Genesis 28-31

Genesis 28

¹And Isaac calleth unto Jacob, and blesseth him, and commandeth him, and saith to him, ‘Thou dost not take a wife of the daughters of Caanan;

²rise, go to Padan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father, and take for thyself from thence a wife, of the daughters of Laban, thy mother's brother;

³and God Almighty doth bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and thou hast become an assembly of peoples;

⁴and He doth give to thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee and to thy seed with thee, to cause thee to possess the land of thy sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.'

⁵And Isaac sendeth away Jacob, and he goeth to Padan-Aram, unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramaean, brother of Rebekah, mother of Jacob and Esau.

⁶And Esau seeth that Isaac hath blessed Jacob, and hath sent him to Padan-Aram to take to himself from thence a wife -- in his blessing him that he layeth a charge upon him, saying, Thou dost not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan --

⁷that Jacob hearkeneth unto his father and unto his mother, and goeth to Padan-Aram --

⁸and Esau seeth that the daughters of Canaan are evil in the eyes of Isaac his father,

⁹and Esau goeth unto Ishmael, and taketh Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, sister of Nebajoth, unto his wives, to himself, for a wife.

¹⁰And Jacob goeth out from Beer-Sheba, and goeth toward Haran,

¹¹and he toucheth at a certain place, and lodgeth there, for the sun hath gone in, and he taketh of the stones of the place, and maketh them his pillows, and lieth down in that place.

¹²And he dreameth, and lo, a ladder set up on the earth, and its head is touching the heavens; and lo, messengers of God are going up and coming down by it;

¹³and lo, Jehovah is standing upon it, and He saith, ‘I am Jehovah, God of Abraham thy father, and God of Isaac; the land on which thou art lying, to thee I give it, and to thy seed;

¹⁴and thy seed hath been as the dust of the land, and thou hast broken forth westward, and eastward, and northward, and southward, and all families of the ground have been blessed in thee and in thy seed.

¹⁵‘And lo, I am with thee, and have kept thee whithersoever thou goest, and have caused thee to turn back unto this ground; for I leave thee not till that I have surely done that which I have spoken to thee.'

¹⁶And Jacob awaketh out of his sleep, and saith, ‘Surely Jehovah is in this place, and I knew not;'

¹⁷and he feareth, and saith, ‘How fearful is this place; this is nothing but a house of God, and this a gate of the heavens.'

¹⁸And Jacob riseth early in the morning, and taketh the stone which he hath made his pillows, and maketh it a standing pillar, and poureth oil upon its top,

¹⁹and he calleth the name of that place Bethel, house of God, and yet, Luz is the name of the city at the first.

²⁰And Jacob voweth a vow, saying, ‘Seeing God is with me, and hath kept me in this way which I am going, and hath given to me bread to eat, and a garment to put on --

²¹when I have turned back in peace unto the house of my father, and Jehovah hath become my God,

²²then this stone which I have made a standing pillar is a house of God, and all that Thou dost give to me -- tithing I tithe to Thee.'

Genesis 29

¹And Jacob lifteth up his feet, and goeth towards the land of the sons of the east;

²and he looketh, and lo, a well in the field, and lo, there three droves of a flock crouching by it, for from that well they water the droves, and the great stone is on the mouth of the well.

³(When thither have all the droves been gathered, and they have rolled the stone from off the mouth of the well, and have watered the flock, then they have turned back the stone on the mouth of the well to its place.)

⁴And Jacob saith to them, ‘My brethren, from whence are ye?' and they say, ‘We are from Haran.'

⁵And he saith to them, ‘Have ye known Laban, son of Nahor?' and they say, ‘We have known.'

⁶And he saith to them, ‘Hath he peace?' and they say, ‘Peace; and lo, Rachel his daughter is coming with the flock.'

⁷And he saith, ‘Lo, the day is still great, it is not time for the cattle to be gathered; water ye the flock, and go, delight yourselves.'

⁸And they say, ‘We are not able, till that all the droves be gathered together, and they have rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well, and we have watered the flock.'

