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 saw she had borne no children unto Jacob, so Rachel became envious of her sister, —and said unto Jacob, Come! give me children, or else, I die.

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

Then kindled the anger of Jacob with Rachel, —and he said, Am I, in the place of God, 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, Lo! my handmaid, Bilhah. Go in unto her, —that she may bear upon my knees, so that, I also, may be builded up 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, to wife, —and Jacob went in unto her;

5 and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.

and Bilhah conceived, and bare unto 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 vindicated me. Moreover also he hath hearkened unto my voice, and hath given me a son. For this cause, called she his name Dan.

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

And Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid conceived again, and bare 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.

Then said Rachel With wrestlings of God, have I wrestled with my sister Yea I have prevailed. So 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.

Then saw Leah, that she had left off bearing, —so she took Zilpah, her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife.

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

And Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, bare to Jacob a son:

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

and Leah said, Victory hath come! So she called his name Gad.

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

And Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid bare a second son to Jacob;

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

and Leah said, For my happiness, surely happy have daughters pronounced me. So 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.”

Then went Reuben, in the days of the wheat harvest, and found mandrakes, in the field, and brought them in unto Leah his mother, and Rachel said unto Leah, Pray give me, some of the mandrakes of thy son

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 to her, Is it, a small thing, that thou hast taken away my husband? And wouldst thou take away, even the mandrakes of my son? Then said Rachel, Therefore, shall he lie with thee to-night, for the mandrakes of thy son.

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 from the field, in the evening, so Leah went out to meet him and said: Unto me, shalt thou come in, for I have hired, thee, even with the mandrakes of my son. 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 bare to 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 said Leah. God hath given my hire, in that I gave my handmaid to my husband. So she called his name, Issachar.

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

And Leah conceived again and bare a sixth son to 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.

Then said Leah, God hath dowered me even me with a hand-some dowry, Now! will my husband dwell with me, for I have borne him six sons. So she called his name, Zebulon.

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

And afterwards she bare a daughter, —so she called her name, Dinah.

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

Then God remembered Rachel, —and God hearkened unto her, and granted her to bear.

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

So she conceived and bare a son, —and said, God hath taken away my reproach;

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

So she called his name Joseph, saying, Yahweh is adding unto 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, Let me go that I may take my journey, unto 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.”

Come, give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee and let me take my journey, —for, thou, knowest my 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 unto him, If, I pray thee, I have found favour in thine eyes, …I have divined that Yahweh hath blessed me for thy sake.

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

And he said, —Come, fix thy wages for me, that I may give it!

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 how thy cattle have fared, 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, that thou hadst—before I came and then it brake forth into multitude, and Yahweh blessed thee at my every step. Now, therefore, when am, I, also to do something 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 shall give me, nothing at all, If thou wilt do for me this thing, I will return, I will shepherd thy flock I will keep it:

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 pass through all thy flock to-day, removing from thence every young one that is speckled and spotted and every young one that is dark-coloured among the young sheep, and spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall 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 righteousness shall answer for me on a future day, when thou shall come in respecting my hire that is before thee, Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and dark-coloured among the young sheep, stolen, shall it be accounted, if found with me.

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

Then said Laban, Lo! would it might 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.

So he removed, on that day, the he-goats that were striped and spotted and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and every dark-coloured one among the young sheep, —and delivered 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.

then put he a journey of three days between himself and Jacob, —but, Jacob himself, continued tending 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.

So then Jacob took him rods of young storax, and hazel and maple, —and peeled in them white stripes, 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 channels in the troughs of water, —where the flocks came in to drink straight before the flocks, and the females of the flock used to be in heat when they came in to drink;

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

and the males of the flock were in heat before the rods, —so the flocks brought forth ring-straked, 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.

The rams also, did Jacob separate, and then set the faces of the flocks towards the ring-straked and all the dark-coloured, among the flocks of Laban, —and he put his own droves by themselves, and put them not with the flocks 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.

So it came to pass whensoever the stronger of the flocks were in heat, that Jacob set the rods before the eyes of the flocks in the channels, —that the females might be in heat 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 flocks were late in bearing, he did not set them, —and so the late-born were Laban’s, but the strong ones Jacob’s.

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

Thus did the man break forth, exceedingly, —thus came he to have flocks in abundance, and maid-servants, and men-servants and camels and asses.