Genesis 30

1 Then Rachel, discerning that she was infertile, envied her sister, and so she said to her husband, “Give me children, otherwise I will die.”

And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

2 Jacob, being angry, responded to her, “Am I in the place of God, who has deprived you of the fruit of your womb?”

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 But she said: “I have a handmaid Bilhah. Go in to her, so that she may give birth upon my knees, and I may have sons by her.”

And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.

4 And she gave him Bilhah in marriage.

And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.

5 And when her husband had gone in to her, she conceived and bore a son.

And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.

6 And Rachel said, “The Lord has judged for me, and he has heeded my voice, giving me a son.” And because of this, she called his name 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 conceiving again, Bilhah bore another,

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

8 about whom Rachel said, “God has compared me with my sister, and I have prevailed.” And she called him Naphtali.

And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.

9 Leah, perceiving that she had desisted from child-bearing, delivered Zilpah, her handmaid, to her husband.

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

10 And she, after having borne a son with difficulty,

And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son.

11 said: “Happiness!” And for this reason, she called his name Gad.

And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

12 Likewise, Zilpah bore another.

And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a second son.

13 And Leah said, “This one is for my happiness. Indeed, women will call me blessed.” Because of this, she called him Asher.

And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

14 Then Reuben, going out into the field at the time of the wheat harvest, found mandrakes. These he brought to his mother Leah. And Rachel said, “Give me a portion of your son’s mandrakes.”

And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes.

15 She responded, “Does it seem like such a small matter to you, that you have usurped from me my husband, unless you will also take my son’s mandrakes?” Rachel said, “He will sleep with you this night because of your son’s mandrakes.”

And she said unto her, [Is it] a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son’s mandrakes.

16 And when Jacob returned from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and she said, “You will enter to me, because I have hired you for the reward of my son’s mandrakes.” And 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, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.

17 And God heard her prayers. And she conceived and bore a fifth son.

And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.

18 And she said, “God has given a reward to me, because I gave my handmaid to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar.

And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.

19 Conceiving again, Leah bore a sixth son.

And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.

20 And she said: “God has endowed me with a good dowry. And now, at this turn, my husband will be with me, because I have conceived six sons for him.” And therefore she called his name Zebulun.

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

21 After him, she bore a daughter, named Dinah.

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

22 The Lord, likewise remembering Rachel, heeded her and opened her womb.

And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

23 And she conceived and bore a son, saying, “God has taken away my reproach.”

And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:

24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, “The Lord has added to me another son.”

And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.

25 But when Joseph was born, Jacob said to his father-in-law: “Release me, so that I may return to my native country and to my land.

And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.

26 Give me my wives, and my children, for whom I have served you, so that I may depart. You know the servitude with which I have served you.”

Give [me] my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.

27 Laban said to him: “May I find grace in your sight. I have learned by experience that God has blessed me because of you.

And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, [tarry: for] I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

28 Choose your wages, which I will give you.”

And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give [it].

29 But he responded: “You know how I have served you, and how great your possession became in my hands.

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

30 You had little before I came to you, and now you have achieved riches. And the Lord has blessed you since my arrival. It is just, therefore, that at some time I also should provide for my own house.”

For [it was] little which thou hadst before I [came], and it is [now] increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?

31 And Laban said, “What shall I give to you?” But he said, “I want nothing. But if you will do what I ask, I will feed and guard your sheep again.

And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed [and] keep thy flock:

32 Go around through all your flocks and separate all the sheep of variegated or spotted fleece; and whatever will be darkened or blemished or variegated, as much among the sheep as among the goats, will be my wages.

I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and [of such] shall be my hire.

33 And my justice will answer on my behalf tomorrow, when the time of settlement arrives before you. And all that is not variegated or blemished or darkened, as much among the sheep as among the goats, these will prove me to be a thief.”

So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire 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 And Laban said, “I hold favor for this request.”

And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.

35 And on that day he separated the she-goats, and the sheep, and the he-goats, and the rams with variegations or with blemishes. But every one of the flock which was of one color, that is, of white or of black fleece, he delivered into the hands of his sons.

And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, [and] every one that had [some] white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave [them] into the hand of his sons.

36 And he established a distance of three days journey between himself and his son-in-law, who pastured the remainder of his flock.

And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Then Jacob, taking green branches of poplar, and almond, and sycamore trees, debarked them in part. And when the bark was pulled off, in the parts that were stripped, there appeared whiteness, yet the parts that were left whole, remained green. And so, in this way the color was made variegated.

And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which [was] in the rods.

38 And he placed them in the troughs, where the water was poured out, so that when the flocks had arrived to drink, they would have the branches before their eyes, and in their sight they might conceive.

And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

39 And it happened that, in the very heat of joining together, the sheep looked upon the branches, and they bore the blemished and the variegated, those speckled with diverse color.

And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.

40 And Jacob divided the flock, and he set the branches in the troughs before the eyes of the rams. Now whatever was white or black belonged to Laban, but, in truth, the others belonged to Jacob, for the flocks were dispersed among one another.

And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle.

41 Therefore, when the first to arrive were climbing on the ewes, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs of water before the eyes of the rams and the sheep, so that they might conceive while they were gazing upon them.

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 Yet when the late arrivals and the last to conceive were let in, he did not place these. And so those that arrived late became Laban’s, and those that arrived first became Jacob’s.

But when the cattle were feeble, he put [them] not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.

43 And the man was enriched beyond limit, and he had many flocks, women servants and men servants, camels and donkeys.

And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.