Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 Jacob continued on his way and went toward the land of the East.
1
Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east.
2 Suddenly he came upon a well out in the fields with three flocks of sheep lying around it. The flocks were watered from this well, which had a large stone over the opening.
2
He looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well's mouth was great.
3 Whenever all the flocks came together there, the shepherds would roll the stone back and water them. Then they would put the stone back in place.
3
There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well's mouth in its place.
4 Jacob asked the shepherds, "My friends, where are you from?" "From Haran," they answered.
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Jacob said to them, "My relatives, where are you from?" They said, "We are from Haran."
5 He asked, "Do you know Laban, grandson of Nahor?" "Yes, we do," they answered.
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He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?" They said, "We know him."
6 "Is he well?" he asked. "He is well," they answered. "Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with his flock."
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He said to them, "Is it well with him?" They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."
7 Jacob said, "Since it is still broad daylight and not yet time to bring the flocks in, why don't you water them and take them back to pasture?"
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He said, "Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the cattle together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."
8 They answered, "We can't do that until all the flocks are here and the stone has been rolled back; then we will water the flocks."
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They said, We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep."
9 While Jacob was still talking with them, Rachel arrived with the flock.
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While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them.
10 When Jacob saw Rachel with his uncle Laban's flock, he went to the well, rolled the stone back, and watered the sheep.
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It happened, 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 rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.
11 Then he kissed her and began to cry for joy.
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Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
12 He told her, "I am your father's relative, the son of Rebecca." She ran to tell her father;
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Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.
13 and when he heard the news about his nephew Jacob, he ran to meet him, hugged him and kissed him, and brought him into the house. When Jacob told Laban everything that had happened,
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It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.
14 Laban said, "Yes, indeed, you are my own flesh and blood." Jacob stayed there a whole month.
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Laban said to him, Surely you are my bone and my flesh. He lived with him for a month.
15 Laban said to Jacob, "You shouldn't work for me for nothing just because you are my relative. How much pay do you want?"
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Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"
16 Laban had two daughters; the older was named Leah, and the younger Rachel.
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Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
17 Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful.
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Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful and well favored.
18 Jacob was in love with Rachel, so he said, "I will work seven years for you, if you will let me marry Rachel."
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Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."
19 Laban answered, "I would rather give her to you than to anyone else; stay here with me."
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Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."
20 Jacob worked seven years so that he could have Rachel, and the time seemed like only a few days to him, because he loved her.
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Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, "The time is up; let me marry your daughter."
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Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."
22 So Laban gave a wedding feast and invited everyone.
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Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
23 But that night, instead of Rachel, he took Leah to Jacob, and Jacob had intercourse with her
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It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her.
24 (Laban gave his slave woman Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maid.)
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Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid.
25 Not until the next morning did Jacob discover that it was Leah. He went to Laban and said, "Why did you do this to me? I worked to get Rachel. Why have you tricked me?"
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It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"
26 Laban answered, "It is not the custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older.
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Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the first born.
27 Wait until the week's marriage celebrations are over, and I will give you Rachel, if you will work for me another seven years."
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Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years."
28 Jacob agreed, and when the week of marriage celebrations was over, Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife
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Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.
29 (Laban gave his slave woman Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid.)
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Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her handmaid.
30 Jacob had intercourse with Rachel also, and he loved her more than Leah. Then he worked for Laban another seven years.
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He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was loved less than Rachel, he made it possible for her to have children, but Rachel remained childless.
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Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.
32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She said, "The Lord has seen my trouble, and now my husband will love me"; so she named him Reuben.
32
Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me."
33 She became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, "The Lord has given me this son also, because he heard that I was not loved"; so she named him Simeon.
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She conceived again, and bare a son, and said, "Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also." She named him Simeon.
34 Once again she became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She said, "Now my husband will be bound more tightly to me, because I have borne him three sons"; so she named him Levi.
34
She conceived again, and bare a son. Said, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore was his name called Levi.
35 Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, "This time I will praise the Lord"; so she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
35
She conceived again, and bare a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.