¹ Jokūbas keliaudamas atėjo į rytų šalį.

² Jis pamatė šulinį ir prie jo sugulusias tris avių bandas; iš to šulinio girdydavo bandas. Ant šulinio angos buvo užristas didelis akmuo.

³ Suvarius visas bandas, atrisdavo tą akmenį nuo šulinio angos ir pagirdydavo avis, po to vėl užrisdavo tą akmenį.

⁴ Jokūbas klausė: “Broliai, iš kur jūs esate?” Tie atsakė: “Iš Charano”.

⁵ Jis vėl klausė: “Ar pažįstate Labaną, Nahoro sūnų?” Jie atsakė: “Pažįstame”.

⁶ Jis klausė: “Kaip jam sekasi?” Tie atsakė: “Gerai. Štai jo duktė achelė ateina su avimis!”

⁷ Jokūbas tarė: “Dar anksti, ne laikas suvaryti gyvulius. Pagirdykite avis ir ganykite!”

⁸ Bet jie atsakė: “Negalime, kol suvarys visas bandas ir nuris tą akmenį nuo šulinio angos. Tik tada pagirdysime avis”.

⁹ Jam bekalbant su jais, achelė atėjo su savo tėvo avimis, kurias ji ganė.

¹⁰ Jokūbas, pamatęs achelę, savo dėdės Labano dukterį, ir savo dėdės Labano avis, priėjęs nurito akmenį nuo šulinio angos ir pagirdė savo motinos brolio Labano avis.

¹¹ Po to Jokūbas pabučiavo achelę ir balsu pravirko.

¹² Jokūbas pasisakė jai esąs jos tėvo brolis, ebekos sūnus. Ta nubėgusi pranešė tėvui.

¹³ Labanas, išgirdęs žinią apie savo sesers sūnų Jokūbą, atbėgo jo pasitikti; jį apkabinęs ir pabučiavęs, nusivedė į savo namus, o tas viską išsipasakojo Labanui.

¹⁴ Labanas jam tarė: “Tikrai tu esi mano kūnas ir mano kaulas!” Jis gyveno pas jį visą mėnesį.

¹⁵ Ir Labanas tarė Jokūbui: “Ar dėl to, kad esi mano brolis, turėtum man veltui tarnauti? Pasakyk, kuo tau atlyginti?”

¹⁶ Labanas turėjo dvi dukteris: vyresnioji vardu Lėja, o jaunesnioji­ achelė.

¹⁷ Lėjos akys buvo silpnos, o achelė buvo gražaus veido ir dailios išvaizdos.

¹⁸ Jokūbas pamilo achelę ir pasakė: “Aš tau tarnausiu septynerius metus už jaunesniąją dukterį achelę”.

¹⁹ Labanas atsakė: “Mieliau aš ją duosiu tau negu kitam. Lik pas mane!”

²⁰ Jokūbas tarnavo už achelę septynerius metus. Kadangi jis mylėjo ją, jam tas laikas atrodė kaip kelios dienos.

²¹ Po to Jokūbas tarė Labanui: “Duok man mano žmoną, nes atėjo laikas, kad pas ją įeičiau!”

²² Labanas sukvietė visus tos vietovės žmones ir iškėlė puotą.

²³ Vakare jis įvedė savo dukterį Lėją pas jį, ir jis įėjo pas ją.

²⁴ Labanas davė Lėjai savo tarnaitę Zilpą.

²⁵ ytui išaušus, pasirodė, kad tai buvo Lėja. Tada jis tarė Labanui: “Ką man padarei! Ar ne už achelę tarnavau? Kam tad mane apgavai?”

²⁶ Labanas atsakė: “Mūsų krašte taip nedaro, kad išleistų jaunesniąją anksčiau už vyresniąją.

²⁷ Pabaik šią savaitę, po to duosiu tau achelę, už kurią tarnausi dar kitus septynerius metus!”

²⁸ Jokūbas sutiko ir pabaigė tą savaitę. Tada Labanas davė jam savo dukterį achelę už žmoną.

²⁹ Labanas davė savo dukteriai achelei tarnaitę Bilhą.

³⁰ Jis įėjo ir pas achelę ir mylėjo ją labiau už Lėją; ir tarnavo dar kitus septynerius metus.

³¹ Viešpats matydamas, kad Jokūbas Lėjos nemylėjo, padarė ją vaisingą, o achelę­nevaisingą.

³² Lėja pastojo ir pagimdė sūnų, kurį pavadino ubenu, nes ji sakė: “Viešpats atsižvelgė į mano sielvartą; dabar mane mylės mano vyras”.

³³ Ji pagimdė kitą sūnų ir tarė: “Kadangi Viešpats išgirdo, kad manęs nemyli, Jis davė man dar ir šitą”. Ji pavadino jį Simeonu.

³⁴ Po to ji vėl pagimdė sūnų ir tarė: “Dabar mano vyras prisiriš prie manęs, nes aš jam pagimdžiau tris sūnus”. Todėl ji pavadino jį Leviu.

³⁵ Ji vėl pastojo ir pagimdė sūnų, ir tarė: “Dabar šlovinsiu Viešpatį”. Todėl ji pavadino jį Judu. Po to ji liovėsi gimdžiusi.

¹ Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east.

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 large.

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 said to them, "My relatives, where are you from?" They said, "We are from Haran."

⁵ He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?" They said, "We know him."

⁶ He said to them, "Is it well with him?" They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."

⁷ He said, "Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."

⁸ 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 he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them.

¹⁰ 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 Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

¹² Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

¹³ 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 to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." He lived with him for a month.

¹⁵ 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 name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

¹⁷ Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive.

¹⁸ Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

¹⁹ 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 served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.

²¹ Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."

²² Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

²³ It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her.

²⁴ Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid.

²⁵ 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 said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.

²⁷ 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 did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.

²⁹ Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her handmaid.

³⁰ He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

³¹ Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

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 conceived again, and bore 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 She conceived again, and bore 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 She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.