Genesis 29:1–20

Jacob Meets Rachel

¹Then Jacob ¹went on his journey, and came to the land of ^athe sons of the east.

²He looked, and ¹saw ^aa well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, for from that well they watered the flocks. Now the stone on the mouth of the well was large.

³When all the flocks were gathered there, they would then roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and 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 ^aHaran.”

⁵He said to them, “Do you know Laban the ^ason 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 ^aRachel his daughter coming with the sheep.”

⁷He said, “Behold, 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 Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.

¹¹Then Jacob ^akissed Rachel, and lifted his voice and wept.

¹²Jacob told Rachel that he was a ^1arelative of her father and that he was Rebekah’s son, and ^bshe ran and told her father.

¹³So when ^aLaban heard the news of Jacob his sister’s son, he ran to meet him, and ^bembraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Then he related to Laban all these things.

¹⁴Laban said to him, “Surely you are ^amy bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him a month.

¹⁵Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my ¹relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall ^ayour 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 ^abeautiful of form and ¹face.

¹⁸Now Jacob ^aloved Rachel, so he said, “^bI 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 but a few days ^abecause of his love for her.