18. Jacob loved Rachel, so he said to Laban, “I will work seven years for you if you will allow me to marry your daughter Rachel.”
19. Laban said, “It would be better for her to marry you than someone else. So stay with me.”
20. So Jacob stayed and worked for Laban for seven years. But it seemed like a very short time because he loved Rachel very much.
21. After seven years Jacob said to Laban, “Give me Rachel so that I can marry her. My time of work for you is finished.”
22. So Laban gave a party for all the people in that place.
23. That night Laban brought his daughter Leah to Jacob. Jacob and Leah had sexual relations together.
24. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter to be her maid.)
25. In the morning Jacob saw that it was Leah he had slept with, and he said to Laban, “You have tricked me. I worked hard for you so that I could marry Rachel. Why did you trick me?”
26. Laban said, “In our country we don’t allow the younger daughter to marry before the older daughter.
27. Continue for the full week of the marriage ceremony, and I will also give you Rachel to marry. But you must serve me another seven years.”
28. So Jacob did this and finished the week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.
29. (Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid.)
30. So Jacob had sexual relations with Rachel also. And Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Jacob worked for Laban for another seven years.
31. The Lord saw that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, so he made it possible for Leah to have children. But Rachel did not have any children.
32. Leah gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben. She named him this because she said, “The Lord has seen my troubles. My husband does not love me. So now maybe my husband will love me.”
33. Leah became pregnant again and had another son. She named this son Simeon. She said, “The Lord has heard that I am not loved, so he gave me this son.”
34. Leah became pregnant again and had another son. She named this son Levi. She said, “Now, surely my husband will love me. I have given him three sons.”
35. Then Leah gave birth to another son. She named this son Judah. Leah named him this because she said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Then Leah stopped having children.