20. Jacob worked seven years in return for Rachel, but the years seemed like only a few days to him because he loved her.
21. ⌊At the end of the seven years⌋ Jacob said to Laban, “The time is up; give me my wife! I want to sleep with her.”
22. So Laban invited all the people of that place and gave a wedding feast.
23. In the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob. Jacob slept with her. When morning came, he realized it was Leah.
24. (Laban had given his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave.)
25. “What have you done to me?” Jacob asked Laban. “Didn’t I work for you in return for Rachel? Why did you cheat me?”
26. Laban answered, “It’s not our custom to give the younger daughter ⌊in marriage⌋ before the older one.
27. Finish the week of wedding festivities with this daughter. Then we will give you the other one too. But you’ll have to work for me another seven years.”
28. That’s what Jacob did. He finished the week with Leah. Then Laban gave his daughter Rachel to him as his wife.
29. (Laban had given his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave.)
30. Jacob slept with Rachel too. He loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for Laban another seven years.
31. When the Lord saw Leah was unloved, he made it possible for her to have children, but Rachel had none.
32. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben [Here’s My Son], because she said, “Certainly, the Lord has seen my misery; now my husband will love me!”
33. She became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, “Certainly, the Lord has heard that I’m unloved, and he also has given me this son.” So she named him Simeon [Hearing].
34. She became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me because I’ve given him three sons.” So she named him Levi [Attached].
35. She became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah [Praise]. Then she stopped having children.