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Genesis 29-30
The Message
Genesis 29-30
The Message
29 1-3 Jacob set out again on his way to the people of the east. He noticed a well out in an open field with three flocks of sheep bedded down around it. This was the common well from which the flocks were watered. The stone over the mouth of the well was huge. When all the flocks were gathered, the shepherds would roll the stone from the well and water the sheep; then they would return the stone, covering the well.
4 Jacob said, “Hello friends. Where are you from?”
They said, “We’re from Haran.”
5 Jacob asked, “Do you know Laban son of Nahor?”
“We do.”
6 “Are things well with him?” Jacob continued.
“Very well,” they said. “And here is his daughter Rachel coming with the flock.”
7 Jacob said, “There’s a lot of daylight still left; it isn’t time to round up the sheep yet, is it? So why not water the flocks and go back to grazing?”
8 “We can’t,” they said. “Not until all the shepherds get here. It takes all of us to roll the stone from the well. Not until then can we water the flocks.”
9-13 While Jacob was in conversation with them, Rachel came up with her father’s sheep. She was the shepherd. The moment Jacob spotted Rachel, daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, saw her arriving with his uncle Laban’s sheep, he went and single-handedly rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. Then he kissed Rachel and broke into tears. He told Rachel that he was related to her father, that he was Rebekah’s son. She ran and told her father. When Laban heard the news—Jacob, his sister’s son!—he ran out to meet him, embraced and kissed him and brought him home. Jacob told Laban the story of everything that had happened.
14-15 Laban said, “You’re family! My flesh and blood!”
When Jacob had been with him for a month, Laban said, “Just because you’re my nephew, you shouldn’t work for me for nothing. Tell me what you want to be paid. What’s a fair wage?”
16-18 Now Laban had two daughters; Leah was the older and Rachel the younger. Leah had nice eyes, but Rachel was stunningly beautiful. And it was Rachel that Jacob loved.
So Jacob answered, “I will work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”
19 “It is far better,” said Laban, “that I give her to you than marry her to some outsider. Yes. Stay here with me.”
20 So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel. But it only seemed like a few days, he loved her so much.
21-24 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife; I’ve completed what we agreed I’d do. I’m ready to consummate my marriage.” Laban invited everyone around and threw a big feast. At evening, though, he got his daughter Leah and brought her to the marriage bed, and Jacob slept with her. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maid.)
25 Morning came: There was Leah in the marriage bed!
Jacob confronted Laban, “What have you done to me? Didn’t I work all this time for the hand of Rachel? Why did you cheat me?”
26-27 “We don’t do it that way in our country,” said Laban. “We don’t marry off the younger daughter before the older. Enjoy your week of honeymoon, and then we’ll give you the other one also. But it will cost you another seven years of work.”
28-30 Jacob agreed. When he’d completed the honeymoon week, Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. (Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid.) Jacob then slept with her. And he loved Rachel more than Leah. He worked for Laban another seven years.
31-32 When God realized that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb. But Rachel was barren. Leah became pregnant and had a son. She named him Reuben (Look-It’s-a-Boy!). “This is a sign,” she said, “that God has seen my misery; and a sign that now my husband will love me.”
33-35 She became pregnant again and had another son. “God heard,” she said, “that I was unloved and so he gave me this son also.” She named this one Simeon (God-Heard). She became pregnant yet again—another son. She said, “Now maybe my husband will connect with me—I’ve given him three sons!” That’s why she named him Levi (Connect). She became pregnant a final time and had a fourth son. She said, “This time I’ll praise God.” So she named him Judah (Praise-God). Then she stopped having children.
* * *
30 When Rachel realized that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She told Jacob, “Give me sons or I’ll die!”
2 Jacob got angry with Rachel and said, “Am I God? Am I the one who refused you babies?”
3-5 Rachel said, “Here’s my maid Bilhah. Sleep with her. Let her substitute for me so I can have a child through her and build a family.” So she gave him her maid Bilhah for a wife and Jacob slept with her. Bilhah became pregnant and gave Jacob a son.
