Genesis 30

1 And Rachel, seeing herself without children, envied her sister, and said to her husband: Give me children, otherwise I shall die.

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.

2 And Jacob being angry with her, answered: Am I as God, who hath deprived thee of the fruit of thy womb?

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?

3 But she said: I have here my servant Bala: go in unto her, that she may bear upon my knees, and I may have children by her.

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.

4 And she gave him Bala in marriage: who,

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

5 When her husband had gone in unto her, conceived and bore a son.

And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

6 And Rachel said: The Lord hath judged for me, and hath heard my voice, giving me a son, and therefore she called his name Dan.

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.

7 And again Bala conceived and bore another,

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

8 For whom Rachel said: God hath compared me with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called him Nephtali.

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

9 Lia, perceiving that she had left off bearing, gave Zelpha her handmaid to her husband.

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

10 And when she had conceived and brought forth a son,

And Zilpah Leah's maidservant bore Jacob a son.

11 She said: Happily. And therefore called his name Gad.

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

12 Zelpha also bore another.

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

13 And Lia said: This is for my happiness: for women will call me blessed. Therefore she called him Aser.

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

14 And Ruben, going out in the time of the wheat harvest into the field, found mandrakes: which he brought to his mother Lia. And Rachel said: Give me part of thy son’s mandrakes.

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.

15 She answered: Dost thou think it a small matter, that thou hast taken my husband from me, unless thou take also my son’s mandrakes? Rachel said: He shall sleep with thee this night, for thy son’s mandrakes.

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.

16 And when Jacob returned at even from the field, Lia went out to meet him, and said: Thou shalt come in unto me, because I have hired thee for my son’s mandrakes. And he slept with her that night.

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.

17 And God heard her prayers: and she conceived and bore the fifth son,

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

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

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

19 And Lia conceived again, and bore the sixth son,

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

20 And said: God hath endowed me with a good dowry: this turn also my husband will be with me, because I have borne him six sons: and therefore she called his name Zabulon.

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.

21 After whom she bore a daughter, named Dina.

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

22 The Lord also remembering Rachel, heard her, and opened her womb.

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

23 And she conceived, and bore a son, saying: God hath taken away my reproach.

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

24 And she called his name Joseph, saying: The Lord give me also another son.

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

25 And when Joseph was born, Jacob said to his father in law: Send me away that I may return into my country, and to my land.

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.

26 Give me my wives, and my children, for whom I have served thee, that I may depart: thou knowest the service that I have rendered thee.

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.

27 Laban said to him: Let me find favour in thy sight: I have learned by experience, that God hath blessed me for thy sake.

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.

28 Appoint thy wages which I shall give thee.

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

29 But he answered: Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how great thy possession hath been in my hands.

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

30 Thou hadst but little before I came to thee, and now thou art become rich: and the Lord hath blessed thee at my coming. It is reasonable therefore that I should now provide also for my own house.

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?

31 And Laban said: What shall I give thee? But he said: I require nothing: but if thou wilt do what I demand, I will feed, and keep thy sheep again.

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:

32 Go round through all thy flocks, and separate all the sheep of divers colours, and speckled: and all that is brown and spotted, and of divers colours, as well among the sheep, as among the goats, shall be my wages.

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.

33 And my justice shall answer for me tomorrow before thee when the time of the bargain shall come: and all that is not of divers colours, and spotted, and brown, as well among the sheep as among the goats, shall accuse me of theft.

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.

34 And Laban said: I like well what thou demandest.

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

35 And he separated the same day the she goats, and the sheep, and the he goats, and the rams of divers colours, and spotted: and all the flock of one colour, that is, of white and 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, every one that had white in it, and all the brown among the lambs, and gave [them] into the hand of his sons.

36 And he set the space of three days’ journey betwixt himself and his son in law, who fed the rest of his flock.

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

37 And Jacob took green rods of poplar, and of almond, and of plane trees, and pilled them in part: so when the bark was taken off, in the parts that were pilled, there appeared whiteness: but the parts that were whole remained green: and by this means the colour was divers.

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.

38 And he put them in the troughs, where the water was poured out: that when the flocks should come to drink, they might have the rods before their eyes, and in the sight of them might conceive.

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.

39 And it came to pass that in the very heat of coition, the sheep beheld the rods, and brought forth spotted, and of divers colours, and speckled.

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

40 And Jacob separated the flock, and put the rods in the troughs before the eyes of the rams: and all the white and the black were Laban’s: and the rest were Jacob’s, when the flocks were separated one from the other.

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.

41 So when the ewes went first to ram, Jacob put the rods in the troughs of water before the eyes of the rams, and of the ewes, that they might conceive while they were looking upon them:

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;

42 But when the latter coming was, and the last conceiving, he did not put them. And those that were lateward, became Laban’s: and they of the first time, Jacob’s.

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

43 And the man was enriched exceedingly, and he had many flocks, maid servants and men servants, camels and asses.

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