Gen 32: Jacob see's angels in their camp and knows it's a sign of God's protection. He then decides to send gifts to his brother Esau, hoping that this will further cool any anger leftover from years before when Jacob tricked his father into giving himself his oldest brother's (Esau's) blessing. Jacob then prays to God- it's a beautiful prayer vs9-12.
During the night, Jacob wrestles with the Lord until dawn. Jacob would not let Him go, even when the Lord wrenched Jacob's hip socket out of joint! The Lord told Jacob his name was now "Israel" vs28. Then the Lord blessed Jacob/Israel.
Gen 33: Jacob and Esau make peace. Esau approaches his brother for the first time in years and gives him a huge bear hug. But Jacob talks to Esau the whole time in a very humble and submissive manner, making sure Esau knows Jacob acknowledges his older brother as the elder, and gives him all due respect, calling him "my lord".
After the meeting with Esau, Jacob and his family, his herds, his servants, all continue to Shechem, in the land of Canaan. Jacob builds an altar in honor of God who has protected them all, and names it El-Elohe-Israel (God, the God of Israel) vs20.
Gen 34: Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, is kidnapped and raped by Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite (he claimed he fell in love with her and had to have her). Even telling his father he needed to marry her. Hamor came to talk with and negotiate a marriage with Jacob for his son to Jacob's daughter. But when Jacob's sons found out about the rape later that day (they were in the fields tending the livestock) and the marriage negotiations, they were enraged! The rage came from the violence to their sister, and also that Jacob had not acted upon this disgrace visited on their sister and family. Hamor, on the other hand, saw an opportunity to gain access to Jacob's wealth through this marriage.
The sons demanded that all the men under Hamor be circumcised, as this was God's covenant to be His children. (They had already devised a plan of revenge to Hamor and Shechem, and this was part of it.) All Hamor could see was more wealth, so he immediately agreed to it, and pushed it as a great thing to be a part of Jacob's "family"; And Shechem wanted Dinah so desperately, that he wasted no time talking the other men into it as well. All the males in the town were then circumcised.
Three days later when their wounds were still extremely sore, Simeon and Levi, who were Dinah's full brothers, took their swords and slaughtered every male there, including Hamor and his son, Shechem. The rest of Jacob's sons plundered the town.
Jacob was extremely upset with his sons, saying that his sons had ruined the family and made them stink among the Canaanites and Perizzites. Jacob thought there would be retribution and his whole family would be killed over this thing his sons had done. But his sons angrily retorted to Jacob: Why should we let him treat our sister like a prostitute? vs31
During the night, Jacob wrestles with the Lord until dawn. Jacob would not let Him go, even when the Lord wrenched Jacob's hip socket out of joint! The Lord told Jacob his name was now "Israel" vs28. Then the Lord blessed Jacob/Israel.
Gen 33: Jacob and Esau make peace. Esau approaches his brother for the first time in years and gives him a huge bear hug. But Jacob talks to Esau the whole time in a very humble and submissive manner, making sure Esau knows Jacob acknowledges his older brother as the elder, and gives him all due respect, calling him "my lord".
After the meeting with Esau, Jacob and his family, his herds, his servants, all continue to Shechem, in the land of Canaan. Jacob builds an altar in honor of God who has protected them all, and names it El-Elohe-Israel (God, the God of Israel) vs20.
Gen 34: Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, is kidnapped and raped by Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite (he claimed he fell in love with her and had to have her). Even telling his father he needed to marry her. Hamor came to talk with and negotiate a marriage with Jacob for his son to Jacob's daughter. But when Jacob's sons found out about the rape later that day (they were in the fields tending the livestock) and the marriage negotiations, they were enraged! The rage came from the violence to their sister, and also that Jacob had not acted upon this disgrace visited on their sister and family. Hamor, on the other hand, saw an opportunity to gain access to Jacob's wealth through this marriage.
The sons demanded that all the men under Hamor be circumcised, as this was God's covenant to be His children. (They had already devised a plan of revenge to Hamor and Shechem, and this was part of it.) All Hamor could see was more wealth, so he immediately agreed to it, and pushed it as a great thing to be a part of Jacob's "family"; And Shechem wanted Dinah so desperately, that he wasted no time talking the other men into it as well. All the males in the town were then circumcised.
Three days later when their wounds were still extremely sore, Simeon and Levi, who were Dinah's full brothers, took their swords and slaughtered every male there, including Hamor and his son, Shechem. The rest of Jacob's sons plundered the town.
Jacob was extremely upset with his sons, saying that his sons had ruined the family and made them stink among the Canaanites and Perizzites. Jacob thought there would be retribution and his whole family would be killed over this thing his sons had done. But his sons angrily retorted to Jacob: Why should we let him treat our sister like a prostitute? vs31