AMONG the many fascinating texts in the Hebrew Bible1 are a number of stories that describe the making, performance, and breach of contracts and contract-like arrangements.2 These include Abraham's purchase from Ephron the Hittite of a burial ground for his wife Sarah, Esau's sale of his birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage, the performance by Abraham's servant of a contract of agency to procure a wife for Isaac, Jacob's employment agreement with his father-in-law Laban, Jacob's sons' negotiation and breach of a peace treaty with the Shechemites, Jacob's fraudulent procurement of Isaac's blessing, and Jephthah's vow to perform a sacrifice in exchange for a military victory. Most of these stories are found in the Book of Genesis. All or nearly all date from the earliest strata of texts in the Hebrew Bible, the "J" source.3 These stories are among the fundamental documents of Western culture. They have been studied, analyzed, and interpreted for three thou-