Study Desk

So Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob."

And he happened upon a particular place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and made it a support for his head, and lay down in that place.

"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

So Jacob got up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had placed as a support for his head, and set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on its top.

Then he said, "Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them."

While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?"

Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."

So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him like only 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 have relations with her."

So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, "What is this that you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?"

"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."

So Jacob had relations with Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.

Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and named him Reuben, for she said, "Because the LORD has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me."

Then Leah said, "Happy am I! For women will call me happy." So she named him Asher.

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 sleep with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes."

When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must have relations with me, for I have indeed hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night.

"Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you."

"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?"

So he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock: