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 continued on the road [MTY], and he arrived at the land that was east of Canaan.
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
There he [was surprised to] see a well in a field, and three flocks of sheep were lying near the well. It was the well from which shepherds habitually got water for their sheep. There was a large stone covering 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
When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would work together to roll the stone away from the top of the well and get water for the sheep. When they finished doing that, they would put the stone back in its place over the top of the well.
4 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς Ιακωβ ἀδελφοί πόθεν ἐστὲ ὑμεῖς οἱ δὲ εἶπαν ἐκ Χαρραν ἐσμέν
[On that day], Jacob asked the shepherds who were sitting there, “Where are you from?” They replied, “We are from Haran.”
5 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς γινώσκετε Λαβαν τὸν υἱὸν Ναχωρ οἱ δὲ εἶπαν γινώσκομεν
He asked them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson of Nahor?” They replied, “Yes, we know him.”
6 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς ὑγιαίνει οἱ δὲ εἶπαν ὑγιαίνει καὶ ἰδοὺ Ραχηλ ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτοῦ ἤρχετο μετὰ τῶν προβάτων
Jacob asked them, “Is Laban well?” They replied, “Yes, he is well. Look! Here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep!”
7 καὶ εἶπεν Ιακωβ ἔτι ἐστὶν ἡμέρα πολλή οὔπω ὥρα συναχθῆναι τὰ κτήνη ποτίσαντες τὰ πρόβατα ἀπελθόντες βόσκετε
Jacob said, “Hey! The sun is still high in the sky. It is not time for the flocks to be gathered for nighttime. Give the sheep some water and then take them back to (graze/eat grass) in the pastures!”
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
They replied, “No, we cannot do that until all the flocks are gathered here and the stone is removed from the top of the well. After that, we will give water to the sheep.”
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 came with her father’s sheep. She was the one who took care of her father’s sheep.
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, who was his mother’s brother, [Jacob was so excited that] he went over and [by himself] rolled away the stone that covered the top of the well, and he got water for his uncle’s sheep.
11 καὶ ἐφίλησεν Ιακωβ τὴν Ραχηλ καὶ βοήσας τῇ φωνῇ αὐτοῦ ἔκλαυσεν
Then Jacob kissed Rachel [on the cheek], and he cried loudly [because he was so happy].
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
Jacob told Rachel that he was one of her father’s relatives, the son of her aunt Rebekah. So she ran and told that to her father.
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 that Jacob, his sister’s son, was there, he ran to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him [on the cheek]. Then he brought him to his home, and Jacob told him all that had happened to him.
14 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Λαβαν ἐκ τῶν ὀστῶν μου καὶ ἐκ τῆς σαρκός μου εἶ σύ καὶ ἦν μετ’ αὐτοῦ μῆνα ἡμερῶν
Then Laban said to him, “Truly, you are part of my family!” After Jacob had stayed there and worked for 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
Laban said to him “(You should not work for me for nothing just because you are a relative of mine!/Why should you work for me for nothing just because you are a relative of mine?) [RHQ] Tell me how much you want me to pay you.”
16 τῷ δὲ Λαβαν δύο θυγατέρες ὄνομα τῇ μείζονι Λεια καὶ ὄνομα τῇ νεωτέρᾳ Ραχηλ
Well, Laban had two daughters. The older one was named Leah, and the younger one was named Rachel.
17 οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ Λειας ἀσθενεῖς Ραχηλ δὲ καλὴ τῷ εἴδει καὶ ὡραία τῇ ὄψει
Leah had pretty eyes, but Rachel had a very attractive figure and was beautiful.
18 ἠγάπησεν δὲ Ιακωβ τὴν Ραχηλ καὶ εἶπεν δουλεύσω σοι ἑπτὰ ἔτη περὶ Ραχηλ τῆς θυγατρός σου τῆς νεωτέρας
Jacob (was in love with/wanted very much to be married to) Rachel, and he said, “I will work for you for seven years. That will be my payment for your letting me marry your younger daughter, Rachel.”
19 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ Λαβαν βέλτιον δοῦναί με αὐτὴν σοὶ ἢ δοῦναί με αὐτὴν ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ οἴκησον μετ’ ἐμοῦ
Laban replied, “It is better for me to let you marry her than for her to marry some other man!”
20 καὶ ἐδούλευσεν Ιακωβ περὶ Ραχηλ ἔτη ἑπτά καὶ ἦσαν ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ὡς ἡμέραι ὀλίγαι παρὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν αὐτήν
So Jacob worked for Laban for seven years to get Rachel, but to him it seemed like it was only a few days, because he loved her so much.
