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!”

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

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

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

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.”

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

And she gave him Bilhah in marriage.

5 Bilhah became pregnant and had a son for Jacob.

And when her husband had gone in to her, she conceived and bore 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, “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.

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

And conceiving again, Bilhah bore another,

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

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

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

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

10 Zilpah had a son for Jacob.

And she, after having borne a son with difficulty,

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

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

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

Likewise, Zilpah bore another.

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

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

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.”

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.”

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.

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.”

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 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.

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

And God heard her prayers. And she conceived and bore 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 she said, “God has given a reward to me, because I gave my handmaid to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar.

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

Conceiving again, Leah bore 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 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.

21 Later she had a daughter she named Dinah.

After him, she bore a daughter, named Dinah.

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

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

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

And she conceived and bore a son, saying, “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, “The Lord has added 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.

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.

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.”

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.”

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

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

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

Choose your wages, which I will give you.”

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

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

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?”

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.”

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, “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.

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.

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.

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 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.”

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

And Laban said, “I hold favor for this request.”

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 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.

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

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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