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.

Then Rachel, discerning that she was infertile, envied her sister, and so she said to her husband, “Give me children, otherwise I will die.”

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

Jacob, being angry, responded to her, “Am I in the place of God, who has deprived you of the fruit of your 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.”

But she said: “I have a handmaid Bilhah. Go in to her, so that she may give birth upon my knees, and I may have sons by her.”

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

And she gave him Bilhah in marriage.

5 and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.

And when her husband had gone in to her, she conceived and bore 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, “The Lord has judged for me, and he has heeded my voice, giving me a son.” And because of this, she called his name Dan.

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

And conceiving again, Bilhah bore another,

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

about whom Rachel said, “God has compared me with my sister, and I have prevailed.” And she called him Naphtali.

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

Leah, perceiving that she had desisted from child-bearing, delivered Zilpah, her handmaid, to her husband.

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

And she, after having borne a son with difficulty,

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

said: “Happiness!” And for this reason, she called his name Gad.

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

Likewise, Zilpah bore another.

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

And Leah said, “This one is for my happiness. Indeed, women will call me blessed.” Because of this, she called him 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.”

Then Reuben, going out into the field at the time of the wheat harvest, found mandrakes. These he brought to his mother Leah. And Rachel said, “Give me a portion of your 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.”

She responded, “Does it seem like such a small matter to you, that you have usurped from me my husband, unless you will also take my son’s mandrakes?” Rachel said, “He will sleep with you this night because of your 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 when Jacob returned from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and she said, “You will enter to me, because I have hired you for the reward of my son’s mandrakes.” And he slept with her that night.

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

And God heard her prayers. And she conceived and bore a fifth son.

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

And she said, “God has given a reward to me, because I gave my handmaid to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar.

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

Conceiving again, Leah bore 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 endowed me with a good dowry. And now, at this turn, my husband will be with me, because I have conceived six sons for him.” And therefore she called his name Zebulun.

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

After him, she bore a daughter, named Dinah.

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

The Lord, likewise remembering Rachel, heeded her and 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 a son, saying, “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, “The Lord has added 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.

But when Joseph was born, Jacob said to his father-in-law: “Release me, so that I may return to my native country 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.”

Give me my wives, and my children, for whom I have served you, so that I may depart. You know the servitude with which I have served 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.”

Laban said to him: “May I find grace in your sight. I have learned by experience that God has blessed me because of you.

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

Choose your wages, which I will give you.”

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

But he responded: “You know how I have served you, and how great your possession became in my hands.

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?”

You had little before I came to you, and now you have achieved riches. And the Lord has blessed you since my arrival. It is just, therefore, that at some time I also should provide for 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, “What shall I give to you?” But he said, “I want nothing. But if you will do what I ask, I will feed and guard your sheep again.

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.

Go around through all your flocks and separate all the sheep of variegated or spotted fleece; and whatever will be darkened or blemished or variegated, as much among the sheep as among the goats, will be my wages.

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 justice will answer on my behalf tomorrow, when the time of settlement arrives before you. And all that is not variegated or blemished or darkened, as much among the sheep as among the goats, these will prove me to be a thief.”

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

And Laban said, “I hold favor for this request.”

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 on that day he separated the she-goats, and the sheep, and the he-goats, and the rams with variegations or with blemishes. But every one of the flock which was of one color, that is, of white or of black fleece, he delivered into the hands 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 established a distance of three days journey between himself and his son-in-law, who pastured the remainder of his 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, taking green branches of poplar, and almond, and sycamore trees, debarked them in part. And when the bark was pulled off, in the parts that were stripped, there appeared whiteness, yet the parts that were left whole, remained green. And so, in this way the color was made variegated.

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 placed them in the troughs, where the water was poured out, so that when the flocks had arrived to drink, they would have the branches before their eyes, and in their sight they might conceive.

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

And it happened that, in the very heat of joining together, the sheep looked upon the branches, and they bore the blemished and the variegated, those speckled with diverse color.

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 divided the flock, and he set the branches in the troughs before the eyes of the rams. Now whatever was white or black belonged to Laban, but, in truth, the others belonged to Jacob, for the flocks were dispersed among one another.

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.

Therefore, when the first to arrive were climbing on the ewes, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs of water before the eyes of the rams and the sheep, so that they might conceive while they were gazing upon them.

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.

Yet when the late arrivals and the last to conceive were let in, he did not place these. And so those that arrived late became Laban’s, and those that arrived first became Jacob’s.

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

And the man was enriched beyond limit, and he had many flocks, women servants and men servants, camels and donkeys.