¹Then Jacob got going and went to the land of the easterners. ²And he looked, and what he saw was a well in the field, and there were three flocks of sheep there lying by it, because it was from that well that they gave the flocks to drink, and there was a large stone on the opening of the well. ³When all the flocks had gathered there, the shepherds rolled away the stone from the opening of the well and gave the sheep drink, then they put the stone back on the opening of the well in its place. ⁴And Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.” ⁵Then he said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “Yes, we know him.” ⁶He then said, “Is he well?” And they said, “Yes, he is well. And look, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep.” ⁷But he said, “Look, it is still high day. It is not the time for gathering the cattle. Give the sheep drink and go to tend them.” ⁸They then said, “We can't do that until all the flocks have been gathered, and they roll away the stone on the opening of the well; then we give the sheep drink.” ⁹While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with the sheep which her father had, for she was a shepherdess. ¹⁰And 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 approached and rolled the stone away from the opening of the well, and he gave drink to the sheep of Laban the brother of his mother. ¹¹Then Jacob kissed Rachel and raised his voice and wept, ¹²and when Jacob told Rachel that he was the brother of her father, and that he was Rebekah's son, she ran and told her father. ¹³And it came to pass when Laban heard the report of Jacob his sister's son that he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him, and he brought him into his house. And he told Laban all these things. ¹⁴Then Laban said to him, “You are simply my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him for a full month. ¹⁵Then Laban said to Jacob, “Are you not my brother? So should you work for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” ¹⁶Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder one was Leah and the name of the younger one was Rachel. ¹⁷And Leah's eyes were pale, but Rachel was of an attractive figure and beautiful in appearance. ¹⁸Now Jacob loved Rachel, and he said, “I will serve you for seven years, for Rachel your younger daughter.” ¹⁹And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I give her to another man. Remain with me.” ²⁰So Jacob worked for seven years for Rachel, and they were only like a few days in his sight, with his love for her. ²¹Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days have been fulfilled, so that I may go in to her.” ²²Then Laban gathered all the men of the place and gave a banquet. ²³And it came to pass in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him, and he went in to her. ²⁴And Laban had given her Zilpah his maidservant – to Leah his daughter, as a maidservant. ²⁵Then it transpired in the morning that she was in fact Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not work for you for Rachel? So why have you deceived me?” ²⁶To which Laban said, “It is not done like that in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn. ²⁷Fulfil seven years and we will give you her as well in return for the work you will do for me, for another seven years besides.” ²⁸So Jacob did so, and he fulfilled these seven years for her, and he gave him Rachel his daughter as his wife. ²⁹Then Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his maidservant, as a maidservant for her. ³⁰And he also went in to Rachel, and he loved Rachel too, more than Leah, and he worked another seven years besides for him. ³¹Now when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. ³²And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called him Reuben, for, she said, “Because the Lord has considered my affliction, for now my husband will love me.” ³³And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, and he has given me this one too.” And she called him Simeon. ³⁴And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, “Now this time my husband will bond with me because I have borne him three sons”, which is why she called him Levi. ³⁵And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, “This time I will thank the Lord”, which is why she called him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.