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Jacob Meets Rachel

¹ Then Jacob ^(F1)went on his way and came to the land of ^(C1)the people of the East near Haran.² As he looked, he saw ^(C1)a well in the field, and three flocks of sheep lying there resting beside it because the flocks were watered from that well. Now the stone on the mouth of the well that covered and protected it was large,³ and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well, water the sheep, and afterward replace the stone on the mouth of the well.

⁴ Jacob said to them, "My brothers, where are you from?" And they said, "We are from ^(C1)Haran."⁵ So he said to them, "Do you know Laban the ^(C1)grandson of Nahor Abraham's brother?" And they replied, "We know him."⁶ And he asked them, "^(F1)Is it well with him?" And they said, "He is doing well; look, here comes his daughter ^(C1)Rachel with the sheep!"⁷ Jacob said, "Look, the sun is still high overhead; it is a long time before the flocks need to be gathered in their folds for the night. Water the sheep, and go, and return them to their pasture."⁸ But they said, "We cannot leave until all the flocks are gathered together, and the shepherds roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we will water the sheep."

⁹ While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.¹⁰ When Jacob saw his cousin Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he came up and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered the flock of Laban, his uncle.¹¹ Then Jacob ^(C1)kissed Rachel in greeting, and he raised his voice and wept.¹² Jacob told Rachel he was her father's ^(C1)relative, Rebekah's son; and ^(C2)she ran and told her father.

¹³ When ^(C1)Laban heard of the arrival of Jacob, his sister's son, he ran to meet him, and ^(C2)embraced and kissed him and brought him to his house. Then he told Laban all these things.¹⁴ Then Laban said to him, "You are ^(C1)my bone and my flesh." And Jacob stayed with him a month.

¹⁵ Then Laban said to Jacob, "Just because you are my relative, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me, what should ^(C1)your wages be?"¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.¹⁷ Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was ^(C1)beautiful in form and appearance.¹⁸ Jacob ^(C1)loved Rachel, so he said, "^(C2)I will serve you as a hired workman for seven years in return for the privilege of marrying Rachel your younger daughter."¹⁹ Laban said, "It is better that I give her in marriage to you than give her to another man. Stay and work with me."²⁰ So Jacob served Laban for seven years for the right to marry Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him ^(C1)because of his love for her.

Laban's Treachery

²¹ Finally, Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my time of service is completed, so that I may ^(C1)take her to me as my wife."²² So Laban gathered together all the men of the place and prepared a wedding ^(F1)feast with wine.²³ But in the evening he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob ^(F1)went in to consummate the marriage with her.²⁴ Laban also gave Zilpah his maid to his daughter Leah as a maid.²⁵ But in the morning when Jacob awoke, it was Leah who was with him! And he said to Laban, "^(C1)What is this that you have done to me? Did I not work for you for seven years for Rachel? Why have you ^(C2)deceived and betrayed me like this?"²⁶ But Laban only said, "It is not ^(F1)the tradition here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older.²⁷ "Finish the week of the wedding feast for Leah; then we will give you Rachel also, and in return ^(C1)you shall work for me for seven more years."²⁸ So Jacob complied and fulfilled Leah's week of celebration; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his second wife.²⁹ Laban also gave Bilhah his maid to his daughter Rachel as a maid.³⁰ So Jacob consummated his marriage and lived with Rachel as his wife, and ^(C1)he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for ^(C2)another seven years.

³¹ Now when the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He ^(F1)made her able to bear children, but Rachel was barren.³² Leah conceived and gave birth to a son and named him Reuben (See, a son!), for she said, "Because the LORD has ^(C1)seen my humiliation and suffering; now my husband will love me since I have given him a son."³³ Then she conceived again and gave birth to a son and said, "^(C1)Because the LORD heard that I am unloved, He has given me this son also." So she named him Simeon (God hears).³⁴ She conceived again and gave birth to a son and said, "Now this time my husband will become attached to me as a companion, for I have given him three sons." Therefore he was named ^(F1)(C1)Levi.³⁵ Again she conceived and gave birth to a fourth son, and she said, "Now I will praise the LORD." So she named him ^(F1)(C1)Judah; then for a time she stopped bearing children.