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!”
When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else 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’s anger burnt against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in God’s place, who has withheld from you 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.”
She said, “Behold, my maid Bilhah. Go in to her, that she may bear on my knees, and I also may obtain children by her.”
4 She gave her personal maid Bilhah to him as a wife and Jacob slept with her.
She gave him Bilhah her servant as wife, and Jacob went in to her.
5 Bilhah became pregnant and had a son for Jacob.
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.
Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard 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.
Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, conceived again, 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.
Rachel said, “I have wrestled with my sister with mighty wrestlings, and have prevailed.” She named him Naphtali.
9 Leah realized she wasn't having any more children, so she gave her personal maid Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
When Leah saw that she had finished bearing, she took Zilpah, her servant, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
10 Zilpah had a son for Jacob.
Zilpah, Leah’s servant, bore Jacob a son.
11 Leah said, “I'm really fortunate!” So she named him Gad.
Leah said, “How fortunate!” She named him Gad.
12 Leah's personal maid Zilpah became pregnant again and had a second son for Jacob.
Zilpah, Leah’s servant, 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.
Leah said, “Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy.” She named 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.”
Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother, Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some 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.
Leah said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes, also?” Rachel said, “Therefore he will 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.
Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, “You must come in to me; for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” He lay with her that night.
17 God heard Leah's request, and she became pregnant and had a fifth son for Jacob.
God listened 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.
Leah said, “God has given me my hire, because I gave my servant to my husband.” She named him Issachar.
19 Then Leah became pregnant again and had a sixth son for Jacob.
Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
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.
Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good dowry. Now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons.” She named him Zebulun.
21 Later she had a daughter she named Dinah.
Afterwards, she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.
22 Then God paid attention to Rachel and listened to her appeals, and helped her to have children.
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.
She conceived, 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.”
She named him Joseph, saying, “May the LORD add another son to me.”
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.
When Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own 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 and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service 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, “If now I have found favour in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that the LORD has blessed me for your sake.”
28 Then Laban continued, “Tell me how much to pay you and I'll give it to you.”
He said, “Appoint me your 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.
Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared 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 which you had before I came, and it has increased to a multitude. The LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. Now when will I provide for my own house also?”
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.
Laban said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it.
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 your flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted one, and every black one amongst the sheep, and the spotted and speckled amongst the goats. This will 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.”
So my righteousness will answer for me hereafter, when you come concerning my hire that is before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted amongst the goats, and black amongst the sheep, that might be with me, will be considered stolen.”
34 “Very good,” Laban agreed. “We'll do as you say.”
Laban said, “Behold, 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—
That day, he removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones amongst the sheep, 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.
He set three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
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.
Jacob took to himself rods of fresh poplar, almond, and plane tree, peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in 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.
He set the rods which he had peeled opposite the flocks in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. They conceived 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.
The flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks produced streaked, 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.
Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks towards the streaked and all the black in Laban’s flock. He put his own droves apart, and didn’t put them into 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.
Whenever the stronger of the flock conceived, Jacob laid the rods in front of the eyes of the flock in the watering troughs, that they might conceive amongst 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 flock were feeble, he didn’t put them in. So the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.
43 In this way Jacob became an extremely rich man with large flocks, and many male and female slaves, camels, and donkeys.
The man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.
