Genesis 29:1–20

¹And Jacob continued his journey, and went into the land of the children of the east. ²And he looked, and behold, there was a well in the fields, and behold there, three flocks of sheep were lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks, and a great stone was at the mouth of the well. ³And when all the flocks were gathered there, they rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the mouth of the well in its place. ⁴And Jacob said to them, My brethren, whence are ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. ⁵And he said to them, Do ye know Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We do know him. ⁶And he said to them, Is he well? And they said, He is well; and behold, there comes Rachel his daughter with the sheep. ⁷And he said, Behold, it is yet high day; it is not time that the cattle should be gathered together; water the sheep, and go, feed them. ⁸And they said, We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well, and we water the sheep.

⁹While he was still speaking to 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 went near, and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother. ¹¹And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. ¹²And Jacob told Rachel that he was a brother of her father, and that he was Rebecca’s son; and she ran and told her father. ¹³And 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. ¹⁴And Laban said to him, Thou art indeed my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him a month’s time.

¹⁵And Laban said to Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou serve me for nothing? tell me, what shall be thy wages? ¹⁶And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger, Rachel. ¹⁷And the eyes of Leah were tender; but Rachel was of beautiful form and beautiful countenance. ¹⁸And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. ¹⁹And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. ²⁰And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they were in his eyes as single days, because he loved her.