Genesis 30

1 When Rachel realized she was unable to give Jacob any children she was jealous of her sister. She complained to Jacob, “I'll die if you don't give me children!”

And Rachel having perceived that she bore Jacob no children, was jealous of her sister; and said to Jacob, Give me children; and if not, I shall die.

2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and told her, “Am I God? Do you think I'm the one stopping you having children?”

And Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said to her, Am I in the place of God, who has deprived you of the fruit of the womb?

3 “Here's my personal maid Bilhah,” Rachel replied. “Sleep with her and she can have children for me so I'll have a family too.”

And Rachel said to Jacob, Behold my handmaid Balla, go in to her, and she shall bear upon my knees, and I also shall have children by her.

4 She gave her personal maid Bilhah to him as a wife and Jacob slept with her.

And she gave him Balla her maid, for a wife to him; and Jacob went in to her.

5 Bilhah became pregnant and had a son for Jacob.

And Balla, Rachel's maid, conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

6 Rachel said, “God has judged in my favor! He listened to me and gave me a son.” So she named him Dan.

And Rachel said, God has given judgement for me, and listened to my voice, and has given me a son; therefore she called his name, Dan.

7 Rachel's personal maid Bilhah became pregnant again and had second son for Jacob.

And Balla, Rachel's maid, conceived yet again, and bore a second son to Jacob.

8 Rachel said, “I've had a hard struggle with my sister, but I've won.” So she named him Naphtali.

And Rachel said, God has helped me, and I contended with my sister and prevailed; and she called his name, Nephthalim.

9 Leah realized she wasn't having any more children, so she gave her personal maid Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.

And Lea saw that she ceased from bearing, and she took Zelpha her maid, and gave her to Jacob for a wife; and he went in to her.

10 Zilpah had a son for Jacob.

And Zelpha the maid of Lea conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

11 Leah said, “I'm really fortunate!” So she named him Gad.

And Lea said, [It is] happily: and she called his name, Gad.

12 Leah's personal maid Zilpah became pregnant again and had a second son for Jacob.

And Zelpha the maid of Lea conceived yet again, and bore Jacob a second son.

13 Leah said, “I'm so happy, and the other women will say I'm happy too!” So she named him Asher.

And Lea said, I am blessed, for the women will pronounce me blessed; and she called his name, Aser.

14 At the time of the wheat harvest Reuben found some mandrake plants when he was out in the fields. He took them back to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah, “Please give me some of the mandrakes your son found.”

And Ruben went in the day of barley harvest, and found apples of mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Lea; and Rachel said to Lea her sister, Give me of your son's mandrakes.

15 “Aren't you satisfied with stealing my husband?” Leah replied. “Are you going to take my son's mandrakes too?” “Fine, he can sleep with you tonight if you give me some mandrakes in return,” Rachel responded.

And Lea said, [Is it] not enough for you that you have taken my husband, will you also take my son's mandrakes? And Rachel said, Not so: let him lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes.

16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You have to sleep with me because I've paid for you with my son's mandrakes,” she told him. So he slept with her that night.

And Jacob came in out of the field at even; and Lea went forth to meet him, and said, You shall come in to me this day, for I have hired you for my son's mandrakes; and he lay with her that night.

17 God heard Leah's request, and she became pregnant and had a fifth son for Jacob.

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

18 Leah said, “The Lord has rewarded me for giving my personal maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

And Lea said, God has given me my reward, because I gave my maid to my husband; and she called his name Issachar, which is, Reward.

19 Then Leah became pregnant again and had a sixth son for Jacob.

And Lea conceived again, and bore Jacob a sixth son.

20 Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I've given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

And Lea said, God has given me a good gift in this time; my husband will choose me, for I have born him six sons: and she called his name, Zabulon.

21 Later she had a daughter she named Dinah.

And after this she bore a daughter; and she called her name, Dina.

22 Then God paid attention to Rachel and listened to her appeals, and helped her to have children.

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

23 She became pregnant and had a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said.

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

24 She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me an additional son.”

And she called his name Joseph, saying, Let God add to me another son.

25 Once Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Let me leave so I can return to my home and my own country.

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

26 Give me my wives and children because I worked for you to have them. Let me go now because you know very well how much work I've done for you.”

