Jacob Marries Rachel and Leah

Introduction: Jacob reaps what he has sown. 1 So Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the sons of the east. He looked, and saw a well in the

field. Three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it. Jacob said to the shepherds, "My brothers, where are you from?" And they said, "We are from Haran." Then Jacob said to them, "Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?" And they said, "We know him." And Jacob said to them, "Is it well with him?" And they said, "It is well, and here is his daughter Rachel coming with the sheep." When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban his mother's brother and the sheep, Jacob went up and rolled

the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the flock. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted his voice and wept. Jacob told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and that he was Rebekah's son, and she ran and told her father. When Laban heard the news that Jacob, his sister's son had come, he ran to meet him and embraced him and

kissed him and brought him to his house. And Jacob stayed with him a month. Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what

shall your wages be?" Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. And Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face. Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel." Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me." So Jacob

served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my time is completed, that I may go in to her." 22

Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast. Now in the evening Laban took his daughter Leah, and brought her to Jacob’s tent; and Jacob went in to her. So it came about in the morning he saw that it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have

done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?" But Laban said, "It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn. "Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve

with me for another seven years." Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years. Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben saying, “Surely my husband will love me now.” Then she again bore a son and named him Simeon. She again bore a son and named him Levi. And Leah again bore a son and named him Judah saying, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Then she stopped bearing. Then God remembered Rachel, and gave heed to her. So she conceived and bore a son and said, "God

has taken away my reproach." And she named him Joseph.