Genesis 29:1-14

The Voice

29 Jacob continued on his journey until he came to the land of the people who lived in the east. ² As he approached, he saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying beside it because the flocks were used to being watered from the well. The stone on the well’s mouth was large; ³ and when all of the flocks were gathered, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well, give water to the sheep, and then roll the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well. ⁴ Jacob spoke to them as he approached.

⁹ While Jacob was still speaking to the shepherds, Rachel came with her father’s sheep for she, too, was a shepherd. ¹⁰ Now when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, along with Laban’s sheep, he went up to the well, rolled the stone from the well’s mouth by himself, and watered Laban’s flock. ¹¹ Then Jacob greeted Rachel with a kiss and cried for joy. ¹² Jacob told Rachel he was her father’s relative—Rebekah’s son—and she ran and told her father.

¹³ When Laban heard the news about the arrival of his sister’s son, Jacob, he ran to meet him. He hugged him and kissed him, and he brought Jacob to his house. Jacob told Laban everything.

And Jacob stayed with Laban for a month and helped out with all his livestock.