New International Version NIV
New Century Version NCV
1 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.
1
Then Jacob continued his journey and came to the land of the people of the East.
2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large.
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He looked and saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying nearby, because they drank water from this well. A large stone covered the mouth of the well.
3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.
3
When all the flocks would gather there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place.
4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?” “We’re from Harran,” they replied.
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Jacob said to the shepherds there, "My brothers, where are you from?" They answered, "We are from Haran."
5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” “Yes, we know him,” they answered.
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Then Jacob asked, "Do you know Laban, grandson of Nahor?" They answered, "We know him."
6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?” “Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”
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Then Jacob asked, "How is he?" They answered, "He is well. Look, his daughter Rachel is coming now with his sheep."
7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”
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Jacob said, "But look, it is still the middle of the day. It is not time for the sheep to be gathered for the night, so give them water and let them go back into the pasture."
8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”
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But they said, "We cannot do that until all the flocks are gathered. Then we will roll away the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep."
9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd.
9
While Jacob was talking with the shepherds, Rachel came with her father's sheep, because it was her job to care for the sheep.
10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep.
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When Jacob saw Laban's daughter Rachel and Laban's sheep, he went to the well and rolled the stone from its mouth and watered Laban's sheep. Now Laban was the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's mother.
11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud.
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Then Jacob kissed Rachel and cried.
12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.
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He told her that he was from her father's family and that he was the son of Rebekah. So Rachel ran home and told her father.
13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things.
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When Laban heard the news about his sister's son Jacob, he ran to meet him. Laban hugged him and kissed him and brought him to his house, where Jacob told Laban everything that had happened.
14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month,
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Then Laban said, "You are my own flesh and blood." Jacob stayed there a month.
15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”
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Then Laban said to Jacob, "You are my relative, but it is not right for you to work for me without pay. What would you like me to pay you?"
16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
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Now Laban had two daughters. The older was Leah, and the younger was Rachel.
17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful.
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Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was very beautiful.
18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”
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Jacob loved Rachel, so he said to Laban, "Let me marry your younger daughter Rachel. If you will, I will work seven years for you."
19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.”
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Laban said, "It would be better for her to marry you than someone else, so stay here with me."
20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.
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So Jacob worked for Laban seven years so he could marry Rachel. But they seemed like just a few days to him because he loved Rachel very much.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”
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After seven years Jacob said to Laban, "Give me Rachel so that I may marry her. The time I promised to work for you is over."
22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.
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So Laban gave a feast for all the people there.
23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her.
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That evening he brought his daughter Leah to Jacob, and they had sexual relations.
24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.
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(Laban gave his slave girl Zilpah to his daughter to be her servant.)
25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”
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In the morning when Jacob saw that he had had sexual relations with Leah, he said to Laban, "What have you done to me? I worked hard for you so that I could marry Rachel! Why did you trick me?"
26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.
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Laban said, "In our country we do not allow the younger daughter to marry before the older daughter.
27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”
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But complete the full week of the marriage ceremony with Leah, and I will give you Rachel to marry also. But you must serve me another seven years."
28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.
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So Jacob did this, and when he had completed the week with Leah, Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.
29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.
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(Laban gave his slave girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.)
30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.
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So Jacob had sexual relations with Rachel also, and Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Jacob worked for Laban for another seven years.
31 When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.
31
When the Lord saw that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, he made it possible for Leah to have children, but not Rachel.
32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”
32
Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, because she said, "The Lord has seen my troubles. Surely now my husband will love me."
33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.
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Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeonn and said, "The Lord has heard that I am not loved, so he has given me this son."
34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.
34
Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Levin and said, "Now, surely my husband will be close to me, because I have given him three sons."
35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
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Then Leah gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, because she said, "Now I will praise the Lord." Then Leah stopped having children.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.