Genesis 29:1-14

Contemporary English Version

Jacob Arrives at Laban's Home

29 As Jacob continued on his way to the east, ²he looked out in a field and saw a well where shepherds took their sheep for water. Three flocks of sheep were lying around the well, which was covered with a large rock. ³Shepherds would roll the rock away when all their sheep had gathered there. Then after the sheep had been watered, the shepherds would roll the rock back over the mouth of the well.

⁴Jacob asked the shepherds, “Where are you from?”

“We're from Haran,” they answered.

⁵Then he asked, “Do you know Nahor's grandson Laban?”

“Yes we do,” they replied.

⁶“How is he?” Jacob asked.

“He's fine,” they answered. “And here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

⁷Jacob told them, “Look, the sun is still high up in the sky, and it's too early to bring in the rest of the flocks. Water your sheep and take them back to the pasture.”

⁸But they replied, “We can't do that until they all get here, and the rock has been rolled away from the well.”

⁹While Jacob was still talking with the men, his cousin Rachel came up with her father's sheep. ¹⁰When Jacob saw her and his uncle's sheep, he rolled the rock away and watered the sheep. ¹¹He then kissed Rachel and started crying because he was so happy. ¹²He told her that he was the son of her aunt Rebekah, and she ran and told her father about him.

¹³As soon as Laban heard the news, he ran out to meet Jacob. He hugged and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him everything that had happened. ¹⁴Laban said, “You are my nephew, and you are like one of my own family.”