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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 Meets Rachel
So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East.
So 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.
And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well’s mouth.
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.
Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well’s mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well’s mouth.
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.
And Jacob said to them, “My brethren, where are you from?”
And they said, “We are from Haran.”
And 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.
Then he said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?”
And they said, “We know him.”
And 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.”
So he said to them, “Is he well?”
And they said, “He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.”
And they said, “He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel 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?”
“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 they have rolled the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.”
Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherd.
Now 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.
And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.
Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and he wept aloud.
Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.
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 relative and that he was Rebekah’s son. So 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,
Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he 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 for 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.”
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?”
Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should 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 elder 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.”
Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.”
“Agreed!” Laban replied. “I’d rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me.”
And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another 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 only a few days to him 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, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”
So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast.
And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast.
But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her.
Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her.
(Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)
And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a 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?”
So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?”
“It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied.
“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.”
Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.”
So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too.
Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also.
(Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.)
And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid.
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.
Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still 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.