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 when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob, Give me children, and if not, I die.

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

And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee 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 she said, Behold, [here is] my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.

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

And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid for wife, and Jacob went in unto her.

5 and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.

And Bilhah 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 hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.

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

And Bilhah, Rachel's maid, conceived again, and bore Jacob 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, Contests of God have I contended with my sister, I have also prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.

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

When Leah now saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her to Jacob for wife.

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

And Zilpah Leah's maid bore Jacob a son.

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

And Leah said, Good luck hath come: and she called his name Gad.

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

And Zilpah Leah's maid bore a second son unto Jacob.

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

And Leah said, To my happiness; for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his 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.”

And Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and he brought them unto Leah his mother; then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, [some] 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 she said unto her, Is it not enough that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldst thou also take away my son's mandrakes? And Rachel said, Therefore shall he be 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 out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Unto me thou must come in; for surely I have obtained thee as a reward with 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 unto Leah, 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 Leah said, God hath given me my reward, because I have given my maid to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.

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

And Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son unto 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.

And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons; and she called his name Zebulun.

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

And afterward she bore a daughter, and she called her name Dinah.

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

And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to 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; and she said, God hath 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 shall 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 borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto my own place, and to 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 served thee, and let me go; for thou knowest my service with which 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 unto him, If I could but find favor in thy eyes; I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake:

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

And he said, 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 he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and what thy cattle hath become 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 a little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased into a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming; and now when shall I provide also 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 he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me the least; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:

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.

I will pass through all thy flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted lamb, and every brown lamb among the sheep, and whatever is spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be after this 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 testify for me in time to come, when it shall come with my reward before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.

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

And Laban said, Well, 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 removed on that day the he-goats that were ring-streaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white on it, and all the brown among the sheep, and 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 put a space of three days' journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob fed the flocks of Laban that were left.

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 himself rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and peeled thereon white streaks, laying bare the white which was 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 set the rods which he had peeled in the gutters in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink, just before the flocks, and where they conceived, when they came to drink.

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

And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth ring-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.

And these lambs did Jacob separate, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ring-streaked, and whatever was brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not with Laban's cattle.

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, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among 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 when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in; so the feebler belonged to Laban, and the stronger to Jacob.

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

And the man increased exceedingly, and he had many flocks, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.