order." And God said, "Verily, thy request is sensible, and
thou shalt be the first to profit by the new dispensation," and
so it happened that Jacob fell sick a little while before his
death.[357]

His sickness troubled him grievously, for he had undergone
much during his life. He had worked day and night
while he was with Laban, and his conflicts with the angel
and with Esau, though he came off victor from both, had
weakened him, and he was not in a condition to endure the
hardships of disease.[358]