Genesis 29-31

New International Reader's Version

Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram

29 Then Jacob continued on his journey. He came to the land where the eastern tribes lived. ² There he saw a well in the open country. Three flocks of sheep were lying near it. The flocks were given water from the well. The stone over the opening of the well was large. ³ All the flocks would gather there. The shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s opening. They would give water to the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the opening of the well.

⁴ Jacob asked the shepherds, “My friends, where are you from?”

“We’re from Harran,” they replied.

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

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

⁶ Then Jacob asked them, “How is he?”

“He’s fine,” they said. “Here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

⁷ “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high in the sky. It’s not time for the flocks to be brought together. Give water to the sheep and take them back to the grasslands.”

⁸ “We can’t,” they replied. “We have to wait until all the flocks are brought together. The stone has to be rolled away from the opening of the well. Then we’ll give water to the sheep.”

⁹ He was still talking with them when Rachel came with her father’s sheep. It was her job to take care of the flock. ¹⁰ Rachel was the daughter of Laban, Jacob’s uncle. When Jacob saw Rachel with Laban’s sheep, he went over to the well. He rolled the stone away from the opening. He gave water to his uncle’s sheep. ¹¹ Jacob kissed Rachel. Then he began to cry because he was so happy. ¹² He had told Rachel he was a relative of her father. He had also said he was Rebekah’s son. Rachel ran and told her father what Jacob had said.

¹³ As soon as Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he hurried to meet him. Laban hugged Jacob and kissed him. Then Laban brought him to his home. There Jacob told him everything. ¹⁴ Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

Jacob stayed with Laban for a whole month. ¹⁵ Then Laban said to him, “You are one of my relatives. But is that any reason for you to work for me for nothing? Tell me what your pay should be.”

¹⁶ Laban had two daughters. The name of the older one was Leah. And the name of the younger one was Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah was plain, but Rachel was beautiful. She had a nice figure. ¹⁸ Jacob was in love with Rachel. He said to Laban, “I’ll work for you for seven years so I can marry your younger daughter Rachel.”

¹⁹ Laban said, “It’s better for me to give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob worked for seven years so he could marry Rachel. But they seemed like only a few days to him because he loved her so much.

²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. I’ve completed my time. I want to sleep with her.”

²² So Laban brought all the people of the place together and had a feast prepared. ²³ But when evening came, he gave his daughter Leah to Jacob. And Jacob slept with her. ²⁴ Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter as her servant.

²⁵ When Jacob woke up the next morning, there was Leah next to him! So he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? I worked for you so I could marry Rachel, didn’t I? Why did you trick me?”

²⁶ Laban replied, “It isn’t our practice here to give the younger daughter to be married before the older one. ²⁷ Complete this daughter’s wedding week. Then we’ll give you the younger one also. But you will have to work for another seven years.”

²⁸ So Jacob completed the week with Leah. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. ²⁹ Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her servant. ³⁰ Jacob slept with Rachel also. He loved Rachel more than he loved Leah. And he worked for Laban for another seven years.

Jacob Becomes the Father of Many Children

³¹ The Lord saw that Jacob didn’t love Leah as much as he loved Rachel. So he let Leah have children. But Rachel wasn’t able to have children. ³² Leah became pregnant. She had a son. She named him Reuben. She said, “The Lord has seen me suffer. Surely my husband will love me now.”

³³ She became pregnant again. She had a son. Then she said, “The Lord heard that Jacob doesn’t love me very much. That’s why the Lord gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.

³⁴ She became pregnant again. She had a son. Then she said, “Now at last my husband will value me. I have had three sons by him.” So the boy was named Levi.

³⁵ She became pregnant again. She had a son. Then she said, “This time I’ll praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

30 Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children by Jacob. So she became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

² Jacob became angry with her. He said, “Do you think I’m God? He’s the one who has kept you from having children.”

³ Then she said, “Here’s my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her so that she can have children for me. Then I too can have a family through her.”

⁴ So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her. ⁵ And Bilhah became pregnant. She had a son by him. ⁶ Then Rachel said, “God has stood up for my rights. He has listened to my prayer and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.

⁷ Rachel’s servant Bilhah became pregnant again. She had a second son by Jacob. ⁸ Then Rachel said, “I’ve had a great struggle with my sister. Now I’ve won.” So she named him Naphtali.

⁹ Leah saw that she had stopped having children. So she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ Leah’s servant Zilpah had a son by Jacob. ¹¹ Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him Gad.

¹² Leah’s servant Zilpah had a second son by Jacob. ¹³ Then Leah said, “I’m so happy! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

¹⁴ While the wheat harvest was being gathered, Reuben went out into the fields. He found some mandrake plants. He brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁵ But Leah said to her, “Isn’t it enough that you took my husband away? Are you going to take my son’s mandrakes too?”

