Then Jacob said, “Look, it is still broad daylight. It’s not time for the animals to be gathered. Water the flock, then go out and let them graze.”

And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.

And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep: for she kept them.

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.

And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son: and she ran and told her father.

And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's 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.

And Laban said to him, Thou art indeed my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him a month's time.

Then Laban said to Jacob, Because you are my brother are you to be my servant for nothing? say now, what is your payment to be?

And Leah's eyes were tender. But Rachel was beautiful and well favored.

Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, “I will serve you [as a hired workman] for seven years [in return] for [the privilege of marrying] Rachel your younger daughter.”

"It's better that I give her to you than to another man," Laban replied, "so stay with me."

So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

Finally, Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time [of service] is completed, so that I may take her to me [as my wife].”

So Laban gathered all the men of the place and prepared a feast.

But in the morning [when Jacob awoke], it was Leah [who was with him]! And he said to Laban, “What is this that you have done to me? Did I not work for you [for seven years] for Rachel? Why have you deceived and betrayed me [like this]?”

And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

Complete my older daughter's bridal week. Then we will give you the younger one too, in exchange for seven more years of work."

And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.

So he went in, unto Rachel also, and loved, Rachel also, more than Leah, - and he served with him, yet seven years more.

And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.

Leah conceived and gave birth to a son and named him Reuben (See, a son!), for she said, “Because the Lord has seen my humiliation and suffering; now my husband will love me [since I have given him a son].”

She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “The Lord heard that I am unloved and has given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon.

And she was with child again, and gave birth to a son; and said, Now at last my husband will be united to me, because I have given him three sons: so he was named Levi.

Again she conceived and gave birth to a [fourth] son, and she said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah; then [for a time] she stopped bearing [children].

And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

She said, “Here, take my maid Bilhah and go in to her; and [when the baby comes] she shall deliver it [while sitting] on my knees, so that by her I may also have children [to count as my own].”

So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.

Then Rachel said, “God has judged and vindicated me, and has heard my plea and has given me a son [through my maid].” So she named him Dan (He judged).

And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.

So Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings [in prayer to God] I have struggled with my sister and have prevailed.” So she named him Naphtali (my wrestlings).

When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.

And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son.

and Leah said, Victory hath come! So she called his name Gad.

And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son.

Then Leah said, "How happy [am] I! For women have called me happy." So she called his name Asher.

And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.

And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes.

And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.

God listened and answered [the prayer of] Leah, and she conceived and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.

Then Leah said, God has made payment to me for giving my servant-girl to my husband: so she gave her son the name Issachar.

Then said Leah, God hath dowered me even me with a hand-some dowry, Now! will my husband dwell with me, for I have borne him six sons. So she called his name, Zebulon.

And afterwards she bare a daughter, - so she called her name, Dinah.

So she conceived and bare a son, - and said, God hath taken away my reproach;

So she called his name Joseph, saying, Yahweh is adding unto me another son.

After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so that I can return to my homeland.

And Laban said, If you will let me say so, do not go away; for I have seen by the signs that the Lord has been good to me because of you.

Say then what your payment is to be and I will give it.

So Jacob said to him, “You know what I have done for you and your herds.

For you had little before me, and it has increased abundantly. And Yahweh has blessed you {wherever I turned}. So then, when shall I provide for my own family also?"

So Laban asked, "What should I give you?" "You don't need to give me a thing," Jacob replied, "but if you agree to this one condition, I will continue to care for your flocks and protect them:

So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.

And Laban said, “Good! Let it be done as you say.”

So that day he took all the he-goats which were banded or coloured, and all the she-goats which were marked or coloured or had white marks, and all the black sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons;

And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

Then Jacob took young branches of trees, cutting off the skin so that the white wood was seen in bands.

And the flocks mated by the branches, so the flocks bore streaked, speckled, and spotted.

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 unto Laban's cattle.

And whenever the stronger ones of the flock became with young, Jacob put the sticks in front of them in the drinking-places, so that they might become with young when they saw the sticks.

But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

So Jacob's wealth was greatly increased; he had great flocks and women-servants and men-servants and camels and asses.

And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory.

And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and behold, it was not toward him as previously.

Then the LORD ordered Jacob, "Go back to your father's territory and to your relatives. I'll be with you."

So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field,

And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me.

Even so, your father has cheated me. He broke our wage agreement ten times. However, God didn't allow him to harm me.

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

God has taken away your father's livestock and given [them] to me.

And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.

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

And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.

And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

He's treating us like foreigners. He sold us and spent all of the money that rightfully belonged to us.

For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.

So Jacob arose, - and mounted his sons and his wives on the camels;

And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.

So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead.

And on the third day Laban had news of Jacob's flight.

So he took his relatives with him and pursued him for seven days, and they overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.

But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night. “Watch yourself!” God warned him. “Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

So then Laban came up with Jacob, - Jacob, having pitched his tent in the mountain, Laban, also, with his brethren pitched in the mountain of Gilead.

And Laban will say to Jacob, What didst thou and thou didst steal my heart, and will carry away my daughters as captives of the sword?

Why did you run away secretly and deceive me and not tell me, so that [otherwise] I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with [music on the] tambourine and lyre?

And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.

I could do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me: ‘Watch yourself. Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’

And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?

And Jacob will answer and say to Laban, Because I was afraid; for I said, Lest thou wilt tear away my daughters from me;

Now as to your gods, if you find someone has them in their possession, he's a dead man. Take our relatives as witnesses, search through our belongings, and take whatever belongs to you that's in my possession." But Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maidservants' tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.

Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.

She said to her father, “Sir, don’t be angry that I cannot stand up in your presence; I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.

And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?

Now that you have made search through all my goods, what have you seen which is yours? Make it clear now before my people and your people, so that they may be judges between us.

and whatever was torn by beasts, I never bothered to bring to you. Instead, I bore the losses myself. Even so, you demanded that I provide restitution for anything that was stolen, whether during the day or the night.

Thus have I been - By day, drought hath consumed me, And, frost, by, night, - So that my sleep fled away from mine eyes.

If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac had not been with me, indeed now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my misery and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night."

Laban answered Jacob, “These women [that you married] are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, these flocks are [from] my flocks, and all that you see [here] is mine. But what can I do today to these my daughters or to their children to whom they have given birth?

So come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.”

So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a [memorial] pillar.