Genesis 28:1-9 - Jacob Flees To Haran

¹ Later, Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, instructing him, "Don't marry a wife from the local Canaanite women. ² Instead, get up, travel to Paddan-aram, and visit the household of Bethuel, your mother's father. Marry one of Laban's daughters, since he's your mother's brother. ³ May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful so that your descendants become a whole group of people. ⁴ May he give you and your descendants the blessings that he gave Abraham. May you possess the land where you have lived that God gave to Abraham." ⁵ So Isaac sent Jacob off toward Paddan-aram to visit Bethuel's son Laban, the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

⁶ Esau noticed that after Isaac had blessed Jacob as he was sending him off to Paddan-aram to marry a wife from there, he had instructed Jacob, "Don't marry a Canaanite woman." ⁷ After Jacob had obeyed his father and mother's instructions to set out for Paddan-aram, ⁸ Esau realized that Canaan women didn't please his father Isaac, ⁹ so he went to Abraham's son Ishmael and married Ishmael's daughter Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaioth.

¹ Jacob journeyed on and reached the territory that belonged to the people who lived in the east. ² As he was observing a well that had been dug out on the open range, all of a sudden he noticed three flocks of sheep lying there, because shepherds watered their flocks from that well. There was a very large stone that covered the opening of the well, ³ and when all the flocks had been gathered there, they would roll away the stone from the opening of the well, water their flocks, and then return the stone to its place covering the opening of the well.

⁴ Jacob asked them, "My brothers, where are you from?" "We're from Haran," they answered.

⁵ "Do you happen to know Nahor's son Laban?" he inquired. "We do," they replied.

⁶ So he asked them, "How's he doing?" "Very well," they answered. "As a matter of fact, look over there! That's his daughter Rachel, coming here with his sheep." ⁷ "Look!" Jacob replied. "The sun is still high. It's not yet time for the flocks to be gathered. Let's water the sheep, then let them graze."

⁸ But they responded, "We can't do that until all the sheep have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the opening of the well. Only then can we water the flock."

⁹ While he was still talking with them, Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, since she was a shepherdess. ¹⁰ When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, accompanied by Laban's sheep, Jacob approached the well, rolled the stone from the opening of the well, and then watered his mother's brother Laban's flock. ¹¹ Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to cry out loud. ¹² Jacob told Rachel that he was related to her father, since he was Rebekah's son, so she ran and told her father.

¹³ When Laban heard the news about his sister's son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He embraced him, kissed him, and brought him back to his house. Then Jacob told Laban about everything that had happened.

¹⁴ Laban responded, "You certainly are my flesh and blood!" So Jacob stayed with him for about a month.