29 Jacob continued on his journey. He came to the land where the people from the east live. 2 He saw a well in a field. Three groups of sheep lay near it. Shepherds took water from the well to give to their sheep. There was a large stone that covered the top of the well. 3 The shepherds waited until all the sheep were there together. Then they removed the stone from the top of the well. They gave their sheep water to drink, and then they put the stone back on the top of the well.
4 Jacob asked the shepherds, ‘My brothers, where are you from?’ The shepherds replied, ‘We are from Haran.’ 5 Jacob said, ‘Do you know Laban? He is Nahor's grandson.’ The shepherds replied, ‘Yes, we know him.’ 6 Jacob asked them, ‘Is he in good health?’ They replied, ‘Yes, he is. Look. Here comes his daughter now, with their sheep. Her name is Rachel.’ 7 Jacob said to them, ‘The sun is still high in the sky. It is not yet the right time to bring all the sheep together. So give them some water now. Then they can go back to the fields and eat more grass.’ 8 The shepherds said, ‘We cannot do that. We have to wait until all the sheep are here together. Then we can remove the big stone from the well and we can give water to the sheep.’
9 When Jacob was speaking to the shepherds, Rachel arrived there. She brought her father's sheep with her. She was taking care of them.
10 Jacob saw Rachel. She was the daughter of his uncle Laban. Jacob saw that she had Laban's sheep with her. So Jacob went to the well and he removed the big stone. Then he gave water to Laban's sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel. He began to weep loudly. [ a ]
12 Jacob told Rachel that he was a relative of her father, Laban. He told her that he was Rebekah's son. So Rachel ran home to tell her father.
13 When Laban heard what Rachel said, he went quickly to meet Jacob, his sister's son. He put his arms round Jacob and he kissed him. Laban brought Jacob to his home. Jacob told Laban all his news. 14 Then Laban said, ‘Yes, you really are my own relative.’ So Jacob stayed with Laban for a month.
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘You should not work for me for nothing because you are my relative. Tell me what I should pay you.’ 16 Laban had two daughters. The name of the older daughter was Leah. The name of the younger daughter was Rachel. 17 Leah had weak eyes. But Rachel's face and her body were beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel. He said to Laban, ‘I will work for you for seven years. In return, I want to marry your younger daughter, Rachel.’ 19 Laban said, ‘It is better for you to marry her than another man. Stay here with me.’
20 Jacob worked for seven years to have Rachel as his wife. But the years passed very quickly because Jacob loved Rachel very much. Seven years seemed like only a few days to Jacob.
21 After seven years, Jacob said to Laban, ‘Give me my wife. My time to work for you is finished and I want to marry her.’ 22 Laban called all the people in that place to come together. He prepared a big meal for them to eat. 23 When evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and he gave her to Jacob. Jacob slept that night with her as his wife. 24 Laban gave his female servant to Leah to be her servant. Her name was Zilpah.
25 When morning came, Jacob saw that he had slept with Leah! He said to Laban, ‘You have done a very bad thing to me! I worked for you to get Rachel as my wife. Why have you deceived me?’ 26 Laban replied, ‘In our land, we do not give the younger daughter to a man first. We let the older daughter marry first. 27 So finish this week of Leah's marriage. Then we will give you Rachel to marry too. But you must work for another seven years.’ [ b ]
28 So Jacob did what Laban said. He finished the marriage week with Leah. Then Laban gave Rachel to Jacob to be his wife. 29 Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to Rachel to become her servant. 30 Jacob also slept with Rachel. He loved Rachel more than he loved Leah. He worked for Laban for seven more years.
31 The Lord saw that Jacob did not love Leah. So he let her become pregnant. But Rachel did not give birth to any children. 32 Leah became pregnant and she gave birth to a son. She called him Reuben. She said, ‘It is because the Lord has seen how sad I am. My husband will love me now because I have given birth to a son.’
33 Leah became pregnant again. She gave birth to another son. She said, ‘The Lord has given me another son because he knows that I am not loved.’ She called this son Simeon.
34 Leah became pregnant again. Later, she gave birth to another son. She said, ‘Now I have given my husband three sons, so he will want to stay with me.’ She called this son Levi.
