Genèse 29
1 Et Jacob se mit en marche, et s’en alla au pays des fils de l’orient.
Jacob went quickly on his way, and arrived in the land of the eastern people.
2 Et il regarda, et voici un puits dans les champs, et voilà trois troupeaux de menu bétail couchés auprès, (car de ce puits-là on abreuvait les troupeaux); et il y avait une grosse pierre sur l’ouverture du puits.
As he looked around he saw a well in a field with three flocks of sheep lying down beside it, waiting to be given water. A large stone covered the top of the well.
3 Et tous les troupeaux se rassemblaient là, et on roulait la pierre de dessus l’ouverture du puits, et on abreuvait le bétail; puis on remettait la pierre à sa place, sur l’ouverture du puits.
The usual practice was that once all the flocks had arrived, the shepherds would roll away the stone from the well and give their sheep water. Then they would put the stone back again.
4 Et Jacob leur dit: Mes frères, d’où êtes-vous? Et ils dirent: Nous sommes de Charan.
Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” “We're from Haran,” they replied.
5 Et il leur dit: Connaissez-vous Laban, fils de Nakhor? Et ils dirent: Nous le connaissons.
“Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?” he asked. “Yes, we know him,” they replied.
6 Et il leur dit: Se porte-t-il bien? Et ils dirent: Bien; et voici Rachel, sa fille, qui vient avec le bétail.
“How is he?” he asked. “He's well,” they replied. “Look! In fact here's his daughter Rachel coming with the sheep right now.”
7 Et il dit: Voici, il est encore grand jour, il n’est pas temps de rassembler les troupeaux; abreuvez le bétail, et allez, faites-le paître.
“Look, there's still plenty of daylight left,” said Jacob. “It's too early to round up the sheep yet. Why not let them drink so they can go back to grazing?”
8 Et ils dirent: Nous ne le pouvons pas, jusqu’à ce que tous les troupeaux soient rassemblés; alors on roule la pierre de dessus l’ouverture du puits, et nous abreuvons le bétail.
“We can't do that until all the flocks have arrived,” they told him. “Then we roll away the stone from the well and let the sheep drink.”
9 Comme il parlait encore avec eux, Rachel vint avec le bétail qui était à son père; car elle était bergère.
While he was still talking with them Rachel arrived with the flock she was looking after for her father.
10 Et il arriva, quand Jacob vit Rachel, fille de Laban, frère de sa mère, et le bétail de Laban, frère de sa mère, que Jacob s’approcha, et roula la pierre de dessus l’ouverture du puits, et abreuva le bétail de Laban, frère de sa mère.
When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, he went over and rolled away the stone from the well so Laban's sheep could drink.
11 Et Jacob embrassa Rachel, et éleva sa voix, et pleura.
Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept for joy.
12 Et Jacob apprit à Rachel qu’il était frère de son père et qu’il était fils de Rebecca; et elle courut le rapporter à son père.
(He had told her that he was the son of Laban's brother and Rebekah.) She ran and told her father what had happened.
13 Et il arriva que, lorsque Laban apprit les nouvelles de Jacob, fils de sa sœur, il courut à sa rencontre, et l’embrassa et lui donna un baiser, et le fit entrer dans sa maison; et [Jacob] raconta à Laban toutes ces choses.
As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob he ran out to meet him. He hugged him and kissed him, and took him home. After Jacob had explained everything to Laban,
14 Et Laban lui dit: Certes, tu es mon os et ma chair. Et il demeura avec lui un mois de temps.
Laban told him, “No question about it—you're my own flesh and blood!” Jacob stayed with Laban for a month.
15 Et Laban dit à Jacob: Parce que tu es mon frère, me serviras-tu pour rien? Dis-moi quel sera ton salaire?
One day Laban said to him, “You're my relative so you shouldn't be working for me for nothing! Tell me, what should I pay you?”
16 Or Laban avait deux filles; le nom de l’aînée était Léa, et le nom de la plus jeune, Rachel.
Laban had two daughters. The older one was Leah, and the younger one was Rachel.
17 Et Léa avait les yeux délicats; mais Rachel était belle de taille et belle de visage.
Leah had kind eyes, but Rachel had a shapely figure and beautiful looks.
