eliphaz to employ force, Jacob then approached and supplicated Eliphaz and his men, saying to him, “Behold all that I have and which my father and mother gave to me, that take to you and go from me, and do not slay me, and may this thing be accounted to you righteousness.”
And the Lord caused Jacob to find favor in the sight of Eliphaz the son of Esau, and his men, and they listened to the voice of Jacob, and they did not put him to death, and Eliphaz and his men took all belonging to Jacob together with the silver and gold that he had brought with him from Beersheba; they left him nothing.
And Eliphaz and his men went away from him and they returned to Esau to Beersheba, and they told him all that had occurred to them with Jacob, and they gave him all that they had taken from Jacob. And Esau was indignant at Eliphaz his son, and at his men that were with him, because they had not put Jacob to death. And they answered and said to Esau, “Because Jacob supplicated us in this matter not to slay him, our pity was excited toward him, and we took all belonging to him and brought it to you.”
And Esau took all the silver and gold which Eliphaz had taken from Jacob and he put them by in his house.
Falling Action
Esau becomes envious of Jacob
Genesis 28:6-8, Jasher 29:42
When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from there; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, “You will not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan and that the daughters of Canaan were bad in the sight of Isaac and Rebecca” and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram; and Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father.
Resolution
Esau goes to the house of Ishmael and marries Mahalath, his 3rd wife
Genesis 28:9, 36:3, Jasher 29:43
Then went Esau to Ishmael his uncle, and took to the wives which he had Mahalath (Machlath) the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth (Nebayoth), to be his wife, and he gathered together all the flocks of his father and his wives, and went up and dwelled on Mount Seir, and left Isaac his father at the Well of the Oath alone. This happened in the days when Jacob went to Mesopotamia.
This chart shows who was alive in years 2186-2187.
Years with question marks are estimates.