Genesis 29:16-28 Holy Bible: Easy-To-Read Version (ETR)

16. Now Laban had two daughters. The older was Leah and the younger was Rachel.

17. Leah’s eyes were gentle, but Rachel was beautiful.

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.

Genesis 29