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.
When Rachel realized she was unable to give Jacob any children she was jealous of her sister. She complained to Jacob, “I'll die if you don't give me children!”
2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?”
Jacob became angry with Rachel and told her, “Am I God? Do you think I'm the one stopping you having children?”
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.”
“Here's my personal maid Bilhah,” Rachel replied. “Sleep with her and she can have children for me so I'll have a family too.”
4 So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her,
She gave her personal maid Bilhah to him as a wife and Jacob slept with her.
5 and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.
Bilhah became pregnant and had a son for Jacob.
6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.
Rachel said, “God has judged in my favor! He listened to me and gave me a son.” So she named him Dan.
7 And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
Rachel's personal maid Bilhah became pregnant again and had second son for Jacob.
8 Then Rachel said, “In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won.” So she named him Naphtali.
Rachel said, “I've had a hard struggle with my sister, but I've won.” So she named him Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
Leah realized she wasn't having any more children, so she gave her personal maid Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
10 And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
Zilpah had a son for Jacob.
11 Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.
Leah said, “I'm really fortunate!” So she named him Gad.
12 When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,
Leah's personal maid Zilpah became pregnant again and had a second son for Jacob.
13 Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
Leah said, “I'm so happy, and the other women will say I'm happy too!” So she named 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.”
At the time of the wheat harvest Reuben found some mandrake plants when he was out in the fields. He took them back to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah, “Please give me some of the mandrakes your son found.”
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.”
“Aren't you satisfied with stealing my husband?” Leah replied. “Are you going to take my son's mandrakes too?” “Fine, he can sleep with you tonight if you give me some mandrakes in return,” Rachel responded.
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.
When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You have to sleep with me because I've paid for you with my son's mandrakes,” she told him. So he slept with her that night.
17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob.
God heard Leah's request, and she became pregnant and had a fifth son for Jacob.
18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
Leah said, “The Lord has rewarded me for giving my personal maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
19 Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
Then Leah became pregnant again and had a sixth son for Jacob.
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.
Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I've given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.
21 After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
Later she had a daughter she named Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb,
Then God paid attention to Rachel and listened to her appeals, and helped her to have children.
23 and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said.
She became pregnant and had a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said.
24 She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”
She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me an additional 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.
Once Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Let me leave so I can return to my home and my own 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 children because I worked for you to have them. Let me go now because you know very well how much work I've 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.”
“Please be so kind as to stay,” Laban replied, “because I have discovered that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”
28 And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
Then Laban continued, “Tell me how much to pay you and I'll give it to you.”
29 Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock have thrived under my care.
“You certainly know how much work I've done for you, and how well your flocks have done 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?”
You hardly had anything before I arrived, but now you have so much! The Lord has blessed you through what I've done. When am I going to be able to provide for my own 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.
“Well, what do you propose I give you?” Laban asked again. “You don't have to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you want to do something for me, then how about this: I'll go on looking after your flocks, making sure they're fed.
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 your flocks today and take all the sheep that are speckled or spotted, and all the dark ones, as well as all the speckled and spotted goats. They'll 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.”
In the future you'll be able to prove that I've been honest. When you check my flock, any goats that don't have speckles or spots, or any sheep that aren't dark will be considered stolen from you.”
34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”
“Very good,” Laban agreed. “We'll do 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.
However, the same day Laban went and removed all the striped and spotted male goats, all the speckled and spotted female goats, and all the dark sheep. He had his sons look after them and sent them away—
36 Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flocks.
a three day journey between them and Jacob, while Jacob was looking after the rest of Laban's flocks.
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 cut some sticks from poplar, almond, and plane trees that had white wood under the bark. He peeled off some of the bark, making the sticks look streaked with white.
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,
He put the sticks he'd peeled in the water troughs where the flocks came to drink because that's where they mated.
39 they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.
The flocks mated in front of the sticks and gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.
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.
Jacob separated all these ones out. Then he made his flock face towards those in Laban's flock that were streaked and dark. This is the way he kept his flocks apart from 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.
When the strong females were ready to breed, Jacob put the sticks in the troughs where the flocks could see them when they mated.
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.
He didn't do this for the weaker females. The weaker ones went to Laban, and the strong ones went to Jacob.
43 Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.
In this way Jacob became an extremely rich man with large flocks, and many male and female slaves, camels, and donkeys.
