God is not once mentioned in the events that follow, and we cannot help but believe that the incidents recorded would never have happened if Jacob had remained a pilgrim and a stranger rather than trying to become like the world. Whether the story of Esau’s remarkable successes in Edom had upset Jacob we are not told. Was he trying to emulate his brother by making a mark for himself? It might well be. Jacob remains silent throughout the chapter, silent, that is, until the very end when it was too