Genesis 28

Isaac’s Instructions to Jacob

1 Isaac called in Jacob, then gave him a blessing, and said:
Don’t marry any of those Canaanite women.2 Go at once to your mother’s father Bethuel in northern Syriat and choose a wife from one of the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.3 I pray that God All-Powerful will bless you with many descendants and let you become a great nation.

4 t4 May he bless you with the land he gave Abraham, so that you will take over this land where we now live as foreigners.
5 Isaac then sent Jacob to stay with Rebekah’s brother Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean.

Esau Marries the Daughter of Ishmael

6 Esau found out that his father Isaac had blessed Jacob and had warned him not to marry any of the Canaanite women. He also learned that Jacob had been sent to find a wife in northern Syriat7 and that he had obeyed his father and mother.8 Esau already had several wives, but he realized at last how much his father hated the Canaanite women.9 So he married Ishmael’s daughter Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaiotht and the granddaughter of Abraham.

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

10 Jacob left the town of Beersheba and started out for Haran.11 At sunset he stopped for the night and went to sleep, resting his head on a large rock.

12 t12 In a dream he saw a laddert that reached from earth to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down on it.
13 t The Lord was standing beside the laddert and said: I am the Lord God who was worshiped by Abraham and Isaac. I will give to you and your family the land on which you are now sleeping.14 t14 Your descendants will spread over the earth in all directions and will become as numerous as the specks of dust. Your family will be a blessing to all people.t

15 Wherever you go, I will watch over you, then later I will bring you back to this land. I won’t leave you—I will do all I have promised.
16 Jacob woke up suddenly and thought, “The Lord is in this place, and I didn’t even know it.”

17 Then Jacob became frightened and said, “This is a fearsome place! It must be the house of God and the laddert to heaven.”
18 When Jacob got up early the next morning, he took the rock that he had used for a pillow and stood it up for a place of worship. Then he poured olive oil on the rock to dedicate it to God,

19 and he named the place Bethel.t Before that it had been named Luz.
20 Jacob solemnly promised God, “If you go with me and watch over me as I travel, and if you give me food and clothes21 and bring me safely home again, you will be my God.

22 This rock will be your house, and I will give back to you a tenth of everything you give me.”

Genesis 29

Jacob Arrives at Laban’s Home

1 As Jacob continued on his way to the east,2 he looked out in a field and saw a well where shepherds took their sheep for water. Three flocks of sheep were lying around the well, which was covered with a large rock.

3 Shepherds would roll the rock away when all their sheep had gathered there. Then after the sheep had been watered, the shepherds would roll the rock back over the mouth of the well.

4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “Where are you from?” “We’re from Haran,” they answered.

5 Then he asked, “Do you know Nahor’s grandson Laban?” “Yes we do,” they replied.

6 “How is he?” Jacob asked. “He’s fine,” they answered. “And here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

7 Jacob told them, “Look, the sun is still high up in the sky, and it’s too early to bring in the rest of the flocks. Water your sheep and take them back to the pasture.”

8 But they replied, “We can’t do that until they all get here, and the rock has been rolled away from the well.”
9 While Jacob was still talking with the men, his cousin Rachel came up with her father’s sheep.10 When Jacob saw her and his uncle’s sheep, he rolled the rock away and watered the sheep.11 He then kissed Rachel and started crying because he was so happy.

12 He told her that he was the son of her aunt Rebekah, and she ran and told her father about him.
13 As soon as Laban heard the news, he ran out to meet Jacob. He hugged and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him everything that had happened.

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

14 Laban said, “You are my nephew, and you are like one of my own family.” After Jacob had been there for a month,

15 Laban said to him, “You shouldn’t have to work without pay, just because you are a relative of mine. What do you want me to give you?”
16-17 Laban had two daughters. Leah was older than Rachel, but her eyes didn’t sparkle,t while Rachel was beautiful and had a good figure.

18 Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he answered, “If you will let me marry Rachel, I’ll work seven years for you.”
19 Laban replied, “It’s better for me to let you marry Rachel than for someone else to have her. So stay and work for me.”

20 Jacob worked seven years for Laban, but the time seemed like only a few days, because he loved Rachel so much.
21 Jacob said to Laban, “The time is up, and I want to marry Rachel now!”22 So Laban gave a big feast and invited all their neighbors.23 But that evening he brought Leah to Jacob, who married her and spent the night with her.

24 Laban also gave Zilpah to Leah as her servant woman.

25 The next morning Jacob found out that he had married Leah, and he asked Laban, “Why did you do this to me? Didn’t I work to get Rachel? Why did you trick me?”
26 Laban replied, “In our country the older daughter must get married first.

27 After you spend this weekt with Leah, you may also marry Rachel. But you will have to work for me another seven years.”

