We start with Jacob tricking his father into giving him the blessing that he meant for Esau. Rebekeh helps him with this, and together they steal the blessing. When Esau shows up and finds out, Isaac cannot revoke the blessing, but gives Esau a lesser blessing. That’s pretty crummy. What’s worse is that when Jacob is running away, God comes to him in a dream to tell him that he is the inheritor of Abraham’s and then Isaac’s birthrights. Just as he’d tricked it out of Esau yesterday.

So when Jacob goes off and falls in love with his first cousin, he put himself in bondage for seven years to win her hand. However, his father-in-law/uncle tricks him and marries him to the older sister. So if he still wants Rachel, he has to keep Leah happy, and work another seven years again. Jacob needed a better lawyer.

So now Jacob has married a pair of sisters (his cousins), and Esau also took another wife (at least his third). I love traditional marriage. At least they’re not Caananites!

Tomorrow: Genesis 30-31