18 Et Jacob aimait Rachel, et il dit: Je te servirai sept ans pour Rachel, ta plus jeune fille.
Jacob was in love with Rachel so he promised Laban, “I'll do seven years work for you for Rachel, your younger daughter.”
19 Et Laban dit: Mieux vaut que je te la donne que de la donner à un autre homme; demeure avec moi.
“Well it's better for me to give her to you than anyone else,” Laban replied. “So stay here and work for me.”
20 Et Jacob servit pour Rachel sept années; et elles furent à ses yeux comme peu de jours, parce qu’il l’aimait.
Jacob worked for Laban for seven years, but to him they seemed like just a few days because he really loved her.
21 Et Jacob dit à Laban: Donne-moi ma femme; car mes jours sont accomplis, et je viendrai vers elle.
Then Jacob said to Laban, “I've completed the time we agreed. Now give me your daughter to be my wife.”
22 Et Laban rassembla tous les gens du lieu, et fit un festin.
So Laban organized a wedding banquet and invited everyone around to come.
23 Et il arriva, le soir, qu’il prit Léa, sa fille, et la lui amena; et il vint vers elle.
But once it was dark Laban brought his daughter Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her.
24 Et Laban donna Zilpa, sa servante, à Léa, sa fille, pour servante.
(Laban also arranged for his servant Zilpah to be Leah's personal maid.)
25 Et il arriva, au matin, que voici, c’était Léa. Et il dit à Laban: Que m’as-tu fait? N’est-ce pas pour Rachel que je t’ai servi? et pourquoi m’as-tu trompé?
When morning came, he saw it was Leah! He went to Laban and asked angrily, “What have you done to me? It was for Rachel that I worked for you! Why have you deceived me?”
26 Et Laban dit: On ne fait pas ainsi, dans notre lieu, de donner la plus jeune avant l’aînée.
“Here we don't give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn,” Laban replied.
27 Accomplis la semaine de celle-ci, et nous te donnerons aussi celle-là, pour le service que tu feras chez moi encore sept autres années.
“Finish this week of wedding celebrations and then I'll give you the other daughter as well, as long as you work another seven years for me.”
28 Et Jacob fit ainsi, et il accomplit la semaine de celle-ci. Et [Laban] lui donna Rachel, sa fille, pour femme.
Jacob agreed. He finished the week of wedding celebrations for Leah, and then Laban gave Jacob his daughter Rachel as his wife as well.
29 Et Laban donna Bilha, sa servante, à Rachel, sa fille, pour servante.
(Laban also arranged for his servant Bilhah to be Rachel's personal maid.)
30 Et il vint aussi vers Rachel; et il aima aussi Rachel plus que Léa. Et il servit Laban encore sept autres années.
So Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. He worked for Laban another seven years for Rachel.
31 Et l’Éternel vit que Léa était haïe, et il ouvrit sa matrice; mais Rachel était stérile.
The Lord saw that Leah wasn't loved he helped Leah to have children, but not Rachel.
32 Et Léa conçut, et enfanta un fils, et elle appela son nom Ruben, car elle dit: Parce que l’Éternel a regardé mon affliction; car maintenant mon mari m’aimera.
Leah became pregnant, and had a son she named Reuben, for she said, “The Lord saw how much I was suffering and now my husband will love me!”
33 Et elle conçut encore, et enfanta un fils, et dit: Parce que l’Éternel a entendu que j’étais haïe, il m’a donné aussi celui-ci; et elle appela son nom Siméon.
Then Leah became pregnant again, and had another son. She said, “The Lord has heard that I'm not loved so he gave me this son.” So she named him Simeon.
34 Et elle conçut encore, et enfanta un fils, et dit: Maintenant, cette fois, mon mari s’attachera à moi, car je lui ai enfanté trois fils; c’est pourquoi on appela son nom Lévi.
Leah became pregnant for the third time, and had another son. She said, “Finally my husband will be attached to me because now I've given him three sons.” That's why he was named Levi.
35 Et elle conçut encore, et enfanta un fils, et dit: Cette fois, je louerai l’Éternel; c’est pourquoi elle appela son nom Juda; et elle cessa d’enfanter.
Once again Leah became pregnant and had another son. She named him Judah, for she said, “Now I can really praise the Lord!” After that she had no more children.