⁹He is yet speaking with them, and Rachel hath come with the flock which her father hath, for she is shepherdess;

¹⁰and it cometh to pass when Jacob hath seen Rachel, daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the flock of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob cometh nigh and rolleth the stone from off the mouth of the well, and watereth the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

¹¹And Jacob kisseth Rachel, and lifteth up his voice, and weepeth,

¹²and Jacob declareth to Rachel that he is her father's brother, and that he is Rebekah's son, and she runneth and declareth to her father.

¹³And it cometh to pass, when Laban heareth the report of Jacob his sister's son, that he runneth to meet him, and embraceth him, and kisseth him, and bringeth him in unto his house; and he recounteth to Laban all these things,

¹⁴and Laban saith to him, ‘Only my bone and my flesh art thou;' and he dwelleth with him a month of days.

¹⁵And Laban saith to Jacob, ‘Is it because thou art my brother that thou hast served me for nought? declare to me what is thy hire.'

¹⁶And Laban hath two daughters, the name of the elder is Leah, and the name of the younger Rachel,

¹⁷and the eyes of Leah are tender, and Rachel hath been fair of form and fair of appearance.

¹⁸And Jacob loveth Rachel, and saith, ‘I serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter:'

¹⁹and Laban saith, ‘It is better for me to give her to thee than to give her to another man; dwell with me;'

²⁰and Jacob serveth for Rachel seven years; and they are in his eyes as some days, because of his loving her.

²¹And Jacob saith unto Laban, ‘Give up my wife, for my days have been fulfilled, and I go in unto her;'

²²and Laban gathereth all the men of the place, and maketh a banquet.

²³And it cometh to pass in the evening, that he taketh Leah, his daughter, and bringeth her in unto him, and he goeth in unto her;

²⁴and Laban giveth to her Zilpah, his maid-servant, to Leah his daughter, a maid-servant.

²⁵And it cometh to pass in the morning, that lo, it is Leah; and he saith unto Laban, ‘What is this thou hast done to me? for Rachel have I not served with thee? and why hast thou deceived me?'

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

²⁷fulfil the week of this one, and we give to thee also this one, for the service which thou dost serve with me yet seven other years.'

²⁸And Jacob doth so, and fulfilleth the week of this one, and he giveth to him Rachel his daughter, to him for a wife;

²⁹and Laban giveth to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his maid-servant, for a maid-servant to her.

³⁰And he goeth in also unto Rachel, and he also loveth Rachel more than Leah; and he serveth with him yet seven other years.

³¹And Jehovah seeth that Leah is the hated one, and He openeth her womb, and Rachel is barren;

³²and Leah conceiveth, and beareth a son, and calleth his name Reuben, for she said, ‘Because Jehovah hath looked on mine affliction; because now doth my husband love me.'

³³And she conceiveth again, and beareth a son, and saith, ‘Because Jehovah hath heard that I am the hated one, He also giveth to me even this one;' and she calleth his name Simeon.

³⁴And she conceiveth again, and beareth a son, and saith, ‘Now is the time, my husband is joined unto me, because I have born to him three sons,' therefore hath one called his name Levi.

³⁵And she conceiveth again, and beareth a son, and saith this time, ‘I praise Jehovah;' therefore hath she called his name Judah; and she ceaseth from bearing.

Genesis 30

¹And Rachel seeth that she hath not borne to Jacob, and Rachel is envious of her sister, and saith unto Jacob, ‘Give me sons, and if there is none -- I die.'

²And Jacob's anger burneth against Rachel, and he saith, ‘Am I in stead of God who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?'

³And she saith, ‘Lo, my handmaid Bilhah, go in unto her, and she doth bear on my knees, and I am built up, even I, from her;'

⁴and she giveth to him Bilhah her maid-servant for a wife, and Jacob goeth in unto her;

⁵and Bilhah conceiveth, and beareth to Jacob a son,

⁶and Rachel saith, ‘God hath decided for me, and also hath hearkened to my voice, and giveth to me a son;' therefore hath she called his name Dan.

