16Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is present in this place, and I did not know it!” 17Shaken, he said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven.” 18Early in the morning, Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19He named that site Bethel;c but previously the name of the city had been Luz.
20Jacob then made a vow, saying, “If God remains with me, if He protects me on this journey that I am making, and gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21and if I return safe to my father’s house—the LORD shall be my God. 22And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, shall be God’s abode; and of all that You give me, I will set aside a tithe for You.”
29 Jacob a-resumed his journey-a and came to the land of the East- erners. 2There before his eyes was a well in the open. Three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, for the flocks were watered from that well. The stone on the mouth of the well was large. 3When all the flocks were gathered there, the stone would be rolled from the mouth of the well and the sheep watered; then the stone would be put back in its place on the mouth of the well.
4Jacob said to them, “My friends, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.” 5He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “Yes, we do.” 6He continued, “Is he well?” They answered, “Yes, he is; and there is his daughter Rachel, coming with the flock.” 7He said, “It is still broad daylight, too early to round up the animals; water the flock and take them to pasture.” 8But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are rounded up; then the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well and we water the sheep.”
9While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s flock; for she was a shepherdess. 10And when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncleb Laban, and the flock of his uncle Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of his uncle Laban. 11Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and broke into tears. 12Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman, that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father. 13On hearing the news of his sister’s son Jacob, Laban ran to greet him; he embraced him and kissed him, and took him into his house. He told Laban all that had happened, 14and Laban said to him, “You are truly my bone and flesh.”
When he had stayed with him a month’s time, 15Laban said to Jacob, “Just because you are a kinsman, should you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” 16Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older one was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17Leah had weak eyes; Rachel was shapely and beautiful. 18Jacob loved Rachel; so he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19Laban said, “Better that I give her to you than that I should give her to an outsider. Stay with me.” 20So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.
21Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is fulfilled, that I may cohabit with her.” 22And Laban gathered all the people of the place and made a feast. 23When evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and he cohabited with her.—24Laban had given his maidservant Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maid.—25When morn- ing came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I was in your service for Rachel! Why did you deceive me?” 26Laban said, “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the older. 27Wait until the bridal week of this one is over and we will give you that one too, provided you serve me another seven years.” 28Jacob did so; he waited out the bridal week of the one, and then he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife.—29Laban had given his maidserv- ant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid.—30And Jacob cohabited with Rachel also; indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served him another seven years.
31The LORD saw that Leah was unloved and he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32Leah conceived and bore a son, and named him Reuben;c for she declared, “It means: ‘The LORD has seend my affliction’; it also means: ‘Now my husband will love me.”’e 33She conceived again and bore a son, and declared, “This is because the LORD heardf that I was unloved and has given me this one also”; so she named him Simeon. 34Again she conceived and bore a son and declared, “This time my hus- band will become attachedg to me, for I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi. 35She conceived again and bore a son, and declared, “This time I will praiseh the LORD.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
30 When Rachel saw that she had borne Jacob no children, she be- came envious of her sister; and Rachel said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die.” 2Jacob was incensed at Rachel, and said, “Can I take the place of God, who has denied you fruit of the womb?” 3She said, “Here is my maid Bilhah. Consort with her, that she may bear on my knees and that through her I too may have children.” 4So she gave him her maid Bilhah as concubine, and Jacob cohabited with her. 5Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6And Rachel said, “God has vindicated me;a indeed, He has heeded my plea and given me a son.” Therefore she named him Dan. 7Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8And Rachel said, b-“A fateful contest I waged-b with my sister; yes, and I have prevailed.” So she named him Naphtali.
9When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as concubine. 10And when Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son, 11Leah said, “What luck!”c So she named him Gad. 12When Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, 13Leah de- clared, “What fortune!”d meaning, “Women will deem me fortunate.” So she named him Asher.
14Once, at the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben came upon some mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15But she said to her, “Was it not enough for you to take away my husband, that you would also take my son’s mandrakes?” Rachel replied, “I promise, he shall lie with you tonight, in return for your son’s mandrakes.” 16When Jacob came home from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You are to sleep with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night. 17God heeded Leah, and she conceived and bore him a fifth son. 18And Leah said, “God has given me my rewarde for having given my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. 19When Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son, 20Leah said, “God has given me a choice gift;f this time my husband will exalt me,g for I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 21Last, she bore him a daughter, and named her Dinah.
22Now God remembered Rachel; God heeded her and opened her womb. 23She conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken awayh my disgrace.” 24So she named him Joseph, which is to say, “May the LORD addi another son for me.”
25After Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Give me leave to go back to my own homeland. 26Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, that I may go; for well you know what services I have rendered you.” 27But Laban said to him, “If you will indulge me,j I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me on your account.” 28And he continued, “Name the wages due from me, and I will pay you.” 29But he said, “You know well how I have served you and how your livestock has fared with me. 30For the little you had before I came has grown to much, since the LORD has blessed you wher- ever I turned. And now, when shall I make provision for my own house- hold?” 31He said, “What shall I pay you?” And Jacob said, “Pay me noth- ing! If you will do this thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flocks: 32let me pass through your whole flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted animal—every dark-colored sheep and every spotted and speckled goat. Such shall be my wages.