Rachel said, “All right. Jacob can sleep with you tonight if you give me your son’s mandrakes.”

¹⁶ Jacob came in from the fields that evening. Leah went out to meet him. “You have to sleep with me tonight,” she said. “I’ve traded my son’s mandrakes for that time with you.” So he slept with her that night.

¹⁷ God listened to Leah. She became pregnant and had a fifth son by Jacob. ¹⁸ Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me because I gave my female servant to my husband.” So she named the boy Issachar.

¹⁹ Leah became pregnant again. She had a sixth son by Jacob. ²⁰ Then Leah said, “God has given me a priceless gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor. I’ve had six sons by him.” So she named the boy Zebulun.

²¹ Some time later she had a daughter. She named her Dinah.

²² Then God listened to Rachel. He showed concern for her. He made it possible for her to have children. ²³ She became pregnant and had a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” ²⁴ She said, “May the Lord give me another son.” So she named him Joseph.

Jacob Becomes the Owner of Large Flocks

²⁵ After Rachel had Joseph, Jacob spoke to Laban. He said, “Send me on my way. I want to go back to my own home and country. ²⁶ Give me my wives and children. I worked for you to get them. So I’ll be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”

²⁷ But Laban said to him, “If you are pleased with me, stay here. I’ve discovered that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” ²⁸ He continued, “Name your pay. I’ll give it to you.”

²⁹ Jacob said to him, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you. You know that your livestock has done better under my care. ³⁰ You had only a little before I came. But that little has become a lot. The Lord has blessed you everywhere I’ve been. But when can I do something for my own family?”

³¹ “What should I give you?” Laban asked.

“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “Just do one thing for me. Then I’ll go on taking care of your flocks and watching over them. ³² Let me go through all your flocks today. Let me remove every speckled or spotted sheep. Let me remove every dark-colored lamb. Let me remove every speckled or spotted goat. They will be my pay. ³³ My honesty will be a witness about me in days to come. It will be a witness every time you check on what you have paid me. Suppose I have a goat that doesn’t have speckles or spots. Or suppose I have a lamb that isn’t dark colored. Then it will be considered stolen.”

³⁴ “I agree,” said Laban. “Let’s do what you have said.” ³⁵ That same day Laban removed all the male goats that had stripes or spots. He removed all the female goats that had speckles or spots. They were the ones that had white on them. He also removed all the dark-colored lambs. He had his sons take care of them. ³⁶ Then he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob. But Jacob continued to take care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.

³⁷ Jacob took freshly cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees. He made white stripes on the branches by peeling off their bark. ³⁸ Then he placed the peeled branches in all the stone tubs where the animals drank water. He placed them there so they would be right in front of the flocks when they came to drink. The flocks were ready to mate when they came to drink. ³⁹ So they mated in front of the branches. And the flocks gave birth to striped, speckled or spotted little ones. ⁴⁰ Jacob put the little ones of the flock to one side by themselves. But he made the older ones face the striped and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. In that way, he made separate flocks for himself. He didn’t put them with Laban’s animals. ⁴¹ Every time the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the branches in the stone tubs. He would place them in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches. ⁴² But if the animals were weak, he wouldn’t place the branches there. So the weak animals went to Laban. And the strong ones went to Jacob. ⁴³ That’s how Jacob became very rich. He became the owner of large flocks. He also had many male and female servants. And he had many camels and donkeys.

Jacob Runs Away From Laban

31 Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying. “Jacob has taken everything our father owned,” they said. “He has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” ² Jacob noticed that Laban’s feelings toward him had changed.

³ Then the Lord spoke to Jacob. He said, “Go back to your father’s land and to your relatives. I will be with you.”

⁴ So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah. He told them to come out to the fields where his flocks were. ⁵ He said to them, “I see that your father’s feelings toward me have changed. But the God of my father has been with me. ⁶ You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength. ⁷ But your father has cheated me. He has changed my pay ten times. In spite of everything that’s happened, God hasn’t let him harm me. ⁸ Sometimes Laban would say, ‘The speckled ones will be your pay.’ Then all the flocks had little ones with speckles. At other times he would say, ‘The striped ones will be your pay.’ Then all the flocks had little ones with stripes. ⁹ So God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

¹⁰ “Once during the mating season I had a dream. In my dream I looked and saw male goats mating with the flock. The goats had stripes, speckles or spots. ¹¹ The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’ ¹² He said, ‘Look around you. See the male goats mating with the flock. All of them have stripes, speckles or spots. That’s because I have seen everything that Laban has been doing to you. ¹³ I am the God of Bethel. That is where you poured olive oil on a sacred stone. There you made a promise to me. Now leave this land. Go back to your own land.’ ”

¹⁴ Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share of our father’s property? ¹⁵ Doesn’t our father think of us as outsiders? First he sold us. Now he has used up what he was paid for us. ¹⁶ All the wealth God took away from our father really belongs to us and our children. So do what God has told you to do.”

