Yaakov, also called Yisrael, is the second-born son of Yitzhak and Rivka, the third of Israel's patriarchs: Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov. When Esav is born, Yaakov, still in the womb, holds fast to Esav's heel (akev) which is the source of Yaakov's name. Unlike his active brother, Yaakov is a homebody preferring "dwelling in tents" to running in the fields. One day, Yaakov is in the process of cooking a stew when Esav returns from the hunt. Yaakov agrees to feed his brother in return for the rights that Esav holds as oldest son. Later, Yaakov is persuaded by his mother Rivka to impersonate his brother Esav and thus receive Esav's blessing from Yitzhak. Yaakov covers his arms in goat skins to mimic the hairiness of his brother and dresses in Esav's hunting clothes which bear a distinctive smell. Yaakov presents Yitzhak with a meal prepared by Rivka and pretends he's Esav. Yitzhak is fooled and gives Yaakov the blessing intended for Esav. Yaakov is then forced to flee Canaan in anticipation of his brother's rage and makes his way north to the household of his uncle Lavan (Parashat Toldot).
On his way from Be’er Sheva to Haran, Yaakov stops in Beit El where God appears to him in a dream featuring a ladder with ascending and descending angels. Yaakov meets his cousins Rachel and Leah and works for seven years in order to marry Rachel.
Besides being her son, Yaakov is also his mother Rivka's second-cousin: Nahor and Avraham are brothers; Nahor's son Betuel and Avraham's son Yitzhak are first-cousins; Betuel's daughter Rivka and Yitzhak's son Yaakov are second- cousins. Yaakov is also the nephew and second-cousin of his father-in-law Lavan who is his mother's brother. Yaakov marries sisters - Rachel and Leah who are daughters of his uncle Lavan. This means that Yaakov marries two women who are both his first-cousins (daughters of his mother's brother) and his second-cousins once- removed (daughters of his second-cousin Lavan). Of course when Yaakov marries Rachel, he marries his sister-in-law, having married Leah first. Yaakov is therefore related to Rachel in four different ways: he is her husband, brother-in-law, first-cousin, and second-cousin once-removed. Continuing this analysis we find that Yaakov's sons have multiple connections to their relatives as well. Reuven for example is Leah's son but also her third-cousin: Reuven is a second-cousin once-removed to his grandfather Lavan and Leah is once-removed from him. Reuven is a grandson of Rivka (Yaakov's mother) and her second-cousin once-removed. He is also his father's third-cousin: Yaakov and Rivka are second-cousins, so Yaakov's son (Reuven) and Rivka's son (Yaakov) are third-cousins.
On the wedding night, his father-in-law, Lavan switches women and Yaakov unwittingly marries Leah. Although furious at the deception, Yaakov agrees to work for another seven years to earn the hand of Rachel. Rachel is given to him after a week, whereupon he begins to pay his debt to Lavan. During Yaakov's stay in Lavan's house (which eventually totals 20 years) eleven sons and a daughter are born to him and his four wives (Yaakov also marries Rachel's maid Bilha and Leah's maid Zilpa). The children in order of birth are: Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda (born to Leah); Dan and Naftali (born to Bilha); Gad and Asher (born to Zilpa); Yissachar, Zevulun and Dina (born to Leah); Yosef (born to Rachel). Yaakov becomes wealthy in Lavan's employ and this incurs Lavan's jealousy. When Yaakov decides to head back to Canaan he sneaks away without telling Lavan. Lavan pursues Yaakov and his family but is warned by God not to harm Yaakov. The two strike a covenant at Mount Gilead.
Ahead of his arrival in Canaan Yaakov sends messengers to his brother Esav. The messengers report back that Esav is advancing with 400 men and Yaakov is afraid that his brother will seek revenge and slaughter Yaakov and his family. In an attempt to temper Esav's ill feelings, Yaakov sends gifts to him. The night before their meeting Yaakov has a strange encounter with a man who wrestles with him and then changes his name to Yisrael meaning "one who has struggled with God and man and prevailed." Yaakov's meeting with Esav is cordial and the two part on good terms. Yaakov buys land at Shechem from the ruler of the place, Hamor. Yaakov's daughter Dina is later raped by Hamor's son Shechem. Yaakov does not respond to this outrage but waits for his sons to return from the fields. When Shimon and Levi take justice into their own hands and slaughter all of Shechem's compatriots, Yaakov is afraid that this action will spur neighbouring peoples to attack Yaakov and his family. Yaakov joins his brother Esav in burying Yitzhak when the father dies at age 180. (Parashat Vayishlach)
Yaakov favours Rachel's first-born son Yosef and gives him a special coat. When Yosef begins to have dreams of his family bowing down to him, Yaakov rebukes the lad, but senses that there's something to these visions. Later, Yaakov sends Yosef to check on his other sons who are tending sheep away from home. Yosef's brothers sell him to some passing Yishmaelim (Ishmaelites) and then try to cover up their deed by dipping Yosef's coat in the blood of a goat and allowing Yaakov to believe that Yosef has been killed by an animal. Yaakov is inconsolable at the loss of his son whom he will not see again for 22 years. (Parashat Vayeshev)
The years pass and the famine predicted by Yosef hits Canaan too. Yaakov sends his sons to Egypt to buy food for the clan. The patriarch, however, is reluctant to send his youngest son Binyamin along, lest a catastrophe befall this remaining son of Rachel. Yaakov's sons return without Shimon and when the family eventually runs out of food, Yehuda convinces his father to let them return to Egypt with Binyamin to satisfy the condition set by the ruler they met there. (Parashat Mikketz)
Yosef finally reveals himself to his brothers and sends them, bearing gifts, back to Canaan to fetch their father and return with him to Egypt. Father and son meet and embrace; Yaakov is presented to Pharaoh. Yaakov and his sons and grandsons settle in the land of Goshen. (Parashat Vayigash).
On his deathbed, Yaakov tells Yosef that Yosef's two sons, Ephraim and Menashe, will henceforward be counted among Yaakov's own sons. (When the nation is eventually organized by tribes- each of Yaakov's sons founding a clan in the nation of Israel, Ephraim and Menashe lead their own tribes.) Against Yosef's wishes, Yaakov blesses his two grandsons with his right hand on the younger- Ephraim, and his left hand on the older- Menashe (the right hand was considered more important). Yaakov claims that Ephraim’s descendants are going to be greater than those of Menashe, a statement which some suggest refers to the leadership of Yehoshua who is from the tribe of Ephraim.
Yaakov then blesses his other sons and repeats his request that they not bury him in Egypt but return his body to Canaan and bury it in the Makhpela Cave with his wife Leah and his parents and grandparents. Yaakov dies at the age of 147 and his final request is fulfilled by his sons. (Parashat Vayechi)
Adapted by HaTanakh.com Staff fromTanakhProfiles.org.