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When Rebecca realized that Esau was planning to kill his brother in revenge for the blessing incident, she sent Jacob to her family in Haran. She hoped he would find a wife there and eventually return home. Rebecca even asked Isaac to bless Jacob before his departure. Isaac granted him the blessing of Abraham – to be fruitful and multiply and inherit the Land.
When Jacob arrived in Haran, he met and fell in love with Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother, Laban. In order to marry her, Jacob agreed to Laban’s demands that he work for him for seven years. After completing those years, on the night of their wedding, Laban switched Rachel with his older daughter Leah. In the morning, Jacob discovered he had married Leah instead, and confronted Laban about the deception. Laban suggested he could marry Rachel too, in exchange for another seven years of work. Jacob complied since Laban had the upper hand and was capable of destroying those who stood in his way. After fulfilling his contractual years for his wives, Jacob worked another six years as Laban’s partner in order to accumulate assets before returning to the Land. Despite being repeatedly cheated by Laban, Jacob worked steadily and faithfully for 20 years, shepherding the sheep during the hot summer days and the cold winter nights. This merited God protecting Jacob and blessing his labors.
