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Genesis 28
And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take you a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. 3 And El Shaddai bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of people; 4 And give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your seed with you; that you may inherit the land of your sojournings, which Elohim gave unto Abraham. 5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Paddan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother. 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 charge, saying, You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan; 7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and had gone to Paddan-aram; 8 And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; 9 And Esau went unto Ishmael, and took besides the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
10 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun was set; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of Elohim ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, I am Yahweh, the Elohim of Abraham your father, and the Elohim of Isaac: the land on which you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed; 14 And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, 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 to you of. 16 And Jacob awoke out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Yahweh is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of Elohim, and this is the gate of heaven.
18 And 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 upon the top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of the city was called Luz at the first. 20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, if Elohim will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; and Yahweh will be my Elohim: 22 Then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be Elohim’s house: and of all that you shall give me I will surely give the tenth unto you.
Genesis 29
Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east. 2 And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, three flocks of sheep lying there by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and the stone upon the well’s mouth was great. 3 And there were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well’s mouth in his place. 4 And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, from where are you? And they said, Of Haran are we. 5 And he said unto them, Know you Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. 6 And he said unto them, Is it well with him? And they said, it is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter comes with the sheep. 7 And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water you the sheep, and go and feed them. 8 And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep. 9 While he yet spoke with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep: for she kept them. 10 And it came to pass, 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. 11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son: and she ran and told her father.
13 And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, Surely you are my bone and my flesh. And he remained with him the space of a month. 15 And Laban said unto Jacob, Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? tell me, what shall your wages be? 16 And Laban had two daughters: the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes was tender; but Rachel was beautiful and well favored. 18 And Jacob loved Rachel; and he said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter. 19 And Laban said, It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man: remain with me. 20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
21 And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her. 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in to her. 24 And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid. 25 And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this you have done to me? Did not I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me? 26 And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the first-born. 27 Fulfil the week of this one, and we will give you this also for the service which you shall serve with me yet seven other years. 28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife. 29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her handmaid. 30 And he went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
31 And when Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Because Yahweh has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me. 33 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon. 34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi. 35 And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, This time will I praise Yahweh: therefore she called his name Judah; and she left off bearing.
Genesis 30
And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. 2 And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in Elohim’s stead, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb? 3 And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in to her; that she may bear upon my knees, that I also may obtain children by her. 4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. 5 And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. 6 And Rachel said, Elohim has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan. 7 And Bilhah Rachel’s handmaid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. 8 And Rachel said, With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife. 10 And Zilpah Leah’s handmaid bare Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, Fortunate! and she called his name Gad. 12 And Zilpah Leah’s handmaid bare Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, I am Happy, for the daughters will call me happy: and she called his name Asher.
14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray you, of your son’s mandrakes. 15 And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? and would you take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes. 16 And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, You must come in unto me; for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. 17 And Elohim listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob a fifth son. 18 And Leah said, Elohim has given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband: and she called his name Issachar. 19 And Leah conceived again, and bare a sixth son to Jacob. 20 And Leah said, Elohim has endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun. 21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah. 22 And Elohim remembered Rachel, and Elohim listened to her, and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, Elohim has taken away my reproach: 24 And she called his name Joseph; saying, Yahweh add to me another son.
25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto my own place, and to my country. 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. 27 And Laban said unto him, If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay: for I have surmised that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake. 28 And he said, Appoint me your wages, and I will give it. 29 And he said to him, You know how I have served you, and how your cattle have fared with me. 30 For it was little which you had before I came, and it has increased to a multitude; and Yahweh has blessed you wherever I turned: and now when shall I provide for my own house also? 31 And he said, What shall I give you? And 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: 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: and of such shall be my hire. 33 So shall my righteousness answer for me from now on, when it shall 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 if found with me shall be counted stolen. 34 And Laban said, Behold, let it be according to your word. 35 And he removed that day the he-goats that were ringstreaked and spotted, and all the she-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. 36 And he set three days’ journey between himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 And Jacob took rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane-tree; and peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. 38 And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink, and they conceive when they came to drink. 39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked, and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own droves apart, and put them not in with Laban’s flock. 41 And it came to pass, 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. 42 But when the flock were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.
