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Laban happened to have daughters, of whom the elder was called Leah, and the other Rachel. Jacob was stirred with love for the younger, as she was more graceful in appearance than her sister, and he brought words to Laban about her. He agreed to betroth Rachel to Jacob, if for seven years he would serve him. The lover consented to this, the time passes, the father-in-law prepares the wedding; but at night he has the elder of his daughters lie with Jacob. And when he learned by day that he had been deceived, he accused his father-in-law of injustice. But he promised Rachel to him after the service of another seven years. Jacob agrees to serve again, being a slave to love, and after another seven years he also lies with Rachel. Now, to Leah there were children by Jacob. And she calls the firstborn Reuben because he had been born to her by the mercy of God; for she was vexed that her sister was loved by her husband, and she expected to become more honored if she should conceive in her womb. The second she names Simeon; this signifies that God 1.30 had been attentive to her. And after this is born Levi; the name signifies a securer of fellowship. After him Judah is born to her; the name is indicative of thanksgiving. But Rachel had no child, and fearing that she might be slighted on account of childlessness, she asks her husband to go in to her handmaid. And he agrees and goes in to Bilhah, and Bilhah bears a son by Jacob, and the child was called Dan; the Greeks would say God-judged. And from the same she again bears Naphtali, as if resourceful for having schemed against the fruitfulness of her sister. At this Leah is jealous, and she too lays beside Jacob Zilpah her own handmaid. And she also bore a son, Gad; one might call him Fortunate. And after this she bears another, and this was Asher; he might be called blessed, as being the cause of good repute and blessing for Leah on account of her many children. But when Reuben the son of Leah brought mandrake apples, Rachel asked her to share them with her, and she offered her sister in exchange Jacob's bed for that night; for that night had been allotted to Rachel. And because of this Jacob lies with Leah, and the woman bears two more sons, Issachar, the name meaning the one born from a wage, and Zebulun, which signifies the one pledged by goodwill towards her, and a daughter called Dinah. And to Rachel a son, Joseph, is also born; the name signifies the addition of something that will be. Now for twenty years Jacob was a shepherd for his father-in-law; then, wishing to depart, he was not permitted. Therefore 1.31 he secretly ran away with his wives, along with their handmaids and children, bringing along his property and the flocks which had