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When Esau saw that Isaak had blessed Jacob and sent him to Syro Mesopotamia to take there a wife for himself, and that when he blessed him he charged him saying, Thou shalt not 7 take a wife of the daughters of the Chananites; and that Jacob hearkened to his father and mother and was gone to Syrian 8 Mesopotamia, Esau seeing that the daughters of the Chananites 9 were displeasing in the sight of his father Isaak, went to Ismael and in addition to his other wives took to wife Maeleth the daughter of Ismael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nabaioth. Now when Jacob set out from Well of the Oath, and was 11 proceeding on his journey to Charran he came to a place and went to rest there, for the sun was setting. Having taken one of the stones of the place and put it at his head he composed 12 himself to rest in that place and dreamed; and lo! a ladder set on the earth, the top of which reached up to heaven and the an13 gels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord leaned over it and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father and the God of Isaak. Fear not. To thee and to thy 14 seed I will give the land in which thou art sleeping. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth and shall spread abroad to the west and the south, and the north and the east. And by thee all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed, namely by the 15 seed of thee. And lo! I am with thee watching over thee in all

the way thou goest and I will bring thee back to this land: for I will not leave thee until I have done all that I have spoken 16 to thee. And when Jacob awoke from his sleep he said, Surely 17 the Lord is in this place and I knew it not. And he was terrified and said, How awful is this place; This is no other than 18 the house of God. And this is the gate of heaven. So when Jacob arose in the morning he took the stone which he had 19 there put at his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it; and called the name of that place House of God. 20 But the first name of this city was Oulamluz. And Jacob made a vow saying, If the Lord God will be with me and watch over me in the way in which I am going and give me bread to 21 eat and raiment to clothe me and bring me back safely to my 22 father's house, The Lord shall be my God. And this stone

which I have set up as a pillar shall be for a house of God. And of all that thou mayst give me I will set apart a tenth for thee.

XXIX. Then Jacob proceeded on, and went to the land of the east to Laban the son of Bathuel, the Syrian, the brother of 2 Rebekka who was Jacob and Esau's mother. And looking, he saw a well in the plain and there were three flocks of sheep 3 lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. Now there was a great stone on the mouth of the well, and when all the flocks were collected there, the shepherds rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep; and then put the stone again in its place on the mouth of the well. And Jacob said to them, Brethren, whence are you? And 5 they said, We are of Charran. And he said to them, Do you 6 know Laban the son of Nachor? And they said, We know

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him. And he said to them, Is he well? And they said, He is well. And lo yonder is Rachel his daughter! She was coming 7 with the sheep. Then Jacob said to them, There is yet much day. It is not yet time for the cattle to be folded. Water the 8 flocks and lead them off to feed. But they said, We cannot, till

all the shepherds are come together. Then they will roll the stone from the mouth of the well; and we will water the flocks. 9 While he was yet speaking with them, lo! Rachel the daughter of Laban came with her father's sheep; for she tended her 10 father's flock. And when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob went and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's bro11 ther. And Jacob kissed Rachel, and raising his voice he wept 12 and told Rachel that he was her father's brother; and that he

was the son of Rebekka. Whereupon she ran and told her 13 father the news. And when Laban heard the name of Jacob

his sister's son, he ran to meet him, and having embraced him he kissed him, and brought him to his house. And Jacob re14 lated to him all these circumstances. And Laban said to him, Thou art of my bones and of my flesh. And when Jacob had 15 been with him a month, Laban said to Jacob, Because thou

art indeed my brother, thou shalt not serve me for nothing. 16 Tell me what must be thy wages. Now Laban had two daugh

ters. The name of the eldest was Leia; and the name of the 17 youngest, Rachel. Leia's eyes were weak, but Rachel was of 18 a beautiful countenance, and a very comely person. And Ja

cob loved Rachel, therefore he said, I will serve thee seven 19 years for Rachel thy youngest daughter. And Laban said to him, It is better for me to give her to thee than to give her to 20 another man. Abide with me. So Jacob served seven years

for Rachel, and they appeared to him as a few days, because 21 he loved her. Then Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, 22 for the days are completed, that I may go in unto her. Where

upon Laban collected all the men of the place, and made a 23 wedding feast. And in the evening he took his daughter Leia 24 and brought her to Jacob; and Jacob went in unto her. And

