^29:21Finally Jacob said³⁸ to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up.³⁹ I want to have marital relations with her.”⁴⁰^29:22So Laban invited all the people⁴¹ of that place and prepared a feast. ^29:23In the evening he brought his daughter Leah⁴² to Jacob,⁴³ and Jacob⁴⁴ had marital relations with her.⁴⁵^29:24(Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.)⁴⁶

^29:25In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah!⁴⁷ So Jacob⁴⁸ said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me!⁴⁹ Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked⁵⁰ me?” ^29:26“It is not our custom here,”⁵¹ Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage⁵² before the firstborn. ^29:27Complete my older daughter’s bridal week.⁵³ Then we will give you the younger one⁵⁴ too, in exchange for seven more years of work.”⁵⁵

^29:28Jacob did as Laban said.⁵⁶ When Jacob⁵⁷ completed Leah’s bridal week,⁵⁸ Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.⁵⁹

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Footnotes

38 Heb “and Jacob said.”
39 Heb “my days are fulfilled.”
40 Heb “and I will go in to her.” The verb is a cohortative; it may be subordinated to the preceding request, “that I may go in,” or it may be an independent clause expressing his desire. The verb “go in” in this context refers to sexual intercourse (i.e., the consummation of the marriage).
41 Heb “men.”
42 Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.” His daughter Leah. Laban’s deception of Jacob by giving him the older daughter instead of the younger was God’s way of disciplining the deceiver who tricked his older brother. D. Kidner says this account is “the very embodiment of anti-climax, and this moment a miniature of man’s disillusion, experienced from Eden onwards” (Genesis [], ). G. von Rad notes, “That Laban secretly gave the unloved Leah to the man in love was, to be sure, a monstrous blow, a masterpiece of shameless treachery … It was certainly a move by which he won for himself far and wide the coarsest laughter” (Genesis [], 291).
43 Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
44 Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
45 Heb “went in to her.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
46 Heb “and Laban gave to her Zilpah his female servant, to Leah his daughter [for] a servant.” This clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
47 Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
48 Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
49 Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”
50 The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” 34 (1984): 211–13.
51 Heb “and Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place.’ ” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
52 Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
53 Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity. Bridal week. An ancient Hebrew marriage ceremony included an entire week of festivities (cf. Judg 14:12).
54 Heb “this other one.”
55 Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.” In exchange for seven more years of work. See C. H. Gordon, “The Story of Jacob and Laban in the Light of the Nuzi Tablets,” 66 (1937): 25–27; and J. Van Seters, “Jacob’s Marriages and Ancient Near Eastern Customs: A Reassessment,” 62 (1969): 377–95.
56 Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
57 Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
58 Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.
59 Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”

So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.

When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”

Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”

And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Then Jacob said to Laban, “Since my time is complete, give me my wife, so I can sleep with her.” So Laban invited all the men of the place and sponsored a feast. That evening, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave.

When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me?”

Laban answered, “It is not the custom in our country to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. Complete this week of wedding celebration, and we will also give you this younger one in return for working yet another seven years for me.”

And Jacob did just that. He finished the week of celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.

NLTNew Living Translation

Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.”

So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast. But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. (Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)

But when Jacob woke up in the morning—it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?”

“It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied. “But wait until the bridal week is over; then we’ll give you Rachel, too—provided you promise to work another seven years for me.”

So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered all the men of the place and prepared a feast. And it happened that in the evening he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him, and he went in to her. And Laban gave Zilpah his female slave to her, to Leah his daughter as a female servant. And it happened that in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Now why did you deceive me?” Then Laban said, “It is not the custom in our country to give the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, then I will also give you the other, on the condition that you will work for me another seven years.” And Jacob did so. So he completed the week of this one, then he gave Rachel his daughter to him as a wife.

KJV 1900King James Version

And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid. And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.

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