⁷And Bilhah, Rachel's maid-servant, conceiveth again, and beareth a second son to Jacob,

⁸and Rachel saith, ‘With wrestlings of God I have wrestled with my sister, yea, I have prevailed;' and she calleth his name Napthali.

⁹And Leah seeth that she hath ceased from bearing, and she taketh Zilpah her maid-servant, and giveth her to Jacob for a wife;

¹⁰and Zilpah, Leah's maid-servant, beareth to Jacob a son,

¹¹and Leah saith, ‘A troop is coming;' and she calleth his name Gad.

¹²And Zilpah, Leah's maid-servant, beareth a second son to Jacob,

¹³and Leah saith, ‘Because of my happiness, for daughters have pronounced me happy;' and she calleth his name Asher.

¹⁴And Reuben goeth in the days of wheat-harvest, and findeth love-apples in the field, and bringeth them in unto Leah, his mother, and Rachel saith unto Leah, ‘Give to me, I pray thee, of the love-apples of thy son.'

¹⁵And she saith to her, ‘Is thy taking my husband a little thing, that thou hast taken also the love-apples of my son?' and Rachel saith, ‘Therefore doth he lie with thee to-night, for thy son's love-apples.'

¹⁶And Jacob cometh in from the field at evening; and Leah goeth to meet him, and saith, ‘Unto me dost thou come in, for hiring I have hired thee with my son's love-apples;' and he lieth with her during that night.

¹⁷And God hearkeneth unto Leah, and she conceiveth, and beareth to Jacob a son, a fifth,

¹⁸and Leah saith, ‘God hath given my hire, because I have given my maid-servant to my husband;' and she calleth his name Issachar.

¹⁹And conceive again doth Leah, and she beareth a sixth son to Jacob,

²⁰and Leah saith, ‘God hath endowed me -- a good dowry; this time doth my husband dwell with me, for I have borne to him six sons;' and she calleth his name Zebulun;

²¹and afterwards hath she born a daughter, and calleth her name Dinah.

²²And God remembereth Rachel, and God hearkeneth unto her, and openeth her womb,

²³and she conceiveth and beareth a son, and saith, ‘God hath gathered up my reproach;'

²⁴and she calleth his name Joseph, saying, ‘Jehovah is adding to me another son.'

²⁵And it cometh to pass, when Rachel hath borne Joseph, that Jacob saith unto Laban, ‘Send me away, and I go unto my place, and to my land;

²⁶give up my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and I go; for thou -- thou hast known my service which I have served thee.'

²⁷And Laban saith unto him, ‘If, I pray thee, I have found grace in thine eyes -- I have observed diligently that Jehovah doth bless me for thy sake.'

²⁸He saith also, ‘Define thy hire to me, and I give.'

²⁹And he saith unto him, ‘Thou -- thou hast known that which I have served thee in, and that which thy substance was with me;

³⁰for it is little which thou hast had at my appearance, and it breaketh forth into a multitude, and Jehovah blesseth thee at my coming; and now, when do I make, I also, for mine own house?'

³¹And he saith, ‘What do I give to thee?' And Jacob saith, ‘Thou dost not give me anything; if thou do for me this thing, I turn back; I have delight; thy flock I watch;

³²I pass through all thy flock to-day to turn aside from thence every sheep speckled and spotted, and every brown sheep among the lambs, and speckled and spotted among the goats -- and it hath been my hire;

³³and my righteousness hath answered for me in the day to come, when it cometh in for my hire before thy face; -- every one which is not speckled and spotted among my goats, and brown among my lambs -- it is stolen with me.'

³⁴And Laban saith, ‘Lo, O that it were according to thy word;'

³⁵and he turneth aside during that day the ring-straked and the spotted he-goats, and all the speckled and the spotted she-goats, every one that hath white in it, and every brown one among the lambs, and he giveth into the hand of his sons,

³⁶and setteth a journey of three days between himself and Jacob; and Jacob is feeding the rest of the flock of Laban.

