¹ Ja need on Iisraeli poegade nimed, kes olid Egiptusesse tulnud; koos Jaakobiga oli igaüks tulnud oma perega:

² Ruuben, Siimeon, Leevi, Juuda,

³ Issaskar, Sebulon, Benjamin,

⁴ Daan, Naftali, Gaad ja Aaser.

⁵ Kõiki hingi, kes Jaakobi niudeist oli lähtunud, oli seitsekümmend hinge; ja Joosep oli juba Egiptuses.

⁶ Joosep suri, samuti kõik ta vennad ja kogu see sugupõlv.

⁷ Aga Iisraeli lapsed olid viljakad, nad siginesid ja paljunesid ning said väga vägevaiks; ja maa oli neid täis.

⁸ Egiptuses tõusis uus kuningas, kes Joosepit ei tundnud,

⁹ ja see ütles oma rahvale: 'Vaata, Iisraeli laste rahvast on rohkem ja nad on meist vägevamad.

¹⁰ Olgem seepärast nende vastu kavalad, et nad ei saaks paljuneda. Sest kui peaks tulema sõda, siis nad liituvad nendega, kes meid vihkavad, ja nad sõdivad meie vastu ning lähevad maalt ära.'

¹¹ Siis nad panid nende üle teoorjusele sundijaid, et need rõhuksid neid raske teoga; vaaraole ehitati varaaitade linnu - Pitomit ja Raamsest.

¹² Aga mida rohkem nad neid rõhusid, seda rohkem neid sai ja seda laiemale nad levisid; ja Iisraeli laste ees hakati hirmu tundma.

¹³ Ja egiptlased panid väevõimuga Iisraeli lapsed töötama.

¹⁴ Nad tegid nende elu kibedaks raske orjatööga savi ja telliskivide kallal ning kõiksugu orjusega põllul, kõiksugu tööga, mida nad väevõimuga sundisid neid tegema.

¹⁵ Ja Egiptuse kuningas rääkis heebrealaste ämmaemandatega, kellest ühe nimi oli Sifra ja teise nimi Puua,

¹⁶ ning ütles: 'Kui te heebrea naisi aitate sünnitamisel ja näete sugutunnuseist, et on poeglaps, siis surmake see, aga tütarlaps võib jääda elama!'

¹⁷ Aga ämmaemandad kartsid Jumalat ega teinud nõnda, nagu Egiptuse kuningas neid käskis, vaid jätsid poeglapsed elama.

¹⁸ Siis Egiptuse kuningas kutsus ämmaemandad ja ütles neile: 'Mispärast teete nõnda ja jätate poeglapsed elama?'

¹⁹ Ja ämmaemandad vastasid vaaraole: 'Sellepärast et heebrealaste naised pole nagu egiptlaste naised, vaid nad on tublimad: enne kui ämmaemand jõuab nende juurde, on nad sünnitanud.'

²⁰ Ja Jumal tegi ämmaemandatele head; rahvas aga suurenes ja nad said väga arvurikkaks:

²¹ et ämmaemandad kartsid Jumalat, siis ta andis neile suured pered.

²² Aga vaarao andis käsu kogu oma rahvale, öeldes: 'Kõik poeglapsed, kes sünnivad, peate viskama jõkke, kõik tütarlapsed aga võite jätta elama!'

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.