¹ ثم رفع يعقوب رجليه وذهب الى ارض بني المشرق.

² ونظر واذا في الحقل بئر وهناك ثلاثة قطعان غنم رابضة عندها. لانهم كانوا من تلك البئر يسقون القطعان. والحجر على فم البئر كان كبيرا.

³ فكان يجتمع الى هناك جميع القطعان فيدحرجون الحجر عن فم البئر ويسقون الغنم. ثم يردون الحجر على فم البئر الى مكانه.

⁴ فقال لهم يعقوب يا اخوتي من اين انتم. فقالوا نحن من حاران.

⁵ فقال لهم هل تعرفون لابان ابن ناحور. فقالوا نعرفه.

⁶ فقال لهم هل له سلامة. فقالوا له سلامة. وهوذا راحيل ابنته آتية مع الغنم.

⁷ فقال هوذا النهار بعد طويل. ليس وقت اجتماع المواشي. اسقوا الغنم واذهبوا ارعوا.

⁸ فقالوا لا نقدر حتى تجتمع جميع القطعان ويدحرجوا الحجر عن فم البئر. ثم نسقي الغنم

⁹ واذ هو بعد يتكلم معهم اتت راحيل مع غنم ابيها. لانها كانت ترعى.

¹⁰ فكان لما ابصر يعقوب راحيل بنت لابان خاله وغنم لابان خاله ان يعقوب تقدم ودحرج الحجر عن فم البئر وسقى غنم لابان خاله.

¹¹ وقبّل يعقوب راحيل ورفع صوته وبكى.

¹² واخبر يعقوب راحيل انه اخو ابيها وانه ابن رفقة. فركضت واخبرت اباها.

¹³ فكان حين سمع لابان خبر يعقوب ابن اخته انه ركض للقائه وعانقه وقبّله وأتى به الى بيته. فحدّث لابان بجميع هذه الامور.

¹⁴ فقال له لابان انما انت عظمي ولحمي. فاقام عنده شهرا من الزمان

¹⁵ ثم قال لابان ليعقوب ألانك اخي تخدمني مجّانا. اخبرني ما اجرتك.

¹⁶ وكان للابان ابنتان اسم الكبرى ليئة واسم الصغرى راحيل.

¹⁷ وكانت عينا ليئة ضعيفتين. واما راحيل فكانت حسنة الصورة وحسنة المنظر.

¹⁸ واحب يعقوب راحيل. فقال اخدمك سبع سنين براحيل ابنتك الصغرى.

¹⁹ فقال لابان ان اعطيك اياها احسن من ان اعطيها لرجل آخر. أقم عندي.

²⁰ فخدم يعقوب براحيل سبع سنين. وكانت في عينيه كايام قليلة بسبب محبته لها

²¹ ثم قال يعقوب للابان اعطني امرأتي لان ايامي قد كملت فادخل عليها.

²² فجمع لابان جميع اهل المكان وصنع وليمة.

²³ وكان في المساء انه اخذ ليئة ابنته واتى بها اليه. فدخل عليها.

²⁴ واعطى لابان زلفة جاريته لليئة ابنته جارية.

²⁵ وفي الصباح اذا هي ليئة. فقال للابان ما هذا الذي صنعت بي. أليس براحيل خدمت عندك. فلماذا خدعتني.

²⁶ فقال لابان لا يفعل هكذا في مكاننا ان تعطى الصغيرة قبل البكر.

²⁷ اكمل اسبوع هذه فنعطيك تلك ايضا بالخدمة التي تخدمني ايضا سبع سنين أخر.

²⁸ ففعل يعقوب هكذا. فاكمل اسبوع هذه. فاعطاه راحيل ابنته زوجة له.

²⁹ واعطى لابان راحيل ابنته بلهة جاريته جارية لها.

³⁰ فدخل على راحيل ايضا. واحب ايضا راحيل اكثر من ليئة. وعاد فخدم عنده سبع سنين أخر

³¹ ورأى الرب ان ليئة مكروهة ففتح رحمها. واما راحيل فكانت عاقرا.

³² فحبلت ليئة وولدت ابنا ودعت اسمه رأوبين. لانها قالت ان الرب قد نظر الى مذّلتي. انه الآن يحبني رجلي.

³³ وحبلت ايضا وولدت ابنا وقالت ان الرب قد سمع اني مكروهة فاعطاني هذا ايضا. فدعت اسمه شمعون.

³⁴ وحبلت ايضا وولدت ابنا. وقالت الآن هذه المرة يقترن بي رجلي. لاني ولدت له ثلاثة بنين. لذلك دعي اسمه لاوي.

³⁵ وحبلت ايضا وولدت ابنا وقالت هذه المرة احمد الرب. لذلك دعت اسمه يهوذا. ثم توقفت عن الولادة

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.