Genesis 28:1-9 - Jacob Flees To Haran

¹ Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and told him: Do not marry a Canaanite. ² Go to Mesopotamia instead, to the home of your grandfather Bethuel. Marry one of the young women there, one of your uncle Laban's daughters. ³ Almighty God will bless your marriage and give you many children. You will become the father of many nations! ⁴ He will bless you and your descendants as he blessed Abraham. You may take possession of this land, in which you have lived and which God gave to Abraham! ⁵ Isaac then sent Jacob to stay with Rebekah's brother Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean.

⁶ Esau found out that his father Isaac had blessed Jacob and had warned him not to marry any of the Canaanite women. He also learned that Jacob had been sent to find a wife in northern Syria. ⁷ Jacob did as his father and mother said. He went to Paddan-aram. ⁸ It was clear to Esau that his father despised the local Canaanite women. ⁹ So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Abraham's son Ishmael, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.

¹ Jacob continued on his trip and arrived at the land in the east. ² Suddenly he came upon a well out in the fields. There were three flocks of sheep lying around it. The flocks were watered from this well. It had a large stone over the opening. ³ When all the flocks came together there, the shepherds would roll the stone back and water them. Then they would put the stone back in place.

⁴ Jacob asked the shepherds: Where are you from? They answered: We are from Haran.

⁵ Then he asked: Do you know Nahor's grandson Laban? Yes, we do, they replied.

⁶ Jacob asked: How is he? They replied: He is well. Here is Rachel his daughter coming with the sheep. ⁷ It is still the heat of the day. It is not time for livestock to be gathered. Would you like to water the sheep so they can get back to grazing?

⁸ They said: We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well. Then we water the sheep.

⁹ While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. ¹⁰ Jacob saw Rachel, daughter of his uncle Laban, with his uncle Laban's sheep. He came forward and rolled the stone off the opening of the well and watered his uncle Laban's sheep. ¹¹ Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept loudly. ¹² Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's nephew and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

¹³ As soon as Laban heard the news about his sister's son Jacob, he ran to meet him. He embraced and kissed him and brought him into his home. Then Jacob told Laban all that had happened.

¹⁴ Laban said: You are indeed my own flesh and blood. Jacob stayed there a whole month.