¹⁷ Then Jacob put his children and wives on camels. ¹⁸ He drove all his livestock ahead of him. He also took with him everything he had acquired in Paddan Aram. He left to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

¹⁹ Laban had gone to clip the wool from his sheep. While he was gone, Rachel stole the statues of the family gods that belonged to her father. ²⁰ And that’s not all. Jacob tricked Laban, the Aramean. He didn’t tell him he was running away. ²¹ So Jacob ran off with everything he had. He crossed the Euphrates River. And he headed for the hill country of Gilead.

Laban Chases Jacob

²² On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had run away. ²³ He took his relatives with him and went after Jacob. Seven days later he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴ Then God came to Laban, the Aramean, in a dream at night. He said to him, “Be careful. Do not say anything to Jacob, whether it is good or bad.”

²⁵ Jacob had set up his tent in the hill country of Gilead. That’s where Laban caught up with him. Laban and his relatives camped there too. ²⁶ Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have tricked me. You have taken my daughters away like prisoners of war. ²⁷ Why did you run away in secret and trick me? Why didn’t you tell me? Then I could have sent you away happily. We could have sung to the music of tambourines and harps. ²⁸ You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have done a foolish thing. ²⁹ I have the power to harm you. But last night the God of your father spoke to me. He said, ‘Be careful. Do not say anything to Jacob, whether it is good or bad.’ ³⁰ Now you have run away. You longed to go back to your father’s home. But why did you have to steal the statues of my gods?”

³¹ Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid. I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. ³² But if you find anyone who has the statues of your gods, that person will not remain alive. While our relatives are watching, look for yourself. See if there’s anything of yours here with me. If you find anything belonging to you, take it.” But Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen the statues.

³³ So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and Leah’s tent. He went into the tent of their two female servants. But he didn’t find anything. After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. ³⁴ Rachel was the one who had taken the statues of Laban’s family gods. She had put them inside her camel’s saddle. She was sitting on them. Laban searched the whole tent. But he didn’t find anything.

³⁵ Rachel said to her father, “I’m sorry, sir. I can’t get up for you right now. But don’t be angry with me. I’m having my monthly period.” So he searched everywhere but couldn’t find the statues of his gods.

³⁶ Jacob was very angry with Laban. “What is my crime?” he asked. “What have I done to you that you hunt me down like this? ³⁷ You have searched through all my things. What have you found that belongs to your family? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine. Let them decide between the two of us.

³⁸ “I’ve been with you for 20 years now. The little ones of your sheep and goats were not dead when they were born. I haven’t eaten rams from your flocks. ³⁹ I didn’t bring you animals torn apart by wild beasts. I made up for the loss myself. Also, you made me pay for anything stolen by day or night. ⁴⁰ And what was my life like? The heat burned me in the daytime. And it was so cold at night that I froze. I couldn’t sleep. ⁴¹ That’s what it was like for the 20 years I was living with you. I worked for 14 years to marry your two daughters. I worked for six years to get my share of your flocks. You changed my pay ten times. ⁴² But the God of my father was with me. He is the God of Abraham and the God Isaac worshiped. If he hadn’t been with me, you would surely have sent me away without anything to show for all my work. But God has seen my hard times. He has seen all the work my hands have done. So last night he warned you.”

⁴³ Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters. The children are my children. The flocks are my flocks. Everything you see is mine. But what can I do today about these daughters of mine? What can I do about the children they’ve had? ⁴⁴ Come now. Let’s make a formal agreement, you and I. Let it be a witness between us.”

⁴⁵ So Jacob set up a stone as a way to remember. ⁴⁶ He said to his relatives, “Get some stones.” So they took stones and put them in a pile. And they ate there by it. ⁴⁷ Laban named the pile of stones Jegar Sahadutha. Jacob named it Galeed.

⁴⁸ Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness between you and me today.” That’s why it was named Galeed. ⁴⁹ It was also called Mizpah. That’s because Laban said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. ⁵⁰ Don’t treat my daughters badly. Don’t get married to any women besides my daughters. There isn’t anyone here to see what we’re doing. But remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

⁵¹ Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this pile of stones. And here is this stone I’ve set up. I’ve set them up between you and me. ⁵² This pile is a witness. And this stone is a witness. They are witnesses that I won’t go past this pile to harm you. And they are witnesses that you won’t go past this pile and this stone to harm me. ⁵³ The God of Abraham and Nahor is also the God of their father. May their God decide which of us is right.”

So Jacob made a promise using the name of the God his father Isaac worshiped. ⁵⁴ He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country. And he invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there.

⁵⁵ Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters. He gave them his blessing. Then he left and returned home.