Jacob continued his journey to finally arrive at a well in a field where the shepherds of Haran took their herds to drink water (not the same well where Abraham's servant found Rebekah, which was at the entrance of the city - Chapter 24:11).
There was a large stone covering the mouth of the well, which needed to be removed to draw water, and placed again later. Perhaps for convenience, the shepherds waited until all the flocks were there, to only open and close the well once.
They told him where they were from, and that they knew his uncle Laban (who he called the son of Nahor: actually he was his grandson - Chapter 24:15,29 - but in the language of that time son was equivalent to descendant), and that his daughter Rachel was on the way there with her father’s sheep.
Jacob wanted them to just give water to their sheep and go away, probably so that he could speak alone with his cousin. But they insisted on waiting until all the flocks were there before removing the stone which closed it, as was their custom.
Rachel (which means sheep) arrived shortly after, and when he saw her and her flock, Jacob hurried to remove himself the stone, and gave water to drink to the flock of his uncle, a courtesy to start their relationship.
Then Jacob kissed Rachel, a greeting given by close relatives, and wept with emotion: his journey was over in such a happy manner! He explained who he was, and she then ran and told her father.
When he learned it, Laban also ran to meet Jacob, embraced him, kissed him and brought him to his house. It was a most affectionate reception, and when Jacob told Laban all about his experience on the way, Laban said "surely, you are my bone and my flesh” (this term was also used in the rituals of adoption).
For a month he stayed with Laban, as his guest. It was the time needed to recover from the long journey he had made, to adapt to the environment, to know his relatives (especially his cousins), and to make himself known to them.
No doubt Jacob was not idle, but he helped in what he especially liked: attending to the cattle. His uncle offered to take him on as a servant, paying for his services. Jacob apparently had arrived with his bare hands (we do not read that he had given any presents on arrival, contrary to Abraham's servant). It is interesting to remember that Laban must have been 120 years old, and although we do not know the age of his daughters on this occasion, it is unlikely that they were very young. Jacob was about 75 years old.
Jacob's second reason for going there was to get himself a wife from the daughters of Laban (Chapter 28:2); after this interaction, Jacob came to love his younger and more beautiful cousin Rachel. He wanted to marry her, but had no means to pay for the dowry, which according to the customs of the time should be paid to the family in compensation for their loss.
To solve this problem, he proposed to work for Laban for seven years as payment for her. Laban accepted the proposal: the wedding would take place on completion of the seven years of work. Such was the love of Jacob that the seven years seemed as seven days to him!
But at the end of the seven years, Laban tricked him by giving him the older Leah instead of Rachel, which Jacob came to discover only in the morning after the marriage was consummated. Since Jacob wanted Rachel, he was required to work another seven years for her. So this "supplanter" was in turn deceived.
This time, to "sweeten the pill," Laban agreed to allow the marriage to take place in advance of the seven years of work, soon after the week of honeymoon with Leah. Laban also gave a servant to each of his daughters, and like Hagar, they were slaves to serve his daughters in everything, even to give them children by Jacob if their ladies so wished.
Despite having been tricked by Laban, Jacob kept his part of the contract and worked for him for another seven years without receiving anything apart from Rachel. During that time, his family grew with the children who came, and the biblical account is very detailed about the circumstances under which the maids also gave sons to Jacob. In summary, his children were:
From his first wife, Leah:
Reuben (which means behold a son)
Simeon (hearing)
Levi (adhesion)
Judah (praise)
Issachar (hired or reward)
Zebulon (dwelling)
Leah also gave him a daughter who was named Dinah (vindicated).
Of his maidservant Zilpah:
Gad (good fortune)
Asher (happy)
From his second wife Rachel:
Joseph (remover, orincreaser)
Later Rachel had another son, Benjamin (son of my right hand): she died in childbirth.
Of his maidservant Bilhah:
Dan (judge)
Naftali (wrestling)
In antiquity the mother chose the names of their children, often depending on the situation in which the birth occurred, as shown above. Sometimes his name was later changed to reflect some special feature of that person. God even changed the names of some, as we saw in the case of Abraham and Sarai.
Also Jacob (supplanter) had its name later changed to Israel (prince with God).Both names are used for the nation headed by him: Jacob is the name used in prophecy to indicate his natural physical offspring, like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; Israel is used for his spiritual aspect, his relationship with God (Isaiah 9:8).
Jacob in Haran is a prophetic picture of what would happen centuries later to the nation that descended from him:
It was exiled out of the promised land.
It had no altar (Hosea 3:4-5).
It received a bad name and a bad reputation (Chapter 31:1, Romans 2:17-24).
But it was under the protection of the LORD, because of the promise (Chapter 28: 15, Romans 11:28-29).
And it was brought back to their land (Chapter 31:3, 35:1-4, Ezekiel 37:21-28).
Jacob was not abandoned, but he had to reap the fruit of the evil that he had sown in his home.
1 So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East.
2 And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well's mouth.
3 Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well's mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well's mouth.
4 And Jacob said to them, "My brethren, where are you from?" And they said, "We are from Haran."
5 Then he said to them, "Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?" And they said, "We know him."
6 So he said to them, "Is he well?" And they said, "He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep."
7 Then he said, "Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."
8 But they said, "We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep."
9 Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.
11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.
12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative and that he was Rebekah's son. So she ran and told her father.
13 Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things.
14 And Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." And he stayed with him for a month.
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?"
16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
17 Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance.
18 Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter."
19 And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."
20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."
22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast.
23 Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her.
24 And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.
25 So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?"
26 And Laban said, "It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.
27 Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years."
28 Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also.
29 And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid.
30 Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years.
31 When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
32 So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, "The LORD has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me."
33 Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also." And she called his name Simeon.
34 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore his name was called Levi.
35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
Genesis chapter 29
1 Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I die!"
2 And Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"
3 So she said, "Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her."
4 Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.
5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.
6 Then Rachel said, "God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan.
7 And Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
8 Then Rachel said, "With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed." So she called his name Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife.
10 And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
11 Then Leah said, "A troop comes!" So she called his name Gad.
12 And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.
13 Then Leah said, "I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed." So she called his name Asher.
14 Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."
15 But she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?" And Rachel said, "Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes."
16 When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes." And he lay with her that night.
17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.
18 Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband." So she called his name Issachar.
19 Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.
20 And Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons." So she called his name Zebulun.
21 Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
23 And she conceived and bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my reproach."
24 So she called his name Joseph, and said, "The LORD shall add to me another son."
Genesis chapter 30 verses 1 to 24