³⁷And Jacob taketh to himself a rod of fresh poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut, and doth peel in them white peelings, making bare the white that is on the rods,

³⁸and setteth up the rods which he hath peeled in the gutters in the watering troughs (when the flock cometh in to drink), over-against the flock, that they may conceive in their coming in to drink;

³⁹and the flocks conceive at the rods, and the flock beareth ring-straked, speckled, and spotted ones.

⁴⁰And the lambs hath Jacob parted, and he putteth the face of the flock towards the ring-straked, also all the brown in the flock of Laban, and he setteth his own droves by themselves, and hath not set them near Laban's flock.

⁴¹And it hath come to pass whenever the strong ones of the flock conceive, that Jacob set the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, to cause them to conceive by the rods,

⁴²and when the flock is feeble, he doth not set them; and the feeble ones have been Laban's, and the strong ones Jacob's.

⁴³And the man increaseth very exceedingly, and hath many flocks, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.

Genesis 31

¹And he heareth the words of Laban's sons, saying, ‘Jacob hath taken all that our father hath; yea, from that which our father hath, he hath made all this honour;'

²and Jacob seeth the face of Laban, and lo, it is not with him as heretofore.

³And Jehovah saith unto Jacob, ‘Turn back unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I am with thee.'

⁴And Jacob sendeth and calleth for Rachel and for Leah to the field unto his flock;

⁵and saith to them, ‘I am beholding your father's face -- that it is not towards me as heretofore, and the God of my father hath been with me,

⁶and ye -- ye have known that with all my power I have served your father,

⁷and your father hath played upon me, and hath changed my hire ten times; and God hath not suffered him to do evil with me.

⁸‘If he say thus: The speckled are thy hire, then bare all the flock speckled ones; and if he say thus: The ring-straked are thy hire, then bare all the flock ring-straked;

⁹and God taketh away the substance of your father, and doth give to me.

¹⁰‘And it cometh to pass at the time of the flock conceiving, that I lift up mine eyes and see in a dream, and lo, the he-goats, which are going up on the flock, are ring-straked, speckled, and grisled;

¹¹and the messenger of God saith unto me in the dream, Jacob, and I say, Here am I.

¹²‘And He saith, Lift up, I pray thee, thine eyes, and see -- all the he-goats which are going up on the flock are ring-straked, speckled, and grisled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to thee;

¹³I am the God of Bethel where thou hast anointed a standing pillar, where thou hast vowed a vow to me; now, arise, go out from this land, and turn back unto the land of thy birth.'

¹⁴And Rachel answereth -- Leah also -- and saith to him, ‘Have we yet a portion and inheritance in the house of our father?

¹⁵have we not been reckoned strangers to him? for he hath sold us, and he also utterly consumeth our money;

¹⁶for all the wealth which God hath taken away from our father, it is ours, and our children's; and now, all that God hath said unto thee -- do.'

¹⁷And Jacob riseth, and lifteth up his sons and his wives on the camels,

¹⁸and leadeth all his cattle, and all his substance which he hath acquired, the cattle of his getting, which he hath acquired in Padan-Aram, to go unto Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.

¹⁹And Laban hath gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stealeth the teraphim which her father hath;

²⁰and Jacob deceiveth the heart of Laban the Aramaean, because he hath not declared to him that he is fleeing;

²¹and he fleeth, he and all that he hath, and riseth, and passeth over the River, and setteth his face toward the mount of Gilead.

²²And it is told to Laban on the third day that Jacob hath fled,

²³and he taketh his brethren with him, and pursueth after him a journey of seven days, and overtaketh him in the mount of Gilead.

²⁴And God cometh in unto Laban the Aramaean in a dream of the night, and saith to him, ‘Take heed to thyself lest thou speak with Jacob from good unto evil.'

²⁵And Laban overtaketh Jacob; and Jacob hath fixed his tent in the mount; and Laban with his brethren have fixed theirs in the mount of Gilead.

²⁶And Laban saith to Jacob, ‘What hast thou done that thou dost deceive my heart, and lead away my daughters as captives of the sword?

