Genesis 30

1 And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I will die.”

2 And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, Am I in God's stead, who has withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

Jacob's anger burned against Rachel. He said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

3 And she said, Behold, there is my maid, Bilhah: go in to her, in order that she may bear on my knees, and I may also be built up by her.

She said, “See, there is my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her, so she might give birth to children on my knees, and I will have children by her.”

4 And she gave him Bilhah her maidservant as wife, and Jacob went in to her.

So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob slept with her.

5 And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

6 And Rachel said, God has done me justice, and has also heard my voice, and given me a son; therefore she called his name Dan.

Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and he has heard my voice and given me a son.” For this reason she called his name Dan.

7 And Bilhah Rachel's maidservant again conceived, and bore Jacob a second son.

Bilhah, Rachel's servant, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

8 And Rachel said, Wrestlings of God have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed; and she called his name Naphtali.

Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” She called his name Naphtali.

9 And when Leah saw that she had ceased to bear, she took Zilpah her maidservant and gave her to Jacob as wife.

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

10 And Zilpah Leah's maidservant bore Jacob a son.

Zilpah, Leah's servant, bore Jacob a son.

11 And Leah said, Fortunately! and she called his name Gad.

Leah said, “This is fortunate!” so she called his name Gad.

12 And Zilpah Leah's maidservant bore Jacob a second son.

Then Zilpah, Leah's servant, bore Jacob a second son.

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

Leah said, “I am happy! For the daughters will call me happy.” So she called his name Asher.

14 And Reuben went out in the days of wheat-harvest, and found mandrakes in the fields; and he brought them to his mother Leah. And Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.

Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field. He brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son's mandrakes.”

15 And she said to her, Is it [too] little that thou hast taken my husband, that thou wilt take my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to-night for thy son's mandrakes.

Leah said to her, “Is it a small matter to you, that you have taken away my husband? Do you now want to take away my son's mandrakes, too?” Rachel said, “Then he will sleep with you tonight, in exchange for your son's mandrakes.”

16 And when Jacob came from the fields in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in to me, for indeed I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.

Jacob came from the field in the evening. Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep with me tonight, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with Leah that night.

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

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

18 And Leah said, God has given me my hire, because I have given my maidservant to my husband; and she called his name Issachar.

Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I gave my servant woman to my husband.” She called his name Issachar.

19 And Leah again conceived, and bore Jacob a sixth son;

Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

20 and Leah said, God has endowed me with a good dowry; this time will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons. And she called his name Zebulun.

Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” She called his name Zebulun.

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

Afterwards she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

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

God called Rachel to mind and listened to her. He caused her to become pregnant.

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

She conceived and bore a son. She said, “God has taken away my shame.”

24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, Jehovah will add to me another son.

She called his name Joseph, saying, “Yahweh has added to me another son.”

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

After Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, so that I may go to my own home and to my country.

26 Give [me] my wives for whom I have served thee, and my children; that I may go away, for thou knowest my service which I have served thee.

Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go, for you know the service I have given you.”

27 And Laban said to him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes — I have discovered that Jehovah has blessed me for thy sake.

Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, wait, because I have learned by using divination that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake.”

28 And he said, Appoint to me thy wages, and I will give it.

Then he said, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

29 And he said to him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and what thy cattle has become with me.

Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared with me.

30 For it was little that thou hadst before me, and it is increased to a multitude, and Jehovah has blessed thee from the time I came; and now, when shall I also provide for my house?

For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I worked. Now when will I provide for my own household also?”

31 And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me anything. If thou doest this for me, I will again feed [and] keep thy flock:

So Laban said, “What will I pay you?” Jacob said, “You will not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it.

32 I will pass through all thy flock to-day, to remove thence all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and [that] shall be my hire.

Let me walk through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. These will be my wages.

33 And my righteousness shall answer for me hereafter, when thou comest about my hire, before thy face: all that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, let that be stolen with me.

My integrity will testify for me later on, when you come to check on my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, if any are found with me, will be considered to be stolen.”

34 And Laban said, Well, let it be according to thy word.

Laban said, “Agreed. Let it be according to your word.”

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

That day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

36 And he put three days' journey between himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flock.

Laban also put three days' journey between himself and Jacob. So Jacob kept tending the rest of Laban's flocks.

37 And Jacob took fresh rods of white poplar, almond-tree, and maple; and peeled off white stripes in them, uncovering the white which was on the rods.

Jacob took fresh cut branches of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane tree, and peeled white streaks in them, and made the white inner wood appear that was in the sticks.

38 And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flock, in the troughs at the watering-places where the flock came to drink, and they were ardent when they came to drink.

Then he set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks, in front of the watering troughs where they came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink.

39 And the flock was ardent before the rods; and the flock brought forth ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.

The flocks bred in front of the sticks; and the flocks produced striped, speckled, and spotted young.

40 And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flock toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he made himself separate flocks, and did not put them with Laban's flock.

Jacob separated out these lambs, but made the rest of them face toward the striped animals and all the black sheep in the flock of Laban. Then he separated out his flocks for himself alone and did not put them together with Laban's flocks.

41 And it came to pass whensoever the strong cattle were ardent, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might become ardent among the rods;

Whenever the stronger sheep in the flock were breeding, then Jacob would lay the sticks in the watering troughs before the eyes of the flock, so that they might conceive among the sticks.

42 but when the sheep were feeble, he put [them] not in; so the feeble were Laban's, and the strong Jacob's.

But when the feebler animals in the flock came, he did not put the sticks in front of them. So the feebler animals were Laban's, and the stronger were Jacob's.

43 And the man increased very, very much, and had much cattle, and bondwomen, and bondmen, and camels, and asses.

The man became very prosperous. He had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.