Genesis, starting at chapter 28
{28:1} Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, "You
shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. {28:2} Arise, 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. {28:3}
May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you,
that you may be a company of peoples, {28:4} and give you the blessing
of Abraham, to you, and to your seed with you, that you may inherit
the land where you travel, which God gave to Abraham."
{28:5} Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son
of Bethuel the Syrian, Rebekah's brother, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
{28:6} Now 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," {28:7} and that Jacob obeyed his father and his
mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram. {28:8} Esau saw that the
daughters of Canaan didn't please Isaac, his father. {28:9} Esau went
to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the
daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his
wife.
{28:10} Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
{28:11} He 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. {28:12} He
dreamed. Behold, a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to
heaven. Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
{28:13} Behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, "I am the LORD, the
God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you
lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed. {28:14} Your seed 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 seed will all the families of the earth be blessed. {28:15}
Behold, 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."
{28:16} Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely the
LORD is in this place, and I didn't know it." {28:17} He was afraid,
and said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God's
house, and this is the gate of heaven."
{28:18} Jacob 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. {28:19} He called the name of that place Bethel, but the
name of the city was Luz at the first. {28:20} Jacob 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, {28:21} so
that I come again to my father's house in peace, and the LORD will be
my God, {28:22} then 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
the tenth to you."
{29:1} Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the
children of the east. {29:2} He looked, and behold, a well in the
field, and, behold, 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. {29:3} There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the
stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone
again on the well's mouth in its place. {29:4} Jacob said to them, "My
relatives, where are you from?"
They said, "We are from Haran."
{29:5} He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?"
They said, "We know him."
{29:6} He said to them, "Is it well with him?"
They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with
the sheep."
{29:7} He 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."
{29:8} They said, "We can't, until all the flocks are gathered
together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water
the sheep."
{29:9} While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her
father's sheep, for she kept them. {29:10} It happened, 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. {29:11} Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his
voice, and wept. {29:12} Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's
brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.
{29:13} It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his
sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed
him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.
{29:14} Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." He
lived with him for a month. {29:15} Laban said to Jacob, "Because you
are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me,
what will your wages be?"
{29:16} Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and
the name of the younger was Rachel. {29:17} Leah's eyes were weak, but
Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive. {29:18} Jacob loved
Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your
younger daughter."
{29:19} Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that
I should give her to another man. Stay with me."
{29:20} Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but
a few days, for the love he had for her.
{29:21} Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are
fulfilled, that I may go in to her."
{29:22} Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a
feast. {29:23} It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his
daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her. {29:24} Laban
gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid. {29:25}
It happened in the morning that, 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?"
{29:26} Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the
younger before the firstborn. {29:27} Fulfill the week of this one,
and we will give you the other also for the service which you will
serve with me yet seven other years."
{29:28} Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his
daughter as wife. {29:29} Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah,
his handmaid, to be her handmaid. {29:30} He went in also to Rachel,
and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven
other years.
{29:31} The LORD saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb,
but Rachel was barren. {29:32} Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she
named him Reuben. For she said, "Because the LORD has looked at my
affliction. For now my husband will love me." {29:33} She conceived
again, and bore a son, and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am
hated, he has therefore given me this son also." She named him Simeon.
{29:34} She conceived again, and bore a son. Said, "Now this time will
my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons."
Therefore was his name called Levi. {29:35} She conceived again, and
bore a son. She said, "This time will I praise the LORD." Therefore
she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
{30:1} When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel
envied her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I
will die."
{30:2} Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, "Am I
in God's place, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"
{30:3} She said, "Behold, my maid Bilhah. Go in to her, that she may
bear on my knees, and I also may obtain children by her." {30:4} She
gave him Bilhah her handmaid as wife, and Jacob went in to her. {30:5}
Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son. {30:6} Rachel said, "God has
judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son."
Therefore called she his name Dan. {30:7} Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid,
conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. {30:8} Rachel said,
"With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have
prevailed." She named him Naphtali.
{30:9} When Leah saw that she had finished bearing, she took Zilpah,
her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. {30:10} Zilpah, Leah's
handmaid, bore Jacob a son. {30:11} Leah said, "How fortunate!" She
named him Gad. {30:12} Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a second
son. {30:13} Leah said, "Happy am I, for the daughters will call me
happy." She named him Asher.
{30:14} Reuben 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."
{30:15} She 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."
{30:16} Jacob 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. {30:17} God listened to Leah, and she
conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son. {30:18} Leah said, "God has
given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband." She named
him Issachar. {30:19} Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to
Jacob. {30:20} Leah 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. {30:21} Afterwards, she bore a daughter, and named
her Dinah.
{30:22} God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened
her womb. {30:23} She conceived, bore a son, and said, "God has taken
away my reproach." {30:24} She named him [1>]Joseph,[<1] saying, "May
the LORD add another son to me."
{30:25} It happened, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said
to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place, and to my
country. {30:26} Give 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."
{30:27} Laban said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes,
stay here, for I have divined that the LORD has blessed me for your
sake." {30:28} He said, "Appoint me your wages, and I will give it."
{30:29} He said to him, "You know how I have served you, and how
your livestock have fared with me. {30:30} For it was little which you
had before I came, and it has increased to a multitude. The LORD has
blessed you wherever I turned. Now when will I provide for my own
house also?"
{30:31} He 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. {30:32} I 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. {30:33} So 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 counted stolen."
{30:34} Laban said, "Behold, let it be according to your word."
{30:35} That 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. {30:36} He set three
days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of
Laban's flocks.
{30:37} Jacob took to himself rods of fresh poplar, almond, plane
tree, peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which
was in the rods. {30:38} He set the rods which he had peeled opposite
the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks
came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink. {30:39} The
flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks produced streaked,
speckled, and spotted. {30:40} Jacob separated the lambs, and set the
faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the black in the flock
of Laban: and he put his own droves apart, and didn't put them into
Laban's flock. {30:41} It happened, whenever the stronger of the flock
conceived, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in
the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods; {30:42} but when
the flock were feeble, he didn't put them in. So the feebler were
Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. {30:43} The man increased
exceedingly, and had large flocks, female servants and male servants,
and camels and donkeys.
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Footnotes:
[1] {30:24} Joseph means "may he add."
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