²⁷Why hast thou hidden thyself to flee, and deceivest me, and hast not declared to me, and I send thee away with joy and with songs, with tabret and with harp,

²⁸and hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? -- now thou hast acted foolishly in doing so;

²⁹my hand is to God to do evil with you, but the God of your father yesternight hath spoken unto me, saying, Take heed to thyself from speaking with Jacob from good unto evil.

³⁰‘And now, thou hast certainly gone, because thou hast been very desirous for the house of thy father; why hast thou stolen my gods?'

³¹And Jacob answereth and saith to Laban, ‘Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest thou take violently away thy daughters from me;

³²with whomsoever thou findest thy gods -- he doth not live; before our brethren discern for thyself what is with me, and take to thyself:' and Jacob hath not known that Rachel hath stolen them.

³³And Laban goeth into the tent of Jacob, and into the tent of Leah, and into the tent of the two handmaidens, and hath not found; and he goeth out from the tent of Leah, and goeth into the tent of Rachel.

³⁴And Rachel hath taken the teraphim, and putteth them in the furniture of the camel, and sitteth upon them; and Laban feeleth all the tent, and hath not found;

³⁵and she saith unto her father, ‘Let it not be displeasing in the eyes of my lord that I am not able to rise at thy presence, for the way of women is on me;' and he searcheth, and hath not found the teraphim.

³⁶And it is displeasing to Jacob, and he striveth with Laban; and Jacob answereth and saith to Laban, ‘What is my transgression? what my sin, that thou hast burned after me?

³⁷for thou hast felt all my vessels: what hast thou found of all the vessels of thy house? set here before my brethren, and thy brethren, and they decide between us both.

³⁸‘These twenty years I am with thee: thy ewes and thy she-goats have not miscarried, and the rams of thy flock I have not eaten;

³⁹the torn I have not brought in unto thee -- I, I repay it -- from my hand thou dost seek it; I have been deceived by day, and I have been deceived by night;

⁴⁰I have been thus: in the day consumed me hath drought, and frost by night, and wander doth my sleep from mine eyes.

⁴¹‘This is to me twenty years in thy house: I have served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou changest my hire ten times;

⁴²unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had been for me, surely now empty thou hadst sent me away; mine affliction and the labour of my hands hath God seen, and reproveth yesternight.'

⁴³And Laban answereth and saith unto Jacob, ‘The daughters are my daughters, and the sons my sons, and the flock my flock, and all that thou art seeing is mine; and to my daughters -- what do I to these to-day, or to their sons whom they have born?

⁴⁴and now, come, let us make a covenant, I and thou, and it hath been for a witness between me and thee.'

⁴⁵And Jacob taketh a stone, and lifteth it up for a standing pillar;

⁴⁶and Jacob saith to his brethren, ‘Gather stones,' and they take stones, and make a heap; and they eat there on the heap;

⁴⁷and Laban calleth it Jegar-Sahadutha; and Jacob hath called it Galeed.

⁴⁸And Laban saith, ‘This heap is witness between me and thee to-day;' therefore hath he called its name Galeed;

⁴⁹Mizpah also, for he said, ‘Jehovah doth watch between me and thee, for we are hidden one from another;

⁵⁰if thou afflict my daughters, or take wives beside my daughters -- there is no man with us -- see, God is witness between me and thee.'

⁵¹And Laban saith to Jacob, ‘Lo, this heap, and lo, the standing pillar which I have cast between me and thee;

⁵²this heap is witness, and the standing pillar is witness, that I do not pass over this heap unto thee, and that thou dost not pass over this heap and this standing pillar unto me -- for evil;

⁵³the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, doth judge between us -- the God of their father,' and Jacob sweareth by the Fear of his father Isaac.

⁵⁴And Jacob sacrificeth a sacrifice in the mount, and calleth to his brethren to eat bread, and they eat bread, and lodge in the mount;

⁵⁵and Laban riseth early in the morning, and kisseth his sons and his daughters, and blesseth them; and Laban goeth on, and turneth back to his place.