Genesis 29

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

Then Jacob hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east.

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. The stone over the mouth of the well was large.

He saw a well in the distance. Three flocks of sheep and goats lay in an open field beside it, waiting to be watered. But a heavy stone covered the mouth of the well.

When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

It was the custom there to wait for all the flocks to arrive before removing the stone and watering the animals. Afterward the stone would be placed back over the mouth of the well.

Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”

“We’re from Harran,” they replied.

Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked, “Where are you from, my friends?”

“We are from Haran,” they answered.

He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

“Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?” he asked.

“Yes, we do,” they replied.

Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”

“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

“Is he doing well?” Jacob asked.

“Yes, he’s well,” they answered. “Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the flock now.”

“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.”

Jacob said, “Look, it’s still broad daylight—too early to round up the animals. Why don’t you water the sheep and goats so they can get back out to pasture?”

“We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”

“We can’t water the animals until all the flocks have arrived,” they replied. “Then the shepherds move the stone from the mouth of the well, and we water all the sheep and goats.”

While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd.

Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherd.

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.

And because Rachel was his cousin—the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother—and because the sheep and goats belonged to his uncle Laban, Jacob went over to the well and moved the stone from its mouth and watered his uncle’s flock.

Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud.

Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and he wept 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.

He explained to Rachel that he was her cousin on her father’s side—the son of her aunt Rebekah. So Rachel quickly ran and told her father, Laban.

As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things.

As soon as Laban heard that his nephew Jacob had arrived, he ran out to meet him. He embraced and kissed him and brought him home. When Jacob had told him his story,

Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month,

Laban exclaimed, “You really are my own flesh and blood!”

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

After Jacob had stayed with Laban for about a month,

Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”

Laban said to him, “You shouldn’t work for me without pay just because we are relatives. Tell me how much your wages should be.”

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

Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel.

Leah had weak^[a] eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful.

There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes,^[a] but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face.

Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”

Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, “I’ll work for you for seven years if you’ll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife.”

Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.”

“Agreed!” Laban replied. “I’d rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me.”

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

So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.

Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”

Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.”

So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.

So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast.

But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her.

But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her.

And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.

(Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)

When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”

But when Jacob woke up in the morning—it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?”

Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.

“It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied.

Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”

“But wait until the bridal week is over; then we’ll give you Rachel, too—provided you promise to work another seven years for me.”

And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.

So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too.

Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.

(Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.)

Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

Jacob’s Children

So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years.

Jacob’s Many Children

When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.

When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive.

Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,^[b] for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”

So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,^[b] for she said, “The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.”

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.^[c]

She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon,^[c] for she said, “The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.”

Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.^[d]

Then she became pregnant a third time and gave birth to another son. He was named Levi,^[d] for she said, “Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!”

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] Then she stopped having children.

Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah,^[e] for she said, “Now I will praise the Lord!” And then she stopped having children.