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

² And he looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, lo, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. And the stone upon the well's mouth was great.

³ And thither were all the flocks gathered. And they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in its place.

⁴ And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence are ye? And they said, Of Haran are we.

⁵ And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We Know him.

⁶ 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.

⁷ 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.

⁸ 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.

⁹ While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep. For she kept them.

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

¹² 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.

¹³ 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.

¹⁴ And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month.

¹⁵ And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? Tell me, what shall thy wages be?

¹⁶ And Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

¹⁷ And Leah's eyes were tender. But Rachel was beautiful and well favored.

¹⁸ And Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.

¹⁹ And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man. Abide with me.

²⁰ And Jacob served seven years for Rachel. And they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.

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

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

²³ 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.

²⁴ And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto his daughter Leah for a handmaid.

²⁵ 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?

²⁶ And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the first-born.

²⁷ 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.

²⁸ And jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. And he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife.

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

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

³¹ And Jehovah saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb. But Rachel was barren.

³² And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben. For she said, Because Jehovah hath looked upon my affliction. For now my husband will love me.

³³ And she conceived again, and bare a son: and said, Because Jehovah hath heard that I am hated, he hath therefore given me this [son] also. And she called his name Simeon.

³⁴ And she conceived again, and bare 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.

³⁵ And she conceived again, and bare a son. And she said, This time will I praise Jehovah. Therefore she called his name Judah. And she left off bearing.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

² "Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and you shall give suburbs for the cities around them to the Levites.

³ The cities shall they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their livestock, and for their substance, and for all their animals.

⁴ "The suburbs of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits around it.

⁵ You shall measure outside of the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the midst. This shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.

⁶ "The cities which you shall give to the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to: and besides them you shall give forty-two cities.

⁷ All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities together with their suburbs.

⁸ Concerning the cities which you shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many you shall take many; and from the few you shall take few: everyone according to his inheritance which he inherits shall give of his cities to the Levites."

⁹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁰ "Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

¹¹ then you shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

¹² The cities shall be to you for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer not die, until he stands before the congregation for judgment.

¹³ The cities which you shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.

¹⁴ You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and you shall give three cities in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge.

¹⁵ For the children of Israel, and for the stranger and for the foreigner living among them, shall these six cities be for refuge; that everyone who kills any person unwittingly may flee there.

¹⁶ "'But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

¹⁷ If he struck him with a stone in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

¹⁸ Or if he struck him with a weapon of wood in the hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

¹⁹ The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death: when he meets him, he shall put him to death.

²⁰ If he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him, lying in wait, so that he died,

²¹ or in enmity struck him with his hand, so that he died; he who struck him shall surely be put to death; he is a murderer: the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death, when he meets him.

²² "'But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled on him anything without lying in wait,

²³ or with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;

²⁴ then the congregation shall judge between the striker and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances;

²⁵ and the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, where he was fled: and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

²⁶ "'But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, where he flees,

²⁷ and the avenger of blood find him outside of the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kill the manslayer; he shall not be guilty of blood,

²⁸ because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return into the land of his possession.

²⁹ "'These things shall be for a statute [and] ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

³⁰ "'Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person that he die.

³¹ "'Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death.

³² "'You shall take no ransom for him who is fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.

³³ "'So you shall not pollute the land in which you are: for blood, it pollutes the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him who shed it.

³⁴ You shall not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell: for I, Yahweh, dwell in the midst of the children of Israel.'"