Genèse 29
1 Jacob se remit en chemin et alla vers la terre des enfants de l’Orient.
Jacob went quickly on his way, and arrived in the land of the eastern people.
2 II vit un puits dans les champs et là, trois troupeaux de menu bétail étaient couchés à l’entour, car ce puits servait à abreuver les troupeaux. Or la pierre, sur la margelle du puits, était grosse.
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 Quand tous les troupeaux y étaient réunis, on faisait glisser la pierre de dessus la margelle du puits et l’on abreuvait le bétail, puis on replaçait la pierre sur la margelle 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 Jacob leur dit: "Mes frères, d’où êtes vous?" Ils répondirent: "Nous sommes de Haran."
Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” “We're from Haran,” they replied.
5 II leur dit: "Connaissez-vous Laban, fils de Nahor?" Ils répondirent: "Nous le connaissons."
“Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?” he asked. “Yes, we know him,” they replied.
6 Il leur dit: "Est-il en paix?" Et ils répondirent: "En paix; et voici Rachel, sa fille, qui vient avec son troupeau."
“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 "Mais," reprit-il, "le jour est encore long, il n’est pas l’heure de faire rentrer le bétail: abreuvez les brebis et les menez 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 Ils dirent: "Nous ne saurions, jusqu’à ce que tous les troupeaux soient rassemblés: on déplacera alors la pierre qui couvre l’orifice du puits et nous ferons boire les brebis."
“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 s’entretenait avec eux, Rachel vint avec le troupeau de 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 Lorsque Jacob vit Rachel, fille de Laban, frère de sa mère et les brebis de ce dernier, il s’avança, fit glisser la pierre de dessus la margelle du puits et fit boire les brebis 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 il éleva la voix en pleurant.
Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept for joy.
12 Et Jacob apprit à Rachel qu’il était parent de son père, qu’il était le fils de Rébecca. Elle courut l’annoncer 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 Aussitôt que Laban eut appris l’arrivée de Jacob, le fils de sa sœur, il courut au devant de lui, il l’embrassa, le couvrit de baisers et l’emmena dans sa demeure. Jacob raconta à Laban tous ces événements.
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 Laban lui dit: "Tu n’es rien moins que mon corps et ma chair!" Et il demeura avec lui un mois durant.
Laban told him, “No question about it—you're my own flesh and blood!” Jacob stayed with Laban for a month.
15 Alors Laban dit à Jacob: "Quoi! parce que tu es mon parent, tu me servirais gratuitement? Déclare moi quel doit être 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, celui de la cadette Rachel.
Laban had two daughters. The older one was Leah, and the younger one was Rachel.
17 Léa avait les yeux faibles; Rachel était belle de taille et belle de visage.
Leah had kind eyes, but Rachel had a shapely figure and beautiful looks.
18 Jacob avait conçu de l’amour pour Rachel. II 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 Laban répondit: "J’Aime mieux te la donner que de la donner à un autre époux: 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 Jacob servit, pour obtenir Rachel, sept années et elles furent à ses yeux comme quelques jours, tant 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 Jacob dit à Laban: "Donne-moi ma femme, car mon temps est accompli et je veux m’unir à elle."
Then Jacob said to Laban, “I've completed the time we agreed. Now give me your daughter to be my wife.”
22 Laban réunit tous les habitants du lieu et donna un festin.
So Laban organized a wedding banquet and invited everyone around to come.
23 Mais, le soir venu, il prit Léa sa fille et la lui amena et Jacob s’unit à elle.
But once it was dark Laban brought his daughter Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her.
24 Laban avait aussi donné Zilpa, son esclave, à Léa, sa fille, comme esclave.
(Laban also arranged for his servant Zilpah to be Leah's personal maid.)
25 Or, le matin, il se trouva que c’était Léa; et il dit à Laban: "Que m’as-tu fait là! N’Est ce pas pour Rachel que j’ai servi chez toi? 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 Laban répondit: "Ce n’est pas l’usage, dans notre pays, de marier la cadette avant l’aînée.
“Here we don't give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn,” Laban replied.
27 Achève la semaine de celle ci et nous te donnerons également celle là en échange du service que tu feras encore chez moi pendant 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 Ainsi fit Jacob, il acheva la semaine de la première; puis Laban lui accorda Rachel, sa fille, pour épouse.
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 Laban donna, à Rachel sa fille, Bilha, son esclave, pour qu’elle devint la sienne.
(Laban also arranged for his servant Bilhah to be Rachel's personal maid.)
30 Jacob s’unit pareillement à Rachel et persista à aimer Rachel plus que Léa; et il servit encore chez Laban 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 Le Seigneur considéra que Léa était dédaignée et il rendit son sein fécond, tandis que Rachel fut stérile.
The Lord saw that Leah wasn't loved he helped Leah to have children, but not Rachel.
32 Léa conçut et enfanta un fils. Elle le nomma Ruben "parce que, dit elle, le Seigneur a vu mon humiliation, de sorte qu’à présent mon époux 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 Elle conçut de nouveau et enfanta un fils. Elle dit: "Parce que le Seigneur a entendu que j’étais dédaignée, il m’a accordé aussi celui là." Et elle l’appela 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 Elle conçut de nouveau et enfanta un fils. Elle dit: "Ah! désormais mon époux me sera attaché, puisque je lui ai donné trois fils." C’Est pourquoi on l’appela 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 Elle conçut encore et mit au monde un fils et elle dit: "Pour le coup, je rends grâce à l’Éternel!" C’Est pourquoi elle le nomma Juda. Alors 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.