35 Leah became pregnant again. She gave birth to another son. She said, ‘This time I will praise the Lord .’ She called this son Judah. Then she stopped giving birth to children.
29 Then Jacob continued his trip. He went to the country in the East. 2 He looked and saw a well in the field. There were three flocks of sheep lying near the well, where the sheep drank water. There was a large rock covering the mouth of the well. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the rock away from the well. Then all the sheep could drink from the water. After the sheep were full, the shepherds would put the rock back in its place.
4 Jacob said to the shepherds there, “Brothers, where are you from?”
They answered, “We are from Haran.”
5 Then Jacob said, “Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?”
The shepherds answered, “We know him.”
6 Then Jacob said, “How is he?”
They answered, “He is well. Look, that is his daughter Rachel coming now with his sheep.”
7 Jacob said, “Look, it is still day and long before the sun sets. It is not yet time for the animals to be gathered together for the night. So give them water and let them go back into the field.”
8 But they said, “We cannot do that until all the flocks are gathered together. Then we will move the rock from the well, and all the sheep will drink.”
9 While Jacob was talking with the shepherds, Rachel came with her father’s sheep. (It was her job to take care of the sheep.) 10 Rachel was Laban’s daughter. Laban was the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s mother. When Jacob saw Rachel, he went and moved the rock and gave water to the sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and cried. 12 He told her that he was from her father’s family. He told her that he was the son of Rebekah. So Rachel ran home and told her father.
13 When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him. Laban hugged him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban everything that had happened.
14 Then Laban said, “This is wonderful! You are from my own family.” So Jacob stayed with Laban for a month.
15 One day Laban said to Jacob, “You are a relative of mine. It is not right for you to continue working for me without pay. What should I pay you?”
16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older was Leah and the younger was Rachel.
17 Leah’s eyes were gentle, [ a ] but Rachel was beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel, so he said to Laban, “I will work seven years for you if you will allow me to marry your daughter Rachel.”
19 Laban said, “It would be better for her to marry you than someone else. So stay with me.”
20 So Jacob stayed and worked for Laban for seven years. But it seemed like a very short time because he loved Rachel very much.
21 After seven years Jacob said to Laban, “Give me Rachel so that I can marry her. My time of work for you is finished.”
22 So Laban gave a party for all the people in that place. 23 That night Laban brought his daughter Leah to Jacob. Jacob and Leah had sexual relations together. 24 (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter to be her maid.) 25 In the morning Jacob saw that it was Leah he had slept with, and he said to Laban, “You have tricked me. I worked hard for you so that I could marry Rachel. Why did you trick me?”
26 Laban said, “In our country we don’t allow the younger daughter to marry before the older daughter. 27 Continue for the full week of the marriage ceremony, and I will also give you Rachel to marry. But you must serve me another seven years.”
28 So Jacob did this and finished the week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. 29 (Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid.) 30 So Jacob had sexual relations with Rachel also. And Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Jacob worked for Laban for another seven years.
31 The Lord saw that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, so he made it possible for Leah to have children. But Rachel did not have any children.
32 Leah gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben. [ b ] She named him this because she said, “The Lord has seen my troubles. My husband does not love me. So now maybe my husband will love me.”
33 Leah became pregnant again and had another son. She named this son Simeon. [ c ] She said, “The Lord has heard that I am not loved, so he gave me this son.”
34 Leah became pregnant again and had another son. She named this son Levi. [ d ] She said, “Now, surely my husband will love me. I have given him three sons.”
35 Then Leah gave birth to another son. She named this son Judah. [ e ] Leah named him this because she said, “Now I will praise the Lord .” Then Leah stopped having children.
29 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.
2 And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well's mouth.
3 And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place.
4 And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we.
5 And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him.
6 And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.
7 And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.
8 And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.
9 And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep; for she kept them.
10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.
11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son: and she ran and told her father.
13 And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.
14 And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month.
15 And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?
16 And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
17 Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.
18 And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
19 And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.
20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
21 And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.
22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.
24 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid.
25 And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?
26 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.
30 And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
31 And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.
32 And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.
33 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon.
34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.
