Genesis 29:1–20

Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram

29Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.^{o 2}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.^p The stone^q over the mouth of the well was large. ³When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone^r away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep.^s Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

⁴Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”^t

“We’re from Harran,^u” they replied.

⁵He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”^v

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

⁶Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”

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

⁷“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.”

⁸“We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone^y has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water^z the sheep.”

⁹While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep,^a for she was a shepherd. ¹⁰When Jacob saw Rachel^b daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone^c away from the mouth of the well and watered^d his uncle’s sheep.^{e 11}Then Jacob kissed^f Rachel and began to weep aloud.^{g 12}He had told Rachel that he was a relative^h of her father and a son of Rebekah.ⁱ So she ran and told her father.^j

¹³As soon as Laban^k heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him^l and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. ¹⁴Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”^m

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, ¹⁵Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relativeⁿ of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages^o should be.”

¹⁶Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah,^p and the name of the younger was Rachel.^{q 17}Leah had weak^a eyes, but Rachel^r had a lovely figure and was beautiful.^{s 18}Jacob was in love with Rachel^t and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”^u

¹⁹Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” ²⁰So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel,^v but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.^w