And they said, "It is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep." And he said, "Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them." And they said, "We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep."

While yet he 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, 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 kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. 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 hira to his house. And he told Laban all these things. And Laban said to him, "Surely thou art my bone and my flesh." And he abode with him the space of a month. And Laban said unto Jacob, "Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou, therefore, serve me for nought? Tell me, what shall thy wages be? "

And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. And Leah's eyes were tender; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. And Jacob loved Rachel: and he said, "I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter." And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me."

And Jacob served seven years for Rachel: and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.

And Jacob said unto Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her." And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.

And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Laban, "What is this thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?" And Laban said, "It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil the week of this one, and we will give thee the other also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years." And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

And Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, "Because Yahweh hath looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me." And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, "Because Yahweh hath heard that I am hated, he hath therefore given me this son also"; and she called his name Simeon. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, "Now this time will my busband be joined unto me, because I have borne him three sons": therefore, was his name called Levi. And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, "This time will I praise Yahweh": therefore, she called his name Judah; and she left bearing.

And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she 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?"

And she said, "Behold my maid, Bilhah, go in unto her; that she may bear upon my knees, and I also may obtain children by her." And Jacob went in unto her. And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. And Rachel said, "God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son": therefore, called she his name Dan. And Bilhah Rachel's handmaid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. And Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed": and she called his name Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife. And Zilpah, Leah's handmaid bare Jacob a son. And Leah said, "Fortunate," and she called his name Gad. And Zilpah, Leah's handmaid bare Jacob a second son. And Leah said, "Happy am I! For the daughters will call me happy," and 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 away my husband? And wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also?" And Rachel said, "Therefore he shall lie with thee tonight for thy son's mandrakes."

And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, "Thou must come in unto me; for I have surely hired thee with my son's mandrakes?" And he lay with her that night. And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob a fifth son. And Leah said, "God hath given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband"; and she called his name Issachar. And Leah conceived again, and bare a sixth son to Jacob. And Leah said, "God hath endowed me with a good dowry: now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons": and she called his name Zebulun.

And God hearkened to Rachel, and opened her womb. And she conceived, and bare a son: and said, "God hath taken away my reproach": and she called his name Joseph, saying, "Yahweh add to me another son."

And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, "Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service wherewith I have served thee."

And Laban said unto him, "If now I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have divined that Yahweh hath blessed me for thy sake." And he said, "Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it."

And he said unto him, "Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle hath fared with me. For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it hath increased unto a multitude: and Yahweh hath blessed thee whithersoever I turned: and now when shall I provide for mine own house, also?"

And he said, "What shall I give thee?"

And Jacob said, "Thou shalt not give me aught: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed thy flock and keep it. I will pass through all thy flock today, removing from thence every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and of such shall be my hire. So shall my righteousness answer for me hereafter, when thou shalt come concerning my hire that is before thee every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that if found with me shall be counted stolen."

And Laban said, "Behold, I would it might be according to thy word."

And he removed that day the he-goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons; and he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane tree; and peeled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink; and they conceived when they came to drink. And the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own droves apart, and put them not unto Laban's flock.

And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger of the flock did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods; but when the flock were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, 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 beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as beforetime. And Yahweh said unto Jacob, "Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee."

And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, and said unto them, " I see your father's countenance that it is not toward me as beforetime; but the God of my father hath been with me. And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. If he said thus, 'The speckled shall be thy wages,' then all the flock bare speckled: and if he said thus, 'The ringstraked shall be thy wages'; then bare all the flock ringstraked. Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. And it came to pass at the time that the flock conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled. And the angel of God said unto me in the dream - 'Jacob': and I said, ' Here am I.' And he said, 'Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst a pillar, where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity.'"

And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, "Is there yet any portion of inheritance for us in our father's house? Are we not counted of him strangers? For he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our money. For all the riches which God hath taken away from our father, that is ours and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do."

Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels; and he carried away all his cattle. Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father's. And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. So he fled with