The Dispute of the Ages Begins...
37 And on the day of the death of Isaac, the father of Jacob and Esau, when the sons of Esau heard that Isaac had given the birthright to his younger son Jacob, they were very angry. 2And they quarrelled with their father, saying: "Why hath thy father, although thou art the elder and Jacob the younger, given to Jacob the birthright and left thee behind?"
3And he said to them: "Because I sold my right of first birth to Jacob for a small mess of lentils. 4And on the day that my father sent me out to hunt and catch and bring something to him that he should eat it and bless me, he came in deception and brought to my father something to eat and to drink, and my father blessed him and put me under his hand. 5And now our father has made us swear, me and him, that we will not devise any evil one against his brother, and that each will continue in love and in peace with his brother, and will not destroy our ways."
The Sons of Esau Rebel
6And they said to him: "We will not listen to thee to keep peace with him, for our strength exceeds his strength, and we are more powerful than he. 7We will go out against him, and will slay him, and destroy his children; and if thou dost not go out with us, we will do thee harm also. 8Listen now to us: We will send to Aram and to Philistia and to Moab and to Ammon, and we will pick out for ourselves chosen men who are prepared for battle, and we will go against him and will battle with him, and we will root him out of the land, before he has taken root and is strong."
9And their father said to them: "Ye shall not go and make war upon him, that ye may not fall before him."
10And they said to him: "This is as thou hast done from thy youth on to the present day, and thou hast brought thy neck under his yoke. 11We will not listen to these words."
War in the Land of Promise
And they sent to Aram and to Aduram to the associates of their father, and they hired with themselves one thousand fighting men and chosen warriors. 12And there came to them from Moab and from the children of Ammon those that were hired, one thousand chosen men, and from Philistia one thousand chosen warriors, and from Edom and the Horites one thousand chosen fighters, and from the Hittites strong fighting men. 13And they said to their father: "Go out, lead them, and if not, we will kill thee."
14And he was filled with anger and wrath at the time when he saw his sons that they were forcing him to go before them to lead them against Jacob, his brother. 15And then he remembered all the evil which had been hidden in his heart against his brother Jacob, and did not remember the oath which he had sworn to his father and his mother, that he would not devise any evil all his days against his brother Jacob. 16And in all this time Jacob did not know that they were coming against him for battle, but he was lamenting over Leah, his wife, until they approached him very near to the tower, four thousand warlike, powerful, and chosen fighters.
Jacob is Warned
17And the men of Hebron sent to him saying: "Behold thy brother is coming against thee to fight with thee with four thousand heavily girded men, and they carry shields and weapons". For they loved Jacob more than Esau, and told it to him, for Jacob was a more gracious and mild man than Esau. 18But Jacob did not believe it until he approached very near the tower.
Heated Words Between Jacob and Esau
19And he fastened the gates of the tower and stood upon the top of the tower, and spoke with his brother Esau and said: "Hast thou come to me bringing me a good consolation on account of my wife who has died ? 20Is this the oath which thou hast sworn to thy father and thy mother twice before they died? 21Thou hast violated the oath, and on account of what thou hast sworn to thy father, thou shalt be judged."
22And then Esau answered and said to him: "There is not to the sons of men and to the animals of the earth any oath of trust which they swear to them unto eternity; but on that morning yet they devise evil against each other, so that one may kill his hater and his enemy. 23And thou too dost hate me and my children to eternity, and there is no brotherly dealing with thee.
24"Hear these my words which I announce to thee: If one can change the bristles of the swine and change them into wool, and if horns will come out of its head like the horns of the deer and rams, then I will maintain brotherly relations with thee. 25And if the breasts are separated from the mother -for wast not thou to me a brother- and if the wolves make peace with the lambs, so that they do not devour and rob them; and if their hearts incline to doing each other good, then will there be peace in my heart toward thee. 26And when the lion becomes the friend of the ox, and when he is put into one yoke with him and plows with him, then I will make peace with thee. 27And when the raven becomes white like the rice bird, then I will know that I love thee and will make peace with thee.
"Thou shalt be rooted out and thy sons shall be rooted out, and there shall be no peace."
The Conflict Begins
28And then Jacob saw that his heart was evil against him, and that from his whole soul he would slay him, and he had come springing like a wild animal which comes against the spear that pierces it through and kills it, and it does not depart from it. 29And then he said to his sons and to his servants that they should attack him and all his companions.