28 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. ² Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother. ³ And ^[a]God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a company of peoples; ⁴ and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land of thy sojournings, which God gave unto Abraham. ⁵ And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Paddan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the ^[b]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 thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan; ⁷ and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was 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 that 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 ^[c]a certain place, and tarried 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 God ascending and descending on it. ¹³ And, behold, Jehovah stood ^[d]above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; ¹⁴ and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt ^[e]spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ¹⁵ And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. ¹⁶ And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Jehovah 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 God, 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 ^[f]Beth-el: but the name of the city was Luz at the first. ²⁰ And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God 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, ^[g]and Jehovah will be my God, ²² then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

29 Then Jacob ^[h]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 thither 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 its place. ⁴ And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence are ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. ⁵ And he said unto them, Know ye 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 cometh 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 ye 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 was yet speaking 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 thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month. ¹⁵ And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? ¹⁶ And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷ And Leah’s eyes were tender; but Rachel was beautiful and well-favored. ¹⁸ And Jacob loved Rachel; and he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. ¹⁹ And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide 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 unto 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 unto her. ²⁴ And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto 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 thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled 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 thee the other also for the service which thou shalt 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 unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

³¹ And Jehovah saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. ³² And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name ^[i]Reuben: for she said, Because Jehovah hath looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me. ³³ And she conceived again, and bare a son: and said, Because Jehovah ^[j]hath heard that I am hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name ^[k]Simeon. ³⁴ And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be ^[l]joined unto me, because I have borne 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 ^[m]praise Jehovah: therefore she called his name ^[n]Judah; and she left off bearing.

30 And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she 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 God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? ³ And she said, Behold, my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; that she may bear upon my knees, and I also may ^[o]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, God hath ^[p]judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath 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 ^[q]mighty wrestlings have I ^[r]wrestled with my sister, and 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, ^[s]Fortunate! and she called his name ^[t]Gad. ¹² And Zilpah Leah’s handmaid bare Jacob a second son. ¹³ And Leah said, ^[u]Happy am I! for the daughters will call me happy: and she called his name ^[v]Asher.

¹⁴ And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found ^[w]mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes. ¹⁵ And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken away my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to-night for thy son’s mandrakes. ¹⁶ And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for I have surely hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. ¹⁷ And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob a fifth son. ¹⁸ And Leah said, God hath given me my ^[x]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, God hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband ^[y]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 God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. ²³ And she conceived, and bare a son: and said, God hath taken away my reproach: ²⁴ and she called his name Joseph, saying, Jehovah ^[z]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 mine own place, and to my country. ²⁶ Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service wherewith I have served thee. ²⁷ And Laban said unto him, If now I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry: for I have divined that Jehovah hath blessed me for thy sake. ²⁸ And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. ²⁹ And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle have fared with me. ³⁰ For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it hath ^[aa]increased unto a multitude; and Jehovah hath blessed thee ^[ab]whithersoever I turned: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also? ³¹ And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me aught: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed thy flock and keep it. ³² I will pass through all thy flock to-day, removing from thence 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 hereafter, when thou shalt come concerning my hire that is before thee: 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, I would it might be according to thy 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 betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

³⁷ And Jacob took him rods of fresh ^[ac]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 conceived 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 unto Laban’s flock. ⁴¹ And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger of the flock did conceive, 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.