Genesis 29
New King James Version
Jacob Meets Rachel
29 So Jacob went on his journey (A)and came to the land of the people of the East. 2 And he looked, and saw a (B)well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well’s mouth. 3 Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well’s mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well’s mouth.
4 And Jacob said to them, “My brethren, where are you from?”
And they said, “We are from (C)Haran.”
5 Then he said to them, “Do you know (D)Laban the son of Nahor?”
And they said, “We know him.”
6 So he said to them, (E)“Is he well?”
And they said, “He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel (F)is coming with the sheep.”
7 Then he said, “Look, it is still [a]high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.”
8 But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.”
9 Now while he was still speaking with them, (G)Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 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 (H)rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. 11 Then Jacob (I)kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was (J)her father’s relative and that he was Rebekah’s son. (K)So she ran and told her father.
13 Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister’s son, that (L)he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, (M)“Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him for a month.
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, (N)what should your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were [b]delicate, but Rachel was (O)beautiful of form and appearance.
18 Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, (P)“I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.”
19 And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.” 20 So Jacob (Q)served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may (R)go in to her.” 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and (S)made a feast. 23 Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 And Laban gave his maid (T)Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. 25 So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you (U)deceived me?”
26 And Laban said, “It must not be done so in our [c]country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 (V)Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.”
28 Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. 29 And Laban gave his maid (W)Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid. 30 Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also (X)loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban (Y)still another seven years.
The Children of Jacob
31 When the Lord (Z)saw that Leah was [d]unloved, He (AA)opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32 So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name [e]Reuben; for she said, “The Lord has surely (AB)looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.” 33 Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am [f]unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name [g]Simeon. 34 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called [h]Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name (AC)Judah.[i] Then she stopped bearing.
Footnotes
- Genesis 29:7 early in the day
- Genesis 29:17 Or weak
- Genesis 29:26 Lit. place
- Genesis 29:31 Lit. hated
- Genesis 29:32 Lit. See, a Son
- Genesis 29:33 Lit. hated
- Genesis 29:33 Lit. Heard
- Genesis 29:34 Lit. Attached
- Genesis 29:35 Lit. Praise
Genesis 29
New Life Version
Jacob Finds Laban
29 Then Jacob went on his way and came to the land of the people of the east. 2 He looked up and saw a well in the field where three flocks of sheep were lying beside it. The people gave water to the flocks from that well. The stone covering the top of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the men would roll the stone from the top of the well. Then after giving water to the sheep, they would put the stone again in its place on top 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 asked them, “Is he well?” They said, “He is well. And see, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.” 7 Jacob said, “See, the sun is still high. It is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Give water to the sheep, and return them to their field.” 8 But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered and they roll the stone from the top of the well. Then we will give the sheep water.”
9 He was still talking with them when Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she cared for them. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother’s brother Laban, Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the top of the well. And he gave water to the flock of his mother’s brother Laban. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to cry for joy. 12 Jacob told Rachel that he was of her father’s family, the son of Rebekah. And she ran and told her father.
13 When Laban heard the news of his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him. He put his arms around him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Then Jacob told Laban all these things. 14 Laban said to him, “For sure you are my bone and my flesh.” And Jacob stayed with him a month.
Jacob Works for Laban
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are one of my family, should you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what do you want to be paid?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older one was Leah, and the name of the younger one was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were weak. But Rachel was beautiful in body and face. 18 Jacob loved Rachel. So he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to another man. Stay with me.” 20 So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel. It was only like a few days to him, because of his love for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife so I may go in to her. For my time is finished.” 22 And Laban gathered all the men of the place together, and made a special supper. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah to him. Jacob went in to her. 24 Laban also took Zilpah, a woman who served him, and gave her to his daughter Leah, to serve her.
25 When the morning came, Jacob saw that it was Leah. He said to Laban, “What have you done to me? Did I not work for you for Rachel? Why have you fooled me?” 26 Laban said, “It is not allowed in our country to give the younger in marriage before the first-born. 27 Complete the wedding week of this one. Then we will give you the other one also if you work for me seven years more.” 28 Jacob did so and completed her wedding week. And Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. 29 Laban also took Bilhah, a woman who served him, and gave her to his daughter Rachel, to serve her. 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also. He loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban seven years more.
Jacob’s Children
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, He made her able to give birth. But Rachel could not give birth. 32 Leah was able to have a child and she gave birth to a son. She gave him the name Reuben. For she said, “The Lord has seen my trouble. Now my husband will love me.” 33 Then she was going to have another child and she gave birth to a son. She said, “The Lord has given me this son also, because He has heard that I am not loved.” So she gave him the name Simeon. 34 She was going to have another child and she gave birth to a son. She said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me because I have given birth to his three sons.” So she gave him the name Levi. 35 She was going to have another child and she gave birth to a son. And she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she gave him the name of Judah. Then she stopped giving birth.
Genesis 29
English Standard Version
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
29 Then Jacob went on his journey and came to (A)the land of the people of the east. 2 As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well's mouth was large, 3 and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where do you come from?” They said, (B)“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 it well with him?” They said, “It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!” 7 He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, pasture them.” 8 But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”
9 While he was still speaking with them, (C)Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was (D)her father's kinsman, and that he was Rebekah's son, (E)and she ran and told her father.
13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister's son, (F)he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, 14 and Laban said to him, (G)“Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” And he stayed with him a month.
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah's eyes were weak,[a] but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. 18 Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, (H)“I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” 20 So Jacob (I)served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and (J)made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave[b] (K)his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 25 And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” 26 Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 (L)Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” 28 Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 (Laban gave (M)his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban (N)for another seven years.
Jacob's Children
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was (O)hated, (P)he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben,[c] for she said, “Because the Lord (Q)has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” 33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon.[d] 34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be (R)attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.[e] 35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name (S)Judah.[f] Then she ceased bearing.
Footnotes
- Genesis 29:17 Or soft
- Genesis 29:24 Or had given; also verse 29
- Genesis 29:32 Reuben means See, a son
- Genesis 29:33 Simeon sounds like the Hebrew for heard
- Genesis 29:34 Levi sounds like the Hebrew for attached
- Genesis 29:35 Judah sounds like the Hebrew for praise
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
