Genesis 28–30

1Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, “You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

2Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

3May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples,

4and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you, that you may inherit the land where you travel, which God gave to Abraham.”

5Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.

6Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a command, saying, “You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;”

7and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram.

8Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn’t please Isaac, his father.

9So Esau went to Ishmael, and took, in addition to the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

10Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

11He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.

12He dreamed and saw a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

13Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I will give the land you lie on to you and to your offspring.

14Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your offspring, all the families of the earth will be blessed.

15Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.”

16Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn’t know it.”

17He was afraid, and said, “How awesome this place is! This is none other than God’s house, and this is the gate of heaven.”

18Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top.

19He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

20Jacob vowed a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on,

21so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, and Yahweh will be my God,

22then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God’s house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give a tenth to you.”

1Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east.

2He looked, and saw a well in the field, and saw three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well’s mouth was large.

3There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone back on the well’s mouth in its place.

4Jacob said to them, “My relatives, where are you from?” They said, “We are from Haran.”

5He said to them, “Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.”

6He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep.”

7He said, “Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.”

8They said, “We can’t, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well’s mouth. Then we will water the sheep.”

9While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she kept them.

10When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.

11Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

12Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s relative, and that he was Rebekah’s son. She ran and told her father.

13When Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.

14Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” Jacob stayed with him for a month.

15Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?”

16Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

17Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive.

18Jacob loved Rachel. He said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.”

19Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.”

20Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.

21Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”

22Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

23In the evening, he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to Jacob. He went in to her.

24Laban gave Zilpah his servant to his daughter Leah for a servant.

25In the morning, behold, it was Leah! He said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Didn’t I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”

26Laban said, “It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.

27Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me for seven more years.”

28Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.

29Laban gave Bilhah, his servant, to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.

30He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him seven more years.

31Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

32Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, “Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction; for now my husband will love me.”

33She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, “Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also.” She named him Simeon.

34She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.

35She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, “This time I will praise Yahweh.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

1When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I will die.”

2Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in God’s place, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

3She said, “Behold, my maid Bilhah. Go in to her, that she may bear on my knees, and I also may obtain children by her.”

4She gave him Bilhah her servant as wife, and Jacob went in to her.

5Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

6Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.

7Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son.

8Rachel said, “I have wrestled with my sister with mighty wrestlings, and have prevailed.” She named him Naphtali.

9When Leah saw that she had finished bearing, she took Zilpah, her servant, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

10Zilpah, Leah’s servant, bore Jacob a son.

11Leah said, “How fortunate!” She named him Gad.

12Zilpah, Leah’s servant, bore Jacob a second son.

13Leah said, “Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy.” She named him Asher.

14Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother, Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15Leah said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes, also?” Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”

16Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, “You must come in to me; for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” He lay with her that night.

17God listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.

18Leah said, “God has given me my hire, because I gave my servant to my husband.” She named him Issachar.

19Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

20Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good dowry. Now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons.” She named him Zebulun.

21Afterwards, she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.

22God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb.

23She conceived, bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”

24She named him Joseph, saying, “May Yahweh add another son to me.”

25When Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place, and to my country.

26Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service with which I have served you.”

27Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake.”

28He said, “Appoint me your wages, and I will give it.”

29Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared with me.

30For it was little which you had before I came, and it has increased to a multitude. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I turned. Now when will I provide for my own house also?”

31Laban said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it.

32I will pass through all your flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. This will be my hire.

33So my righteousness will answer for me hereafter, when you come concerning my hire that is before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that might be with me, will be considered stolen.”

34Laban said, “Behold, let it be according to your word.”

35That day, he removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

36He set three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37Jacob took to himself rods of fresh poplar, almond, and plane tree, peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

38He set the rods which he had peeled opposite the flocks in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink.

39The flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks produced streaked, speckled, and spotted.

40Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the black in Laban’s flock. He put his own droves apart, and didn’t put them into Laban’s flock.

41Whenever the stronger of the flock conceived, Jacob laid the rods in front of the eyes of the flock in the watering troughs, that they might conceive among the rods;

42but when the flock were feeble, he didn’t put them in. So the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.

43The man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.