創世記 29
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
雅各到達舅父家
29 雅各繼續前行，來到東方人住的地方， 2 看見田間有一口井，有三群羊臥在井邊，因為當地人用那口井的水飲羊。井口蓋著一塊大石頭。 3 羊群聚集在井旁的時候，牧人就把石頭挪開飲羊，隨後再把石頭挪回原處。
4 雅各問牧人：「弟兄們，你們是從哪裡來的？」他們說：「我們是從哈蘭來的。」 5 雅各問道：「你們認識拿鶴的孫子拉班嗎？」他們說：「我們認識。」 6 雅各又問：「他好嗎？」他們回答說：「很好。你看，他的女兒拉結帶著羊群來了。」 7 雅各對他們說：「太陽還高，不到把羊關起來的時候，你們飲了羊，再放牠們去吃草吧！」 8 他們說：「不行，要等所有的羊群到齊，有人挪開井口的石頭後，才能飲羊。」
9 他們還在說話的時候，拉結就帶著她父親的羊群來到井邊，她是個牧羊女。 10 雅各看見表妹拉結和舅父拉班的羊群來了，就上前把井口的石頭挪開，飲他舅父的羊。 11 他親吻拉結，並放聲大哭。 12 雅各告訴拉結自己是她父親的外甥，是利百加的兒子。拉結便跑去告訴她父親。
13 拉班聽見外甥雅各來了，就跑去迎接他，擁抱他，親吻他，然後把他接到自己家裡。雅各把事情的經過告訴他。 14 拉班高興地說：「你真是我的骨肉之親啊！」雅各在拉班家裡住了一個月。
雅各娶妻
15 一天，拉班對他說：「雖然我們是親戚，也不能讓你白白地替我工作。告訴我，你希望得到什麼報酬？」 16 拉班有兩個女兒，大的叫利亞，小的叫拉結。 17 利亞兩眼無神[a]，而拉結長得美麗出眾。 18 雅各愛上了拉結，於是對拉班說：「我願意為你工作七年，請你把拉結許配給我。」 19 拉班說：「把她嫁給你比嫁給外人好，你就留下來吧！」 20 雅各為了拉結給拉班工作了七年。因為他深愛拉結，所以這七年在他眼中就像短短的幾天。
21 一天，雅各對拉班說：「期限已經滿了，現在請把我妻子給我，我好和她同房。」 22 於是，拉班就擺設宴席款待當地的人。 23 到了晚上，拉班卻把女兒利亞送給雅各，雅各和她同房。 24 拉班又把自己的婢女悉帕送給女兒利亞做婢女。
25 第二天早上，雅各才發現娶的是利亞，就對拉班說：「你對我做的是什麼事啊！我服侍你不就是為了拉結嗎？你為什麼騙我？」 26 拉班說：「依照本地的習俗，妹妹不能比姐姐先出嫁。 27 等這七天的婚期過了，我就把拉結也許配給你，你再替我工作七年。」
28 雅各同意了。過了七天，拉班把女兒拉結嫁給雅各， 29 又把自己的婢女辟拉送給拉結。 30 雅各也和拉結同房，他深愛拉結，勝過愛利亞。他又替拉班工作了七年。
雅各的兒女
31 耶和華看見利亞失寵，就使利亞生育，但拉結卻不生育。 32 利亞懷孕生了一個兒子，給孩子取名叫呂便[b]。她說：「耶和華看見了我的痛苦，現在我丈夫一定會愛我。」 33 她又懷孕生了一個兒子，就說：「耶和華聽見了我丈夫不愛我，所以又給我這個兒子。」於是，她給孩子取名叫西緬[c]。 34 她又再度懷孕，生了一個兒子，就說：「這次我丈夫一定會依戀我，因為我給他生了三個兒子。」於是，他給孩子取名叫利未[d]。 35 後來，利亞再次懷孕，生了一個兒子，她說：「這次我要讚美耶和華！」於是，她給孩子取名叫猶大[e]。之後，利亞停止了生育。
Genesis 29
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 29
The Wedding for Which Jacob Slaved.[a] 1 Jacob set out on his journey and traveled to the lands of the east. 2 He saw a well in the countryside and three flocks of sheep lying beside it. The flocks would drink at this well, but the stone over the mouth of the well was very large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and the sheep would drink there. They would then replace the stone over the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They said, “We are from Haran.”
5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?”
They said, “We know him.”
6 He said to them, “Is he well?”
They answered, “Yes, and here comes his daughter Rachel with his flock.”
7 He continued, “It is still early; it is not yet the time to gather the sheep together. Give the sheep something to drink and then go and pasture them.”
8 They said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together. Then we will roll the stone away from the mouth of the well and have the flocks drink.”
9 He was still speaking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, together with the sheep of his uncle Laban, he got up and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and gave water to the sheep of his uncle Laban. 11 Jacob then kissed Rachel and wept aloud. 12 He revealed to Rachel that he was a relative of her father, for he was the son of Rebekah. So she ran to tell her father.
13 When Laban heard about Jacob, the son of his sister, he ran to meet him. He embraced him, kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all about what had happened to him. 14 Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”
Jacob lived with him for a month. 15 Then Laban said to him, “Just because you are my relative, should you be working for me without a salary? Tell me what you want as your salary.”
16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older was named Leah and the younger was named Rachel. 17 Leah had sad[b] eyes, while Rachel was very beautiful and lovely. 18 Because of this, Jacob loved Rachel. He therefore said, “I will serve you for seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.”
19 Laban answered, “I prefer to give her to you rather than to a stranger. Stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served him for seven years for Rachel. He was so in love with her that it seemed only a few days.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is completed and I wish to marry her.”
22 Laban gathered all the men of that place and threw a banquet. 23 When it was the evening, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him and he married her. 24 Laban gave his own slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a slave.
25 When morning came, behold, it was Leah! Jacob said to Laban, “What have you done! Did I not serve you for Rachel? Why have you tricked me?”
26 Laban answered, “It is not the custom in our land to give the younger one before the older one. 27 Finish the bridal week with this one; then I will give you the other as well if you will serve me for another seven years.”
28 Jacob did this. He finished the bridal week with Leah, and then Laban gave him Rachel as his wife. 29 Laban gave his own slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a slave. 30 Jacob slept with Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he served his uncle for another seven years.
31 The Children of Jacob.[c] Now the Lord, seeing that Leah was being overlooked, opened her womb while Rachel remained barren. 32 Leah conceived and bore a son whom she named Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has seen my humiliation; surely my husband will love me now.”
33 Then she conceived another son and said, “The Lord has heard that I was ignored and he has given me this one as well.” She named him Simeon.
34 She conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time my husband will show me affection, for I have borne three sons for him.” Because of this she named him Levi.
35 She conceived once again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” For this she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
Footnotes
- Genesis 29:1 The bride was veiled throughout the entire wedding ceremony, which ended only in the darkness of the night—thus the possibility of deception. In this case, again, the substitution of one person for another is not to be judged by our standards, especially since the intentional presence of many people (v. 22) must have compelled Jacob to accept what had been done. Polygamy was not a difficulty for him, since he was following the practice of nomads, whereas Abraham had been monogamous in accord with the spirit of his native Babylonian environment. Marriage with two sisters would later be prohibited by Israelite law (Lev 18:18); this is an indication of the historicity of the story.
- Genesis 29:17 Sad: the word can also mean “delicate.”
- Genesis 29:31 Jacob had many sons, but Israelite tradition counts only twelve of them, including the last born, Benjamin (Gen 35:18), and regards them as the ancestors of the twelve tribes that make up the chosen people.
