Γένεσις 29
1 καὶ ἐξάρας Ιακωβ τοὺς πόδας ἐπορεύθη εἰς γῆν ἀνατολῶν πρὸς Λαβαν τὸν υἱὸν Βαθουηλ τοῦ Σύρου ἀδελφὸν δὲ Ρεβεκκας μητρὸς Ιακωβ καὶ Ησαυ
Jacob went quickly on his way, and arrived in the land of the eastern people.
2 καὶ ὁρᾷ καὶ ἰδοὺ φρέαρ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ ἦσαν δὲ ἐκεῖ τρία ποίμνια προβάτων ἀναπαυόμενα ἐπ’ αὐτοῦ ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ φρέατος ἐκείνου ἐπότιζον τὰ ποίμνια λίθος δὲ ἦν μέγας ἐπὶ τῷ στόματι τοῦ φρέατος
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 καὶ συνήγοντο ἐκεῖ πάντα τὰ ποίμνια καὶ ἀπεκύλιον τὸν λίθον ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ φρέατος καὶ ἐπότιζον τὰ πρόβατα καὶ ἀπεκαθίστων τὸν λίθον ἐπὶ τὸ στόμα τοῦ φρέατος εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ
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 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς Ιακωβ ἀδελφοί πόθεν ἐστὲ ὑμεῖς οἱ δὲ εἶπαν ἐκ Χαρραν ἐσμέν
Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” “We're from Haran,” they replied.
5 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς γινώσκετε Λαβαν τὸν υἱὸν Ναχωρ οἱ δὲ εἶπαν γινώσκομεν
“Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?” he asked. “Yes, we know him,” they replied.
6 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς ὑγιαίνει οἱ δὲ εἶπαν ὑγιαίνει καὶ ἰδοὺ Ραχηλ ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτοῦ ἤρχετο μετὰ τῶν προβάτων
“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 καὶ εἶπεν Ιακωβ ἔτι ἐστὶν ἡμέρα πολλή οὔπω ὥρα συναχθῆναι τὰ κτήνη ποτίσαντες τὰ πρόβατα ἀπελθόντες βόσκετε
“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 οἱ δὲ εἶπαν οὐ δυνησόμεθα ἕως τοῦ συναχθῆναι πάντας τοὺς ποιμένας καὶ ἀποκυλίσωσιν τὸν λίθον ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ φρέατος καὶ ποτιοῦμεν τὰ πρόβατα
“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 ἔτι αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος αὐτοῖς καὶ Ραχηλ ἡ θυγάτηρ Λαβαν ἤρχετο μετὰ τῶν προβάτων τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῆς αὐτὴ γὰρ ἔβοσκεν τὰ πρόβατα τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῆς
While he was still talking with them Rachel arrived with the flock she was looking after for her father.
10 ἐγένετο δὲ ὡς εἶδεν Ιακωβ τὴν Ραχηλ θυγατέρα Λαβαν ἀδελφοῦ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ πρόβατα Λαβαν ἀδελφοῦ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ προσελθὼν Ιακωβ ἀπεκύλισεν τὸν λίθον ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ φρέατος καὶ ἐπότισεν τὰ πρόβατα Λαβαν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ
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 καὶ ἐφίλησεν Ιακωβ τὴν Ραχηλ καὶ βοήσας τῇ φωνῇ αὐτοῦ ἔκλαυσεν
Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept for joy.
12 καὶ ἀνήγγειλεν τῇ Ραχηλ ὅτι ἀδελφὸς τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῆς ἐστιν καὶ ὅτι υἱὸς Ρεβεκκας ἐστίν καὶ δραμοῦσα ἀπήγγειλεν τῷ πατρὶ αὐτῆς κατὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα
(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 ἐγένετο δὲ ὡς ἤκουσεν Λαβαν τὸ ὄνομα Ιακωβ τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτοῦ ἔδραμεν εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτῷ καὶ περιλαβὼν αὐτὸν ἐφίλησεν καὶ εἰσήγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ διηγήσατο τῷ Λαβαν πάντας τοὺς λόγους τούτους
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 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Λαβαν ἐκ τῶν ὀστῶν μου καὶ ἐκ τῆς σαρκός μου εἶ σύ καὶ ἦν μετ’ αὐτοῦ μῆνα ἡμερῶν
Laban told him, “No question about it—you're my own flesh and blood!” Jacob stayed with Laban for a month.
15 εἶπεν δὲ Λαβαν τῷ Ιακωβ ὅτι γὰρ ἀδελφός μου εἶ οὐ δουλεύσεις μοι δωρεάν ἀπάγγειλόν μοι τίς ὁ μισθός σού ἐστιν
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 τῷ δὲ Λαβαν δύο θυγατέρες ὄνομα τῇ μείζονι Λεια καὶ ὄνομα τῇ νεωτέρᾳ Ραχηλ
Laban had two daughters. The older one was Leah, and the younger one was Rachel.
17 οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ Λειας ἀσθενεῖς Ραχηλ δὲ καλὴ τῷ εἴδει καὶ ὡραία τῇ ὄψει
Leah had kind eyes, but Rachel had a shapely figure and beautiful looks.
