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.