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Jacob Arrives at Paddan-Aram
Then Jacob hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east.
Then Jacob hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east.
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east.
Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east.
He saw a well in the distance. Three flocks of sheep and goats lay in an open field beside it, waiting to be watered. But a heavy stone covered the mouth of the well.
As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well’s mouth was large,
It was the custom there to wait for all the flocks to arrive before removing the stone and watering the animals. Afterward the stone would be placed back over the mouth of the well.
and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well.
Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked, “Where are you from, my friends?”
“We are from Haran,” they answered.
“We are from Haran,” they answered.
Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where do you come from?” They said, “We are from Haran.”
“Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?” he asked.
“Yes, we do,” they replied.
“Yes, we do,” they replied.
He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.”
“Is he doing well?” Jacob asked.
“Yes, he’s well,” they answered. “Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the flock now.”
“Yes, he’s well,” they answered. “Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the flock now.”
He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!”
Jacob said, “Look, it’s still broad daylight — too early to round up the animals. Why don’t you water the sheep and goats so they can get back out to pasture?”
He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, pasture them.”
“We can’t water the animals until all the flocks have arrived,” they replied. “Then the shepherds move the stone from the mouth of the well, and we water all the sheep and goats.”
But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”
Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherd.
While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
And because Rachel was his cousin — the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother — and because the sheep and goats belonged to his uncle Laban, Jacob went over to the well and moved the stone from its mouth and watered his uncle’s flock.
Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.
He explained to Rachel that he was her cousin on her father’s side — the son of her aunt Rebekah. So Rachel quickly ran and told her father, Laban.
And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman, and that he was Rebekah’s son, and she ran and told her father.
As soon as Laban heard that his nephew Jacob had arrived, he ran out to meet him. He embraced and kissed him and brought him home. When Jacob had told him his story,
As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things,
Laban exclaimed, “You really are my own flesh and blood!”
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
After Jacob had stayed with Laban for about a month,
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
After Jacob had stayed with Laban for about a month,
and Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” And he stayed with him a month.
Laban said to him, “You shouldn’t work for me without pay just because we are relatives. Tell me how much your wages should be.”
Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?”
Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel.
Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, “I’ll work for you for seven years if you’ll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife.”
Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”
“Agreed!” Laban replied. “I’d rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me.”
Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.”
So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.
So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.
Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.”
Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.”
So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast.
So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast.
But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her.
But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her.
(Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)
But when Jacob woke up in the morning — it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?”
And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”
“It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied.
Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.
“But wait until the bridal week is over; then we’ll give you Rachel, too — provided you promise to work another seven years for me.”
Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.”
So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too.
Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.
(Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.)
(Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.)
So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years.
So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years.
Jacob’s Many Children
When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive.
Jacob’s Children
When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.
When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.