Genesis 29

CHAPTER 29

1Therefore Jacob passed forth, and came into the east land;

2and he saw a pit or well in the field, and three flocks of sheep resting beside it, for why sheep were watered thereof, and the mouth thereof was closed with a great stone.

3And the custom was that when all the sheep were gathered together, they should turn away the stone, and when the flocks were watered, they should put it again on the mouth of the pit.

4And Jacob said to the shepherds, Brethren, of whence be ye? Which answered, Of Haran.

5And he asked them and said, Whether ye know Laban, the son of Nahor? They said, We know him.

6Jacob said, Is he whole? They said, He is in good state; and lo! Rachel, his daughter, cometh with his flock.

7And Jacob said, Yet much of the day is to come, and it is not time that the flocks be led again to the folds; soothly give ye drink to the sheep, and so lead ye them again to meat or feeding.

8Which answered, We may not till all the sheep be gathered together, and till we remove the stone from the mouth of the pit, to water the flocks.

9Yet they spake, and lo! Rachel came with the sheep of her father.

10And when Jacob saw her, and knew her to be the daughter of his mother’s brother, and the sheep to be of Laban his uncle, he removed the stone with which the pit was closed; and when the flock was watered,

11he kissed her, and he wept with voice raised.

12And Jacob showed to her that he was the brother of her father, and the son of Rebecca; and she hasted, and told to her father.

13And when he had heard, that Jacob, the son of his sister, came, he ran to meet him, and he embraced Jacob, and kissed him, and led him into his house. Forsooth when the causes of the journey were heard,

14Laban answered, Thou art my bone and my flesh. And after that the days of a month were filled,

15Laban said to Jacob, Whether for thou art my brother, thou shalt serve me freely? say thou what meed thou shalt take.

16Forsooth Laban had two daughters, the name of the elder was Leah, soothly the younger was called Rachel;

17but Leah was bleary-eyed, and Rachel was of fair face, and lovely in sight.

18And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, I shall serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.

19Laban answered, It is better that I give her to thee than to another man; dwell thou with me.

20Therefore Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and the days seemed few to him for the greatness of his love.

21And at last he said to Laban, Give thou my wife to me, for the time is fulfilled that I enter [in] to her.

22And when many companies of friends were called to the feast, he made [the] weddings,

23and in the eventide Laban brought in to him Leah his daughter,

24and gave an handmaid, Zilpah by name, to his daughter.

25And when Jacob had entered [in] to her by custom, when the morrow-tide was made, he saw Leah, and he said to his wife’s father, What is it that thou wouldest do? whether I served not thee for Rachel? why hast thou deceived me?

26Laban answered, It is not custom in our place that we give first the younger daughter to weddings;

27fulfill thou the week of days of this wedding, and I shall give to thee also this Rachel, for the work in which thou shalt serve me by other seven years.

28Jacob assented to the covenant, and when the week was passed, he wedded Rachel,

29to whom her father had given Bilhah an handmaid.

30And at the last Jacob used the weddings desired, and set the love of the latter wife before the first; and Jacob served Laban seven other years.

31Forsooth the Lord saw that Jacob despised Leah, that is, loved her less than Rachel, and he opened Leah’s womb, while her sister dwelled barren.

32And Leah childed a son conceived, and she called his name Reuben, and said, The Lord hath seen my meek-ness; now mine husband shall love me.

33And again she conceived, and childed a son, and said, For the Lord saw that I was despised, he gave also this son to me; and she called his name Simeon.

34And she conceived the third time, and childed another son, and she said also, Now mine husband shall be coupled to me, for I have childed three sons to him; and therefore she called his name Levi.

35The fourth time she conceived, and childed a son, and said, Now I shall acknowledge to the Lord; and therefore she called his name Judah; and ceased to child.

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Bereshis 29

1Then Ya'akov went on his journey, and came into the eretz of the bnei kedem.

2And he looked, and hinei a be'er in the sadeh, and, hinei, there were shloshah edrei tzon lying by it; for out of that be'er they watered the edarim: and a great even (stone) was upon the mouth of the be'er.

3And to there were all the edarim gathered: and they rolled the even (stone) from the mouth of the be'er, and watered the tzon, and put the even (stone) again upon the mouth of the be'er in its place.

4And Ya'akov said unto them, My brethren, where are you from? And they said, Of Charan are we.

5And he said unto them, Know ye Lavan ben Nachor? And they said, We know him.

6And he said unto them, Is the shalom with him? And they said, Shalom; and, hinei, Rachel his bat cometh with the tzon.

7And he said, Look, the sun is still high, neither is it time that the flock should be gathered together; water ye the tzon, and go and feed them.

8And they said, We cannot, until all the edarim be gathered together, and till they roll the even (stone) from the mouth of the be'er; then we water the tzon.

9And while he yet spoke with them, Rachel came with the tzon of her av; for she was a ro'ah (shepherdess).

10And it came to pass, when Ya'akov saw Rachel bat Lavan achi immo, and the tzon of Lavan achi immo, that Ya'akov went near, and rolled the even (stone) from the mouth of the be'er, and watered the tzon of Lavan achi immo.

11And Ya'akov kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

12And Ya'akov told Rachel that he was the relative of her av, and that he was ben Rivkah; and she ran and told her av.

13And it came to pass, when Lavan heard the news of Ya'akov ben achoto, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his bais. And he told Lavan all these things.

14And Lavan said to him, Surely thou art my etzem (bone) and my basar. And he abode with him the space of a chodesh (month).

15And Lavan said unto Ya'akov, Because thou art my relative, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall thy maskoret (wages) be?

16And Lavan had two banot: the shem of the elder was Leah, and the shem of the younger was Rachel.

17Leah had weak eyes; but Rachel was yafeh and lovely in form.

18And Ya'akov loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee sheva shanim for Rachel thy bat haketannah (younger daughter).

19And Lavan said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another ish; abide with me.

20And Ya'akov served sheva shanim for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few yamim, because of the ahavah he had for her.

21And Ya'akov said unto Lavan, Give me my isha, for my yamim are completed, that I may go in unto her.

22And Lavan gathered together all the anshei hamakom, and made a mishteh (feast).

23And it came to pass in the erev, that he took Leah his bat, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.

24And Lavan gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah shifchato (his maid) for a shifchah.

25And it came to pass, that in the boker, hinei, it was Leah! And he said to Lavan, What is this thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? So why then hast thou deceived me?

26And Lavan said, It must not be so done in our land, to give the younger before the bechirah.

27Finish her shvu'a (week), and we will give thee this also for the avodah (service, work) which thou shalt do for me yet sheva shanim acherot.

28And Ya'akov did so, and fulfilled her shvu'a; and he gave him Rachel his bat to be his isha also.

29And Lavan gave to his bat Rachel Bilhah his shifchah to be her shifchah.

30And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served him yet sheva shanim acherot.

31And when Hashem saw that Leah was hated, He opened her womb but Rachel was barren.

32And Leah conceived, and bore a ben, and she called shmo Reuven: for she said, Surely Hashem hath looked upon my misery; now therefore my ish will love me.

33And she conceived again, and bore ben; and said, Because Hashem hath heard I was hated, He hath therefore given me this also; and she called shmo Shim'on.

34And she conceived again, and bore ben; and said, Now this time will my ish yillaveh (become attached) unto me, because I have born him shloshah banim: therefore was shmo called Levi.

35And she conceived again, and bore ben; and she said, Now will odeh (I praise) Hashem; therefore she called shmo Yehudah; and stopped giving birth.

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