{
  "1": "Then Jacob left {Bethel} and continued traveling {until he came} to the land in the east where various people groups lived. ",
  "2": "{When he arrived there,} he looked {around}, and he saw a well in an {open} field. There were three flocks of sheep lying near the well {waiting for water}. That was the well that flocks drank water from, but there was a {heavy,} large stone covering the top of the well. ",
  "3": "{Every day} shepherds would bring all the flocks {of sheep} there. They would {work together to} remove the stone from the top of the well and draw water for the sheep. Then they would put the stone back over the top of the well.\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "4": "Jacob asked the shepherds, “My friends, where do you live?” They replied, “We {are} from {the city of} Haran.” ",
  "5": "So Jacob asked them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” They answered, “{Yes,} we do.” ",
  "6": "So Jacob asked, “Is he doing well?” They answered {him}, “{Yes,} {he is} well. In fact, here comes his daughter Rachel {now}, bringing {his} sheep.”\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "7": "Then Jacob urged {them}, “Look, the sun is still bright, and {it is} too early to gather the flocks {for the night}. {You ought to} draw water for them and take {them} back out {to the fields} to graze {some more}.” ",
  "8": "But they replied, “We can’t {do that} until all the shepherds are here with their flocks. Then {together} we will move the stone away from the top of the well and draw water for the sheep.”\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "9": "While Jacob was still talking with the shepherds, Rachel arrived {at the well} with her father {Laban}’s sheep; it was her job to take care of them. ",
  "10": "As soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of his uncle Laban with her father’s sheep, he walked over {to the well}, removed the stone that covered it, and drew water for his uncle’s sheep. \n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "11": "Then he kissed Rachel {on her cheek} and {he was so happy that} he started crying. ",
  "12": "Then he told her that he {was} her father’s nephew, the son of {her aunt} Rebekah. So she ran home and told her father {the news}.\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "13": "When Laban heard about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran {out} to greet him. Then he hugged him and kissed him {on the cheeks} and took him to his house. Then Jacob told Laban {about himself and} everything that had happened, ",
  "14": "and Laban exclaimed to him, “There is no doubt that you {are} a close relative of my family!”\n\n\\s1 Jacob Works for Laban to Marry Rachel and Leah\n\\sr 29:14b-30\n\\p\nAfter Jacob had stayed with Laban {and worked for him} {for} an entire month,\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "15": "Laban said to him, “{Just} because you are my nephew, {that does not mean that} you should {have to} work for me for free! Tell me what you want me to pay you.” ",
  "16": "Now Laban had two daughters: The name of the older {one} {was} Leah, and the younger {one} was Rachel. ",
  "17": "Leah had pretty eyes, but Rachel was extremely beautiful in every way. ",
  "18": "Jacob was in love with Rachel, so he said {to Laban}, “I will work seven years for you if you will let me marry your younger daughter Rachel.”\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "19": "Laban replied, “{I agree to your terms.} I would {much} rather give her to you {to marry} than give her to someone else. {So} stay here {and work for me}.” ",
  "20": "So Jacob worked seven years {for Laban} so that he could marry Rachel, but he loved her so {much} that to him the time seemed {to pass quickly} like {only} a few days.\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "21": "{When the seven years were over,} Jacob said to Laban, “{Please} let me marry {your daughter} {Rachel} {now} so that I can live with her {as} my wife, because I have finished my {seven} years {of work} {for you}.” ",
  "22": "So Laban invited all the local people and held a {wedding} feast.\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "23": "But that evening Laban {tricked Jacob and} brought his daughter Leah {to Jacob’s tent} {instead of Rachel}, so that he had marital relations with her. ",
  "24": "Laban also gave his female servant Zilpah to Leah {to be} {her} {personal} servant.\n\n\\p",
  "25": "But the next morning Jacob was shocked to see that it was Leah {he had married}! So he complained to Laban, “You have treated me very badly! {You know that} Rachel is the one I served you for! So why did you trick me?”\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "26": "Laban replied, “It is not our custom here for the younger {daughter} to marry before the older {daughter} {marries}. ",
  "27": "{So then,} {keep Leah as your wife and} finish this week of celebrating your marriage to her. Then our family will also give you {my} younger daughter {to marry} if you will work for me for another seven years.”\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "28": "So Jacob {agreed with Laban and} did what he said: he finished celebrating his marriage to Leah that week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to marry. ",
  "29": "Laban {also} gave his servant Bilhah to Rachel to be her servant. ",
  "30": "Then Jacob had marital relations with Rachel, and he loved her more than {he loved} Leah. Then he {started} working for Laban for seven more years.\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\s1 Jacob’s Children\n\\sr 29:31-30:24\n\\p",
  "31": "Now Yahweh knew that Jacob did not love Leah, so he made it possible for her to have children, but Rachel was not able to conceive. ",
  "32": "Then Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, {which means “See, a son!”} because she exclaimed, “Now that Yahweh has seen that I am suffering {and helped me}, surely my husband will love me!”\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "33": "Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to {another} son. She exclaimed, “Since Yahweh heard that my husband does not love me, he has given me this child also.” So she named him Simeon, {which means “he hears.”}\n\n\\p",
  "34": "Then Leah became pregnant {yet} again and gave birth to another son, and she exclaimed, “Now finally my husband will want to be with me because I have given him three sons!” That is why his name was Levi, {which means “be with.”}\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "35": "Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son, and she exclaimed, “Now I will praise Yahweh!” That is why she named him Judah, {which means “praise.”} Then Leah stopped having children {for a while}.\n\n\\ts\\*",
  "front": "\\s1 Jacob Meets Rachel and Laban in the City of Haran\n\\sr 29:1-14\n\\p"
}
