Genesis 29 - Prayer Tents



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Genesis 29
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Jacob Arrives at Paddan-Aram

29Then Jacob hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east.H3290H5375H7272H3212H776H1121H6924 2He 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.H7200H875H7704H7969H5739H6629H7257H875H8248H5739H1419H68H875H6310 3It 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.H5739H622H1556H68H875H6310H8248H6629H7725H68H7725H875H6310H4725 4Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked, "Where are you from, my friends?" "We are from Haran," they answered.H3290H559H251H370H559H2771 5"Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?" he asked. "Yes, we do," they replied.H559H3045H3837H1121H5152H559H3045 6"Is he doing well?" Jacob asked. "Yes, he's well," they answered. "Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the flock now."H559H7965H559H7965H7354H1323H935H6629 7Jacob 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?"H559H2005H1419H3117H6256H4735H622H8248H6629H3212H7462 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."H559H3201H5739H622H1556H68H875H6310H8248H6629 9Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father's flock, for she was a shepherd.H5750H1696H7354H935H1H6629H7462 10And 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.H3290H7200H7354H1323H3837H517H251H6629H3837H517H251H3290H5066H1556H68H875H6310H8248H6629H3837H517H251 11Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and he wept aloud.H3290H5401H7354H5375H6963H1058 12He explained to Rachel that he was her cousin on her father's side—the son of her aunt Rebekah. So Rachel quickly ran and told her father, Laban.H3290H5046H7354H1H251H7259H1121H7323H5046H1 13As 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,H3837H8085H8088H3290H269H1121H7323H7125H2263H5401H935H1004H5608H3837H1697

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

14Laban exclaimed, "You really are my own flesh and blood!" After Jacob had stayed with Laban for about a month,H3837H559H389H6106H1320H3427H3117H2320 15Laban said to him, "You shouldn't work for me without pay just because we are relatives. Tell me how much your wages should be."H3837H559H3290H251H5647H2600H5046H4909 16Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel.H3837H8147H1323H8034H1419H3812H8034H6996H7354 17There was no sparkle in Leah's eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face.H3812H7390H5869H7354H3303H8389H3303H4758 18Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, "I'll work for you for seven years if you'll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife."H3290H157H7354H559H5647H7651H8141H7354H6996H1323 19"Agreed!" Laban replied. "I'd rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me."H3837H559H2896H5414H5414H312H376H3427 20So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.H3290H5647H7651H8141H7354H5869H259H3117H160 21Finally, the time came for him to marry her. "I have fulfilled my agreement," Jacob said to Laban. "Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her."H3290H559H3837H3051H802H3117H4390H935 22So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast.H3837H622H582H4725H6213H4960 23But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her.H6153H3947H3812H1323H935H935 24(Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)H3837H5414H1323H3812H2153H8198H8198 25But when Jacob woke up in the morning—it was Leah! "What have you done to me?" Jacob raged at Laban. "I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?"H1242H3812H559H3837H6213H5647H7354H7411 26"It's not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn," Laban replied.H3837H559H6213H4725H5414H6810H6440H1067 27"But wait until the bridal week is over, then we'll give you Rachel, too—provided you promise to work another seven years for me."H4390H2063H7620H5414H5656H5647H7651H312H8141 28So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too.H3290H6213H4390H7620H5414H7354H1323H802 29(Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.)H3837H5414H7354H1323H1090H8198H8198 30So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years.H935H7354H157H7354H3812H5647H7651H312H8141

Jacob’s Many Children

31When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive.H3068H7200H3812H8130H6605H7358H7354H6135 32So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "The LORD has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me."H3812H2029H3205H1121H7121H8034H7205H3588H559H3588H3068H7200H6040H3588H376H157 33She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, "The LORD heard that I was unloved and has given me another son."H2029H3205H1121H559H3068H8085H8130H5414H7121H8034H8095 34Then she became pregnant a third time and gave birth to another son. She named him Levi, for she said, "Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!"H2029H3205H1121H559H6471H376H3867H3205H7969H1121H8034H7121H3878 35Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for she said, "Now I will praise the LORD!" And then she stopped having children.H2029H3205H1121H559H6471H3034H3068H7121H8034H3063H5975H3205


New Living Translation (NLT). Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. More details.
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