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.

And Rachel having perceived that she bore Jacob no children, was jealous of her sister; and said to Jacob, Give me children; and if not, I shall die.

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

And Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said to her, Am I in the place of God, who has deprived thee of the fruit of the womb?

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.”

And Rachel said to Jacob, Behold my handmaid Balla, go in to her, and she shall bear upon my knees, and I also shall have children by her.

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

And she gave him Balla her maid, for a wife to him; and Jacob went in to her.

5 and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.

And Balla, Rachel's maid, conceived, and bore Jacob 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.

And Rachel said, God has given judgment for me, and hearkened to my voice, and has given me a son; therefore she called his name, Dan.

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

And Balla, Rachel's maid, conceived yet again, and bore a second son to Jacob.

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

And Rachel said, God has helped me, and I contended with my sister and prevailed; and she called his name, Nephthalim.

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

And Lea saw that she ceased from bearing, and she took Zelpha her maid, and gave her to Jacob for a wife; and he went in to her.

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

And Zelpha the maid of Lea conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

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

And Lea said, [It is] happily: and she called his name, Gad.

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

And Zelpha the maid of Lea conceived yet again, and bore Jacob a second son.

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

And Lea said, I am blessed, for the women will pronounce me blessed; and she called his name, Aser.

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.”

And Ruben went in the day of barley-harvest, and found apples of mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Lea; and Rachel said to Lea her sister, Give me of thy son's mandrakes.

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.”

And Lea said, [Is it] not enough for thee that thou hast taken my husband, wilt thou also take my son's mandrakes? And Rachel said, Not so: let him lie with thee to-night for thy son's mandrakes.

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.

And Jacob came in out of the field at even; and Lea went forth to meet him, and said, Thou shalt come in to me this day, for I have hired thee for my son's mandrakes; and he lay with her that night.

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

And God hearkened to Lea, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.

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

And Lea said, God has given me my reward, because I gave my maid to my husband; and she called his name Issachar, which is, Reward.

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

And Lea conceived again, and bore 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 Lea said, God has given me a good gift in this time; my husband will choose me, for I have born him six sons: and she called his name, Zabulon.

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

And after this she bore a daughter; and she called her name, Dina.

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

And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and he opened her womb.

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

And she conceived, and bore Jacob a son; and Rachel said, God has taken away my reproach.

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

And she called his name Joseph, saying, Let God add to 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.

And it came to pass when Rachel had born Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my place and to my land.

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.”

Restore my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, that I may depart, for thou knowest the service wherewith I have served thee.

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 to him, If I have found grace in thy sight, I would augur [well], for the Lord has blessed me at thy coming in.

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

Appoint me thy wages, and I will give [them].

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

And Jacob said, Thou knowest in what things I have served thee, and how many cattle of thine are with me.

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 it was little thou hadst before my time, and it is increased to a multitude, and the Lord God has blessed thee since my coming; now then, when shall I set up also my own house?

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 to him, What shall I give thee? and Jacob said to him, Thou shalt not give me anything; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again tend thy flocks and keep them.

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 all thy sheep pass by to-day, and separate thence every grey sheep among the rams, and every one that is speckled and spotted among the goats—[this] shall be my reward.

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 my righteousness shall answer for me on the morrow, for it is my reward before thee: whatever shall not be spotted and speckled among the goats, and grey among the rams, shall be stolen with me.

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

And Laban said to him, Let it be according to thy word.

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.

And he separated in that day the spotted and speckled he-goats, and all the spotted and speckled she-goats, and all that was grey among the rams, and every one that was white among them, and he gave them into the hand 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 he set a distance of a three days' journey between them and Jacob. And Jacob tended the cattle of Laban that were left behind.

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

And Jacob took to himself green rods of storax tree and walnut and plane-tree; and Jacob peeled in them white stripes; and as he drew off the green, the white stripe which he had made appeared alternate on the rods.

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 laid the rods which he had peeled, in the hollows of the watering-troughs, that whensoever the cattle should come to drink, as they should have come to drink before the rods, the cattle might conceive at the rods.

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

So the cattle conceived at the rods, and the cattle brought forth [young] speckled, and streaked and spotted with ash-coloured [spots].

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.

And Jacob separated the lambs, and set before the sheep a speckled ram, and every variegated one among the lambs, and he separated flocks for himself alone, and did not mingle them with the sheep of Laban.

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 it came to pass in the time wherein the cattle became pregnant, conceiving in the belly, Jacob put the rods before the cattle in the troughs, that they might conceive by the rods.

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 he did not put them in [indiscriminately] whenever the cattle happened to bring forth, but the unmarked ones were Laban's, and the marked ones were Jacob's.

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

And the man became very rich, and he had many cattle, and oxen, and servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses.