Genesis 30

1 Now Rachel, because she had no children, was full of envy of her sister; and she said to Jacob, If you do not give me children I will not go on living.

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.

2 But Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said, Am I in the place of God, who has kept your body from having fruit?

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

3 Then she said, Here is my servant Bilhah, go in to her, so that she may have a child on my knees, and I may have a family by her.

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.”

4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.

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

5 And Bilhah became with child, and gave birth to a son.

and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.

6 Then Rachel said, God has been my judge, and has given ear to my voice, and has given me a son; so he was named Dan.

Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.

7 And again Bilhah, Rachel's servant, was with child, and gave birth to a second son.

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

8 And Rachel said, I have had a great fight with my sister, and I have overcome her: and she gave the child the name Naphtali.

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

9 When it was clear to Leah that she would have no more children for a time, she gave Zilpah, her servant, to Jacob as a wife.

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

10 And Zilpah, Leah's servant, gave birth to a son.

And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

11 And Leah said, It has gone well for me: and she gave him the name Gad.

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

12 And Zilpah, Leah's servant, gave birth to a second son.

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

13 And Leah said, Happy am I! and all women will give witness to my joy: and she gave him the name Asher.

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

14 Now at the time of the grain-cutting, Reuben saw some love-fruits in the field, and took them to his mother Leah. And Rachel said to her, Let me have some of your son's love-fruits.

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.”

15 But Leah said to her, Is it a small thing that you have taken my husband from me? and now would you take my son's love-fruits? Then Rachel said, You may have him tonight in exchange for your son's love-fruits.

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.”

16 In the evening, when Jacob came in from the field, Leah went out to him and said, Tonight you are to come to me, for I have given my son's love-fruits as a price for you. And he went in to her that night.

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.

17 And God gave ear to her and she became with child, and gave Jacob a fifth son.

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

18 Then Leah said, God has made payment to me for giving my servant-girl to my husband: so she gave her son the name Issachar.

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

19 And again Leah became with child, and she gave Jacob a sixth son.

Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

20 And she said, God has given me a good bride-price; now at last will I have my husband living with me, for I have given him six sons: and she gave him the name Zebulun.

“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.

21 After that she had a daughter, to whom she gave the name Dinah.

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

22 Then God gave thought to Rachel, and hearing her prayer he made her fertile.

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

23 And she was with child, and gave birth to a son: and she said, God has taken away my shame.

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

24 And she gave him the name Joseph, saying, May the Lord give me another son.

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

25 Now after the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Let me go away to my place and my country.

Now after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can return to my homeland.

26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have been your servant, and let me go: for you have knowledge of all the work I have done for you.

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.”

27 And Laban said, If you will let me say so, do not go away; for I have seen by the signs that the Lord has been good to me because of you.

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.”

28 Say then what your payment is to be and I will give it.

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

29 Then Jacob said, You have seen what I have done for you, and how your cattle have done well under my care.

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

30 For before I came you had little, and it has been greatly increased; and the Lord has given you a blessing in everything I have done; but when am I to do something for my family?

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?”

31 And Laban said, What am I to give you? And Jacob said, Do not give me anything; but I will again take up the care of your flock if you will only do this for me:

“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.

32 Let me go through all your flock today, taking out from among them all the sheep which are marked or coloured or black, and all the marked or coloured goats: these will be my payment.

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.

33 And so you will be able to put my honour to the test in time to come; if you see among my flocks any goats which are not marked or coloured, or any sheep which is not black, you may take me for a thief.

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.”

34 And Laban said, Let it be as you say.

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

35 So that day he took all the he-goats which were banded or coloured, and all the she-goats which were marked or coloured or had white marks, and all the black sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons;

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.

36 And sent them three days' journey away: and Jacob took care of the rest of Laban's flock.

Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Then Jacob took young branches of trees, cutting off the skin so that the white wood was seen in bands.

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

38 And he put the banded sticks in the drinking-places where the flock came to get water; and they became with young when they came to the water.

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,

39 And because of this, the flock gave birth to young which were marked with bands of colour.

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

40 These lambs Jacob kept separate; and he put his flock in a place by themselves and not with Laban's flock.

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.

41 And whenever the stronger ones of the flock became with young, Jacob put the sticks in front of them in the drinking-places, so that they might become with young when they saw the sticks.

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.

42 But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put the sticks before them; so that the feebler flocks were Laban's and the stronger were Jacob's.

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.

43 So Jacob's wealth was greatly increased; he had great flocks and women-servants and men-servants and camels and asses.

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