1 ¶ Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.
2 And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well's mouth. The only people authorized to remove the stone covering the well were the people who owned it. It was very valuable property. They gathered all their flock together and removed the stone covering to water their sheep.
3 And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place.
4 And Jacob said to them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. In these days they were always suspicious of strangers.
5 And he said to them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. They give brief concise answers. They don't offer any other information.
6 And he said to them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter comes with the sheep.
7 And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water your the sheep, and go and feed them. What do you have the sheep here together in the middle of the day for? they need to be out in pasture getting fatted up. This individual was very authoritarian and bossy.
8 And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.
9 ¶ And while he yet spoke with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep: for she kept them. Rachel was a shepherdess... |
