⁴ Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”^(A)

“We’re from Harran,^(B)” they replied.

⁵ He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”^(C)

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

⁶ Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”

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

⁷ “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.”

⁸ “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone^(F) has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water^(G) the sheep.”

⁹ While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep,^(H) for she was a shepherd. ¹⁰ When Jacob saw Rachel^(I) daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone^(J) away from the mouth of the well and watered^(K) his uncle’s sheep.^{(L) 11} Then Jacob kissed^(M) Rachel and began to weep aloud.^{(N) 12} He had told Rachel that he was a relative^(O) of her father and a son of Rebekah.^(P) So she ran and told her father.^(Q)

¹³ As soon as Laban^(R) heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him^(S) 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.”^(T)

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^(U) of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages^(V) should be.”

30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children,^(A) she became jealous of her sister.^(B) So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

² Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God,^(C) who has kept you from having children?”^(D)

³ Then she said, “Here is Bilhah,^(E) my servant.^(F) Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”^(G)

⁴ So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife.^(H) Jacob slept with her,^{(I) 5} and she became pregnant and bore him a son. ⁶ Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me;^(J) he has listened to my plea and given me a son.”^(K) Because of this she named him Dan.^[a](L)

⁷ Rachel’s servant Bilhah^(M) conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

²² Then God remembered Rachel;^(A) he listened to her^(B) and enabled her to conceive.^{(C) 23} She became pregnant and gave birth to a son^(D) and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”^{(E) 24} She named him Joseph,^[a](F) and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”^(G)

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)