Bible in a Year.

On the seventeenth day, we encounter reconciliation and tragedy. Genesis 33-34 depicts the moving reunion of Jacob and Esau after years of separation, followed by the horrific episode of Dinah at Shechem and the brutal revenge of Simeon and Levi. Job 23-24 reveals the anguish of a man desperately seeking God's presence while observing the injustice prevailing in the world. Proverbs 3:13-18 extols wisdom as more precious than rubies, poetically describing it as a tree of life for those who attain it.

Chapter 33

1. And Jacob lifting up his eyes, saw Esau coming, and with him four hundred men: and he divided the children of Lia, and of Rachel, and of the two handmaids:

2. And he put both the handmaids and their children foremost: and Lia and her children in the second place: and Rachel and Joseph last.

3. And he went forward and bowed down with his face to the ground seven times until his brother came near.

4. Then Esau ran to meet his brother, and embraced him: and clasping him fast about the neck, and kissing him, wept.

5. And lifting up his eyes, he saw the women and their children, and said: What mean these? And do they belong to thee? He answered: They are the children which God hath given to me thy servant.

6. Then the handmaids and their children came near, and bowed themselves.

7. Lia also with her children came near, and bowed down in like manner, and last of all Joseph and Rachel bowed down.

8. And Esau said: What are the droves that I met? He answered: That I might find favor before my lord.

9. But he said: I have plenty, my brother, keep what is thine for thyself.

10. And Jacob said: Do not so I beseech thee, but if I have found favor in thy eyes, receive a little present at my hands: for I have seen thy face, as if I should have seen the countenance of God: be gracious to me,

11. And take the blessing, which I have brought thee, and which God hath given me, who giveth all things. He took it with much ado at his brother's earnest pressing him,

12. And said: Let us go on together, and I will accompany thee in thy journey.

13. And Jacob said: My lord, thou knowest that I have with me tender children, and sheep, and kine with young: which if I should cause to be overdriven, in one day all the flocks will die.

14. May it please my lord to go before his servant: and I will follow softly after him, as I shall see my children to be able, until I come to my lord in Seir.

15. Esau answered: I beseech thee, that some of the people at least, who are with me, may stay to accompany thee in the way. And he said: There is no necessity: I want nothing else but only to find favor, my lord, in thy sight.

16. So Esau returned, that day, the way that he came, to Seir.

17. And Jacob came to Socoth: where having built a house, and pitched tents, he called the name of the place Socoth, that is, Tents.

18. And he passed over to Salem, a city of the Sichemites, which is in the land of Chanaan, after he returned from Mesopotamia of Syria: and he dwelt by the town:

19. And he bought that part of the field, in which he pitched his tents, of the children of Hemor, the father of Sichem for a hundred lambs.

20. And raising an altar there, he invoked upon it the most mighty God of Israel.

Chapter 34

1. And Dina the daughter of Lia went out to see the women of that country.

2. And when Sichem the son of Hemor the Hevite, the prince of that land, saw her, he was in love with her: and took her away, and lay with her, ravishing the virgin.

3. And his soul was fast knit unto her, and whereas she was sad, he comforted her with sweet words.

4. And going to Hemor his father, he said: Get me this damsel to wife.

5. But when Jacob had heard this, his sons being absent, and employed in feeding the cattle, he held his peace till they came back.

6. And when Hemor the father of Sichem was come out to speak to Jacob,

7. Behold his sons came from the field: and hearing what had passed, they were exceeding angry, because he had done a foul thing in Israel, and committed an unlawful act, in ravishing Jacob's daughter,

8. And Hemor spoke to them: The soul of my son Sichem has a longing for your daughter: give her him to wife:

9. And let us contract marriages one with another: give us your daughters and take you our daughters,

10. And dwell with us: the land is at your command, till, trade,and possess it.

11. Sichem also said to her father and to her brethren: Let me find favor in your sight: and whatsoever you shall appoint I will give.

12. Raise the dowery,, and ask gifts, and I will gladly give what you shall demand: only give me this damsel to wife.

13. The sons of Jacob answered Sichem and his father deceitfully, being enraged at the deflowering of their sister:

14. We cannot do what you demand, nor give our sister to one that is uncircumcised, which with us is unlawful and abominable.

15. But in this way may we be allied with you, if you will be like us, and all the male sex among you be circumcised:

16. Then will we mutually give and take your daughters, and ours: and we will dwell with you, and will be one people:

17. But if you will not be circumcised, we will take our daughter and depart:

18. Their offer pleased Hemor, and Sichem his son:

19. And the young man made no delay, but forthwith fulfilled what was required, for he loved the damsel exceedingly, and he was the greatest man in all his father's house.

20. And going into the gate of the city they spoke to the people:

21. These men are peaceable and willing to dwell with us: let them trade in the land, and till it, which being large and wide wanteth men to till it: we shall take their daughters for wives, and we will give them ours.

