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

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

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

5 Bilhah became pregnant and had a son for Jacob.

And Bilhah 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 done me justice, and has also heard my voice, and 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 Bilhah Rachel's maidservant again conceived, and bore Jacob a second son.

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

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

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

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

10 Zilpah had a son for Jacob.

And Zilpah Leah's maidservant bore Jacob a son.

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

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

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

And Zilpah Leah's maidservant 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 Leah said, Happy am I; for the daughters will call me blessed! and she called his name 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.”

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

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

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

And Leah again conceived, 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 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 Later she had a daughter she named Dinah.

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

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 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, and 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; and said, Jehovah will 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 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 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 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 “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, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes — I have discovered that Jehovah has blessed me for thy sake.

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

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

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

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

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

And Laban said, Well, let it be according to thy 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 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 a three day journey between them and Jacob, while Jacob was looking after the rest of Laban's flocks.

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

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

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

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

but when the sheep were feeble, he put [them] not in; so the feeble were Laban's, and the strong 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 increased very, very much, and had much cattle, and bondwomen, and bondmen, and camels, and asses.