Genesis 30

1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.

Now Rachel, because she had no children, was full of envy of her sister; and she said to Jacob, If you do not give me children I will not go on living.

2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?”

But Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said, Am I in the place of God, who has kept your body from having fruit?

3 Then she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her, that she may bear children for me, so that through her I too can build a family.”

Then she said, Here is my servant Bilhah, go in to her, so that she may have a child on my knees, and I may have a family by her.

4 So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her,

So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.

5 and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.

And Bilhah became with child, and gave birth to a son.

6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.

Then Rachel said, God has been my judge, and has given ear to my voice, and has given me a son; so he was named Dan.

7 And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

And again Bilhah, Rachel's servant, was with child, and gave birth to a second son.

8 Then Rachel said, “In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won.” So she named him Naphtali.

And Rachel said, I have had a great fight with my sister, and I have overcome her: and she gave the child the name Naphtali.

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.

When it was clear to Leah that she would have no more children for a time, she gave Zilpah, her servant, to Jacob as a wife.

10 And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

And Zilpah, Leah's servant, gave birth to a son.

11 Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.

And Leah said, It has gone well for me: and she gave him the name Gad.

12 When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,

And Zilpah, Leah's servant, gave birth to a second son.

13 Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

And Leah said, Happy am I! and all women will give witness to my joy: and she gave him the name Asher.

14 Now during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother, Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

Now at the time of the grain-cutting, Reuben saw some love-fruits in the field, and took them to his mother Leah. And Rachel said to her, Let me have some of your son's love-fruits.

15 But Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

But Leah said to her, Is it a small thing that you have taken my husband from me? and now would you take my son's love-fruits? Then Rachel said, You may have him tonight in exchange for your son's love-fruits.

16 When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.

In the evening, when Jacob came in from the field, Leah went out to him and said, Tonight you are to come to me, for I have given my son's love-fruits as a price for you. And he went in to her that night.

17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob.

And God gave ear to her and she became with child, and gave Jacob a fifth son.

18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

Then Leah said, God has made payment to me for giving my servant-girl to my husband: so she gave her son the name Issachar.

19 Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

And again Leah became with child, and she gave Jacob a sixth son.

20 “God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun.

And she said, God has given me a good bride-price; now at last will I have my husband living with me, for I have given him six sons: and she gave him the name Zebulun.

21 After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

After that she had a daughter, to whom she gave the name Dinah.

22 Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb,

Then God gave thought to Rachel, and hearing her prayer he made her fertile.

23 and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said.

And she was with child, and gave birth to a son: and she said, God has taken away my shame.

24 She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”

And she gave him the name Joseph, saying, May the Lord give me another son.

25 Now after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can return to my homeland.

Now after the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Let me go away to my place and my country.

26 Give me my wives and children for whom I have served you, that I may go on my way. You know how hard I have worked for you.”

Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have been your servant, and let me go: for you have knowledge of all the work I have done for you.

27 But Laban replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”

And Laban said, If you will let me say so, do not go away; for I have seen by the signs that the Lord has been good to me because of you.

28 And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

Say then what your payment is to be and I will give it.

29 Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock have thrived under my care.

Then Jacob said, You have seen what I have done for you, and how your cattle have done well under my care.

30 Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?”

For before I came you had little, and it has been greatly increased; and the Lord has given you a blessing in everything I have done; but when am I to do something for my family?

31 “What can I give you?” Laban asked. “You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you do this one thing for me, I will keep on shepherding and keeping your flocks.

And Laban said, What am I to give you? And Jacob said, Do not give me anything; but I will again take up the care of your flock if you will only do this for me:

32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. These will be my wages.

Let me go through all your flock today, taking out from among them all the sheep which are marked or coloured or black, and all the marked or coloured goats: these will be my payment.

33 So my honesty will testify for me when you come to check on my wages in the future. If I have any goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not dark-colored, they will be considered stolen.”

And so you will be able to put my honour to the test in time to come; if you see among my flocks any goats which are not marked or coloured, or any sheep which is not black, you may take me for a thief.

34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”

And Laban said, Let it be as you say.

35 That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons.

So that day he took all the he-goats which were banded or coloured, and all the she-goats which were marked or coloured or had white marks, and all the black sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons;

36 Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flocks.

And sent them three days' journey away: and Jacob took care of the rest of Laban's flock.

37 Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches.

Then Jacob took young branches of trees, cutting off the skin so that the white wood was seen in bands.

38 Then he set the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So when the flocks were in heat and came to drink,

And he put the banded sticks in the drinking-places where the flock came to get water; and they became with young when they came to the water.

39 they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.

And because of this, the flock gave birth to young which were marked with bands of colour.

40 Jacob set apart the young, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals.

These lambs Jacob kept separate; and he put his flock in a place by themselves and not with Laban's flock.

41 Whenever the stronger females of the flock were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs, in full view of the animals, so that they would breed in front of the branches.

And whenever the stronger ones of the flock became with young, Jacob put the sticks in front of them in the drinking-places, so that they might become with young when they saw the sticks.

42 But if the animals were weak, he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob.

But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put the sticks before them; so that the feebler flocks were Laban's and the stronger were Jacob's.

43 Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.

So Jacob's wealth was greatly increased; he had great flocks and women-servants and men-servants and camels and asses.