Finally Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. I want to have marital relations with her.”

(Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.)

(Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.)

When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to become pregnant while Rachel remained childless.

So Rachel gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with her.

Leah said, “How happy I am, for women will call me happy!” So she named him Asher.

She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”

When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed.

Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted the money paid for us!

Now I understand that you have gone away because you longed desperately for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?”

The sun rose over him as he crossed over Penuel, but he was limping because of his hip.

Then he became very attached to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her.

Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.”

Intermarry with us. Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves.

But if you do not agree to our terms by being circumcised, then we will take our sister and depart.”

God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him.

Jacob named the place where God spoke with him Bethel.

Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more.

He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are grazing their flocks.”

Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.)