21 εἶπεν δὲ Ιακωβ πρὸς Λαβαν ἀπόδος τὴν γυναῖκά μου πεπλήρωνται γὰρ αἱ ἡμέραι μου ὅπως εἰσέλθω πρὸς αὐτήν
After the seven years were ended, Jacob said to Laban, “Let me marry Rachel now, because the time we agreed upon for me to work for you is ended, and I want to marry her. [EUP]”
22 συνήγαγεν δὲ Λαβαν πάντας τοὺς ἄνδρας τοῦ τόπου καὶ ἐποίησεν γάμον
So Laban gathered together all the people who lived in that area and made a feast.
23 καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ λαβὼν Λαβαν Λειαν τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ εἰσήγαγεν αὐτὴν πρὸς Ιακωβ καὶ εἰσῆλθεν πρὸς αὐτὴν Ιακωβ
But that evening, instead of taking Rachel to Jacob, Laban took his older daughter, Leah, to him. But because it was already dark, he could not see that it was Leah and not Rachel, and he had sex [EUP] with her.
24 ἔδωκεν δὲ Λαβαν Λεια τῇ θυγατρὶ αὐτοῦ Ζελφαν τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτοῦ αὐτῇ παιδίσκην
(Laban had already given his slave girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid/servant.)
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
The next morning, Jacob was shocked to see that it was Leah who was with him! So he went to Laban [and told him] very angrily, “(What you have done to me is disgusting!/What is this that you have done to me?) [RHQ] I worked for you to get Rachel, did I not? So why did you deceive me?”
26 εἶπεν δὲ Λαβαν οὐκ ἔστιν οὕτως ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ἡμῶν δοῦναι τὴν νεωτέραν πρὶν ἢ τὴν πρεσβυτέραν
Laban replied, “In this land, it is not our custom to give a younger daughter to be married before we let someone marry our firstborn daughter.
27 συντέλεσον οὖν τὰ ἕβδομα ταύτης καὶ δώσω σοι καὶ ταύτην ἀντὶ τῆς ἐργασίας ἧς ἐργᾷ παρ’ ἐμοὶ ἔτι ἑπτὰ ἔτη ἕτερα
After we finish this week of celebration, we will let you marry the younger one also. But in return, you must pay for Rachel by working for me for another seven years.”
28 ἐποίησεν δὲ Ιακωβ οὕτως καὶ ἀνεπλήρωσεν τὰ ἕβδομα ταύτης καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ Λαβαν Ραχηλ τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ αὐτῷ γυναῖκα
So that is what Jacob did. After the week of celebration was ended, Laban gave him his daughter, Rachel, to be his wife.
29 ἔδωκεν δὲ Λαβαν Ραχηλ τῇ θυγατρὶ αὐτοῦ Βαλλαν τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτοῦ αὐτῇ παιδίσκην
Laban gave his slave girl, Bilhah, to Rachel to be her maid/servant.
30 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν πρὸς Ραχηλ ἠγάπησεν δὲ Ραχηλ μᾶλλον ἢ Λειαν καὶ ἐδούλευσεν αὐτῷ ἑπτὰ ἔτη ἕτερα
Jacob had sex [EUP] with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than he loved Leah. And Jacob worked for Laban for another seven years.
31 ἰδὼν δὲ κύριος ὅτι μισεῖται Λεια ἤνοιξεν τὴν μήτραν αὐτῆς Ραχηλ δὲ ἦν στεῖρα
When Yahweh saw that Jacob did not love Leah [very much], he enabled her to become pregnant. But Rachel was not able to become pregnant.
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 gave birth to a son, whom she named Reuben, [which sounds like the Hebrew words that mean ‘Look, a son]!’ She said, “Yahweh has seen that I was miserable, and because of that he has given me a son. Now, surely my husband will love me for giving birth to a son for him.”
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
Later she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, “Because Yahweh has heard that my husband doesn’t love me, he has given me this son, too.” So she named him Simeon, [which means ‘someone who hears’].
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
Later she became pregnant again, and gave birth to another son. She said, “Now, finally, my husband will hold me close to him.” So she named him Levi, [which means ‘hold close’].
35 καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτι ἔτεκεν υἱὸν καὶ εἶπεν νῦν ἔτι τοῦτο ἐξομολογήσομαι κυρίῳ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ιουδα καὶ ἔστη τοῦ τίκτειν
Later she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, “(This time/Now) I will praise Yahweh.” So she called his name Judah, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘praise’]. After that, she did not give birth to any more children [for several years].
