Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram

29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.^{(A) 2} There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well.^(B) The stone^(C) over the mouth of the well was large. ³ When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone^(D) away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep.^(E) Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

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

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

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

“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^(I) with the sheep.^(J)”

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^(K) has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water^(L) the sheep.”

⁹ While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep,^(M) for she was a shepherd. ¹⁰ When Jacob saw Rachel^(N) daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone^(O) away from the mouth of the well and watered^(P) his uncle’s sheep.^{(Q) 11} Then Jacob kissed^(R) Rachel and began to weep aloud.^{(S) 12} He had told Rachel that he was a relative^(T) of her father and a son of Rebekah.^(U) So she ran and told her father.^(V)

¹³ As soon as Laban^(W) heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him^(X) 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.”^(Y)

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month,

¹⁰ Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels^(A) loaded with all kinds of good things^(B) from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim^[a](C) and made his way to the town of Nahor.^{(D) 11} He had the camels kneel down near the well^(E) outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.^(F)

¹² Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham,^(G) make me successful^(H) today, and show kindness^(I) to my master Abraham. ¹³ See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.^{(J) 14} May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink,^(K) and I’ll water your camels too’^(L)—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac.^(M) By this I will know^(N) that you have shown kindness to my master.”

¹⁵ Before he had finished praying,^(O) Rebekah^(P) came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel^(Q) son of Milkah,^(R) who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.^{(S) 16} The woman was very beautiful,^(T) a virgin;^(U) no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

¹⁷ The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”^(V)

¹⁸ “Drink,^(W) my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

¹⁹ After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels^(X) too,^(Y) until they have had enough to drink.” ²⁰ So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.^{(Z) 21} Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.^(AA)

²² When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring^(AB) weighing a beka^[b] and two gold bracelets^(AC) weighing ten shekels.^{[c] 23} Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you?^(AD) Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?^(AE)”

²⁴ She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.^(AF)” ²⁵ And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder,^(AG) as well as room for you to spend the night.”

²⁶ Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord,^{(AH) 27} saying, “Praise be to the Lord,^(AI) the God of my master Abraham,^(AJ) who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness^(AK) to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey^(AL) to the house of my master’s relatives.”^(AM)

²⁸ The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.^{(AN) 29} Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban,^(AO) and he hurried out to the man at the spring. ³⁰ As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms,^(AP) and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. ³¹ “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord,”^(AQ) he said. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

³² So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder^(AR) were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet.^(AS)