DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible - Flipbook - Page 57
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G enesis 29
poured olive oil over it. 19 He named that place Bethel (which means “house
of God”), although it was previously called Luz.
20 Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect
me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, 21 and if
I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God.
22 And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping
God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”
Jacob Arrives at Paddan-Aram
Then Jacob hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east. 2 He
saw a well in the distance. Three flocks of sheep and goats lay in an
open field beside it, waiting to be watered. But a heavy stone covered the
mouth of the well.
3 It was the custom there to wait for all the flocks to arrive before removing
the stone and watering the animals. Afterward the stone would be placed
back over the mouth of the well. 4 Jacob went over to the shepherds and
asked, “Where are you from, my friends?”
“We are from Haran,” they answered.
5 “Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?” he
asked.
“Yes, we do,” they replied.
6 “Is he doing well?” Jacob asked.
“Yes, he’s well,” they answered. “Look, here comes his daughter Rachel
with the flock now.”
7 Jacob said, “Look, it’s still broad daylight—too early to round up the
animals. Why don’t you water the sheep and goats so they can get back out
to pasture?”
8 “We can’t water the animals until all the flocks have arrived,” they replied. “Then the shepherds move the stone from the mouth of the well, and
we water all the sheep and goats.”
9 Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s
flock, for she was a shepherd. 10 And because Rachel was his cousin—the
daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother—and because the sheep and goats
belonged to his uncle Laban, Jacob went over to the well and moved the stone
from its mouth and watered his uncle’s flock. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel,
and he wept aloud. 12 He explained to Rachel that he was her cousin on her
father’s s ide—the son of her aunt Rebekah. So Rachel quickly ran and told
her father, Laban.
13 As soon as Laban heard that his nephew Jacob had arrived, he ran out
to meet him. He embraced and kissed him and brought him home. When
Jacob had told him his story, 14 Laban exclaimed, “You really are my own
flesh and blood!”
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Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
After Jacob had stayed with Laban for about a month, 15 Laban said to him,
“You shouldn’t work for me without pay just because we are relatives. Tell
me how much your wages should be.”
16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah,
and the younger one was Rachel. 17 There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes,* but
29:17 Or Leah had dull eyes, or Leah had soft eyes. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
