Genesis 29 NLT ISV Parallel

◄ Genesis 29 ►

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1Then Jacob hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east.

1Jacob journeyed on and reached the territory that belonged to the people who lived in the east.

2He saw a well in the distance. Three flocks of sheep and goats lay in an open field beside it, waiting to be watered. But a heavy stone covered the mouth of the well.

2As he was observing a well that had been dug out on the open range, all of a sudden he noticed three flocks of sheep lying there, because shepherds watered their flocks from that well. There was a very large stone that covered the opening of the well,

3It was the custom there to wait for all the flocks to arrive before removing the stone and watering the animals. Afterward the stone would be placed back over the mouth of the well.

3and when all the flocks had been gathered there, they would roll away the stone from the opening of the well, water their flocks, and then return the stone to its place covering the opening of the well.

4Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked, “Where are you from, my friends?” “We are from Haran,” they answered.

4Jacob asked them, "My brothers, where are you from?" "We're from Haran," they answered.

5“Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?” he asked. “Yes, we do,” they replied.

5"Do you happen to know Nahor's son Laban?" he inquired. "We do," they replied.

6“Is he doing well?” Jacob asked. “Yes, he’s well,” they answered. “Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the flock now.”

6So he asked them, "How's he doing?" "Very well," they answered. "As a matter of fact, look over there! That's his daughter Rachel, coming here with his sheep."

7Jacob said, “Look, it’s still broad daylight—too early to round up the animals. Why don’t you water the sheep and goats so they can get back out to pasture?”

7"Look!" Jacob replied. "The sun is still high. It's not yet time for the flocks to be gathered. Let's water the sheep, then let them graze."

8“We can’t water the animals until all the flocks have arrived,” they replied. “Then the shepherds move the stone from the mouth of the well, and we water all the sheep and goats.”

8But they responded, "We can't do that until all the sheep have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the opening of the well. Only then can we water the flock."

9Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherd.

9While he was still talking with them, Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, since she was a shepherdess.

10And because Rachel was his cousin—the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother—and because the sheep and goats belonged to his uncle Laban, Jacob went over to the well and moved the stone from its mouth and watered his uncle’s flock.

10When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, accompanied by Laban's sheep, Jacob approached the well, rolled the stone from the opening of the well, and then watered his mother's brother Laban's flock.

11Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and he wept aloud.

11Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to cry out loud.

12He explained to Rachel that he was her cousin on her father’s side—the son of her aunt Rebekah. So Rachel quickly ran and told her father, Laban.

12Jacob told Rachel that he was related to her father, since he was Rebekah's son, so she ran and told her father.

13As soon as Laban heard that his nephew Jacob had arrived, he ran out to meet him. He embraced and kissed him and brought him home. When Jacob had told him his story,

13When Laban heard the news about his sister's son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He embraced him, kissed him, and brought him back to his house. Then Jacob told Laban about everything that had happened.

14Laban exclaimed, “You really are my own flesh and blood!” Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel After Jacob had stayed with Laban for about a month,

14Laban responded, "You certainly are my flesh and blood!" So Jacob stayed with him for about a month.

15Laban said to him, “You shouldn’t work for me without pay just because we are relatives. Tell me how much your wages should be.”

15Later, Laban asked Jacob, "Should you serve me for free, just because you're my nephew? Let's talk about what your wages should be."

16Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel.

16Now Laban happened to have two daughters. The older one was named Leah and the younger was named Rachel.

17There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face.

17Leah looked rather plain, but Rachel was lovely in form and appearance.

18Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, “I’ll work for you for seven years if you’ll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife.”

18Jacob loved Rachel, so he made this offer to Laban: "I'll serve you for seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

19“Agreed!” Laban replied. “I’d rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me.”

19"It's better that I give her to you than to another man," Laban replied, "so stay with me."

20So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.

20Jacob served seven years for Rachel, but it seemed like only a few days because of his love for her.

21Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.”

21Eventually, Jacob told Laban, "Bring me my wife, now that my time of service has been completed, so I can go be with her."

22So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast.

22So Laban gathered all the men who lived in that place and held a wedding festival.

23But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her.

23That night Laban took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob. He had marital relations with her.

24(Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)

24Laban also gave his servant woman Zilpah to Leah to be her maidservant.

25But when Jacob woke up in the morning—it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?”

25The next morning, Jacob realized that it was Leah! "What have you done to me?" he demanded of Laban. "Didn't I serve you for seven years in order to marry Rachel? Why did you deceive me?"

26“It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied.

26But Laban responded, "It's not the practice of our place to give the younger one in marriage before the firstborn.

27“But wait until the bridal week is over; then we’ll give you Rachel, too—provided you promise to work another seven years for me.”

27Fulfill the week for this daughter, then we'll give you the other one in exchange for serving me another seven years."

28So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too.

28So Jacob completed another seven years' work, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.

29(Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.)

29Laban also gave his woman servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maidservant.

30So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years. Jacob’s Many Children

30Jacob also married Rachel, since he loved her. He served Laban another full seven years' work for Rachel.

31When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive.

31Later, the LORD noticed that Leah was being neglected, so he made her fertile, while Rachel remained childless.

32So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.”

32Leah conceived, bore a son, and named him Reuben, because she was saying, "The LORD had looked on my torture, so now my husband will love me."

33She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, “The LORD heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.”

33Later, she conceived again, bore a son, and declared, "Because the LORD heard that I'm neglected, he gave me this one, too." So she named him Simeon.

34Then she became pregnant a third time and gave birth to another son. He was named Levi, for she said, “Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!”

34Later, she conceived again and said, "This time my husband will become attached to me, now that I've borne him three sons." So he named him Levi.

35Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for she said, “Now I will praise the LORD!” And then she stopped having children.

35Then she conceived yet again, bore a son, and said, "This time I'll praise the LORD." So she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing children.

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