6-8 Rachel said, “God took my side and vindicated me. He listened to me and gave me a son.” She named him Dan (Vindication). Rachel’s maid Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. Rachel said, “I’ve been in an all-out fight with my sister—and I’ve won.” So she named him Naphtali (Fight).
9-13 When Leah saw that she wasn’t having any more children, she gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob for a wife. Zilpah had a son for Jacob. Leah said, “How fortunate!” and she named him Gad (Lucky). When Leah’s maid Zilpah had a second son for Jacob, Leah said, “A happy day! The women will congratulate me in my happiness.” So she named him Asher (Happy).
14 One day during the wheat harvest Reuben found some mandrakes in the field and brought them home to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah, “Could I please have some of your son’s mandrakes?”
15 Leah said, “Wasn’t it enough that you got my husband away from me? And now you also want my son’s mandrakes?”
Rachel said, “All right. I’ll let him sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
16-21 When Jacob came home that evening from the fields, Leah was there to meet him: “Sleep with me tonight; I’ve bartered my son’s mandrakes for a night with you.” So he slept with her that night. God listened to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a fifth son. She said, “God rewarded me for giving my maid to my husband.” She named him Issachar (Bartered). Leah became pregnant yet again and gave Jacob a sixth son, saying, “God has given me a great gift. This time my husband will honor me with gifts—I’ve given him six sons!” She named him Zebulun (Honor). Last of all she had a daughter and named her Dinah.
22-24 And then God remembered Rachel. God listened to her and opened her womb. She became pregnant and had a son. She said, “God has taken away my humiliation.” She named him Joseph (Add), praying, “May God add yet another son to me.”
* * *
25-26 After Rachel had had Joseph, Jacob spoke to Laban, “Let me go back home. Give me my wives and children for whom I’ve served you. You know how hard I’ve worked for you.”
27-28 Laban said, “If you please, I have learned through divine inquiry that God has blessed me because of you.” He went on, “So name your wages. I’ll pay you.”
29-30 Jacob replied, “You know well what my work has meant to you and how your livestock has flourished under my care. The little you had when I arrived has increased greatly; everything I did resulted in blessings for you. Isn’t it about time that I do something for my own family?”
31-33 “So, what should I pay you?”
Jacob said, “You don’t have to pay me a thing. But how about this? I will go back to pasture and care for your flocks. Go through your entire flock today and take out every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. That way you can check on my honesty when you assess my wages. If you find any goat that’s not speckled or spotted or a sheep that’s not black, you will know that I stole it.”
34 “Fair enough,” said Laban. “It’s a deal.”
35-36 But that very day Laban removed all the mottled and spotted billy goats and all the speckled and spotted nanny goats, every animal that had even a touch of white on it plus all the black sheep and placed them under the care of his sons. Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Meanwhile Jacob went on tending what was left of Laban’s flock.
37-42 But Jacob got fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled the bark, leaving white stripes on them. He stuck the peeled branches in front of the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. When the flocks were in heat, they came to drink and mated in front of the streaked branches. Then they gave birth to young that were streaked or spotted or speckled. Jacob placed the ewes before the dark-colored animals of Laban. That way he got distinctive flocks for himself which he didn’t mix with Laban’s flocks. And when the sturdier animals were mating, Jacob placed branches at the troughs in view of the animals so that they mated in front of the branches. But he wouldn’t set up the branches before the feebler animals. That way the feeble animals went to Laban and the sturdy ones to Jacob.
43 The man got richer and richer, acquiring huge flocks, lots and lots of servants, not to mention camels and donkeys.
Genesis 29-30
New International Version
Genesis 29-30
New International Version
Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram
29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.(A) 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well.(B) The stone(C) over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone(D) away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep.(E) Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”(F)
“We’re from Harran,(G)” they replied.
5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”(H)
“Yes, we know him,” they answered.
6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”
“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel(I) with the sheep.(J)”
7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”
8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone(K) has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water(L) the sheep.”
9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep,(M) for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel(N) daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone(O) away from the mouth of the well and watered(P) his uncle’s sheep.(Q) 11 Then Jacob kissed(R) Rachel and began to weep aloud.(S) 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative(T) of her father and a son of Rebekah.(U) So she ran and told her father.(V)
13 As soon as Laban(W) heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him(X) and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”(Y)
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative(Z) of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages(AA) should be.”
