Genesis29

¹Then Jacob set out on his journey, and went to the land of the people of the east.

²He looked, and saw 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.

³When 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.

⁴Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.”

⁵So he said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.”

⁶And he said to them, “Is it well with him?” And they said, “It is well, and here is his daughter Rachel coming with the sheep.”

⁷Then 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.”

⁸But 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.”

⁹While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

¹⁰When 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.

¹¹Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and raised his voice and wept.

¹²Jacob told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and that he was Rebekah’s son, and she ran and told her father.

¹³So when Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Then he told Laban all these things.

¹⁴And Laban said to him, “You certainly are my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him a month.

¹⁵Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?”

¹⁶Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

¹⁷And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in figure and appearance.

¹⁸Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”

¹⁹Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me.”

²⁰So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him like only a few days because of his love for her.

²¹Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is completed, that I may have relations with her.”

²²So Laban gathered all the people of the place and held a feast.

²³Now in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and Jacob had relations with her.

²⁴Laban also gave his female slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a slave.

²⁵So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this that you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?”

²⁶But Laban said, “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn.

²⁷Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me, for another seven years.”

²⁸Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.

²⁹Laban also gave his female slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave.

³⁰So Jacob had relations with Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.

³¹Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was unable to have children.

³²Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and named him Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.”

³³Then she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon.

³⁴And she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi.

³⁵And she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.