Jacob Versus His Wives!

When The Lord saw that Leah was hated, He opened her womb so that she can become pregnant, but Rachel was kept  barren.

Leah then had 4 sons ... Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah.  And then she stopped getting pregnant.

By this time Rachel saw that she was not going to have children.  So she cornered Jacob and ordered him to give her children or else she would die.

Jacob angrily asked her then if he was The Lord, if he had the power to make her pregnant.

She offered him her maid Bilhah and said to him: 'Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her ... and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.'  Jacob made Bilhah pregnant and she had a son.  Rachel called him Dan.  Bilhah bare Jacob another son and Rachel called him Naphtali.  Rachel took the boys and considered them her own children.

When Leah saw that she wasn't getting pregnant anymore she got worried and she too took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob to wife.  So Zilpah had a son and Leah called him Gad.  Zilpah had another son with Jacob and Leah called him Asher.

In these days a young Reuben would help with the wheat harvest, and rounded up mandrakes [narcotics] in the field and brought them to his mother, Leah.  When Rachel saw the mandrakes she wanted it and tried to take them off Leah, but Leah was having none of it.  She said to Rachel: 'First you took my husband and now you want my mandrakes as well!'

Rachel wanted the mandrakes badly and so she sold Jacob for the night to Leah, in return for the mandrakes.

That night Jacob had no other choice but to lie with Leah, and she had a 5th son and she called him Issachar.  She then had a 6th son and she called him Zebulun.  She finally had a daughter and she called her Dinah.

Rachel found mercy in The Lord's eyes and she then became pregnant ... she called her son Joseph.

Then it was time for Jacob to move on, away from Laban.




Source ... Genesis 30

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How Laban Trapped Jacob To Marry Leah First

So Jacob moved into Laban's house and started working for Laban.

After a month has gone by, Laban said to Jacob: 'You are family, but that does not mean that you must work for free.  Tell me what I must pay you.'

Laban had 2 daughters ... the eldest was Leah and the youngest was Rachel.  Leah had gentle eyes, but Rachel was beautiful.

Jacob loved Rachel and he told Laban that he would work 7 years for Rachel ... Laban agreed.

Jacob then worked the 7 years for Rachel, but it only felt like days to him, because of his deep love for Rachel.  He then went to Laban and demanded the hand of Rachel.

The it was the wedding day!

Laban agreed and invited all the people of the area to the big wedding of Jacob and Rachel, but that night Laban brought his daughter Leah to Jacob, and Jacob had intercourse with Leah on the wedding night.  Laban also gave his slave Zilpah to Leah as a personal maid.

The next morning when Jacob woke up he saw that it was Leah that he had spent the night with, and not Rachel.  He confronted Laban and asked Laban why Laban deceived him by giving him Leah instead of Rachel.  Laban answered him that it was a rule of their community that the youngest daughter can't marry before the eldest.

Laban then told Jacob: 'Just wait a week and then I will give Rachel to you, if you agree to work another 7 years.'

Jacob agreed and waited the week.  Laban then gave his daughter Rachel to Jacob to be his wife.  Laban then gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a personal slave.

Jacob had intercourse with Rachel as well.

He loved Rachel much more than Leah and he stayed and worked for Laban for another 7 years.

Source: The Bible: Genesis 29

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