Genesis 29:1–20

Jacob Arrives in Northwest Mesopotamia

29Then Jacob continued his journey and came to the land of the people of the East. ²He looked and saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying nearby, because they drank water from this well. A large stone covered the mouth of the well. ³When all the flocks would gather there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place.

⁴Jacob said to the shepherds there, “My brothers, where are you from?”

They answered, “We are from Haran.”

⁵Then Jacob asked, “Do you know Laban, grandson of Nahor?”

They answered, “We know him.”

⁶Then Jacob asked, “How is he?”

They answered, “He is well. Look, his daughter Rachel is coming now with his sheep.”

⁷Jacob said, “But look, it is still the middle of the day. It is not time for the sheep to be gathered for the night, so give them water and let them go back into the pasture.”

⁸But they said, “We cannot do that until all the flocks are gathered. Then we will roll away the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep.”

⁹While Jacob was talking with the shepherds, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, because it was her job to care for the sheep. ¹⁰When Jacob saw Laban’s daughter Rachel and Laban’s sheep, he went to the well and rolled the stone from its mouth and watered Laban’s sheep. Now Laban was the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s mother. ¹¹Then Jacob kissed Rachel and cried. ¹²He told her that he was from her father’s family and that he was the son of Rebekah. So Rachel ran home and told her father.

¹³When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him. Laban hugged him and kissed him and brought him to his house, where Jacob told Laban everything that had happened.

¹⁴Then Laban said, “You are my own flesh and blood.”

Jacob Is Tricked

Jacob stayed there a month. ¹⁵Then Laban said to Jacob, “You are my relative, but it is not right for you to work for me without pay. What would you like me to pay you?”

¹⁶Now Laban had two daughters. The older was Leah, and the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was very beautiful. ¹⁸Jacob loved Rachel, so he said to Laban, “Let me marry your younger daughter Rachel. If you will, I will work seven years for you.”

¹⁹Laban said, “It would be better for her to marry you than someone else, so stay here with me.” ²⁰So Jacob worked for Laban seven years so he could marry Rachel. But they seemed like just a few days to him because he loved Rachel very much.