16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah,(AB) and the name of the younger was Rachel.(AC) 17 Leah had weak[a] eyes, but Rachel(AD) had a lovely figure and was beautiful.(AE) 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel(AF) and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”(AG)
19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel,(AH) but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.(AI)
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.(AJ)”
22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.(AK) 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah(AL) and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. 24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah(AM) to his daughter as her attendant.(AN)
25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me?(AO) I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?(AP)”
26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.(AQ) 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week;(AR) then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.(AS)”
28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.(AT) 29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah(AU) to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.(AV) 30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah.(AW) And he worked for Laban another seven years.(AX)
Jacob’s Children
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved,(AY) he enabled her to conceive,(AZ) but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.(BA) She named him Reuben,[b](BB) for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery.(BC) Surely my husband will love me now.”
33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved,(BD) he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.[c](BE)
34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me,(BF) because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.[d](BG)
35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.[e](BH) Then she stopped having children.(BI)
30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children,(BJ) she became jealous of her sister.(BK) So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God,(BL) who has kept you from having children?”(BM)
3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah,(BN) my servant.(BO) Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”(BP)
4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife.(BQ) Jacob slept with her,(BR) 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me;(BS) he has listened to my plea and given me a son.”(BT) Because of this she named him Dan.[f](BU)
7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah(BV) conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.”(BW) So she named him Naphtali.[g](BX)
9 When Leah(BY) saw that she had stopped having children,(BZ) she took her servant Zilpah(CA) and gave her to Jacob as a wife.(CB) 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah(CC) bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”[h] So she named him Gad.[i](CD)
12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me(CE) happy.”(CF) So she named him Asher.[j](CG)
14 During wheat harvest,(CH) Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants,(CI) which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough(CJ) that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”
“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”(CK)
16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.”(CL) So he slept with her that night.
17 God listened to Leah,(CM) and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.”(CN) So she named him Issachar.[k](CO)
19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor,(CP) because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.[l](CQ)
21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.(CR)
22 Then God remembered Rachel;(CS) he listened to her(CT) and enabled her to conceive.(CU) 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son(CV) and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”(CW) 24 She named him Joseph,[m](CX) and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”(CY)
Jacob’s Flocks Increase
25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way(CZ) so I can go back to my own homeland.(DA) 26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you,(DB) and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”
27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(DC) please stay. I have learned by divination(DD) that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”(DE) 28 He added, “Name your wages,(DF) and I will pay them.”
29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have worked for you(DG) and how your livestock has fared under my care.(DH) 30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been.(DI) But now, when may I do something for my own household?(DJ)”
31 “What shall I give you?” he asked.
“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat.(DK) They will be my wages.(DL) 33 And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored,(DM) will be considered stolen.(DN)”
34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35 That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs,(DO) and he placed them in the care of his sons.(DP) 36 Then he put a three-day journey(DQ) between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond(DR) and plane trees(DS) and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches.(DT) 38 Then he placed the peeled branches(DU) in all the watering troughs,(DV) so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat(DW) and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches.(DX) And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.(DY) 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals(DZ) that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females were in heat,(EA) Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches,(EB) 42 but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob.(EC) 43 In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.(ED)
Footnotes
- Genesis 29:17 Or delicate
- Genesis 29:32 Reuben sounds like the Hebrew for he has seen my misery; the name means see, a son.
- Genesis 29:33 Simeon probably means one who hears.
- Genesis 29:34 Levi sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for attached.
- Genesis 29:35 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
- Genesis 30:6 Dan here means he has vindicated.
- Genesis 30:8 Naphtali means my struggle.
- Genesis 30:11 Or “A troop is coming!”
- Genesis 30:11 Gad can mean good fortune or a troop.
- Genesis 30:13 Asher means happy.
- Genesis 30:18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward.
- Genesis 30:20 Zebulun probably means honor.
- Genesis 30:24 Joseph means may he add.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New International Version (NIV) 
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