Jacob Meets Rachel 1 ULT Then Jacob lifted his feet and went to the land of the sons of the east. BSB BSB: Jacob resumed his journey and came to the land of the people of the east.
2 ULT And he looked, and behold, a well{ was} in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there near it, because from that well the flocks were watered, and the stone over the mouth of the well{ was} large. BSB BSB: He looked and saw a well in the field, and near it lay three flocks of sheep, because the sheep were watered from this well. And a large stone covered the mouth of the well.
3 ULT And all the flocks would be gathered there, then they would roll the stone from over the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. BSB BSB: When all the flocks had been gathered there, the shepherds would roll away the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.
4 ULT Then Jacob said to them,“My brothers, where{ are} you from?” And they said,“We{ are} from Haran.” BSB BSB: “My brothers,” Jacob asked the shepherds, “where are you from?” “We are from Haran,” they answered.
5 ULT Then he said to them,“Do you know Laban, the grandson of Nahor?” And they said,“We know him.” BSB BSB: “Do you know Laban the grandson of Nahor?” Jacob asked. “We know him,” they replied.
6 ULT Then he said to them,“Are{ things} well for him?” And they said,“{ Things are} well. And behold, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep.” BSB BSB: “Is he well?” Jacob inquired. “Yes,” they answered, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with his sheep.”
7 ULT Then he said,“Behold, the day{ is} still large.{ It is} not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the sheep, and go pasture{ them}.” BSB BSB: “Look,” said Jacob, “it is still broad daylight; it is not yet time to gather the livestock. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”
8 ULT But they said,“We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered and they roll the stone from over the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.” BSB BSB: But they replied, “We cannot, until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”
9 ULT He was still talking with them when Rachel came with the sheep that{ belonged} to her father, because she was tending them. BSB BSB: While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
10 ULT Then it happened, when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban his mother’ s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’ s brother, then Jacob went over and rolled the stone from over the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep of Laban his mother’ s brother. BSB BSB: As soon as Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, with Laban’s sheep, he went up and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep.
11 ULT Then Jacob kissed Rachel and lifted his voice and cried. BSB BSB: Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud.
12 ULT Then Jacob told Rachel that he{ was} a relative of her father and that he{ was} a son of Rebekah. Then she ran and told her father. BSB BSB: He told Rachel that he was Rebekah’s son, a relative of her father, and she ran and told her father.
13 ULT And it happened, when Laban heard the news about Jacob the son of his sister, then he ran to meet him. Then he embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Then he told Laban all these things, BSB BSB: When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him all that had happened.
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel 14 ULT and Laban said to him,“You{ are} indeed my bone and my flesh!” Then he stayed with him a month of days. BSB BSB: Then Laban declared, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him a month,
15 ULT Then Laban said to Jacob,“Because you{ are} my relative, should you then serve me for nothing? Tell me, what{ are} your wages?” BSB BSB: Laban said to him, “Just because you are my relative, should you work for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”
16 ULT Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older{ was} Leah, and the name of the younger{ was} Rachel. BSB BSB: Now Laban had two daughters; the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel.
17 ULT And the eyes of Leah{ were} delicate, but Rachel was lovely of form and beautiful of appearance. BSB BSB: Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful.
18 ULT And Jacob loved Rachel, so he said,“I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.” BSB BSB: Since Jacob loved Rachel, he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”
19 ULT And Laban said,“{ It is} better for me to give her to you than for me to give her to another man. Stay with me.” BSB BSB: Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to another. Stay here with me.”
20 ULT So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, but in his eyes they were like a few days because of his love for her. BSB BSB: So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet it seemed but a few days because of his love for her.
21 ULT Then Jacob said to Laban,“Give{ me} my wife, because my days are completed, so that I may go to her.” BSB BSB: Finally Jacob said to Laban, “Grant me my wife, for my time is complete, and I want to sleep with her.”
22 ULT Then Laban gathered all the people of the place and made a feast. BSB BSB: So Laban invited all the men of that place and prepared a feast.
23 ULT But it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him, and he went to her. BSB BSB: But when evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her.
24 ULT And Laban gave to her Zilpah his maidservant, to Leah his daughter,{ to be} a maidservant. BSB BSB: And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant.
25 ULT Then it happened in the morning, that behold, she{ was} Leah! So he said to Laban,“What{ is} this you have done to me? Was{ it} not for Rachel that I served with you? So why have you deceived me?” BSB BSB: When morning came, there was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob said to Laban. “Wasn’t it for Rachel that I served you? Why have you deceived me?”
26 ULT But Laban said,“It is not done so in our place to give the younger before the firstborn. BSB BSB: Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older.
27 ULT Fulfill the week of this{ one}, then we will also give you this{ one} for service that you will serve with me for another seven years.” BSB BSB: Finish this week’s celebration, and we will give you the younger one in return for another seven years of work.”
28 ULT So Jacob did so, and he fulfilled the week{ for} that{ one}. Then he gave to him Rachel his daughter as a wife for him. BSB BSB: And Jacob did just that. He finished the week’s celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.
29 ULT And Laban gave Bilhah his maidservant to Rachel his daughter as a maidservant for her. BSB BSB: Laban also gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant.
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah 31 ULT Now Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, so he opened her womb, but Rachel{ was} barren. BSB BSB: When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
32 ULT Then Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, because she said,“Because Yahweh has looked on my misery, surely now my husband will love me.” BSB BSB: And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”
33 ULT Then she conceived again and bore a son, and she said,“Because Yahweh heard that I am hated, then he gave to me this{ son} also.” So she called his name Simeon. BSB BSB: Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has given me this son as well.” So she named him Simeon.
34 ULT Then she conceived again and bore a son, and she said,“This time now my husband will be joined to me, because I have born three sons for him.” For that{ reason} he called his name Levi. BSB BSB: Once again Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.
35 ULT Then she conceived again and bore a son, and she said,“This time I will praise Yahweh.” For that{ reason} she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing. BSB BSB: And once more she conceived and gave birth to a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.