Genesi 29
1 Poi Giacobbe si mise in cammino e andò nel paese degli Orientali.
Jacob continued on the road [MTY], and he arrived at the land that was east of Canaan.
2 E guardò, e vide un pozzo in un campo; ed ecco tre greggi di pecore, giacenti lì presso; poiché a quel pozzo si abbeveravano i greggi; e la pietra sulla bocca del pozzo era grande.
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 Quivi s’adunavano tutti i greggi; i pastori rotolavan la pietra di sulla bocca del pozzo, abbeveravano le pecore, poi rimettevano al posto la pietra sulla bocca del pozzo.
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 E Giacobbe disse ai pastori: “Fratelli miei, di dove siete?” E quelli risposero: “Siamo di Charan”.
[On that day], Jacob asked the shepherds who were sitting there, “Where are you from?” They replied, “We are from Haran.”
5 Ed egli disse loro: “Conoscete voi Labano, figliuolo di Nahor?” Ed essi: “Lo conosciamo”.
He asked them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson of Nahor?” They replied, “Yes, we know him.”
6 Ed egli disse loro: “Sta egli bene?” E quelli: “Sta bene; ed ecco Rachele, sua figliuola, che viene con le pecore”.
Jacob asked them, “Is Laban well?” They replied, “Yes, he is well. Look! Here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep!”
7 Ed egli disse: “Ecco, è ancora pieno giorno, e non è tempo di radunare il bestiame; abbeverate le pecore e menatele al pascolo”.
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 E quelli risposero: “Non possiamo, finché tutti i greggi siano radunati; allora si rotola la pietra di sulla bocca del pozzo, e abbeveriamo le pecore”.
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 Mentr’egli parlava ancora con loro, giunse Rachele con le pecore di suo padre; poich’ella era pastora.
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 E quando Giacobbe vide Rachele figliuola di Labano, fratello di sua madre, e le pecore di Labano fratello di sua madre, s’avvicinò, rotolò la pietra di sulla bocca del pozzo, e abbeverò il gregge di Labano fratello di sua madre.
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 E Giacobbe baciò Rachele, alzò la voce, e pianse.
Then Jacob kissed Rachel [on the cheek], and he cried loudly [because he was so happy].
12 E Giacobbe fe’ sapere a Rachele ch’egli era parente del padre di lei, e ch’era figliuolo di Rebecca. Ed ella corse a dirlo a suo padre.
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 E appena Labano ebbe udito le notizie di Giacobbe figliuolo della sua sorella, gli corse incontro, l’abbracciò, lo baciò, e lo menò a casa sua. Giacobbe raccontò a Labano tutte queste cose;
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 e Labano gli disse: “Tu sei proprio mie ossa e mia carne!” Ed egli dimorò con lui durante un mese.
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 Poi Labano disse a Giacobbe: “Perché sei mio parente dovrai tu servirmi per nulla? Dimmi quale dev’essere il tuo salario”.
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 Or Labano aveva due figliuole: la maggiore si chiamava Lea, e la minore Rachele.
Well, Laban had two daughters. The older one was named Leah, and the younger one was named Rachel.
17 Lea aveva gli occhi delicati, ma Rachele era avvenente e di bell’aspetto.
Leah had pretty eyes, but Rachel had a very attractive figure and was beautiful.
18 E Giacobbe amava Rachele, e disse a Labano: “Io ti servirò sette anni, per Rachele tua figliuola minore”.
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 E Labano rispose: “E’ meglio ch’io la dia a te che ad un altr’uomo; sta’ con me”.
Laban replied, “It is better for me to let you marry her than for her to marry some other man!”
20 E Giacobbe servì sette anni per Rachele; e gli parvero pochi giorni, per l’amore che le portava.
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 E Giacobbe disse a Labano: “Dammi la mia moglie, poiché il mio tempo è compiuto, ed io andrò da lei”.
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 Allora Labano radunò tutta la gente del luogo, e fece un convito.
So Laban gathered together all the people who lived in that area and made a feast.
23 Ma, la sera, prese Lea, sua figliuola, e la menò da Giacobbe, il quale entrò da lei.
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 E Labano dette la sua serva Zilpa per serva a Lea, sua figliuola.
(Laban had already given his slave girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid/servant.)
25 L’indomani mattina, ecco che era Lea. E Giacobbe disse a Labano: “Che m’hai fatto? Non è egli per Rachele ch’io t’ho servito? Perché dunque m’hai ingannato?”
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 E Labano rispose: “Non è usanza da noi di dare la minore prima della maggiore. Finisci la settimana di questa;
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 e ti daremo anche l’altra, per il servizio che presterai da me altri sette anni”.
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 Giacobbe fece così, e finì la settimana di quello sposalizio; poi Labano gli dette in moglie Rachele sua figliuola.
So that is what Jacob did. After the week of celebration was ended, Laban gave him his daughter, Rachel, to be his wife.
29 E Labano dette la sua serva Bilha per serva a Rachele, sua figliuola.
Laban gave his slave girl, Bilhah, to Rachel to be her maid/servant.
30 E Giacobbe entrò pure da Rachele, ed anche amò Rachele più di Lea, e servì da Labano altri sette anni.
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 L’Eterno, vedendo che Lea era odiata, la rese feconda; ma Rachele era sterile.
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 E Lea concepì e partorì un figliuolo, al quale pose nome Ruben; perché disse: “L’Eterno ha veduto la mia afflizione; e ora il mio marito mi amerà”.
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 Poi concepì di nuovo e partorì un figliuolo, e disse: “L’Eterno ha udito ch’io ero odiata, e però m’ha dato anche questo figliuolo”. E lo chiamò Simeone.
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 E concepì di nuovo e partorì un figliuolo, e disse: “Questa volta, il mio marito sarà ben unito a me, poiché gli ho partorito tre figliuoli”. Per questo fu chiamato Levi.
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 E concepì di nuovo e partorì un figliuolo, e disse: “Questa volta celebrerò l’Eterno”. Perciò gli pose nome Giuda. E cessò d’aver figliuoli.
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].
