Study Desk

Esau already had two wives, but he went to Abraham's son Ishmael and married another woman, Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael. Mahalath was Nebaioth's sister.

Then Jacob woke up and said, "I know that the Lord is in this place, but I did not know he was here until I slept."

The name of that place was Luz, but Jacob named it Bethel.

But they said, "We cannot do that until all the flocks are gathered together. Then we will move the rock from the well, and all the sheep will drink."

Leah's eyes were gentle, but Rachel was beautiful.

So Jacob stayed and worked for Laban for seven years. But it seemed like a very short time because he loved Rachel very much.

Continue for the full week of the marriage ceremony, and I will also give you Rachel to marry. But you must serve me another seven years."

The Lord saw that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, so he made it possible for Leah to have children. But Rachel did not have any children.

During the wheat harvest Reuben went into the fields and found some special flowers. He brought them to his mother Leah. But Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's flowers."

Leah answered, "You have already taken away my husband. Now you are trying to take away my son's flowers." But Rachel answered, "If you will give me your son's flowers, you can sleep with Jacob tonight."

But let me go through all your flocks today and take every lamb with spots or stripes. Let me take every black young goat and every female goat with stripes or spots. That will be my pay.

But that day Laban hid all the male goats that had spots. And he hid all the female goats that had spots on them. He also hid all the black sheep. Laban told his sons to watch these sheep.

But when the weaker animals mated, Jacob did not put the branches there. So the young animals born from the weak animals were Laban's. And the young animals born from the stronger animals were Jacob's.

He said to them, "I have noticed that your father is not as friendly with me as he used to be. But the God of my father has been with me.

But he cheated me. He has changed my pay ten times. But during all this time, God protected me from all of Laban's tricks.

"At one time Laban said, ‘You can keep all the goats with spots. This will be your pay.' After he said this, all the animals gave birth to spotted goats, so they were all mine. But then Laban said, ‘I will keep the spotted goats. You can have all the striped goats. That will be your pay.' After he said this, all the animals gave birth to striped goats.

I have the power to really hurt you. But last night the God of your father came to me in a dream. He warned me not to hurt you in any way.

I know that you want to go back to your home. That is why you left. But why did you steal the gods from my house?"

But I did not steal your gods. If you find anyone here with me who has taken your gods, they will be killed. Your men will be my witnesses. You can look for anything that belongs to you. Take anything that is yours." (Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen Laban's gods.)

So Laban went and looked through Jacob's camp. He looked in Jacob's tent and then in Leah's tent. Then he looked in the tent where the two slave women stayed, but he did not find the gods from his house. Then he went into Rachel's tent.