Laban gave his maid Zelpha to his daughter Leia, to be her 25 handmaid. And in the morning, when Jacob saw it was Leia,

he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done to me? Did I not serve thee for Rachel? Why then hast thou deceived me? 26 And Laban answered, It is not customary with us in this place 27 to give the younger before the elder. Finish therefore this one's

week, and I will give thee the other for the service which thou 28 mayst perform for me yet other seven years. And Jacob did

so. And when he had finished this one's week, Laban gave 29 him to wife his daughter Rachel; and Laban gave to his daugh30 ter Rachel, his maid Balla to be her handmaid. And Jacob

went in unto Rachel, and loved Rachel more than Leia, and 31 served him other seven years. Now when the Lord God saw that Leia was slighted, he opened her womb, but Rachel was 32 barren. And Leia conceived and bore Jacob a son and called his name Reuben; saying, Because the Lord hath seen my affliction; therefore he hath given me a son. Now therefore my 33 husband will love me. And she conceived again, and bore to Jacob another son, and said, Because the Lord hath heard that I am slighted, he hath given me this son also; so she called his 34 name Symeon. And she conceived again and bore a son, and

said, Now will my husband abide with me for I have born him 35 three sons; therefore she called his name Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son and said, Now for this also I will praise the Lord, therefore she called his name Judas. Then she ceased from bearing.

XXX. Now when Rachel saw that she bore no children to Jacob, she envied her sister and said to Jacob, Give me children, 2 else I shall die. And Jacob was angry with Rachel and said to

her, Am I in God's stead, who hath deprived thee of the fruit 3 of the womb? Then Rachel said to Jacob, There is my maid

Balla; go in unto her, and she shall bring forth on my knees, 4 so I also shall be supplied with children by her means. So she gave him her maid Balla for a wife; and Jacob went in unto 5 her, And Balla Rachel's maid conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 And Rachel said, God hath judged for me and hath heard my

voice and given me a son: for this cause she called his name 7 Dan. And Balla, Rachel's maid conceived again and bore to 8 Jacob another son. Whereupon Rachel said, God helped me when I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed. So she called his name Nephthaleim.

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Now when Leia saw that she had ceased from bearing, she also took her maid Zelpha and gave her to Jacob for a wife, 10 and he went in unto her. And Zelpha, Leia's maid conceived 11 and bore Jacob a son. Whereupon Leia said, Good luck. So 12 she called his name Gad. And Zelpha, Leia's maid conceiv

ed again and bore Jacob another son. Upon which Leia said, 13 Happy am I; for the women will call me happy. So she called his name Aser.

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And at the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found in the field mandragore apples and brought them to his 15 mother Leia. And Rachel said to her sister Leia, Give me some of thy son's mandragores. And Leia said, Is it not enough for thee that thou hast taken my husband? Wouldst thou take also my son's mandragores? And Rachel said, Shall I not have them on this condition? Let him be with thee to 16 night for thy son's mandragores. So when Jacob was coming from the field in the evening, Leia went out to meet him and said, Thou must come in to me today; for I have hired thee 17 for my son's mandragores. And he lay with her that night,

and God hearkened to Leia and she having conceived bore to 18 Jacob a fifth son. And Leia said, God hath given me my re19 ward for having given my maid to my husband. So she called

his name Issachar, that is Reward. And Leia conceived again 20 and bore a sixth son to Jacob. Whereupon Leia said, God

hath now endowed me with a good dowry. My husband will 21 make choice of me, for I have born him six sons. So she called his name Zabulon. And after this she bore a daughter and called her name Deina.

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Now God had remembered Rachel and God hearkened to 23 her and opened her womb. And she having conceived bore Jacob a son. Whereupon she said, God hath taken away my 24 reproach. So she called his name Joseph, saying, May God add to me another son.

25 And when Rachel had born Joseph, Jacob said to Laban,. Send me away, that I may go to my place and to my own 26 country. Give me up my wives and my children for whom I

have served thee, that I may go away: for thou knowest the 27 service which I have done thee. Upon which Laban said to

him, If I have found favour in thy sight, I would avert this evil: 28 for God hath blessed me by thy coming. State to me thy wa. 29 ges and I will give it. And Jacob said, Thou knowest what

service I have done thee, and how many cattle belonging to 30 thee are now with me. Thy stock was small before I came; but it is increased to a multitude, and the Lord hath blessed thee by my attendance. Now then, when shall I provide a 31 house for myself. And Laban said, What shall I give thee? To which Jacob replied, Thou shalt not give me any thing. If thou wilt do this for me, I will again feed thy flock and 32 keep watch. Let all thy flocks this day pass in review and se

parate thou from them every grizly sheep among the lambs, 33 and every one speckled and spotted among the goats. Such shall be my hire and my righteousness shall answer for me in time to come; for my wages are apparent to thee. Whatever is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and grizly among the sheep, if found with me, let it be deemed stolen. 34 And Laban said to him, Let it be according to thy proposal. 35 And that very day he separated the goats which were speck

led and spotted, both male and female, and every one among the lambs which was grizly and every one in which there was a mixture of white, and delivered them into the hands of his 36 sons, and set three days journey between them and Jacob. 37 And Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. And Jacob took

him rods of the styrax and almond and plane-tree and peeled off the white bark, and twisting it round the green, the white 38 which he peeled off appeared speckled. And he placed the rods which he had peeled, in the watering troughs, in order that, when the flocks came to drink, they might engender at

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