A29 Jacob Arrives At Laban's Home Poem by Simple Simon

Towards East, Jacob moved.
He saw a well in a field.
The well was covered
By a big stone as a lid.

Around the well, he observed,
Three flocks of sheep waited
For their shepherds to come
And give water to them.

When the shepherds came,
Jacob went and asked them,
'Where are you coming from? '
'From Haran, ' they told him.

'Do you know Laban,
The one, Nahor's son?
Jacob asked them.
'Yes, ' They told him.

The shepherds were discussing
About the time for watering;
Rachel, daughter of Laban,
Came near the well by then.

When Jacob saw Rachel
He went to the well,
Rolled the stone back,
And watered the flock.

He softly told her then,
'I'm Rebecca's son,
A relative of your father,
Sent here by my mother.'

She ran and told her father,
Who came running there,
To receive his nephew,
Who was there quite new.

Laban took his nephew home,
And well-entertained him.
With them, Jacob stayed,
Not knowing how a month had passed.

Jacob serves Laban
for Rachel and Leah

Laban had two daughters,
Leah being the elder
And Rachel the younger.
Jacob loved the younger.

To Jacob, Laban said,
'You should be paid,
When you work for me,
And it shouldn't be free.'

Jacob said, 'I'll be happy
If you allow me to marry
Rachel, the daughter of yours,
For this, I'll work seven years.'

To his demand Laban agreed.
For seven years he worked.
When wedding neared, he asked
A date and that Laban fixed.

On the wedding night
It was Leah he sent;
Not knowing the fact,
Jacob enjoyed the night.

Morning, he woke up to find
It was Leah he'd married,
Not Rachel, whom he loved,
And felt greatly deceived.

Jacob asked for the reason,
And Laban made a mention,
'Our custom didn't permit,
To let the second one wed first.'

'Let the celebrations be o’er,
I'll give Rachel, my daughter,
If you work for seven years more.'
Jacob agreed to this with pleasure.

After a week, Laban gave her.
As second wife, Jacob married her.
Then he worked for seven years.
And spent his time with cheers.

The Children Born to Jacob

Leah had more children,
While Rachel not even one.
It was God's will and intention,
That Leah had many children.

It was for the obvious reason,
Leah was a less-loved person,
To whom He gave more care
Than Rachel, her younger sister