Restore my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, that I may depart, for you know the service wherewith I have served you.

27 “Please be so kind as to stay,” Laban replied, “because I have discovered that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”

And Laban said to him, If I have found grace in your sight, I would augur [well], for the Lord has blessed me at your coming in.

28 Then Laban continued, “Tell me how much to pay you and I'll give it to you.”

Appoint me your wages, and I will give [them].

29 “You certainly know how much work I've done for you, and how well your flocks have done under my care.

And Jacob said, You know in what things I have served you, and how many cattle of your are with me.

30 You hardly had anything before I arrived, but now you have so much! The Lord has blessed you through what I've done. When am I going to be able to provide for my own family?”

For it was little you had before my time, and it is increased to a multitude, and the Lord God has blessed you since my coming; now then, when shall I set up also my own house?

31 “Well, what do you propose I give you?” Laban asked again. “You don't have to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you want to do something for me, then how about this: I'll go on looking after your flocks, making sure they're fed.

And Laban said to him, What shall I give you? and Jacob said to him, You shall not give me anything; if you will do this thing for me, I will again tend your flocks and keep them.

32 Let me go through your flocks today and take all the sheep that are speckled or spotted, and all the dark ones, as well as all the speckled and spotted goats. They'll be my wages.

Let all your sheep pass by today, and separate thence every grey sheep amongst the rams, and every one that is speckled and spotted amongst the goats—[this] shall be my reward.

33 In the future you'll be able to prove that I've been honest. When you check my flock, any goats that don't have speckles or spots, or any sheep that aren't dark will be considered stolen from you.”

And my righteousness shall answer for me on the morrow, for it is my reward before you: whatever shall not be spotted and speckled amongst the goats, and grey amongst the rams, shall be stolen with me.

34 “Very good,” Laban agreed. “We'll do as you say.”

And Laban said to him, Let it be according to your word.

35 However, the same day Laban went and removed all the striped and spotted male goats, all the speckled and spotted female goats, and all the dark sheep. He had his sons look after them and sent them away—

And he separated in that day the spotted and speckled he-goats, and all the spotted and speckled she-goats, and all that was grey amongst the rams, and every one that was white amongst them, and he gave them into the hand of his sons.

36 a three day journey between them and Jacob, while Jacob was looking after the rest of Laban's flocks.

And he set a distance of a three days' journey between them and Jacob. And Jacob tended the cattle of Laban that were left behind.

37 Then Jacob cut some sticks from poplar, almond, and plane trees that had white wood under the bark. He peeled off some of the bark, making the sticks look streaked with white.

And Jacob took to himself green rods of storax tree and walnut and plane tree; and Jacob peeled in them white stripes; and as he drew off the green, the white stripe which he had made appeared alternate on the rods.

38 He put the sticks he'd peeled in the water troughs where the flocks came to drink because that's where they mated.

And he laid the rods which he had peeled, in the hollows of the watering-troughs, that whenever the cattle should come to drink, as they should have come to drink before the rods, the cattle might conceive at the rods.

39 The flocks mated in front of the sticks and gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.

So the cattle conceived at the rods, and the cattle brought forth [young] speckled, and streaked and spotted with ash-coloured [spots].

40 Jacob separated all these ones out. Then he made his flock face towards those in Laban's flock that were streaked and dark. This is the way he kept his flocks apart from Laban's flock.

And Jacob separated the lambs, and set before the sheep a speckled ram, and every variegated one amongst the lambs, and he separated flocks for himself alone, and did not mingle them with the sheep of Laban.

41 When the strong females were ready to breed, Jacob put the sticks in the troughs where the flocks could see them when they mated.

And it came to pass in the time wherein the cattle became pregnant, conceiving in the belly, Jacob put the rods before the cattle in the troughs, that they might conceive by the rods.

42 He didn't do this for the weaker females. The weaker ones went to Laban, and the strong ones went to Jacob.

But he did not put them in [indiscriminately] whenever the cattle happened to bring forth, but the unmarked ones were Laban's, and the marked ones were Jacob's.

43 In this way Jacob became an extremely rich man with large flocks, and many male and female slaves, camels, and donkeys.

And the man became very rich, and he had many cattle, and oxen, and servants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.