1 So Jacob continued his journey and arrived in Mesopotamia.
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2 One day, looking around, he saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying nearby, as the flocks were drinking from that well, which was covered by a large stone.
3 Therefore, when all the flocks gathered there, the shepherds rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and gave water to the sheep. Then they replaced the stone in its place, over the well.
4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My friends, where are you from? “We are from Haran,” they replied.
5 “Do you know Laban, grandson of Nahor? “, Jacob asked them. They replied: “Yes, we know him”.
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6 Then Jacob asked, “Is he well? “Yes, it’s going well,” they said, “and here comes your daughter Rachel with the sheep.”
7 He said: “Look, the sun is still high and it is not time to gather the flocks. Give the sheep something to drink and take them back to the pasture.”
8 But they answered, “We cannot, until the flocks gather together and the stone is rolled away from the mouth of the well. Only then will we give the sheep something to drink.”
9 He was still talking when Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, as she was a shepherdess.
10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he came over, rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and gave water to his uncle Laban's sheep.
11 Then Jacob kissed Raquel and began to cry loudly.
12 Then he told Raquel that he was related to her father and Rebeca's son. And she ran to tell her father everything.
13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his nephew, he ran to meet him, hugged him and kissed him. Then he took him home, and Jacob told him everything that had happened.
14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my blood.” Jacob had been in Laban's house for a month,
15 when he said to him: “Just because you are related to me, will you work for free? Tell me what your salary should be.”
16 Now Laban had two daughters; The name of the oldest was Leah, and the name of the youngest was Rachel.
17 Leah had sweet eyes, but Raquel was beautiful and attractive.
18 Because Jacob was very fond of Rachel, he said, “I will work seven years in exchange for Rachel, your youngest daughter.”
19 Laban replied, “It would be better to give it to you than to some other man. Stay here with me".
20 So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, but it seemed like only a few days to him, because of how much he loved her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. I met the deadline and I want to sleep with her.”
22 Then Laban gathered all the people of that place and threw a party.
23 But when night came, he gave his daughter Leah to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her.
24 Laban also gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter, to be in her service.
25 When morning came, there was Leah. Then Jacob said to Laban, “What have you done to me? Didn't I work for Raquel? Why did you fool me? “
26 Laban replied: “It is not customary here to give the youngest daughter in marriage before the oldest.
27 Let this wedding week pass and we will also give you the youngest, in exchange for another seven years of work.”
28 Jacob agreed. He spent that wedding week with Leah, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.
29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah to Rachel to serve her.
30 Jacob also slept with Rachel, who was his favorite. And he worked for Laban another seven years.
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was despised, he gave her children; Rachel, however, was sterile.
32 Leah became pregnant, gave birth to a son, and named him Reuben, for she said: “The Lord has seen my unhappiness. Now my husband will certainly love me.”
33 Leah became pregnant again, and when she gave birth to another son, she said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am despised, he has given me this one too.” For what he called him Simeon.
34 She became pregnant again, and when she gave birth to another son, she said: “Now, finally, my husband will cling to me, because I have already borne him three children.” That's why he named him Levi.
35 She became pregnant yet again and, when she gave birth to another son, she said: “This time I will praise the LORD.” So he named him Judah. Then he stopped having children.