been assigned to him as wages for shepherding. And Rachel carried off the idols of her father, not as honoring them, but so that she might have them as a refuge, if her father, having pursued them, should overtake them. And when Laban overtook him on the seventh day, God commanded him in a dream to make a treaty with Jacob. The next day words are had by both, and after Jacob demonstrated that he had done no wrong, Laban brought a charge against him concerning his ancestral gods. But he, being conscious of nothing concerning them, permitted him to search. And he searched. But Rachel put the idols in the saddle-pack of the camel that was carrying her, and she sat upon it, saying that the flow of her menses was troubling her. And Laban, thinking that his daughter would never approach his gods with such an affliction, passed her by. And the one departed, but Jacob, fearing his brother, sends ahead declaring to him his return, and sends him gifts. But when night came on, encountering a phantom, he wrestled and seemed to prevail. But perceiving that it was an angel of God, he besought him to tell him what fate he would have; but he said that he ought to consider prevailing over a divine angel a sign of great blessings, and commanded that he be called Israel. And some interpret this as "a mind seeing God," but Josephus says it signifies "the one who contended against a divine angel." And Jacob calls the place

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τῷ Λάβαν θυγατέρες ἐτύγχανον, ων ἡ μὲν πρεσβυτέρα Λεία, ἡ δ' ἑτέρα ̔Ραχὴλ ἐπεκέκλητο. εἰς ερωτα δὲ τῆς νεωτέρας ἠρέθιστο ̓Ιακὼβ ἀστείας ουσης τὸ ειδος παρὰ τὴν ἀδελφήν, καὶ προσάγει λόγους τῷ Λάβαν περὶ αὐτῆς. ὁ δ' ὁμολογεῖ κατεγγυῆσαι τῷ ̓Ιακὼβ τὴν ̔Ραχήλ, εἰ ἐπὶ ετη ἑπτὰ δουλεύσει αὐτῷ. κατανεύει πρὸς τοῦτο ὁ ἐραστής, παρέρχεται ὁ καιρός, ἑτοιμάζει τοὺς γάμους ὁ πενθερός· νυκτὸς δὲ τὴν πρεσβυτέραν τῶν θυγατέρων συνευνάζει τῷ ̓Ιακώβ. γνοὺς δὲ μεθ' ἡμέραν ὡς ἐξηπάτηται, ἀδικίαν ἐπεγκαλεῖ τῷ πενθερῷ. ὁ δὲ καὶ τὴν ̔Ραχὴλ αὐτῷ ἐπηγγέλλετο μετὰ δουλείαν ἑτέρας ἑπταετίας. πείθεται αυθις δουλεῦσαι ὁ ̓Ιακώβ, δουλούμενος ερωτι, καὶ μεθ' ἑτέραν ἑπταετίαν καὶ τῇ ̔Ραχὴλ συνευνάζεται. Τῇ μὲν ουν Λείᾳ παῖδες ησαν ἐξ ̓Ιακώβ. καὶ ̔Ρουβὶμ μὲν καλεῖ τὸν πρωτότοκον οτι κατ' ελεον αὐτῇ γένοιτο τοῦ θεοῦ· ἐδάκνετο γὰρ ἐρωμένης τῆς ἀδελφῆς τῷ ἀνδρί, καὶ προσεδόκα μᾶλλον ἐντιμοτέρα γενήσεσθαι, εἰ σχοίη κατὰ γαστρός. τὸν δεύτερον δὲ Συμεὼν ὀνομάζει· δηλοῖ δὲ τοῦτο ἐπήκοον τὸν θεὸν 1.30 γενέσθαι αὐτῇ. καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ γεννᾶται Λευί· κοινωνίας τουνομα σημαίνει βεβαιωτήν. μεθ' ον ̓Ιούδας αὐτῇ ἀποτίκτεται· εὐχαριστίας ἡ κλῆσις δηλωτική. τῇ δὲ ̔Ραχὴλ παιδίον οὐκ ην, καὶ δεδοικυῖα μὴ δι' ἀτεκνίαν παρευδοκιμηθῇ δέεται τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τῇ θεραπαίνῃ αὐτῆς συνελθεῖν. ὁ δὲ καὶ πείθεται καὶ τῇ Βάλλᾳ συνέρχεται, καὶ παῖδα ἐξ ̓Ιακὼβ ἡ Βάλλα γεννᾷ, καὶ ∆ὰν ἐκλήθη ὁ παῖς· θεόκριτον ειποιεν Ελληνες. κἀκ τῆς αὐτῆς αυθις τίκτεται Νεφθαλείμ, εὐμηχάνητος οιον διὰ τὸ ἀντιτεχνάσασθαι πρὸς τὴν εὐτεκνίαν τῆς ἀδελφῆς. ζηλοῖ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἡ Λεία, καὶ παρακατακλίνει κἀκείνη τῷ ̓Ιακὼβ Ζελφὰν τὴν ἰδίαν θεράπαιναν. υἱὸν δὲ καὶ αυτη ἐγείνατο Γάδ· τυχαῖον αν τις καλέσει αὐτόν. καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ τίκτει καὶ ετερον, ουτος δ' ην ὁ ̓Ασήρ· λέγοιτο δὲ μακαριστής, ὡς εὐκλείας τῇ Λείᾳ καὶ μακαρισμοῦ διὰ τὴν πολυτεκνίαν γενόμενος αιτιος. τῇ Λείᾳ δὲ ̔Ρουβὶμ τοῦ υἱοῦ μανδραγόρου μῆλα κομίσαντος, ῃτει ̔Ραχὴλ μεταδοῦναι τούτων αὐτῇ, καὶ ἀμοιβὴν προυτίθει τῇ ἀδελφῇ τὸ κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν νύκτα λέκτρον τοῦ ̓Ιακώβ· ἡ γὰρ νὺξ ἐκείνη τῇ ̔Ραχὴλ προσκεκλήρωτο. καὶ συνευνάζεται διὰ τοῦτο τῇ Λείᾳ ὁ ̓Ιακώβ, καὶ τίκτει παῖδας ετι δύο τὸ γύναιον, τὸν ̓Ισάχαρ, τὸν ἐκ μισθοῦ δὲ γεγονότα σημαίνει τὸ ονομα, καὶ Ζαβουλών, δηλοῖ δὲ τὸν ἠνεχυρασμένον εὐνοίᾳ τῇ πρὸς αὐτήν, καὶ θυγατέρα κληθεῖσαν ∆εῖναν. γίνεται δὲ καὶ τῇ ̔Ραχὴλ υἱὸς ̓Ιωσήφ· τὸ δ' ονομα προσθήκην τινὸς γενησομένου δηλοῖ. Ετη μὲν ουν εικοσιν ἐποίμαινε τῷ πενθερῷ ̓Ιακώβ· ειτα ὑποχωρῆσαι θέλων οὐ συγκεχώρητο. οθεν 1.31 καὶ κρύφα μετὰ τῶν γυναικῶν σὺν ταῖς θεραπαινίσι καὶ τοῖς παισὶν ἀπεδίδρασκεν, καὶ τὴν κτῆσιν προσεπαγόμενος καὶ τῶν βοσκημάτων απερ αὐτῷ τοῦ ποιμαίνειν μισθὸς προσενενέμηντο. ̔Ραχὴλ δὲ καὶ τὰ ειδωλα τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπεφέρετο, οὐχ ὡς τιμῶσα, ἀλλ' ιν' εχοι ταῦτα καταφυγήν, εἰ ἐπιδιώξας αὐτοὺς ὁ πατὴρ καταλάβοι. τοῦ δὲ Λάβαν καθ' ἑβδόμην ἡμέραν καταλαβόντος, κατ' οναρ ἐπέταξεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς σπείσασθαι τῷ ̓Ιακώβ. μεθ' ἡμέραν δὲ λόγοι ἀμφοῖν γίνονται, καὶ τοῦ ̓Ιακὼβ μηδὲν ἀδικεῖν ἀποδείξαντος, περὶ τῶν πατρῴων θεῶν ἐπενεκάλει ὁ Λάβαν αὐτῷ. ὁ δὲ μηδὲν περὶ αὐτῶν συνειδὼς ἐρευνᾶν παρεχώρει. καὶ ος ἠρεύνα. ἡ ̔Ραχὴλ δὲ τὰ ειδωλα τῇ ἀστράβῃ τῆς φερούσης αὐτὴν καμήλου ἐντίθησι, καὶ αὐτὴ ἐπεκάθητο, φάσκουσα τὴν τῶν ἐμμήνων ῥύσιν αὐτῇ ἐνοχλεῖν. ὁ δὲ Λάβαν μὴ αν ποτε τὴν θυγατέρα μετὰ τοιούτου πάθους τοῖς θεοῖς αὐτοῦ προσελθεῖν οἰηθείς, παρῆλθεν αὐτήν. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀνέζευξεν, ὁ δ' ̓Ιακὼβ τὸν ἀδελφὸν δεδιώς, προπέμπει δηλῶν αὐτῷ τὴν ἐπάνοδον, καὶ δῶρα στέλλει αὐτῷ. νυκτὸς δ' ἐπιγενομένης φαντάσματι συντυχὼν διεπάλαιε καὶ ἐδόκει κρατεῖν. αἰσθόμενος δὲ αγγελον ειναι θεοῦ, εἰπεῖν αὐτῷ παρεκάλει τίνα μοῖραν εξει· ὁ δὲ τὸ κρατῆσαι θείου ἀγγέλου μεγάλων ἀγαθῶν σημεῖον ἡγεῖσθαι ελεγε δεῖν, καὶ ̓Ισραὴλ αὐτὸν καλεῖσθαι ἐκέλευεν. τοῦτο δὲ οἱ μὲν αλλοι νοῦς ὁρῶν θεὸν ἑρμηνεύουσιν, ̓Ιώσηπος δὲ τὸν ἀντιστάντα θείῳ ἀγγέλῳ σημαίνειν φησίν. ̓Ιακὼβ δὲ τὸν τόπον καλεῖ