Jacob also know as Israel, was the son of Isaac and the brother of Esau. When he was born he was holding his twin brother heel. God would speak to Rebekah proclaiming that two nations are in her womb, and that one will be stronger than the other, and the older shall sever the younger.

Jacob was a peaceful man. One day Esau would come to Jacob asking him to have soup. Jacob would request his birthright. Esau agreed. Later Jacob would use goat skin to deceive his father receiving that birthright.

Isaac then sent Jacob away to Paddan-aram to find a wife and forbid him from taking a Canaanite wife. So Jacob headed towards Haran. It was there he had a vision of angels descending and climbing a ladder to heaven. God then spoke to him saying that he would inherit the promised land and that he would be with him. When he awoke he proclaimed the place as the house of God. He called the place
Bethel. He vowed that he would keep God’s promises.

Jacob then continued to meet Rachel his wife. He would work seven years for her father Laban for her hand in marriage. However her father Laban would trick Jacob. He would present Leah and with her face covered he would consummate his marriage to her. He would then work an extra seven years taking both girl’s as his wife.

God saw that Leah was unloved so he opened up her womb. She had several sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. This upset Rachel and she wanted children. She would offer Bilhah as a surrogate mother. Bilhah would have Dan, Naphtali.

This made Leah jealous as well and she wanted more children as well so he gave Zilpah as her surrogate. Zilap had several sons as well; Gad and Asher. Later Leah would bare another son, Isaachar, and Zebulun. She would also bare a daughter named Dinah.

Finally Rachel would have a child of her own and name him Joseph.

God called out to Jacob to return to his own land in Bethel. So he would leave. However Rachel stole her father teraphim which were figure of deities. Laban would pursue Jacob however he would not find the teraphim. Jacob would set up stone to mark a boundary between the two from that point forward.

Later he would later wrestle with with stranger. He would ask for a blessing from this name. The man told him that he shall be known as Israel for his has striven with God and with men and have prevailed. Jacob would then proclaim that he has seen God face to face. He would forever have a limp from that point forward.

He then met with his brother Esau who embraced him and they had a nice meeting. Esau offers Jacob gifts but rather Jacob offers him instead. Thus letting Jacob know there would be peace between them. He would depart and go to Shechem.

When in Shechem, Dinah was defiled sexually by Shechem. Hamor, the father of Shechem went to Jacob requesting her hand in marriage. However Jacob’s sons said that he should circumcise himself. When Shechem had done such a thing, they raided his village and killed them. Jacob was furious with them. However they said that Dinah was not a harlot.

So Jacob moved back to Bethel, and built an alter to God where he fled Esau. Again God reaffirms his name as Israel. Rachel would give birth to Benjamin but she would die during labor. Jacob would also visit his father, Isaac and he too would pass away.

Jacob would later move to Egypt, where through a series of events Joseph was very loved. Jacob would bless Pharaoh while he was there and he would remain in Egypt the rest of his life. He was one hundred and forty years old when he passed.