Genesis 29:1-14

Evangelical Heritage Version

Jacob and Laban

29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east.^[a]

² He looked around and noticed a well in the field, and he saw three flocks of sheep lying there beside it. (That well was used to water the flocks. There was a large stone over the mouth of the well. ³ All the flocks would gather there. Then the shepherds would roll the stone away from the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well.)

⁴ Jacob said to the men waiting there, “My brothers, where are you from?”

They said, “We are from Haran.”

⁵ He said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson of Nahor?”

They said, “We know him.”

⁶ He said to them, “Is he doing well?”

They said, “He is. Look, there is his daughter Rachel, coming with the sheep.”

⁷ He said, “Look, it is still the middle of the day. It is not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep and go pasture them.”

⁸ They said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well. Then we water the sheep.”

⁹ While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep because she took care of them. ¹⁰ When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, Jacob went up, rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of Laban, his mother’s brother. ¹¹ Jacob kissed Rachel and wept loudly. ¹² Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s relative and that he was Rebekah’s son. She ran and told her father.

¹³ When Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet Jacob. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob repeated all these things to Laban. ¹⁴ Laban said to him, “Certainly you are my own flesh and blood.”^[b]

Jacob lived with him for a month.