Welcome to week three of our Women in the Bible series, last week we met Eve, this week we are meeting two women, Rachel and Leah.
Our Women in the Bible series is a journey through the Bible meeting some of the Women of the Bible we will be joining our own women from the Young @ Heart Ladies Groip for this journey
Rachel & Leah Genesis Chapters 29 – 35
My name is Rachel. It means “Ewe”. I have one sister; her name is Leah which means “languid”. Of the two of us, I was the more beautiful. Everyone said so. Our father is Laban, son of Abraham.
One afternoon a young traveller called Jacob came to our well. He was my father’s sister’s son. It was love at first sight, he said. Anyway I ran home and told father about him. Jacob stayed with us and then he asked my father for permission to marry me. Father said he could marry his daughter if Jacob worked for him for seven years. But he didn’t say which daughter. The morning after the wedding Jacob realized he had been tricked into marrying the wrong sister.
Father simply shrugged his shoulders, so they agreed he and I would marry after the wedding celebrations were over. Then Jacob would work for another seven years to pay the bride-price for me. Jacob never forgave Leah. But though Jacob loved me best, I did not have children till years later.
Leah on the other hand had no problem in bearing children. She gave birth to a series of sons. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, then Judah. No matter how I prayed, I had no children of my own. So I gave my maid Bilhah to Jacob, as a surrogate mother for me. She had two sons, Dan and Naphtali. In bitter rivalry, Leah gave her own maid Zilpah to Jacob, and she had Gad and Asher.
Later, Leah had Issachar, Zebulun and a daughter, Dinah. Only then, did l finally become pregnant and had a son called Joseph, Then Jacob decided to go home and both Leah & I urged him to do something about it. I was still angry at father so I stole something his household gods. It meant Jacob was now head of the tribe. Father chased after us. But I tricked him and he left empty-handed. On the way to Ephrath, I went into labour but this time things did not go well. It was Benjamin. But I did not live to see him grow for I died in childbirth.
Activity
You can print off the colouring in activity below or if you want you can get creative and draw your own picture.
Now, we know you will want to share your pictures, drawings, crafts and even puzzles with us. If you do please take a photo of them and post them on the Raploch Connected Facebook Group.