22. One thing there is for which so great a good is deferred: We must circumcise every male among us, following the manner of the nation.

23. And their substance, and cattle, and all that they possess, shall be ours: only in this let us condescend, and by dwelling together, we shall make one people.

24. And they all agreed, and circumcised all the males.

25. And behold the third day, when the pain of the wound was greatest, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dina, taking their swords, entered boldly into the city, and slew all the men:

26. And they killed also Hemor and Sichem, and took away their sister Dina, out of Sichem's house.

27. And when they were gone out, the other sons of Jacob came upon the slain; and plundered the city in revenge of the rape.

28. And they took their sheep and their herds and their asses, wasting all they had in their houses and in the fields.

29. and their children and wives they took captive,

30. And when they had boldly perpetrated these things, Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: You have troubled me, and made me hateful to the Chanaanites and Pherezites, the inhabitants of this land: we are few: they will gather themselves together and kill me; and both I, and my house, shall be destroyed.

31. They answered: Should they abuse our sister as a strumpet?

Chapter 23

1. Then Job answered, and said:

2. Now also my words are in bitterness, and the hand of my scourge is more grievous than my mourning.

3. Who will grant me that I might know and find him, and come even to his throne?

4. I would set judgment before him, and would fill my mouth with complaints.

5. That I might know the words that he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me.

6. I would not that he should contend with me with much strength, nor overwhelm me with the weight of his greatness.

7. Let him propose equity against me, and let my judgment come to victory.

8. But if I go to the east, he appeareth not; if to the west, I shall not understand him.

9. If to the left hand, what shall I do? I shall not take hold on him: if I turn myself to the right hand, I shall not see him.

10. But he knoweth my way, and has tried me as gold that passeth through the fire:

11. My foot hath followed his steps, I have kept his way, and have not declined from it.

12. I have not departed from the commandments of his lips, and the words of his mouth I have hid in my bosom.

13. For he is alone, and no man can turn away his thought: and whatsoever is soul hath desired, that hath he done.

14. And when he shall have fulfilled his will in me, many other like things are also at hand with him.

15. And therefore I am troubled at his presence, and when I consider him I am made pensive with fear.

16. God hath softened my heart, and the Almighty hath troubled me.

17. For I have not perished because of the darkness that hangs over me, neither hath the mist covered my face.

Chapter 24

1. Times are not hid from the Almighty: but they that know him, know not his days.

2. Some have removed landmarks, have taken away flocks by force, and fed them.

3. They have driven away the ass of the fatherless, and have taken away the widow's ox for a pledge.

4. They have overturned the way of the poor, and have oppressed together the meek of the earth.

5. Others like wild asses in the desert go forth to their work: by watching for a prey they get bread for their children.

6. They reap the field that is not their own, and gather the vintage of his vineyard whom by violence they have oppressed.

7. They send men away naked, taking away their clothes who have no covering in the cold:

8. Who are wet, with the showers of the mountains, and having no covering embrace the stones.

9. They have violently robbed the fatherless, and stripped the poor common people.

10. From the naked and them that go without clothing, and from the hungry they have taken away the ears of corn.

11. They have taken their rest at noon among the stores of them, who after having trodden the winepresses suffer thirst.

12. Out of the cities they have made men to groan, and the soul of the wounded hath cried out, and God doth not suffer it to pass unrevenged.

13. They have been rebellious to the light, they have not known his ways, neither have they returned by his paths.

14. The murderer riseth at the very break of day, he killeth the needy, and the poor man: but in the night he will be as a thief.

15. The eye of the adulterer observeth darkness, saying: No eye shall see me: and he will cover his face.

16. He diggeth through houses in the dark, as in the day they had appointed for themselves, and they have not known the light.

17. If the morning suddenly appear, it is to them the shadow of death: and they walk in darkness as if it were in light.

18. He is light upon the face of the water: cursed be his portion on the earth, let him not walk by the way of the vineyards.

19. Let him pass from the snow waters to excessive heat, and his sin even to hell.

20. Let mercy forget him: may worms be his sweetness: let him be remembered no more, but be broken in pieces as an unfruitful tree.

21. For he hath fed the barren that beareth not, and to the widow he hath done no good.

22. He hath pulled down the strong by his might: and when he standeth up, he shall not trust to his life.

23. God hath given him place for penance, and he abuseth it unto pride: but his eyes are upon his ways.

24. They are lifted up for a little while and shall not stand, and shall be brought down as all things, and shall be taken away, and as the tops of the ears of corn they shall be broken.

25. And if it be not so, who can convince me that I have lied, and set my words before God?

13. Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom and is rich in prudence:

14. The purchasing thereof is better than the merchandise of silver, and her fruit than the chiefest and purest gold:

15. She is more precious than all riches : and all the things that are desired, are not to be compared with her.

16. Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and glory.

17. Her ways are beautiful ways, and all her paths are peaceable.

18. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her: and he that shall retain her is blessed.