Genesis 29

¹Now Jacob lifted his feet and went to the land of the people of the East.

²And he looked, and behold! a well in the field, and behold! three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because from that well they would water the flocks, and a huge rock was upon the mouth of the well.

³And all the flocks would gather there, and they would roll the rock off the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and [then] they would return the rock onto the mouth of the well, to its place.

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

⁵And he said to them, ‘Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?’ And they said, ‘We know [him].’

⁶And he said to them, ‘[Are things going] well with him?’ And they said, ‘[Things are going] well, and behold, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.’

⁷And he said, ‘The day is yet long; it is not the time to take in the livestock. Water the sheep and go, pasture.’

⁸And they said, ‘We cannot [do that], until all the flocks are gathered together, and they will roll the rock off the mouth of the well, and we shall [then] water the sheep.’

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

¹⁰And 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 drew near and rolled the rock off the mouth of the well, and he watered the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother.

¹¹And Jacob kissed Rachel, and he raised his voice and wept.

¹²And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's kinsman and that he was Rebecca's son, and she ran and told her father.

¹³Now it came to pass when Laban heard the report of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran towards him, and he embraced him, and he kissed him, and he brought him into his house. He told Laban all these happenings.

¹⁴And Laban said to him, ‘Indeed, you are my bone and my flesh.’ And so he stayed with him a full month.

¹⁵And Laban said to Jacob, ‘Because you are my kinsman, should you work for me gratis? Tell me what your wages shall be.’

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

¹⁷Leah's eyes were tender, but Rachel had beautiful features and a beautiful complexion.

¹⁸And Jacob loved Rachel, and he said, ‘I will work for you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.’

¹⁹And Laban said, ‘It is better that I give her to you than I should give her to another man. Stay with me.’

²⁰So Jacob worked for Rachel seven years, but they appeared to him like a few days because of his love for her.

²¹And Jacob said to Laban, ‘Give me my wife, for my days are completed, that I may come to her.’

²²So Laban gathered all the people of the place, and he made a feast.

²³And it came to pass in the evening that Laban took his daughter Leah, and he brought her to him, and he came to her.

²⁴And Laban gave Zilpah his maidservant to his daughter Leah as a maidservant.

²⁵And it came to pass in the morning, and behold she was Leah! So he said to Laban, ‘What is this that you have done to me? Did I not work with you for Rachel? Why have you deceived me?’

²⁶And Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place to give the younger one before the firstborn.

²⁷Complete the [wedding] week of this one, and we will give you this one too, for the work that you will render me for another seven years.’

²⁸And Jacob did so, and he completed the week of this one, and he gave his daughter Rachel to him as a wife.

²⁹And Laban gave his daughter Rachel his maidservant Bilhah, for a maidservant.

³⁰And he came also to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah; and he worked with him yet another seven years.

³¹And the Lord saw that Leah was hated, so He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

³²And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, ‘Because the Lord has seen my affliction, for now my husband will love me.’

³³And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, ‘Since the Lord has heard that I am hated, He gave me this one too.’ So she named him Simeon.

³⁴And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, ‘Now this time my husband will be attached to me, for I have borne him three sons; therefore, He named him Levi.

³⁵And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, ‘This time, I will thank the Lord!’ Therefore, she named him Judah, and [then] she stopped bearing.