Jacob’s Vow at Bethel

Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

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

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,

Jacob Meets Rachel

So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East.

And Jacob said to them, “My brethren, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.”

And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.

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

And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s relative and that he was Rebekah’s son. So she ran and told her father.

Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things.

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

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

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

So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.

Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”

Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her.

Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also.

Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years.

The Children of Jacob

When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

Jacob’s Children

Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!”

And Jacob’s anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.

And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

And Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife.

And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.