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Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
After Jacob had been there about a month, Laban said to him one day, "Just because we are relatives is no reason for you to work for me without pay. How much do you want?" Now Laban had two daughters, Leah, the older, and her younger sister, Rachel. Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel was shapely, and in every way a beauty. Well, Jacob was in love with Rachel. So he told her father, "I'll work for you seven years if you'll give me Rachel as my wife."
"Agreed!" Laban replied. "I'd rather give her to you than to someone outside the family."
So Jacob spent the next seven years working to pay for Rachel. But they seemed to him but a few days, he was so much in love. Finally the time came for him to marry her.
"I have fulfilled my contract," Jacob said to Laban. "Now give me my wife, so that I can sleep with her."
So Laban invited all the men of the settlement to celebrate with Jacob at a big party. Afterwards, that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. (And Laban gave to Leah a servant girl, Zilpah, to be her maid.) But in the morning--it was Leah!
"What sort of trick is this?" Jacob raged at Laban. "I worked for seven years for Rachel. What do you mean by this trickery?"
"It's not our custom to marry off a younger daughter ahead of her sister," Laban replied smoothly. "Wait until the bridal week is over and you can have Rachel too--if you promise to work for me another seven years!"
So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. Then Laban gave him Rachel, too. And Laban gave to Rachel a servant girl, Bilhah, to be her maid. So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her more than Leah, and stayed and worked the additional seven years.
TEXT SOURCE:
(Genesis 29:14-30) The Children's Living Bible, ©1970
Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187
TITLE SOURCE: The New Student Bible, ©1992 Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids Michigan
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