¹Jacob lifted up his feet and went to the land of the people of the east.

²He saw, and see, a well in the field, and see, there were three flocks of sheep crouching beside it, for from that well they watered the flocks, and the stone over the mouth of the well was large.

³There all the flocks would gather, and they would roll the stone from over the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put back the stone over the mouth of the well, into its place.

⁴Jacob said to them, "My brothers, where are you from?" They said, "We are from Haran."

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

⁶He said to them, "Is it wholeness with him?" They said, "Wholeness; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the flock."

⁷He said, "Look, the day is still great; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the flock and go, pasture them."

⁸They said, "We cannot, until all the flocks gather, and they roll the stone from over the mouth of the well, and we water the flock."

⁹While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with the flock that belonged to her father, for she was a shepherdess.

¹⁰When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the flock of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from over the mouth of the well 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 a relative of her father, and that he was Rebekah's son; and she ran and told her father.

¹³When Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, he ran to meet him, embraced him, kissed him, and brought him to his house; and he recounted to Laban all these words.

¹⁴Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." And he dwelt with him for a month of days.

¹⁵And Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, will you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what are your wages?"

¹⁶And Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

¹⁷And the eyes of Leah were tender, and Rachel was beautiful of figure and beautiful of look.

¹⁸And Jacob loved Rachel, and he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

¹⁹And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I give her to another man; dwell with me."

²⁰And Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they were in his eyes like a few days, because of his love for her.

²¹Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are complete, and let me come to her."

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

²³When evening came, he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him, and he went in to her.

²⁴And Laban gave his female slave Zilpah to her, to Leah his daughter, as a female slave.

²⁵When morning came, there she was: Leah! He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why have you deceived me?"

²⁶Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to set the younger before the face of the eldest."

²⁷"Fill the week of this one, and we will give you also this one, for the service that you will serve with me for yet seven other years."

²⁸Jacob did so and filled the week of this one; then he gave him Rachel his daughter as a wife.

²⁹And Laban gave his female slave Bilhah to Rachel his daughter, to be her female slave.

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

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

³²Leah conceived and bore a son and called his name Reuben, for she said, "Yahweh has seen my affliction; surely 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 given me also this one"; and she called his name Shimon.

³⁴She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now this time my husband will join himself to me, for I have borne him three sons"; therefore he called his name Levi.

³⁵She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "This time I will praise Yahweh"; therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.