28-30 At the end of the week of celebration, Laban let Jacob marry Rachel, and he gave her his servant woman Bilhah. Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah, but he had to work another seven years for Laban.
31 The Lord knew that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah, and so he gave children to Leah, but not to Rachel.32 Leah gave birth to a son and named him Reuben,t because she said, “The Lord has taken away my sorrow. Now my husband will love me more than he does Rachel.”33 She had a second son and named him Simeon,t because she said, “The Lord has heard that my husband doesn’t love me.”34 When Leah’s third son was born, she said, “Now my husband will hold me close.” So this son was named Levi.t

35 She had one more son and named him Judah,t because she said, “I’ll praise the Lord!”

Genesis 30

Problems Between Rachel and Leah

1 Rachel was very jealous of Leah for having children, and she said to Jacob, “I’ll die if you don’t give me some children!”

2 But Jacob became upset with Rachel and answered, “Don’t blame me! I’m not God.”

3 “Here, take my servant Bilhah,” Rachel told him. “Have children by her, and I’ll let them be born on my knees to show that they are mine.”
4 Then Rachel let Jacob marry Bilhah,5 and they had a son.6 Rachel named him Dan,t because she said, “God has answered my prayers. He has judged me and given me a son.”7 When Bilhah and Jacob had a second son,

8 Rachel said, “I’ve struggled hard with my sister, and I’ve won!” So she named the boy Naphtali. t
9 When Leah realized she could not have any more children, she let Jacob marry her servant Zilpah,10 and they had a son.11 “I’m really lucky,” Leah said, and she named the boy Gad.t12 When they had another son,13 Leah exclaimed, “I’m happy now, and all the women will say how happy I am.” So she named him Asher. t

Love Flowers

14 During the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some love flowerst and took them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah for some of them,

15 but Leah said, “It’s bad enough that you stole my husband! Now you want my son’s love flowers too.” “All right,” Rachel answered. “Let me have the flowers, and you can sleep with Jacob tonight.”

16 That evening when Jacob came in from the fields, Leah told him, “You’re sleeping with me tonight. I hired you with my son’s love flowers.” They slept together that night,17 and God answered Leah’s prayers by giving her a fifth son.

18 Leah shouted, “God has rewarded me for letting Jacob marry my servant,” and she named the boy Issachar. t
19 When Leah had another son,20 she exclaimed, “God has given me a wonderful gift, and my husband will praise me for giving him six sons.” So she named the boy Zebulun.t

21 Later, Leah had a daughter and named her Dinah.
22-23 Finally, God remembered Rachel—he answered her prayer by giving her a son. “God has taken away my disgrace,” she said.24 “I’ll name the boy Joseph,t and I’ll pray that the Lord will give me another son.”

Jacob and Laban

25 After Joseph was born, Jacob said to Laban, “Release me from our agreementt and let me return to my own country.

26 You know how hard I’ve worked for you, so let me take my wives and children and leave.”

27-28 But Laban told him, “If you really are my friend, stay on, and I’ll pay whatever you ask. I’m suret the Lord has blessed me because of you.”
29 Jacob answered: You’ve seen how hard I’ve worked for you, and you know how your flocks and herds have grown under my care.

30 You didn’t have much before I came, but the Lord has blessed everything I have ever done for you. Now it’s time for me to start looking out for my own family.
31 “How much do you want me to pay you?” Laban asked. Then Jacob told him:
I don’t want you to pay me anything. Just do one thing, and I’ll take care of your sheep and goats.32 Let me go through your flocks and herds and take the sheep and goats that are either spotted or speckledt and the black lambs. That’s all you need to give me.

33 In the future you can easily find out if I’ve been honest. Just look and see if my animals are either spotted or speckled, or if the lambs are black. If they aren’t, they’ve been stolen from you.
34 “I agree to that,” was Laban’s response.35 Before the end of the day, Laban had separated his spotted and speckled animals and the black lambs from the others and had put his sons in charge of them.

36 Then Laban made Jacob keep the rest of the sheep and goats at a distance of three days’ journey.
37 Jacob cut branches from some poplar trees and from some almond and evergreen trees. He peeled off part of the bark and made the branches look spotted and speckled.38 Then he put the branches where the sheep and goats would see themt while they were drinking from the water trough. The goats mated there

39 in front of the branches, and their young were spotted and speckled.

40 Some of the sheep that Jacob was keeping for Laban were already spotted. And when the others were ready to mate, he made sure that they faced in the direction of the spotted and black ones. In this way, Jacob built up a flock of sheep for himself and did not put them with the other sheep.
41 When the stronger sheep were mating near the drinking place, Jacob made sure that the spotted branches were there.42 But he would not put out the branches when the weaker animals were mating. So Jacob got all of the healthy animals, and Laban got what was left.

43 Jacob soon became rich and successful. He owned many sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of slaves.