Study Desk

But Isaac replied to Esau, "Behold, I have made him your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. Now as for you then, what can I do, my son?"

"By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck."

But they said, "We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep."

And Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face.

So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.

But Laban said, "It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn.

Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

But she said to her, "Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son's mandrakes also?" So Rachel said, "Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes."

But Laban said to him, "If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the LORD has blessed me on your account."

But he said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me.

"For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?"

but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's.

and said to them, "I see your father's attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as formerly, but the God of my father has been with me.

"It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.'

"Now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house; but why did you steal my gods?"

So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent.

Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel's saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them.

She said to her father, "Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me." So he searched but did not find the household idols.

Then Laban replied to Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?

Now Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.