¹ Then Jacob went on in his journey, and came into the east country.

² And he saw a well in the field, and three flocks of sheep lying by it: for the beasts were watered out of it, and the mouth thereof was closed with a great stone.

³ And the custom was, when all the sheep were gathered together to roll away the stone, and after the sheep were watered, to put it on the mouth of the well again.

⁴ And he said to the shepherds: Brethren, whence are you? They answered: Of Haran.

⁵ And he asked them, saying: Know you Laban the son of Nachor? They said: We Know him.

⁶ He said: Is he in health? He is in health, say they: and behold Rachel his daughter cometh with his flock.

⁷ And Jacob said: There is yet much day remaining, neither is it time to bring the flocks into the folds again: first give the sheep drink, and so lead them back to feed.

⁸ They answered: We cannot, till all the cattle be gathered together, and we remove the stone from the well's mouth, that we may water the flocks.

⁹ They were yet speaking, and behold Rachel came with her father's sheep: for she fed the flock.

¹⁰ And when Jacob saw her, and knew her to be his cousin-german, and that they were the sheep of Laban, his uncle: he removed the stone wherewith the well was closed.

¹¹ And having watered the flock, he kissed her: and lifting up his voice, wept.

¹² And he told her that he was her father's brother, and the son of Rebecca: but she went in haste and told her father.

¹³ Who, when he heard that Jacob his sister's son was come, ran forth to meet him; and embracing him, and heartily kissing him, brought him into his house. And when he had heard the causes of his journey,

¹⁴ He answered: Thou art my bone and my flesh. And after the days of one month were expired,

¹⁵ He said to him: Because thou art my brother, shalt thou serve me without wages? Tell me what wages thou wilt have.

¹⁶ Now he had two daughters, the name of the elder was Lia: and the younger was called Richel.

¹⁷ But Lia was blear eyed: Rachel was well favoured, and of a beautiful countenance.

¹⁸ And Jacob being in love with her, said: I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.

¹⁹ Lahan answered: It is better that I give her thee than to another man; stay with me.

²⁰ So Jacob served seven years for Rachel: and they seemed but a few days, because of the greatness of his love.

²¹ And he said to Laban: Give me my wife; for now the time is fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.

²² And he, having invited a great number of his friends to the feast, made the marriage.

²³ And at night he brought in Lia his daughter to him,

²⁴ Giving his daughter a handmaid, named Zalpha. Now when Jacob had gone in to her according to custom when morning was come he saw it was Lia:

²⁵ And he said to his father in law: What is it that thou didst mean to do? did not I serve thee for Rachel? why hast thou deceived me?

²⁶ Laban answered: It is not the custom in this place, to give the younger in marriage first.

²⁷ Make up the week of days of this match: and I will give thee her also, for the service that thou shalt render me other seven years.

²⁸ He yielded to his pleasure: and after the week was past, he married Rachel:

²⁹ To whom her father gave Bala for her servant.

³⁰ And having at length obtained the marriage he wished for, he preferred the love of the latter before the former, and served with him other seven years.

³¹ And the Lord seeing that he despised Lia, opened her womb, but her sister remained barren.

³² And she conceived and bore a son, and called his name Ruben, saying: The Lord saw my affliction: now my husband will love me.

³³ And again she conceived and bore a son, and said: Because the Lord heard that I was despised, he hath given this also to me: and she called his name Simeon.

³⁴ And she conceived the third time, and bore another son: and said: Now also my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons: and therefore she called hi sname Levi.

³⁵ The fourth time she conceived and bore a son, and said: now will I praise the Lord: and for this she called him Juda. And she left bearing.

¹ In the meantime God said to Jacob: Arise, and go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar to God, who appeared to thee when thou didst flee from Esau thy brother.

² And Jacob having called together all his household, said: Cast away the strange gods that are among you, and be cleansed and change your garments.

³ Arise, and let us go up to Bethel, that we may make there an altar to God: who heard me in the day of my affliction, and accompanied me in my journey.

⁴ So they gave him all the strange gods they had, and the earrings which were in their ears: and he buried them under the turpentine tree, that is behind the city of Sichem.

⁵ And when they were departed, the terror of God fell upon all the cities round about, and they durst not pursue after them as they went away.

⁶ And Jacob came to Luza, which is in the land of Chanaan, surnamed Bethel: he and all the people that were with him.

⁷ And he built there an altar, and called the name of that place, The house of God: for there God appeared to him when he fled from his brother.

⁸ At the same time Debora the nurse of Rebecca died, and was buried at the foot of Bethel under an oak: and the name of that place was called, The oak of weeping.

⁹ And God appeared again to Jacob, after he returned from Mesopotamia of Syria, and he blessed him,

¹⁰ Saying: Thou shalt not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. And he called him Israel.

¹¹ And said to him: I am God Almighty, increase thou and be multiplied. Nations and peoples of Nations shall be from thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins.

¹² And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to thee, and to thy seed after thee.

¹³ And he departed from him.

¹⁴ But he set up a monument of stone, in the place where God had spoken to him: pouring drink offerings upon it, and pouring oil thereon:

¹⁵ And calling the name of that place Bethel.

¹⁶ And going forth from thence, he came in the springtime to the land which leadeth to Ephrata: wherein when Rachel was in travail,

¹⁷ By reason of her hard labor she began to be in danger, and the midwife said to her: Fear not, for thou shalt have this son also.

¹⁸ And when her soul was departing for pain, and death was now at hand, she called the name of her son Benoni, that is, The son of my pain: but his father called him Benjamin, that is, The son of the right hand.

¹⁹ So Rachel died, and was buried in the highway that leadeth to Ephrata, that is Bethlehem.

²⁰ And Jacob erected a pillar over her sepulcher: this is the pillar of Rachel's monument, to this day.

²¹ Departing thence, he pitched his tent beyond the Flock tower.

²² And when he dwelt in that country, Ruben went, and slept with Bala, the concubine of his father: which he was not ignorant of. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.

²³ The sons of Lia: Ruben the firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Juda, and Issachar, and Zebulon.

²⁴ The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

²⁵ The sons of Bala, Rachel's handmaid: Dan and Naphthali.

²⁶ The sons of Zelpha, Lia's handmaid: Gad and Aser: these are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Mesopotamia of Syria.

²⁷ And he came to Isaac his father in Mambre, the city of Arbee, this is Hebron: Wherein Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

²⁸ And the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years.

²⁹ And being spent with age he died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.