The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And he said unto them: 'Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?' And they said: 'We know him.'

And he said unto them: 'Is it well with him?' And they said: 'It is well; and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.'

And he said: 'Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together; water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.'

And they said: 'We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.'

While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep; for she tended them.

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 rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son; and she ran and told her father.

And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.

And Laban said to him: 'Surely thou art my bone and my flesh.' And he abode with him the space of a month.

And Laban said unto Jacob: 'Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?'

Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

And Leah's eyes were weak; but Rachel was of beautiful form and fair to look upon.

And Jacob loved Rachel; and he said: 'I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.'

And Laban said: 'It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man; abide with me.'

And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.

And Jacob said unto Laban: 'Give me my wife, for my days are filled, that I may go in unto her.'

And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.

And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto his daughter Leah for a handmaid.

And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Laban: 'What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?'

And Laban said: 'It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the first-born.

Fulfil the week of this one, and we will give thee the other also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.'

And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week; and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife.

And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her handmaid.

And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

And the LORD saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

And Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said: 'Because the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.'

And she conceived again, and bore a son; and said: 'Because the LORD hath heard that I am hated, He hath therefore given me this son also.' And she called his name Simeon.

And she conceived again, and bore a son; and said: 'Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have borne him three sons.' Therefore was his name called Levi.

And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she said: 'This time will I praise the LORD.' Therefore she called his name Judah; and she left off bearing.

And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob: 'Give me children, or else I die.'

And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said: 'Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?'

And she said: 'Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; that she may bear upon my knees, and I also may be builded up through her.'

And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife; and Jacob went in unto her.

And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

And Rachel said: 'God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son.' Therefore called she his name Dan.

And Bilhah Rachel's handmaid conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son.

And Rachel said: 'With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed.' And she called his name Naphtali.

When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife.

And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bore Jacob a son.

And Leah said: 'Fortune is come!' And she called his name Gad.

And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bore Jacob a second son.

And Leah said: 'Happy am I! for the daughters will call me happy.' And she called his name Asher.

And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah: 'Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.'

And she said unto her: 'Is it a small matter that thou hast taken away my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also?' And Rachel said: 'Therefore he shall lie with thee to-night for thy son's mandrakes.'

And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said: 'Thou must come in unto me; for I have surely hired thee with my son's mandrakes.' And he lay with her that night.

And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.

And Leah said: 'God hath given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband. And she called his name Issachar.

And Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

And Leah said: 'God hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.' And she called his name Zebulun.

And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

And she conceived, and bore a son, and said: 'God hath taken away my reproach.'

And she called his name Joseph, saying: 'The LORD add to me another son.'

And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban: 'Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.

Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go; for thou knowest my service wherewith I have served thee.'

And Laban said unto him: 'If now I have found favour in thine eyes — I have observed the signs, and the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.'

And he said: 'Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.'

And he said unto him: 'Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle have fared with me.

For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it hath increased abundantly; and the LORD hath blessed thee whithersoever I turned. And now when shall I provide for mine own house also?'

And he said: 'What shall I give thee?' And Jacob said: 'Thou shalt not give me aught; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed thy flock and keep it.

I will pass through all thy flock to-day, removing from thence every speckled and spotted one, and every dark one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and of such shall be my hire.

So shall my righteousness witness against me hereafter, when thou shalt come to look over my hire that is before thee: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and dark among the sheep, that if found with me shall be counted stolen.'

And Laban said: 'Behold, would it might be according to thy word.'

And he removed that day the he-goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the dark ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane-tree; and peeled white streaks in them, making the white appear which was in the rods.

And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink; and they conceived when they came to drink.

And the flocks conceived at the sight of the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.

And Jacob separated the lambs — he also set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the dark in the flock of Laban — and put his own droves apart, and put them not unto Laban's flock.

And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger of the flock did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods;

but when the flock were feeble, he put them not in; so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and asses.

And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying: 'Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this wealth.'

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as beforetime.

And the LORD said unto Jacob: 'Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.'

And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,

and said unto them: 'I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as beforetime; but the God of my father hath been with me.

And ye know that with all my power I have served your father.

And your father hath mocked me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.

If he said thus: The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said thus: The streaked shall be thy wages; then bore all the flock streaked.

Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.

And it came to pass at the time that the flock conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled.

And the angel of God said unto me in the dream: Jacob; and I said: Here am I.

And he said: Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.

I am the God of Beth-el, where thou didst anoint a pillar, where thou didst vow a vow unto Me. Now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity.'

And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him: 'Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

Are we not accounted by him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our price.

For all the riches which God hath taken away from our father, that is ours and our children's. Now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.'

Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels;

and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan.

Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father's.

And Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, in that he told him not that he fled.

So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.

And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.

And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and he overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.

And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night, and said unto him: 'Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.'

And Laban came up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain; and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountain of Gilead.

And Laban said to Jacob: 'What hast thou done, that thou hast outwitted me, and carried away my daughters as though captives of the sword?