16When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”17He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

18Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.19He called that place Bethel,Bethel means house of God. though the city used to be called Luz.

20Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear21so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORDOr Since God … father's house, the LORD will be my God22andOr house, and the LORD will be my God, 22 then this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

4Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”
“We're from Haran,” they replied.

5He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?”
“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

6Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”
“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

7“Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

8“We can't,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”

9While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.10When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep.11Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud.12He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.

13As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister's son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things.14Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”

16Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.17Leah had weakOr delicate eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful.18Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”

19Laban said, “It's better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.”20So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

21Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her.”

22So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.23But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her.24And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter as her maidservant.

25When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me?”

26Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.27Finish this daughter's bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”