Rachel

© 2014 by Jill Eileen Smith

Published by Revell

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.revellbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

ISBN 978-1-4412-4530-4

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
www.zondervan.com

This is a work of historical reconstruction; the appearance of certain historical figures is therefore inevitable. All other characters, however, are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Published in association with the Books & Such Literary Agency, Wendy Lawton, Central Valley Office, P.O. Box 1227, Hilmar, CA 95324, [email protected]

“A faithful portrayal of the story of Jacob and his two wives,
Rachel
will make you feel the agony of two sisters in love with the same man. Jealousy, betrayal, heartache, and deceit cannot prevent the invisible hand of God from leading His people inexorably toward the fulfillment of their destiny. Smith has the knack of making her fiction feel truly authentic to the world of the Bible.”

—
Tessa
Afshar
, award-winning author of
Harvest of Gold

Praise for
Rebekah

“In her second Wives of the Patriarchs book, Smith makes biblical fiction unforgettable and worthy of our attention. This incredible author’s ability to re-create biblical settings and transform dialogue delivers a God-given message that is just as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.”

—
RT Book Reviews
, 4 stars

“With attention to detail in every aspect of her writing, Jill makes this story sing with love, human frailty, and triumph.
Rebekah
is a powerful story that supports the biblical account and proposes a reasoned and moving story of what could have been.
Rebekah
is biblical storytelling at its finest and is well worth adding to your shelves.”

—
Rel Mollet
, Relz Reviews

Praise for
Sarai

“The scriptural account of Abraham and Sarah is not only a testament of God’s faithfulness to His promises, it’s a story of love. Smith skillfully captures both, and the essence of living in Old Testament times, by combining biblical facts with research-based interpretation and her own imagination to create a detailed drama that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the second book in the series.”

—
CBA Retailers+Resources

“Smith is at her best in handling the triangulated relationship between Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar . . . Smith breathes new imaginative life into a well-known sacred story.”

—
Publishers Weekly

To my sister Elaine.

Rachel and Leah’s relationship has taught me much, to appreciate all that God has given. I am so grateful God gave me a sister, and I am glad that sister is you.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Endorsements

Dedication

Part 1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Part 2

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

Part 3

22

23

24

25

26

27

Part 4

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

Note from the Author

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Books by Jill Eileen Smith

Back Ads

Back Cover

Part
1

Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples . . .

When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.

Genesis 29:1, 10–12

Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel . . .

So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

Genesis 29:16, 20

1