35 And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord : therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.
29 Then Jacob [ a ] set out on his journey, and went to the land of ( A ) the [ b ] people of the east. 2 He looked, and [ c ] saw ( B ) a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, because they watered the flocks from that well. Now the stone on the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, they would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from ( C ) Haran.” 5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban the ( D ) son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him .” 6 And he said to them, “Is it well with him?” And they said, “It is well, and here is his daughter ( E ) Rachel coming with the sheep.” 7 Then he said, “Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them.” 8 But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”
9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother’s brother Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of his mother’s brother Laban. 11 Then Jacob ( F ) kissed Rachel, and raised his voice and wept. 12 Jacob told Rachel that he was a ( G ) relative of her father and that he was Rebekah’s son, and ( H ) she ran and told her father.
13 So when ( I ) Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet him, and ( J ) embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Then he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, “You certainly are ( K ) my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him a month.
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall ( L ) your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was ( M ) beautiful in figure and appearance. 18 Now Jacob ( N ) loved Rachel, so he said, “ ( O ) I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him like only a few days ( P ) because of his love for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my [ d ] time is completed, that I may ( Q ) have relations with her.” 22 So Laban gathered all the people of the place and held a feast. 23 Now in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and Jacob had relations with her. 24 Laban also gave his female slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a slave. 25 So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “ ( R ) What is this that you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you ( S ) deceived me?” 26 But Laban said, “It is not [ e ] the practice in our place to [ f ] marry off the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which ( T ) you shall serve with me, for another seven years.” 28 Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. 29 Laban also gave his female slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave. 30 So Jacob had relations with Rachel also, and indeed ( U ) he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with [ g ] Laban for ( V ) another seven years.
31 Now the Lord saw that Leah was [ h ] unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was unable to have children. 32 Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and named him [ i ] Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has [ j ] ( W ) seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” 33 Then she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and said, “ ( X ) Because the Lord has [ k ] heard that I am [ l ] unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon. 34 And she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become [ m ] attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named ( Y ) Levi. 35 And she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and said, “This time I will [ n ] praise the Lord .” Therefore she named him [ o ] ( Z ) Judah. Then she stopped having children.
29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. ( A ) 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. ( B ) The stone ( C ) over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone ( D ) away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. ( E ) Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?” ( F )
“We’re from Harran, ( G ) ” they replied.
5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” ( H )
“Yes, we know him,” they answered.
6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”
“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel ( I ) with the sheep. ( J ) ”
7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”
8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone ( K ) has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water ( L ) the sheep.”
9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, ( M ) for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel ( N ) daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone ( O ) away from the mouth of the well and watered ( P ) his uncle’s sheep. ( Q ) 11 Then Jacob kissed ( R ) Rachel and began to weep aloud. ( S ) 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative ( T ) of her father and a son of Rebekah. ( U ) So she ran and told her father. ( V )
13 As soon as Laban ( W ) heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him ( X ) and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.” ( Y )
After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative ( Z ) of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages ( AA ) should be.”
16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, ( AB ) and the name of the younger was Rachel. ( AC ) 17 Leah had weak [ a ] eyes, but Rachel ( AD ) had a lovely figure and was beautiful. ( AE ) 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel ( AF ) and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.” ( AG )
19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, ( AH ) but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. ( AI )
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her. ( AJ ) ”
22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. ( AK ) 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah ( AL ) and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. 24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah ( AM ) to his daughter as her attendant. ( AN )
25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? ( AO ) I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me? ( AP ) ”
26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. ( AQ ) 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week; ( AR ) then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work. ( AS ) ”
28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. ( AT ) 29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah ( AU ) to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. ( AV ) 30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. ( AW ) And he worked for Laban another seven years. ( AX )
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, ( AY ) he enabled her to conceive, ( AZ ) but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. ( BA ) She named him Reuben, [ b ] ( BB ) for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. ( BC ) Surely my husband will love me now.”
33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, ( BD ) he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. [ c ] ( BE )
34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, ( BF ) because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi. [ d ] ( BG )
35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord .” So she named him Judah. [ e ] ( BH ) Then she stopped having children. ( BI )
