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¹ Then Iacob went on his iourney, & came into the lande of the people of the east.² And [as] he loked about, beholde, there was a wel in the field, and loe, three flockes of sheepe lay there by, for at that well were the flockes watered: and there was a great stone vpon the well mouth.³ And thyther were all the flockes brought, and they roulled the stone fro the welles mouth, & watred the sheepe, & put the stone agayne vpon the welles mouth vnto his place.⁴ And Iacob saide vnto them: My brethren, whence be ye? And they sayde: of Haran are we.⁵ And he sayde vnto them: Knowe ye Laban the sonne of Nachor? They sayde: we knowe hym.⁶ And he sayde vnto them: is he in good health? And they sayde: he is in good health, and beholde his daughter Rachel commeth with the sheepe.⁷ And he sayde: loe [it is] yet a great whyle to nyght, neither is it tyme that the cattell should be gathered together: water ye the sheepe, and go and feede [them.]⁸ And they sayde: we may not vntyll all the flockes be brought together, and tyl they roule the stone from the welles mouth, and so we water our sheepe.

⁹ Whyle he yet talked with them, Rachel came with her fathers sheepe: for she kept them.¹⁰ Assoone as Iacob sawe Rachel the daughter of Laban his mothers brother, & the sheepe of Laban his mothers brother, Iacob went & rouled the stone from the welles mouth, & watered the flocke of Laban his mothers brother.¹¹ And Iacob kyssed Rachel, and lift vp his voyce and wept.¹² And Iacob tolde Rachel that he was her fathers brother, and that he was Rebeccaes sonne: Therefore ranne she and tolde her father.¹³ And when Laban hearde certaynely tell of Iacob his sisters sonne, he ranne to meete hym, and imbraced hym, and kyssed hym, and brought hym to his house: And he tolde Laban all these thynges.¹⁴ To whom Laban sayde: Well, thou art my bone & my fleshe. And he abode with hym the space of a moneth.

¹⁵ And Laban said vnto Iacob: Though thou be my brother, shouldest thou therfore serue me for naught? Tell me what shall thy wages be?¹⁶ Laban had two daughters, the elder called Lea, and the younger Rachel.¹⁷ Lea was tender eyed: but Rachel was beautifull and well fauoured.¹⁸ And Iacob loued Rachel, and sayde: I wyll serue thee seuen yere for Rachel thy younger daughter.¹⁹ Laban aunswered: It is better that I geue her [vnto] thee, then that I shoulde geue her to another man: abide with me.²⁰ And Iacob serued seuen yere for Rachel: and they seemed vnto hym but a fewe dayes, for the loue he hadde to her.²¹ And Iacob said vnto Laban: geue [me] my wife that I may lye with her, for my dayes are fulfylled.²² Then Laban gathered together all the men of that place, and made a feast.²³ And when euen was come, he toke Lea his daughter, and brought her to hym, and he went in to her.²⁴ And Laban gaue vnto his daughter Lea Zilpha his mayde [to be] her seruaunt.²⁵ And when the mornyng was come, beholde it was Lea. Then sayde he to Laban: Wherefore hast thou played thus with me? dyd not I serue thee for Rachel? wherfore then hast thou begyled me?²⁶ Laban aunswered: It is not the maner of this place, to marry ye younger before the first borne.²⁷ Passe out this weeke, & then we wyll geue thee this also for the seruice whiche thou shalt serue me yet seuen yeres more.²⁸ And Iacob dyd euen so, and passed out the weeke: and then he gaue hym Rachel his daughter to wyfe also.²⁹ And Laban gaue to Rachel his daughter Bilha his handmayde, to be her seruaunt.³⁰ So lay he by Rachel also, and loued Rachel more then Lea, and serued hym yet seuen yeres more.

³¹ When the Lorde sawe that Lea was despised, he made her fruitfull, and Rachel remayned baren.³² And Lea conceaued and bare a sonne, and she called his name Ruben: for she sayde, the Lord hath loked vpon my tribulation: nowe therfore my husband wyll loue me.³³ And she conceaued agayne, and bare a sonne, & sayde: The Lorde hath hearde that I am despised, and hath therefore geuen me this [sonne] also: and she called his name Simeon.³⁴ And she conceaued yet, & bare a sonne, and sayde: Nowe this once wyll my husbande kepe me company, because I haue borne him three sonnes: and therfore was his name called Leui.³⁵ And she conceaued yet agayne, and bare hym a sonne, saying: Nowe wyll I prayse the Lorde. Therefore she called his name Iuda, & left bearyng.