Genesis 29:1–35

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

²¹Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.^x”

²²So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.^{y 23}But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah^z and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. ²⁴And Laban gave his servant Zilpah^a to his daughter as her attendant.^b

²⁵When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me?^c I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?^d”

²⁶Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.^{e 27}Finish this daughter’s bridal week;^f then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.^g”

²⁸And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.^{h 29}Laban gave his servant Bilhahⁱ to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.^{j 30}Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah.^k And he worked for Laban another seven years.^l

Jacob’s Children

³¹When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved,^m he enabled her to conceive,ⁿ but Rachel remained childless. ³²Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.^o She named him Reuben,^bp for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery.^q Surely my husband will love me now.”

³³She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved,^r he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.^cs

³⁴Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me,^t because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.^du

³⁵She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.^ev Then she stopped having children.^w