Study Desk

Then Esau held a grudge against Jacob on account of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are coming, then I will kill Jacob my brother."

and that Jacob listened to his father and to his mother and went to Paddan-Aram.

Then Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Isaac his father,

And he arrived at a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head and slept at that place.

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely Yahweh is indeed in this place and I did not know!"

And Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a stone pillar, and poured oil on top of it.

And Jacob continued his journey and went to the land of the Easterners.

And he said to them, "Is he well?" And they said, "He is well. Now look, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep."

And it happened that, when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, Jacob drew near and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother.

And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.

And it happened that when Laban heard the message about Jacob, the son of his sister, he ran to meet him. And he embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.

And Jacob worked for Rachel seven years, but they were as a few days in his eyes because he loved her.

And it happened that in the evening he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him, and he went in to her.

And Laban gave Zilpah his female servant to her, to Leah his daughter as a female servant.

And Jacob did so. So he completed the week of this one, then he gave Rachel his daughter to him as a wife.

And Laban gave Bilhah his female servant to Rachel his daughter as a female servant.

Then Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, "Because Yahweh has noticed my misery, that I am unloved. Now my husband will love me."

And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. And she said, "It is because Yahweh has heard that I am unloved that he gave me this son also." And she called his name Simeon.

And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. Then she said, "Now this time my husband will be joined to me, for I have borne him three sons." Therefore, she called his name Levi.

And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. And she said, "This time I will praise Yahweh." Therefore she called his name Judah. And she ceased bearing children.