^17 (A)So Raphael was sent to heal them both: to remove the white scales from Tobit’s eyes, so that he might again see with his own eyes God’s light; and to give Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, as a wife to Tobiah, the son of Tobit, and to rid her of the wicked demon Asmodeus. For it fell to Tobiah’s lot^[a] to claim her before any others who might wish to marry her.

At that very moment Tobit turned from the courtyard to his house, and Raguel’s daughter Sarah came down from the upstairs room.

¹² but no other son or daughter apart from Sarah. Since you are Sarah’s closest relative, you more than any other have the right to marry her. Moreover, her father’s estate is rightfully yours to inherit. The girl is wise, courageous, and very beautiful; and her father is a good man who loves her dearly.”^(A)

²⁹ Abram and Nahor took wives; the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai,^[a] and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah.^(A)

³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and brought them out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to go to the land of Canaan. But when they reached Haran, they settled there.^(A)

²⁰ Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram^[a] and the sister of Laban the Aramean.^(A)

Chapter 28

^1 [a]Isaac therefore summoned Jacob and blessed him, charging him: “You shall not marry a Canaanite woman!^{(A) 2} Go now to Paddan-aram, to the home of your mother’s father Bethuel, and there choose a wife for yourself from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.^{(B) 3} May God Almighty bless you and make you fertile, multiply you that you may become an assembly of peoples. ⁴ May God extend to you and your descendants the blessing of Abraham, so that you may gain possession of the land where you are residing, which he assigned to Abraham.”^(C)

^15 [a]Laban said to him: “Should you serve me for nothing just because you are a relative of mine? Tell me what your wages should be.” ¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters; the older was called Leah, the younger Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah had dull eyes,^[b] but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. ¹⁸ Because Jacob loved Rachel, he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”^{[c] 19} Laban replied, “It is better to give her to you than to another man. Stay with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet they seemed to him like a few days because of his love for her.^(A)

²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, that I may consummate my marriage with her, for my term is now completed.” ²² So Laban invited all the local inhabitants and gave a banquet. ²³ At nightfall he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he consummated the marriage with her. ²⁴ Laban assigned his maidservant Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant. ²⁵ In the morning, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban: “How could you do this to me! Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why did you deceive me?” ²⁶ Laban replied, “It is not the custom in our country to give the younger daughter before the firstborn. ²⁷ Finish the bridal week^[d] for this one, and then the other will also be given to you in return for another seven years of service with me.”^(B)

²⁸ Jacob did so. He finished the bridal week for the one, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. ²⁹ Laban assigned his maidservant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. ³⁰ Jacob then consummated his marriage with Rachel also, and he loved her more than Leah. Thus he served Laban another seven years.^(C)

Jacob’s Children.^[e]

¹⁶ And when you take their daughters as wives for your sons, and their daughters prostitute themselves with their gods, they will make your sons do the same.