Through the Bible – Day 11

₁As Jacob continued on his way to the east, ₂he looked out in a field and saw a well where shepherds took their sheep for water. Three flocks of sheep were lying around the well, which was covered with a large rock. ₃Shepherds would roll the rock away when all their sheep had gathered there. Then after the sheep had been watered, the shepherds would roll the rock back over the mouth of the well.

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, ₁₅Laban said to him, “You shouldn't have to work without pay, just because you are a relative of mine. What do you want me to give you?”

_16-17Laban had two daughters. Leah was older than Rachel, but her eyes didn't sparkle, 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 neighbours. 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 elder daughter must get married first. ₂₇After you spend this week 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, 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, 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. ₃₅She had one more son and named him Judah, because she said, “I'll praise the LORD!”

₁Rachel was very jealous of Leah for having children, and she said to Jacob, “I'll die if you don't give me some children!”

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, 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.

₉When 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. ₁₂When 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.

₁₄During the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some love flowers and took them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah for some of them, ₁₅but Leah said, “It's bad enough that you stole my husband! Now you want my son's love flowers too.”

“All right,” Rachel answered. “Let me have the flowers, and you can sleep with Jacob tonight.”

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.

₁₉When 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. ₂₁Later, 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, and I'll pray that the LORD will give me another son.”

₂₅After Joseph was born, Jacob said to Laban, “Release me from our agreement and let me return to my own country. ₂₆You know how hard I've worked for you, so let me take my wives and children and leave.”

_27-28But Laban told him, “If you really are my friend, stay on, and I'll pay whatever you ask. I'm sure the LORD has blessed me because of you.”

₂₉Jacob answered:

₃₁“How much do you want me to pay you?” Laban asked.

Then Jacob told him:

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 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 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.

₁₈When Jesus saw the crowd, he went across Lake Galilee. ₁₉A teacher of the Law of Moses came up to him and said, “Teacher, I'll go anywhere with you!”

₂₀Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, and birds have nests. But the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own.”

₂₁Another disciple said to Jesus, “Lord, let me wait till I bury my father.”

₂₂Jesus answered, “Come with me, and let the dead bury their dead.”

₂₃After Jesus left in a boat with his disciples, ₂₄a terrible storm suddenly struck the lake, and waves started splashing into their boat.

Jesus was sound asleep, ₂₅so the disciples went over to him and woke him up. They said, “Lord, save us! We're going to drown!”

₂₆But Jesus replied, “Why are you so afraid? You don't have much faith.” Then he got up and ordered the wind and the waves to calm down. And everything was calm.

₂₇The men in the boat were amazed and said, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him.”

₂₈After Jesus had crossed the lake, he came to shore near the town of Gadara and started down the road. Two men with demons in them came to him from the tombs. They were so fierce that no one could travel that way. ₂₉Suddenly they shouted, “Jesus, Son of God, what do you want with us? Have you come to punish us before our time?”

₃₀Not far from there a large herd of pigs was feeding. ₃₁So the demons begged Jesus, “If you force us out, please send us into those pigs!” ₃₂Jesus told them to go, and they went out of the men and into the pigs. All at once the pigs rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

₃₃The people taking care of the pigs ran to the town and told everything, especially what had happened to the two men. ₃₄Everyone in town came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their part of the country.