rsv Genesis:29-30 SEEK
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Then Jacob went on his journey ,
and came to the land of the people of the east .
*
As he looked ,
he saw a well in the field ,
and lo ,
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 ,
*
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 upon the mouth of the well .
*
Jacob said to them , "
My brothers ,
where do you come from ?"
They said , "
We are from Haran ."
*
He said to them , "
Do you know Laban the son of Nahor ?"
They said , "
We know him ."
*
He said to them , "
Is it well with him ?"
They said , "
It is well ;
and see ,
Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep !"
*
He said , "
Behold ,
it is still high day ,
it is not time for the animals to be gathered together ;
water the sheep ,
and go ,
pasture them ."
*
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 ."
*
While he was still speaking with them ,
Rachel came with her father '
s sheep ;
for she kept them .
*
Now when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother '
s brother ,
and the sheep of Laban his mother '
s brother ,
Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the well '
s mouth ,
and watered the flock of Laban his mother '
s brother .
*
Then Jacob kissed Rachel ,
and wept aloud .
*
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 .
*
When Laban heard the tidings of 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 ,
*
and Laban said to him , "
Surely you are my bone and my flesh !"
And he stayed with him a month .
*
Then Laban said to Jacob , "
Because you are my kinsman ,
should you therefore serve me for nothing ?
Tell me ,
what shall your wages be ?"
*
Now Laban had two daughters ;
the name of the older was Leah ,
and the name of the younger was Rachel .
*
Leah '
s eyes were weak ,
but Rachel was beautiful and lovely .
*
Jacob loved Rachel ;
and he said , "
I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel ."
*
Laban said , "
It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man ;
stay with me ."
*
So Jacob served seven years for Rachel ,
and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her .
*
Then Jacob said to Laban , "
Give me my wife that I may go in to her ,
for my time is completed ."
*
So Laban gathered together all the men of the place ,
and made a feast .
*
But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob ;
and he went in to her .
* (
Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid .)
*
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 ?"
*
Laban said , "
It is not so done in our country ,
to give the younger before the first-born .
*
Complete the week of this one ,
and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years ."
*
Jacob did so ,
and completed her week ;
then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to wife .
* (
Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid .)
*
So Jacob went in to Rachel also ,
and he loved Rachel more than Leah ,
and served Laban for another seven years .
*
When the LORD saw that Leah was hated ,
he opened her womb ;
but Rachel was barren .
*
And Leah conceived and bore a son ,
and she called his name Reuben ;
for she said , "
Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction ;
surely now my husband will love me ."
*
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 .
*
Again she conceived and bore a son ,
and said , "
Now this time my husband will be joined to me ,
because I have borne him three sons ";
therefore his name was called Levi .
*
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 .
*
When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children ,
she envied her sister ;
and she said to Jacob , "
Give me children ,
or I shall die !"
*
Jacob '
s anger was kindled against Rachel ,
and he said , "
Am I in the place of God ,
who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb ?"
*
Then she said , "
Here is my maid Bilhah ;
go in to her ,
that she may bear upon my knees ,
and even I may have children through her ."
*
So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife ;
and Jacob went in to her .
*
And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son .
*
Then Rachel said , "
God has judged me ,
and has also heard my voice and given me a son ";
therefore she called his name Daniel .
*
Rachel '
s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son .
*
Then Rachel said , "
With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister ,
and have prevailed ";
so she called his name Naph '
tali .
*
When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children ,
she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife .
*
Then Leah '
s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son .
*
And Leah said , "
Good fortune !"
so she called his name Gad .
*
Leah '
s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son .
*
And Leah said , "
Happy am I !
For the women will call me happy ";
so she called his name Asher .
*
In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field ,
and brought them to his mother Leah .
Then Rachel said to Leah , "
Give me ,
I pray ,
some of your son '
s mandrakes ."
*
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 ?"
Rachel said , "
Then he may lie with you tonight for your son '
s mandrakes ."
*
When Jacob came from the field in the evening ,
Leah went out to meet him ,
and said , "
You must come in to me ;
for I have hired you with my son '
s mandrakes ."
So he lay with her that night .
*
And God hearkened to Leah ,
and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son .
*
Leah said , "
God has given me my hire because I gave my maid to my husband ";
so she called his name Is '
sachar .
*
And Leah conceived again ,
and she bore Jacob a sixth son .
*
Then Leah said , "
God has endowed me with a good dowry ;
now my husband will honor me ,
because I have borne him six sons ";
so she called his name Zeb '
ulun .
*
Afterwards she bore a daughter ,
and called her name Dinah .
*
Then God remembered Rachel ,
and God hearkened to her and opened her womb .
*
She conceived and bore a son ,
and said , "
God has taken away my reproach ";
*
and she called his name Joseph ,
saying , "
May the LORD add to me another son !"
*
When Rachel had borne Joseph ,
Jacob said to Laban , "
Send me away ,
that I may go to my own home and country .
*
Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you ,
and let me go ;
for you know the service which I have given you ."
*
But Laban said to him , "
If you will allow me to say so ,
I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you ;
*
name your wages ,
and I will give it ."
*
Jacob said to him , "
You yourself know how I have served you ,
and how your cattle have fared with me .
*
For you had little before I came ,
and it has increased abundantly ;
and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned .
But now when shall I provide for my own household also ?"
*
He said , "
What shall I give you ?"
Jacob said , "
You shall not give me anything ;
if you will do this for me ,
I will again feed your flock and keep it :
*
let me pass through all your flock today ,
removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb ,
and the spotted and speckled among the goats ;
and such shall be my wages .
*
So my honesty will answer for me later ,
when you come to look into my wages with you .
Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs ,
if found with me ,
shall be counted stolen ."
*
Laban said , "
Good !
Let it be as you have said ."
*
But that day Laban removed the he-goats that were striped and spotted ,
and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted ,
every one that had white on it ,
and every lamb that was black ,
and put them in charge of his sons ;
*
and he set a distance of three days '
journey between himself and Jacob ;
and Jacob fed the rest of Laban '
s flock .
*
Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane ,
and peeled white streaks in them ,
exposing the white of the rods .
*
He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the runnels ,
that is ,
the watering troughs ,
where the flocks came to drink .
And since they bred when they came to drink ,
*
the flocks bred in front of the rods and so the flocks brought forth striped ,
speckled ,
and spotted .
*
And Jacob separated the lambs ,
and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban ;
and he put his own droves apart ,
and did not put them with Laban '
s flock .
*
Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding Jacob laid the rods in the runnels before the eyes of the flock ,
that they might breed among the rods ,
*
but for the feebler of the flock he did not lay them there ;
so the feebler were Laban '
s ,
and the stronger Jacob '
s .
*
Thus the man grew exceedingly rich ,
and had large flocks ,
maidservants and menservants ,
and camels and asses .
*
Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying , "
Jacob has taken all that was our father '
s ;
and from what was our father '
s he has gained all this wealth ."