18 ἠγάπησεν δὲ Ιακωβ τὴν Ραχηλ καὶ εἶπεν δουλεύσω σοι ἑπτὰ ἔτη περὶ Ραχηλ τῆς θυγατρός σου τῆς νεωτέρας
Jacob was in love with Rachel so he promised Laban, “I'll do seven years work for you for Rachel, your younger daughter.”
19 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ Λαβαν βέλτιον δοῦναί με αὐτὴν σοὶ ἢ δοῦναί με αὐτὴν ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ οἴκησον μετ’ ἐμοῦ
“Well it's better for me to give her to you than anyone else,” Laban replied. “So stay here and work for me.”
20 καὶ ἐδούλευσεν Ιακωβ περὶ Ραχηλ ἔτη ἑπτά καὶ ἦσαν ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ὡς ἡμέραι ὀλίγαι παρὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν αὐτήν
Jacob worked for Laban for seven years, but to him they seemed like just a few days because he really loved her.
21 εἶπεν δὲ Ιακωβ πρὸς Λαβαν ἀπόδος τὴν γυναῖκά μου πεπλήρωνται γὰρ αἱ ἡμέραι μου ὅπως εἰσέλθω πρὸς αὐτήν
Then Jacob said to Laban, “I've completed the time we agreed. Now give me your daughter to be my wife.”
22 συνήγαγεν δὲ Λαβαν πάντας τοὺς ἄνδρας τοῦ τόπου καὶ ἐποίησεν γάμον
So Laban organized a wedding banquet and invited everyone around to come.
23 καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ λαβὼν Λαβαν Λειαν τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ εἰσήγαγεν αὐτὴν πρὸς Ιακωβ καὶ εἰσῆλθεν πρὸς αὐτὴν Ιακωβ
But once it was dark Laban brought his daughter Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her.
24 ἔδωκεν δὲ Λαβαν Λεια τῇ θυγατρὶ αὐτοῦ Ζελφαν τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτοῦ αὐτῇ παιδίσκην
(Laban also arranged for his servant Zilpah to be Leah's personal maid.)
25 ἐγένετο δὲ πρωί καὶ ἰδοὺ ἦν Λεια εἶπεν δὲ Ιακωβ τῷ Λαβαν τί τοῦτο ἐποίησάς μοι οὐ περὶ Ραχηλ ἐδούλευσα παρὰ σοί καὶ ἵνα τί παρελογίσω με
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 εἶπεν δὲ Λαβαν οὐκ ἔστιν οὕτως ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ἡμῶν δοῦναι τὴν νεωτέραν πρὶν ἢ τὴν πρεσβυτέραν
“Here we don't give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn,” Laban replied.
27 συντέλεσον οὖν τὰ ἕβδομα ταύτης καὶ δώσω σοι καὶ ταύτην ἀντὶ τῆς ἐργασίας ἧς ἐργᾷ παρ’ ἐμοὶ ἔτι ἑπτὰ ἔτη ἕτερα
“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 ἐποίησεν δὲ Ιακωβ οὕτως καὶ ἀνεπλήρωσεν τὰ ἕβδομα ταύτης καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ Λαβαν Ραχηλ τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ αὐτῷ γυναῖκα
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 ἔδωκεν δὲ Λαβαν Ραχηλ τῇ θυγατρὶ αὐτοῦ Βαλλαν τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτοῦ αὐτῇ παιδίσκην
(Laban also arranged for his servant Bilhah to be Rachel's personal maid.)
30 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν πρὸς Ραχηλ ἠγάπησεν δὲ Ραχηλ μᾶλλον ἢ Λειαν καὶ ἐδούλευσεν αὐτῷ ἑπτὰ ἔτη ἕτερα
So Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. He worked for Laban another seven years for Rachel.
31 ἰδὼν δὲ κύριος ὅτι μισεῖται Λεια ἤνοιξεν τὴν μήτραν αὐτῆς Ραχηλ δὲ ἦν στεῖρα
The Lord saw that Leah wasn't loved he helped Leah to have children, but not Rachel.
32 καὶ συνέλαβεν Λεια καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱὸν τῷ Ιακωβ ἐκάλεσεν δὲ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ρουβην λέγουσα διότι εἶδέν μου κύριος τὴν ταπείνωσιν νῦν με ἀγαπήσει ὁ ἀνήρ μου
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 καὶ συνέλαβεν πάλιν Λεια καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱὸν δεύτερον τῷ Ιακωβ καὶ εἶπεν ὅτι ἤκουσεν κύριος ὅτι μισοῦμαι καὶ προσέδωκέν μοι καὶ τοῦτον ἐκάλεσεν δὲ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Συμεων
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 καὶ συνέλαβεν ἔτι καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱὸν καὶ εἶπεν ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ πρὸς ἐμοῦ ἔσται ὁ ἀνήρ μου ἔτεκον γὰρ αὐτῷ τρεῖς υἱούς διὰ τοῦτο ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Λευι
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 καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτι ἔτεκεν υἱὸν καὶ εἶπεν νῦν ἔτι τοῦτο ἐξομολογήσομαι κυρίῳ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ιουδα καὶ ἔστη τοῦ τίκτειν
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.
