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Genesis 29

Jacob Arrives at Laban's Home

    ⁴Jacob asked the shepherds, "Where are you from?"

   "We're from Haran," they answered.

    ⁵Then 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."

    ⁷Jacob 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."

    ⁸But they replied, "We can't do that until they all get here, and the rock has been rolled away from the well."

    ⁹While Jacob was still talking with the men, his cousin Rachel came up with her father's sheep. ¹⁰When Jacob saw her and his uncle's sheep, he rolled the rock away and watered the sheep. ¹¹He then kissed Rachel and started crying because he was so happy. ¹²He told her that he was the son of her aunt Rebekah, and she ran and told her father about him.

    ¹³As 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. ¹⁴Laban said, "You are my nephew, and you are like one of my own family."

   After Jacob had been there for a month,

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

    ^16-17Laban had two daughters. Leah was older than Rachel, but her eyes didn't sparkle, ^[a] while Rachel was beautiful and had a good figure. ¹⁸Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he answered, "If you will let me marry Rachel, I'll work seven years for you." ¹⁹Laban replied, "It's better for me to let you marry Rachel than for someone else to have her. So stay and work for me." ²⁰Jacob worked seven years for Laban, but the time seemed like only a few days, because he loved Rachel so much.

    ²¹Jacob said to Laban, "The time is up, and I want to marry Rachel now!" ²²So Laban gave a big feast and invited all their neighbors. ²³But that evening he brought Leah to Jacob, who married her and spent the night with her. ²⁴Laban also gave Zilpah to Leah as her servant woman.

    ²⁵The 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?"

    ²⁶Laban replied, "In our country the older daughter must get married first. ²⁷After you spend this week ^[b] with Leah, you may also marry Rachel. But you will have to work for me another seven years." ^28-30At 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.

    ³¹The LORD knew that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah, and so he gave children to Leah, but not to Rachel. ³²Leah gave birth to a son and named him Reuben, ^[c] because she said, "The LORD has taken away my sorrow. Now my husband will love me more than he does Rachel." ³³She had a second son and named him Simeon, ^[d] because she said, "The LORD has heard that my husband doesn't love me." ³⁴When Leah's third son was born, she said, "Now my husband will hold me close." So this son was named Levi. ^{[e] 35}She had one more son and named him Judah, ^[f] because she said, "I'll praise the LORD!"

Genesis 30

Problems between Rachel and Leah

    ²But 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."

    ⁴Then Rachel let Jacob marry Bilhah, ⁵and they had a son. ⁶Rachel named him Dan, ^[g] because she said, "God has answered my prayers. He has judged me and given me a son." ⁷When Bilhah and Jacob had a second son, ⁸Rachel said, "I've struggled hard with my sister, and I've won!" So she named the boy Naphtali. ^{[h] 9}When Leah realized she could not have any more children, she let Jacob marry her servant Zilpah, ¹⁰and they had a son. ¹¹"I'm really lucky," Leah said, and she named the boy Gad. ^{[i] 12}When they had another son, ¹³Leah exclaimed, "I'm happy now, and all the women will say how happy I am." So she named him Asher. ^[j]

Love Flowers

    ¹⁶That 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, ¹⁷and God answered Leah's prayers by giving her a fifth son. ¹⁸Leah shouted, "God has rewarded me for letting Jacob marry my servant," and she named the boy Issachar. ^{[l] 19}When Leah had another son, ²⁰she 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. ^{[m] 21}Later, Leah had a daughter and named her Dinah. ^22-23Finally, 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, ^[n] and I'll pray that the LORD will give me another son."

Jacob and Laban

   You've seen how hard I've worked for you, and you know how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. ³⁰You 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. ³²Let me go through your flocks and herds and take the sheep and goats that are either spotted or speckled ^[q] and the black lambs. That's all you need to give me. ³³In 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. ³⁵Before 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. ³⁶Then Laban made Jacob keep the rest of the sheep and goats at a distance of three days' journey.

    ³⁷Jacob 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. ³⁸Then he put the branches where the sheep and goats would see them ^[r] while they were drinking from the water trough. The goats mated there ³⁹in front of the branches, and their young were spotted and speckled. ⁴⁰Some 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.

    ⁴¹When the stronger sheep were mating near the drinking place, Jacob made sure that the spotted branches were there. ⁴²But 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. ⁴³Jacob soon became rich and successful. He owned many sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of slaves.

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Matthew 9

Jesus Heals a Crippled Man

(Mark 2.1-12; Luke 5.17-26)

    ⁴But Jesus knew what was in their minds, and he said, "Why are you thinking such evil things? ⁵Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk? ⁶But I will show you that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth." So Jesus said to the man, "Get up! Pick up your mat and go on home." ⁷The man got up and went home. ⁸When the crowds saw this, they were afraid ^[b] and praised God for giving such authority to people.

Jesus Chooses Matthew

(Mark 2.13-17; Luke 5.27-32)

People Ask about Going without Eating

(Mark 2.18-22; Luke 5.33-39)

   The friends of a bridegroom don't go without eating while he is still with them. But the time will come when he will be taken from them. Then they will go without eating.

    ¹⁶No one uses a new piece of cloth to patch old clothes. The patch would shrink and tear a bigger hole.

    ¹⁷No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The wine would swell and burst the old skins. ^[f] Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put into new wineskins. Both the skins and the wine will then be safe.