Assassination Attempt
(1-minute read)
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
J: 45 | Y: 2186 | 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
Jubilee: 45
Year: 2186
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.
(6-minute read)
Exposition
J: 45 | Y: 2186 | Esau tells his son Eliphaz to kill Jacob
Jasher 29:31-32
When Jacob left to go to Haran, Esau called his son Eliphaz and spoke to him in secret, saying, “Listen carefully. Take your sword, go after Jacob, get ahead of him on the road, hide in the mountains, and kill him with your sword. Take everything he has and come back to me.”
Eliphaz, Esau’s son, was energetic and skilled with the bow, just as his father had taught him. He was a well-known hunter and a brave man.
Rising Action
Eliphaz pursues Jacob
Jasher 29:33
Eliphaz did exactly as his father had commanded. He was 13 years old at the time, and he took 10 of his mother’s brothers with him and went after Jacob.
Climax
Eliphaz intercepts Jacob
Jasher 29:34-41
He tracked Jacob closely and waited for him near the border of the land of Canaan, across from the city of Shechem. When Jacob saw Eliphaz and his men coming after him, he stopped where he was to understand what was happening, since he didn’t know the reason for their pursuit. Eliphaz drew his sword and began advancing toward Jacob with his men.
Jacob asked them, “Why have you come here? Why are you chasing me with swords?”
Eliphaz came closer and answered, “This is what my father ordered me to do, and I won’t disobey his command.”
When Jacob realized that Esau had instructed Eliphaz to attack him, he stepped forward and pleaded with Eliphaz and his men, saying, “Look, take everything I have—everything my father and mother gave me. Take it all and go, but don’t kill me. Let this act be counted to you as righteousness.”
And the Lord caused Jacob to find favor in the eyes of Eliphaz and his men, and they listened to him. They didn’t kill him. Instead, they took everything Jacob had, including the silver and gold he had brought from Beersheba, leaving him with nothing.
Eliphaz and his men then left Jacob and returned to Esau in Beersheba. They told him everything that had happened and gave him all they had taken from Jacob. Esau was angry with Eliphaz and his men because they hadn’t killed Jacob.
They replied to Esau, “Jacob begged us not to kill him, and we felt pity for him. So we took everything he had and brought it to you.”
Esau took all the silver and gold that Eliphaz had taken from Jacob and stored it in his house.
Falling Action
Esau becomes envious of Jacob
Genesis 28:6-8, Jasher 29:42
Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Padanaram to find a wife there. As he blessed him, Isaac gave him this command: “Do not marry one of the daughters of Canaan.” Esau noticed that the daughters of Canaan were displeasing to both Isaac and Rebekah. He also saw that Jacob had obeyed their instructions and had gone to Padanaram.
Resolution
Esau goes to the house of Ishmael and marries Mahalath, his 3rd wife
Genesis 28:9, 36:3, Jasher 29:43
So Esau went to his uncle Ishmael and took Mahalath (also called Machlath), the daughter of Ishmael (Abraham’s son) and sister of Nebajoth (Nebayoth), as a wife in addition to his others. He gathered all his father’s flocks and his wives and moved to live on Mount Seir, leaving his father Isaac alone at the Well of the Oath. This took place during the time Jacob was on his way to Mesopotamia.
This chart shows who was alive in the year 2186.