Genesis:29-30
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Then Jacob went on his journey ,
and came into the land of the people of the east .
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And he looked ,
and behold a well in the field ,
and ,
see ,
there were three flocks of sheep lying by it ;
for out of that well they watered the flocks :
and a great stone was on the well '
mouth .
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And thither were all the flocks gathered :
and they rolled the stone from the well '
mouth ,
and watered the sheep ,
and put the stone again on the well '
mouth in his place .
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And Jacob said to them ,
My brothers ,
from where be you ?
And they said ,
Of Haran are we .
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And he said to them ,
Know you Laban the son of Nahor ?
And they said ,
We know him .
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And he said to them ,
Is he well ?
And they said ,
He is well :
and ,
behold ,
Rachel his daughter comes with the sheep .
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And he said ,
See ,
it is yet high day ,
neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together :
water you the sheep ,
and go and feed them .
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And they said ,
We cannot ,
until all the flocks be gathered together ,
and till they roll the stone from the well '
mouth ;
then we water the sheep .
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And while he yet spoke with them ,
Rachel came with her father '
sheep ;
for she kept them .
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And it came to pass ,
when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother '
brother ,
and the sheep of Laban his mother '
brother ,
that Jacob went near ,
and rolled the stone from the well '
mouth ,
and watered the flock of Laban his mother '
brother .
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And Jacob kissed Rachel ,
and lifted up his voice ,
and wept .
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And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father '
brother ,
and that he was Rebekah '
son :
and she ran and told her father .
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And it came to pass ,
when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister '
son ,
that he ran to meet him ,
and embraced him ,
and kissed him ,
and brought him to his house .
And 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 the space of a month .
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And Laban said to Jacob ,
Because you are my brother ,
should you therefore serve me for nothing ?
tell me ,
what shall your wages be ?
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And Laban had two daughters :
the name of the elder was Leah ,
and the name of the younger was Rachel .
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Leah was tender eyed ;
but Rachel was beautiful and well favored .
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And Jacob loved Rachel ;
and 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 :
abide with me .
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And Jacob served seven years for Rachel ;
and they seemed to him but a few days ,
for the love he had to her .
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And 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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And it came to pass in the evening ,
that he took Leah his daughter ,
and brought her to him ;
and he went in to her .
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And Laban gave to his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid .
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And it came to pass ,
that in the morning ,
behold ,
it was Leah :
and he said to Laban ,
What is this you have done to me ?
did not I serve with you for Rachel ?
why then have you beguiled me ?
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And Laban said ,
It must not be so done in our country ,
to give the younger before the firstborn .
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Fulfill her week ,
and we will give you this also for the service which you shall serve with me yet seven other years .
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And Jacob did so ,
and fulfilled her week :
and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also .
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And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid .
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And he went in also to Rachel ,
and he loved also Rachel more than Leah ,
and served with him yet seven other years .
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And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated ,
he opened her womb :
but Rachel was barren .
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And Leah conceived ,
and bore a son ,
and she called his name Reuben :
for she said ,
Surely the LORD has looked on my affliction ;
now therefore my husband will love me .
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And she conceived again ,
and bore a son ;
and said ,
Because the LORD has heard I was hated ,
he has therefore given me this son also :
and she called his name Simeon .
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And she conceived again ,
and bore a son ;
and said ,
Now this time will my husband be joined to me ,
because I have born him three sons :
therefore was his name called Levi .
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And she conceived again ,
and bore a son :
and she said ,
Now will I praise the LORD :
therefore she called his name Judah ;
and left bearing .
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And 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 '
anger was kindled against Rachel :
and he said ,
Am I in God '
stead ,
who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb ?
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And she said ,
Behold my maid Bilhah ,
go in to her ;
and she shall bear on my knees ,
that I may also have children by her .
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And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife :
and Jacob went in to her .
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And Bilhah conceived ,
and bore Jacob a son .
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And Rachel said ,
God has judged me ,
and has also heard my voice ,
and has given me a son :
therefore called she his name Daniel .
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And Bilhah Rachel '
maid conceived again ,
and bore Jacob a second son .
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And Rachel said ,
With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister ,
and I have prevailed :
and she called his name Naphtali .
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When Leah saw that she had left bearing ,
she took Zilpah her maid ,
and gave her Jacob to wife .
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And Zilpah Leah '
maid bore Jacob a son .
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And Leah said ,
A troop comes :
and she called his name Gad .
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And Zilpah Leah '
maid bore Jacob a second son .
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And Leah said ,
Happy am I ,
for the daughters will call me blessed :
and she called his name Asher .
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And 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 ,
Give me ,
I pray you ,
of your son '
mandrakes .
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And she said to her ,
Is it a small matter that you have taken my husband ?
and would you take away my son '
mandrakes also ?
And Rachel said ,
Therefore he shall lie with you to night for your son '
mandrakes .
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And Jacob came out of the field in the evening ,
and Leah went out to meet him ,
and said ,
You must come in to me ;
for surely I have hired you with my son '
mandrakes .
And he lay with her that night .
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And God listened to Leah ,
and she conceived ,
and bore Jacob the fifth son .
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And Leah said ,
God has given me my hire ,
because I have given my maiden to my husband :
and she called his name Issachar .
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And Leah conceived again ,
and bore Jacob the sixth son .
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And Leah said ,
God has endued me with a good dowry ;
now will my husband dwell with me ,
because I have born him six sons :
and she called his name Zebulun .
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And afterwards she bore a daughter ,
and called her name Dinah .
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And 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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And 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 born 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 you .
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And Laban said to him ,
I pray you ,
if I have found favor in your eyes ,
tarry :
for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake .
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And he said ,
Appoint me your wages ,
and I will give it .
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And he said to him ,
You know how I have served you ,
and how your cattle was with me .
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For it was little which you had before I came ,
and it is now increased to a multitude ;
and the LORD has blessed you since my coming :
and now when shall I provide for my own house also ?
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And he said ,
What shall I give you ?
And Jacob said ,
You shall not give me any thing :
if you will do this thing for me ,
I will again feed and keep your flock .
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I will pass through all your flock to day ,
removing from there all the speckled and spotted cattle ,
and all the brown cattle among the sheep ,
and the spotted and speckled among the goats :
and of such shall be my hire .
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So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come ,
when it shall come for my hire before your face :
every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats ,
and brown among the sheep ,
that shall be counted stolen with me .
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And Laban said ,
Behold ,
I would it might be according to your word .
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And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted ,
and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted ,
and every one that had some white in it ,
and all the brown among the sheep ,
and gave them into the hand of his sons .
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And he set three days '
journey between himself and Jacob :
and Jacob fed the rest of Laban '
flocks .
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And Jacob took him rods of green poplar ,
and of the hazel and chesnut tree ;
and pilled white strakes in them ,
and made the white appear which was in the rods .
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And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink ,
that they should conceive when they came to drink .
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And the flocks conceived before the rods ,
and brought forth cattle ringstraked ,
speckled ,
and spotted .
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And Jacob did separate the lambs ,
and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked ,
and all the brown in the flock of Laban ;
and he put his own flocks by themselves ,
and put them not to Laban '
cattle .
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And it came to pass ,
whenever the stronger cattle did conceive ,
that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters ,
that they might conceive among the rods .
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But when the cattle were feeble ,
he put them not in :
so the feebler were Laban ',
and the stronger Jacob '.
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And the man increased exceedingly ,
and had much cattle ,
and maidservants ,
and menservants ,
and camels ,
and asses .
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And he heard the words of Laban '
sons ,
saying ,
Jacob has taken away all that was our father ';
and of that which was our father '
has he gotten all this glory .
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