Jacob sets off to find a wife (anyone will do, as long as she's not a Hittite) and encounters Rachel, who he immediately falls in love with. He strikes a deal with her father, Laban, that he'll serve him for seven years and after that amount of time, he'll get his daughter. Seven years. That's a pretty raw deal. Jacob's bartering skills couldn't have been very good. If you were Laban, you could really milk that.
When seven years is up, Jacob eagerly awaits the wedding night. After the feast, his bride is sent to him and he "go[es] into her" (Gen 29:21). I guess because it's dark he doesn't notice that Rachel's older and near-sighted sister Leah is given to him instead. In the morning he's pretty pissed. Laban screws him over for another seven years of labour, at the end of which he can take Rachel as a second wife. Hmm. Darkness and blindness are proving to be useful plot devices in the Bible.
Rachel is Jacob's true love so God, being God, decides to mess with that by making her barren and making Leah fecund to the max. Leah has something like six sons. Rachel, feeling inadequate, gives Jacob her maid to have a son by (to make up for her barrennes???). Then Leah gives Jacob her maid! He's up to his knees with women. Rachel is probably going mental by now and begs God for a bun in the oven, which he begrudgingly grants. Once she gives birth to Joseph, Jacob decides that he and his family should get the hell out of there so he doesn't have to do any more chores for stupid Laban.
My Mum's Ancient Family Bible
Kept in the garage of all places for so many years, it's finally been put to good use.
I was just talking about this deal on Lay-Ban sunglasses at the Eye-Zachs store:
ReplyDeleteBuy the second pair you don't want at full price, and you get the first pair you really wanted at full price.