Thematic Bible: Instances of infelicity in


Thematic Bible



And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah and served with him yet another seven years. And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, Surely the LORD has looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. read more.
And she conceived again and gave birth to a son; and said, Because the LORD has heard that I was hated, he has therefore given me this son also; and she called his name Simeon. And she conceived again and gave birth to a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me because I have born him three sons; therefore his name was called Levi.

And when Rachel saw that she gave Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister and said unto Jacob, Give me sons, or else I will die. And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said, Am I in God's stead, who has withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. read more.
And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife; and Jacob went in unto her. And Bilhah conceived and gave birth to a son unto Jacob. And Rachel said, God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son. Therefore she called his name Dan. And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again and gave birth to a second son unto Jacob. And Rachel said, With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed; and she called his name Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing children, she took Zilpah, her maid and gave her Jacob to wife. And Zilpah, Leah's maid, gave birth to a son unto Jacob. And Leah said, Good venture has come; and she called his name Gad. And Zilpah, Leah's maid, gave birth to a second son unto Jacob. And Leah said, Blessed am I, for the daughters will call me blessed; and she called his name Asher. And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes. And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband and would thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes. And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived and gave birth to a fifth son unto Jacob. And Leah said, God has given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband; and she called his name Issachar. And Leah conceived again and gave birth to the sixth son unto Jacob. And Leah said, God has endued me with a good dowry; now my husband will dwell with me because I have born him six sons; and she called his name Zebulun. And afterwards she gave birth to a daughter and called her name Dinah. And God remembered Rachel and God hearkened to her and opened her womb. And she conceived and gave birth to a son and said, God has taken away my reproach; and she called his name Joseph, saying, Let the LORD add unto me another son. And it came to pass when Rachel had given birth to Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, and I shall go unto my place and to my land.


Then Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee; I have given my maid into thy bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes; the LORD judge between me and thee.

Therefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.


And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.

Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal, the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his slaves as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself! Then David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, who chose me over thy father and over all his house to appoint me prince over the people of the LORD, over Israel; therefore, I will dance before the LORD. And I will yet be more vile than thus and will be base in my own sight and before the maidservants whom thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour. read more.
Therefore, Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no children unto the day of her death.


On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs that served in the presence of Ahasuerus, the king, to bring Vashti, the queen, before the king with the crown of the kingdom, to show the people and the princes her beauty, for she was fair to behold. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's word by his eunuchs; therefore, the king was very wroth, and his anger burned in him. read more.
Then the king asked the wise men, who knew the times, (for so was the king's manner toward all that knew about the law and rights, and the next to him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and who sat first in the kingdom;) What shall we do unto Queen Vashti according to law because she has not performed the decree of King Ahasuerus by the eunuchs? And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti, the queen, has not only committed iniquity against the king, but also against all the princes and against all the people that are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen shall be known abroad unto all the women so that they shall despise their husbands, saying, King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti, the queen, to be brought in before him, but she did not come. And now the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard of the deed of the queen shall say this unto all the king's princes, and there shall be much contempt and wrath. If it pleases the king, let there go forth a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it not be altered, That Vashti come no more before King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she. And this sentence which the king shall make shall be heard throughout all his empire, although it is great, and all the wives shall give their husbands honour, from the greatest to the least. And this word pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan; for he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, saying, That every man should bear rule in his own house and that it should be published according to the language of every people.


and make me savoury food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless thee before I die. And Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau, his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison and to bring it. Then Rebekah spoke unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau, thy brother, saying, read more.
Bring me venison and make me savoury food that I may eat and bless thee before the LORD before my death. Now, therefore, my son, hearken unto my voice according to that which I command thee. Go now to the flock and bring me from there two good kids of the goats, and I will make them savoury food for thy father, such as he loves; and thou shalt bring it to thy father that he may eat and that he may bless thee before his death. And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau, my brother, is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man; my father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon myself, and not a blessing. And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son; only obey my voice and go bring me them. And he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savoury food, such as his father loved. And Rebekah took good clothes of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob, her younger son: And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands and upon the smooth of his neck, and she gave the savoury food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. And he came unto his father and said, My father, and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau, thy firstborn; I have done according as thou didst command me; arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. Then Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me. And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he discerned him not because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him. And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now and kiss me, my son. And he came near and kissed him, and he smelled the smell of his clothing and blessed him and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed. Therefore let God give thee of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of wheat and new wine. Let the peoples serve thee and nations bow down to thee; be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee; cursed be every one that curses thee, and blessed be he that blesses thee. And it came to pass as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. And he also had made savory food and brought it unto his father and said unto his father, Let my father arise and eat of his son's venison that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. Then Isaac trembled very exceedingly and said, Who is he that has taken venison and brought it to me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest? I have blessed him and he shall be blessed. And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. And he said, Thy brother came with deceit and has taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times; he took away my birthright, and, behold, now he has taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren I have given to him for slaves, and with wheat and new wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now unto thee, my son? And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. Then Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth and of the dew of the heavens from above, and by thy sword shalt thou live and shalt serve thy brother; yet there shall be a time when thou shalt have dominion, and thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will slay my brother Jacob. And these words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah; and she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as concerning thee, does comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, hear my voice and arise; flee unto Laban, my brother, to Haran and dwell with him a few days until thy brother's fury turns away, until thy brother's anger turns away from thee, and he forgets that which thou hast done to him; then I will send, and bring thee from there; for why should I be deprived of you both in one day? And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these who are of the daughters of this land, why should I want to live?


Then Zipporah took a sharp flint and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at his feet, saying, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.


And when the day would come, Elkanah would sacrifice, and he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters. But unto Hannah he would give a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah, even though the LORD had shut up her womb. And her rival provoked her to anger and sorrow because the LORD had shut up her womb. read more.
And this would happen year by year when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she would provoke her; therefore, she would weep and not eat.