Genesis 29 Parallel Bible Translations

Genesis 29 ▼
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1 Then Jacob hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east. Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east. Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.
2 He 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. As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well’s mouth was large, There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large.
3 It 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. and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well. When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked, “Where are you from, my friends?” “We are from Haran,” they answered. Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where do you come from?” They said, “We are from Haran.” Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?” “We’re from Harran,” they replied.
5 “Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?” he asked. “Yes, we do,” they replied. He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.” He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” “Yes, we know him,” they answered.
6 “Is he doing well?” Jacob asked. “Yes, he’s well,” they answered. “Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the flock now.” He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!” Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?” “Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”
7 Jacob 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?” He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, pasture them.” “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”
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.” But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.” “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”
9 Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherd. While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd.
10 And 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. Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep.
11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and he wept aloud. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud.
12 He 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. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman, and that he was Rebekah’s son, and she ran and told her father. He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.
13 As 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, As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things.
14 Laban exclaimed, “You really are my own flesh and blood!” After Jacob had stayed with Laban for about a month, and Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” And he stayed with him a month. Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month,
15 Laban said to him, “You shouldn’t work for me without pay just because we are relatives. Tell me how much your wages should be.” Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”
16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel. Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
17 There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face. Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful.
18 Since 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.” Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”
19 “Agreed!” Laban replied. “I’d rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me.” Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.”
20 So 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. So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.
21 Finally, 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.” Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”
22 So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast. So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.
23 But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her.
24 (Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.) (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.
25 But 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?” And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”
26 “It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied. Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.
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.” Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”
28 So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too. Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.
29 (Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.) (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.
30 So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years. So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years. Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.
31 When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive. When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.
32 So 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.” And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”
33 She 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.” She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.
34 Then 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!” Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.
35 Once 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. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing. She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
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