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.

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

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

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

And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid, to wife, —and Jacob went in unto her;

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

and Bilhah conceived, and bare unto Jacob 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.

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

And Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid conceived again, and bare a second son to Jacob.

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 said Rachel With wrestlings of God, have I wrestled with my sister Yea I have prevailed. So she called his name, 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

and Leah said, For my happiness, surely happy have daughters pronounced me. So she called his name, 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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

And God hearkened unto Leah, —and she conceived and bare to Jacob a fifth son.

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 said Leah. God hath given my hire, in that I gave my handmaid to my husband. So she called his name, Issachar.

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

And Leah conceived again and bare 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So she called his name Joseph, saying, Yahweh is adding unto me another son.

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

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 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.

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 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.

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

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

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

And he said unto him, Thou, knowest how I have served thee, —and how thy cattle have fared, with me.

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?

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 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:

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 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 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 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.

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 And Laban said, Let it be as you say.

Then said Laban, Lo! would it might be according to thy word!

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;

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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.