Genesis:29-30
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So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East .
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And he looked ,
and saw a well in the field ;
and behold ,
there were three flocks of sheep lying by it ;
for out of that well they watered the flocks .
A large stone was on the well '
s mouth .
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Now all the flocks would be gathered there ;
and they would roll the stone from the well '
s mouth ,
water the sheep ,
and put the stone back in its place on the well '
s mouth .
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And Jacob said to them , "
My brethren ,
where are you from ?"
And they said , "
We are from Haran ."
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Then he said to them , "
Do you know Laban the son of Nahor ?"
And they said , "
We know him ."
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So he said to them , "
Is he well ?"
And they said , "
He is well .
And look ,
his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep ."
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Then he said , "
Look ,
it is still high day ;
it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together .
Water the sheep ,
and go and feed them ."
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But they said , "
We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together ,
and they have rolled the stone from the well '
s mouth ;
then we water the sheep ."
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Now while he was still speaking with them ,
Rachel came with her father '
s sheep ,
for she was a shepherdess .
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And it came to pass ,
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 .
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Then Jacob kissed Rachel ,
and lifted up his voice and wept .
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And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father '
s relative and that he was Rebekah '
s son .
So she ran and told her father .
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Then it came to pass ,
when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister '
s son ,
that he ran to meet him ,
and embraced him and kissed him ,
and brought him to his house .
So he told Laban all these things .
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And Laban said to him , "
Surely you are my bone and my flesh ."
And he stayed with him for a month .
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Then Laban said to Jacob , "
Because you are my relative ,
should you therefore serve me for nothing ?
Tell me ,
what should your wages be ?
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Now Laban had two daughters :
the name of the elder was Leah ,
and the name of the younger was Rachel .
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Leah '
s eyes were delicate ,
but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance .
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Now Jacob loved Rachel ;
so he said , "
I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter ."
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And Laban said , "
It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man .
Stay with me ."
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So Jacob served seven years for Rachel ,
and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her .
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Then Jacob said to Laban , "
Give me my wife ,
for my days are fulfilled ,
that I may go in to her ."
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And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast .
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Now it came to pass in the evening ,
that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob ;
and he went in to her .
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And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid .
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So it came to pass in the morning ,
that behold ,
it was Leah .
And he said to Laban , "
What is this you have done to me ?
Was it not for Rachel that I served you ?
Why then have you deceived me ?"
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And Laban said , "
It must not be done so in our country ,
to give the younger before the firstborn .
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Fulfill her week ,
and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years ."
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Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week .
So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also .
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And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid .
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Then Jacob also went in to Rachel ,
and he also loved Rachel more than Leah .
And he served with Laban still another seven years .
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When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved ,
He opened her womb ;
but Rachel was barren .
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So Leah conceived and bore a son ,
and she called his name Reuben ;
for she said , "
The LORD has surely looked on my affliction .
Now therefore ,
my husband will love me ."
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Then she conceived again and bore a son ,
and said , "
Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved ,
He has therefore given me this son also ."
And she called his name Simeon .
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She conceived again and bore a son ,
and said , "
Now this time my husband will become attached to me ,
because I have borne him three sons ."
Therefore his name was called Levi .
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And she conceived again and bore a son ,
and said , "
Now I will praise the LORD ."
Therefore she called his name Judah .
Then she stopped bearing .
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Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children ,
Rachel envied her sister ,
and said to Jacob , "
Give me children ,
or else I die !"
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And Jacob '
s anger was aroused against Rachel ,
and he said , "
Am I in the place of God ,
who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb ?"
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So she said , "
Here is my maid Bilhah ;
go in to her ,
and she will bear a child on my knees ,
that I also may have children by her ."
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Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife ,
and Jacob went in to her .
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And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son .
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Then Rachel said , "
God has judged my case ;
and He has also heard my voice and given me a son ."
Therefore she called his name Dan .
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And Rachel '
s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son .
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Then Rachel said , "
With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister ,
and indeed I have prevailed ."
So she called his name Naphtali .
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When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing ,
she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife .
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And Leah '
s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son .
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Then Leah said , "
A troop comes !"
So she called his name Gad .
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And Leah '
s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son .
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Then Leah said , "
I am happy ,
for the daughters will call me blessed ."
So she called his name Asher .
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Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field ,
and brought them to his mother Leah .
Then Rachel said to Leah , "
Please give me some of your son '
s mandrakes ."
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But she said to her , "
Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband ?
Would you take away my son '
s mandrakes also ?"
And Rachel said , "
Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son '
s mandrakes ."
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When Jacob came out of the field in the evening ,
Leah went out to meet him and said , "
You must come in to me ,
for I have surely hired you with my son '
s mandrakes ."
And he lay with her that night .
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And God listened to Leah ,
and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son .
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Leah said , "
God has given me my wages ,
because I have given my maid to my husband ."
So she called his name Issachar .
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Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son .
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And Leah said , "
God has endowed me with a good endowment ;
now my husband will dwell with me ,
because I have borne him six sons ."
So she called his name Zebulun .
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Afterward she bore a daughter ,
and called her name Dinah .
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Then God remembered Rachel ,
and God listened to her and opened her womb .
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And she conceived and bore a son ,
and said , "
God has taken away my reproach ."
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So she called his name Joseph ,
and said , "
The LORD shall add to me another son ."
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And it came to pass ,
when Rachel had borne Joseph ,
that Jacob said to Laban , "
Send me away ,
that I may go to my own place and to my country .
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Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you ,
and let me go ;
for you know my service which I have done for you ."
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And Laban said to him , "
Please stay ,
if I have found favor in your eyes ,
for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake ."
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Then he said , "
Name me your wages ,
and I will give it ."
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So Jacob said to him , "
You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me .
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For what you had before I came was little ,
and it has increased to a great amount ;
the LORD has blessed you since my coming .
And now ,
when shall I also provide for my own house ?"
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So he said , "
What shall I give you ?"
And Jacob said , "
You shall not give me anything .
If you will do this thing for me ,
I will again feed and keep your flocks :
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Let me pass through all your flock today ,
removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep ,
and all the brown ones among the lambs ,
and the spotted and speckled among the goats ;
and these shall be my wages .
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So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come ,
when the subject of my wages comes before you :
every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats ,
and brown among the lambs ,
will be considered stolen ,
if it is with me ."
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And Laban said , "
Oh ,
that it were according to your word !"
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So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted ,
all the female goats that were speckled and spotted ,
every one that had some white in it ,
and all the brown ones among the lambs ,
and gave them into the hand of his sons .
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Then he put three days '
journey between himself and Jacob ,
and Jacob fed the rest of Laban '
s flocks .
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Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees ,
peeled white strips in them ,
and exposed the white which was in the rods .
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And the rods which he had peeled ,
he set before the flocks in the gutters ,
in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink ,
so that they should conceive when they came to drink .
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So the flocks conceived before the rods ,
and the flocks brought forth streaked ,
speckled ,
and spotted .
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Then Jacob separated the lambs ,
and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban ;
but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban '
s flock .
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And it came to pass ,
whenever the stronger livestock conceived ,
that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters ,
that they might conceive among the rods .
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But when the flocks were feeble ,
he did not put them in ;
so the feebler were Laban '
s and the stronger Jacob '
s .
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Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous ,
and had large flocks ,
female and male servants ,
and camels and donkeys .
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Now Jacob heard the words of Laban '
s sons ,
saying , "
Jacob has taken away all that was our father '
s ,
and from what was our father '
s he has acquired all this wealth ."
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