創世記29:15-30

29:15 拉班對雅各說：「你雖是我的骨肉（原文是弟兄），豈可白白地服事我？請告訴我，你要甚麼為工價？」
29:16 拉班有兩個女兒，大的名叫利亞，小的名叫拉結。
29:17 利亞的眼睛沒有神氣，拉結卻生得美貌俊秀。
29:18 雅各愛拉結，就說：「我願為你小女兒拉結服事你七年。」
29:19 拉班說：「我把她給你，勝似給別人，你與我同住吧！」
29:20 雅各就為拉結服事了七年；他因為深愛拉結，就看這七年如同幾天。
29:21 雅各對拉班說：「日期已經滿了，求你把我的妻子給我，我好與她同房。」
29:22 拉班就擺設筵席，請齊了那地方的眾人。
29:23 到晚上，拉班將女兒利亞送來給雅各，雅各就與她同房。
29:24 拉班又將婢女悉帕給女兒利亞作使女。
29:25 到了早晨，雅各一看是利亞，就對拉班說：「你向我做的是甚麼事呢？我服事你，不是為拉結嗎？你為甚麼欺哄我呢？」
29:26 拉班說：「大女兒還沒有給人，先把小女兒給人，在我們這地方沒有這規矩。
29:27 你為這個滿了七日，我就把那個也給你，你再為她服事我七年。」
29:28 雅各就如此行。滿了利亞的七日，拉班便將女兒拉結給雅各為妻。
29:29 拉班又將婢女辟拉給女兒拉結作使女。
29:30 雅各也與拉結同房，並且愛拉結勝似愛利亞，於是又服事了拉班七年。

After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, ¹⁵ Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”
¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah had weak^[a] eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. ¹⁸ Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”
¹⁹ Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.
²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”
²² So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. ²³ But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. ²⁴ And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.
²⁵ When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”
²⁶ Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. ²⁷ Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”
²⁸ And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. ²⁹ Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. ³⁰ Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

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    在這裡看見「愛情」得力量，正如經文所說：「雅各就為拉結服事了七年；他因為深愛拉結，就看這七年如同幾天。」

    然而天不從人願，雅各以為服事七年就可以得著美貌的拉結為妻，沒想到舅舅拉班心中的算盤不同，他希望能留雅各久一點，多利用他一點，甚至盼望永久留下來，就可以和女兒們永遠在一起，就把利亞先嫁給雅各。

    這也告訴我們，人生的路不是自己決定的，環境會影響著每一個人，人常常是受制於環境，是無法完全照自己的心意來行的。雖然如此，我們還是要感謝主，因為主的做為是會使環境成為陶造我們生命的工具，我們只要心存感謝，就會發現上帝奇妙之做為！