YOḆELIM 28 (Jubilee 28)

1 And he went on his journey, and came to the land of the East, to Laḇan, the brother of Riḇqah, and he was with him, and served him for Raḥĕl his daughter one week.

2 And in the first year of the third week he said to him, “Give me my wife, for whom I have served you seven years.” And Laḇan said to Ya’aqoḇ, “I shall give you your wife.”

3 And Laḇan made a feast, and took Lĕ’ah his elder daughter, and gave her to Ya’aqoḇ as a wife, and gave her Zilpah his female servant for a female servant. But Ya’aqoḇ did not know, for he thought that she was Raḥĕl,

4 and he went in to her, but see, she was Lĕ’ah! And Ya’aqoḇ was wroth with Laḇan, and said to him, “Why have you done this to me? Did not I serve you for Raḥĕl and not for Lĕ’ah? Why have you wronged me? Take your daughter and I shall go, for you have done evil to me.”

5 For Ya’aqoḇ loved Raḥĕl more than Lĕ’ah; for Lĕ’ah’s eyes were weak, and was very lovely of form, but Raḥĕl had lovely eyes and very lovely of form and appearance.

6 And Laḇan said to Ya’aqoḇ, “It is not done so in our country, to give the younger before the elder.” And it is not right to do this; for so it is ordained and written in the tablets of the shamayim, that no one should give his younger daughter before the elder – but the elder one is given first and after her, the younger – and the man who does so, they lay guilt against him in the shamayim, and none is righteous that does this matter, for this deed is evil before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.

7 And command the children of Yisra’ĕl that they do not this matter. Let them neither take, nor give the younger before they have given the elder, for it is very wicked.

8 And Laḇan said to Ya’aqoḇ, “Let the seven days of the feast of this one pass by, and I shall give you Raḥĕl, that you may serve me another seven years, that you may pasture my sheep as you did in the former week.”

9 And on the day when the seven days of the feast of Lĕ’ah had passed, Laḇan gave Raḥĕl to Ya’aqoḇ, that he might serve him another seven years, and he gave to Raḥĕl Bilhah, the sister of Zilpah as a female servant.

10 And he served yet another seven years for Raḥĕl, for Lĕ’ah had been given to him for naught.

11 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 opened the womb of Lĕ’ah, and she conceived and bore Ya’aqoḇ a son, and he called his name Re’uḇĕn, on the fourteenth day of the ninth month, in the first year of the third week.

12 But the womb of Raḥĕl was closed, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 saw that Lĕ’ah was hated, but Raḥĕl loved.

13 And again Ya’aqoḇ went in to Lĕ’ah, and she conceived, and bore Ya’aqoḇ a second son, and he called his name Shim’on, on the twenty-first of the tenth month, and in the third year of this week.

14 And again Ya’aqoḇ went in to Lĕ’ah, and she conceived, and bore him a third son, and he called his name Lĕwi, in the new moon of the first month in the sixth year of this week.

15 And again Ya’aqoḇ went in to her, and she conceived, and bore him a fourth son, and he called his name Yahuḏah, on the fifteenth of the third month, in the first year of the fourth week.

16 And on account of all this Raḥĕl envied Lĕ’ah, for she did not bear, and she said to Ya’aqoḇ, “Give me children!” And Ya’aqoḇ said, “Have I withheld from you the fruits of your womb? Have I forsaken you?”

17 And when Raḥĕl saw that Lĕ’ah had borne four sons to Ya’aqoḇ, Re’uḇĕn and Shim’on and Lĕwi and Yahuḏah, she said to him, “Go in to Bilhah my female servant, and she shall conceive, and bear a son to me.”

18 And he went in to her, and she conceived, and bore him a son, and he called his name Dan, on the ninth of the sixth month, in the sixth year of the third week.

19 And Ya’aqoḇ went in again to Bilhah a second time, and she conceived, and bore Ya’aqoḇ another son, and Raḥĕl called his name Naphtali, on the fifth of the seventh month, in the second year of the fourth week.

20 And when Lĕ’ah saw that she had become barren and ceased bearing, she was jealous, and she also gave her female servant Zilpah to Ya’aqoḇ as wife. And she conceived, and bore a son, and Lĕ’ah called his name Gaḏ, on the twelfth of the eighth month, in the third year of the fourth week.

21 And he went in to her again, and she conceived, and bore him a second son, and Lĕ’ah called his name Ashĕr, on the second of the eleventh month, in the fifth year of the fourth week.

22 And Ya’aqoḇ went in to Lĕ’ah, and she conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Yissasḵar, on the fourth of the fifth month, in the fourth year of the fourth week, and she gave him to a nurse.

23 And Ya’aqoḇ went in to her again, and she conceived, and bore two, a son and a daughter, and she called the name of the son Zeḇulun, and the name of the daughter Dinah, in the seventh of the seventh month, in the sixth year of the fourth week.

24 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 showed favour to Raḥĕl, and opened her womb, and she conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Yosĕph, on the new moon of the fourth month, in the sixth year in this fourth week.

25 And in the days when Yosĕph was born, Ya’aqoḇ said to Laḇan, “Give me my wives and sons, and let me go to my father Yitsḥaq, and let me make myself a house, for I have completed the years in which I have served you for your two daughters, and I shall go to the house of my father.”

26 And Laḇan said to Ya’aqoḇ, “Stay with me for your wages, and pasture my flock for me again, and take your wages.”

27 And they agreed with one another that he should give him as his wages – those of the lambs and young goats which were born black and spotted and white were to be his wages.

28 And all the sheep brought forth spotted and speckled and black, variously marked, and they again brought forth lambs like themselves, and all that were spotted were Ya’aqoḇ’s and those which were not were Laḇan’s.

29 And Ya’aqoḇ’s possessions multiplied exceedingly, and he possessed oxen and sheep and donkeys and camels, and male and female servants.

30 And Laḇan and his sons envied Ya’aqoḇ, and Laḇan took back his sheep from him, and he watched him with evil intent.