Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram

29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.(A) There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well.(B) The stone(C) over the mouth of the well was large. When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone(D) away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep.(E) Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”(F)

“We’re from Harran,(G)” they replied.

He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”(H)

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”

“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel(I) with the sheep.(J)

“Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

“We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone(K) has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water(L) the sheep.”

While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep,(M) for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel(N) daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone(O) away from the mouth of the well and watered(P) his uncle’s sheep.(Q) 11 Then Jacob kissed(R) Rachel and began to weep aloud.(S) 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative(T) of her father and a son of Rebekah.(U) So she ran and told her father.(V)

13 As soon as Laban(W) heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him(X) and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”(Y)

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative(Z) of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages(AA) should be.”

16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah,(AB) and the name of the younger was Rachel.(AC) 17 Leah had weak[a] eyes, but Rachel(AD) had a lovely figure and was beautiful.(AE) 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel(AF) and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”(AG)

19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel,(AH) but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.(AI)

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.(AJ)

22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.(AK) 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah(AL) and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. 24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah(AM) to his daughter as her attendant.(AN)

25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me?(AO) I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?(AP)

26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.(AQ) 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week;(AR) then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.(AS)

28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.(AT) 29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah(AU) to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.(AV) 30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah.(AW) And he worked for Laban another seven years.(AX)

Jacob’s Children

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved,(AY) he enabled her to conceive,(AZ) but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.(BA) She named him Reuben,[b](BB) for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery.(BC) Surely my husband will love me now.”

33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved,(BD) he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.[c](BE)

34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me,(BF) because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.[d](BG)

35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.[e](BH) Then she stopped having children.(BI)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 29:17 Or delicate
  2. Genesis 29:32 Reuben sounds like the Hebrew for he has seen my misery; the name means see, a son.
  3. Genesis 29:33 Simeon probably means one who hears.
  4. Genesis 29:34 Levi sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for attached.
  5. Genesis 29:35 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.

30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah.(A) And he worked for Laban another seven years.(B)

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Jacob’s Children

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved,(A) he enabled her to conceive,(B) but Rachel remained childless.

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Jacob Meets Esau

33 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men;(A) so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants.(B)

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He put the female servants and their children(A) in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph(B) in the rear.

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Next, Leah and her children(A) came and bowed down.(B) Last of all came Joseph and Rachel,(C) and they too bowed down.

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The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac(A)

16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath,(B) Rachel(C) began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife(D) said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.”(E) 18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.[a](F) But his father named him Benjamin.[b](G)

19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath(H) (that is, Bethlehem(I)). 20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day(J) that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.(K)

21 Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.(L) 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine(M) Bilhah,(N) and Israel heard of it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

23 The sons of Leah:(O)

Reuben the firstborn(P) of Jacob,

Simeon, Levi, Judah,(Q) Issachar and Zebulun.(R)

24 The sons of Rachel:

Joseph(S) and Benjamin.(T)

25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:(U)

Dan and Naphtali.(V)

26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah:(W)

Gad(X) and Asher.(Y)

These were the sons of Jacob,(Z) who were born to him in Paddan Aram.(AA)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 35:18 Ben-Oni means son of my trouble.
  2. Genesis 35:18 Benjamin means son of my right hand.

19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:(A)

Joseph and Benjamin.(B)

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22 These were the sons of Rachel(A) who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

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25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah,(A) whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel(B)—seven in all.

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As I was returning from Paddan,[a](A) to my sorrow(B) Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 48:7 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia

11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate(A) said, “We are witnesses.(B) May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah,(C) who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah(D) and be famous in Bethlehem.(E)

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When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb,(A) at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys(B) you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried(C) about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’

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15 This is what the Lord says:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,(A)
    mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,(B)
    because they are no more.”(C)

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18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel(A) weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”[a](B)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 2:18 Jer. 31:15

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