Genesis 30
1 And when Rahel saw that she bare Iaakob no children, Rahel enuied her sister, and said vnto Iaakob, Giue me children, or els I dye.
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!”
2 Then Iaakobs anger was kindled against Rahel, and he sayde, Am I in Gods steade, which hath withholden from thee the fruite of the wombe?
Jacob became angry with Rachel and told her, “Am I God? Do you think I'm the one stopping you having children?”
3 And she said, Behold my maide Bilhah, goe in to her, and she shall beare vpon my knees, and I shall haue children also by her.
“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.”
4 Then shee gaue him Bilhah her mayde to wife, and Iaakob went in to her.
She gave her personal maid Bilhah to him as a wife and Jacob slept with her.
5 So Bilhah conceiued and bare Iaakob a sonne.
Bilhah became pregnant and had a son for Jacob.
6 Then said Rahel, God hath giuen sentence on my side, and hath also heard my voyce, and hath giuen mee a sonne: therefore called shee his name, Dan.
Rachel said, “God has judged in my favor! He listened to me and gave me a son.” So she named him Dan.
7 And Bilhah Rahels maide coceiued againe, and bare Iaakob the second sonne.
Rachel's personal maid Bilhah became pregnant again and had second son for Jacob.
8 Then Rahel said, with excellent wrestlings haue I wrestled with my sister, and haue gotten the vpper hande: and shee called his name, Naphtali.
Rachel said, “I've had a hard struggle with my sister, but I've won.” So she named him Naphtali.
9 And when Leah saw that she had left bearing, shee tooke Zilpah her mayde, and gaue her Iaakob to wife.
Leah realized she wasn't having any more children, so she gave her personal maid Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
10 And Zilpah Leahs mayde bare Iaakob a sonne.
Zilpah had a son for Jacob.
11 Then sayd Leah, A companie commeth: and she called his name, Gad.
Leah said, “I'm really fortunate!” So she named him Gad.
12 Againe Zilpah Leahs mayde bare Iaakob another sonne.
Leah's personal maid Zilpah became pregnant again and had a second son for Jacob.
13 Then sayde Leah, Ah, blessed am I, for the daughters will blesse me. and she called his name, Asher.
Leah said, “I'm so happy, and the other women will say I'm happy too!” So she named him Asher.
14 Nowe Reuben went in the dayes of the wheateharuest, and founde mandrakes in the fielde and brought them vnto his mother Leah. Then sayde Rahel to Leah, Giue me, I pray thee, of thy sonnes mandrakes.
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.”
15 But shee answered her, Is it a small matter for thee to take mine husband, except thou take my sonnes mandrakes also? Then sayde Rahel, Therefore he shall sleepe with thee this night for thy sonnes mandrakes.
“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.
16 And Iaakob came from the fielde in the euening, and Leah went out to meete him, and sayde, Come in to mee, for I haue bought and payed for thee with my sonnes mandrakes: and he slept with her that night.
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.
17 And God heard Leah and shee conceiued, and bare vnto Iaakob the fift sonne.
God heard Leah's request, and she became pregnant and had a fifth son for Jacob.
18 Then said Leah, God hath giuen me my reward, because I gaue my mayde to my husband, and she called his name Issachar.
Leah said, “The Lord has rewarded me for giving my personal maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
19 After, Leah conceiued againe, and bare Iaakob the sixt sonne.
Then Leah became pregnant again and had a sixth son for Jacob.
20 Then Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowrie: nowe will mine husband dwell with me, because I haue borne him sixe sonnes: and she called his name Zebulun.
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.
21 After that, shee bare a daughter, and shee called her name Dinah.
Later she had a daughter she named Dinah.
22 And God remembred Rahel, and God heard her, and opened her wombe.
Then God paid attention to Rachel and listened to her appeals, and helped her to have children.
23 So she conceiued and bare a sonne, and said, God hath taken away my rebuke.
She became pregnant and had a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said.
24 And shee called his name Ioseph, saying, The Lord wil giue me yet another sonne.
She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me an additional son.”
25 And assoone as Rahel had borne Ioseph, Iaakob said to Laban, Sende me away that I may go vnto my place and to my countrey.
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.
26 Giue me my wiues and my children, for whom I haue serued thee, and let me go: for thou knowest what seruice I haue done thee.
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.”
27 To whom Laban answered, If I haue nowe found fauour in thy sight tarie: I haue perceiued that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake.
“Please be so kind as to stay,” Laban replied, “because I have discovered that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”
28 Also he said, Appoynt vnto me thy wages, and I will giue it thee.
Then Laban continued, “Tell me how much to pay you and I'll give it to you.”
29 But he sayd vnto him, Thou knowest, what seruice I haue done thee, and in what taking thy cattell hath bene vnder me.
“You certainly know how much work I've done for you, and how well your flocks have done under my care.
30 For the litle, that thou haddest before I came, is increased into a multitude: and the Lord hath blessed thee by my comming: but nowe when shall I trauell for mine owne house also?
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?”
31 Then he saide, What shall I giue thee? And Iaakob answered, Thou shalt giue mee nothing at all: if thou wilt doe this thing for mee, I will returne, feede, and keepe thy sheepe.
“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.
32 I wil passe through all thy flockes this day, and separate from them all the sheepe with litle spots and great spots, and al blacke lambes among the sheepe, and the great spotted, and litle spotted among the goates: and it shalbe my wages.
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.
33 So shall my righteousnesse answere for me hereafter, when it shall come for my rewarde before thy face, and euery one that hath not litle or great spots among the goates, and blacke among the sheepe, the same shalbe theft with me.
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.”
34 Then Laban sayde, Goe to, woulde God it might be according to thy saying.
“Very good,” Laban agreed. “We'll do as you say.”
35 Therefore he tooke out the same day the hee goates that were partie coloured and with great spots, and all the shee goates with litle and great spots, and all that had white in them, and all the blacke among the sheepe, and put them in the keeping of his sonnes.
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—
36 And hee set three dayes iourney betweene himselfe and Iaakob. And Iaakob kept the rest of Labans sheepe.
a three day journey between them and Jacob, while Jacob was looking after the rest of Laban's flocks.
37 Then Iaakob tooke rods of greene popular, and of hasell, and of the chesnut tree, and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appeare in the rods.
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.
38 Then he put the rods, which he had pilled, in the gutters and watering troughes, when the sheepe came to drink, before the sheepe. (for they were in heate, when they came to drinke)
He put the sticks he'd peeled in the water troughs where the flocks came to drink because that's where they mated.
39 And the sheepe were in heate before the rods, and afterward brought forth yong of partie colour, and with small and great spots.
The flocks mated in front of the sticks and gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.
40 And Iaakob parted these lambes, and turned the faces of the flocke towardes these lambes partie coloured and all maner of blacke, among the sheepe of Laban: so hee put his owne flockes by themselues, and put them not with Labans flocke.
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.
41 And in euery ramming time of the stronger sheepe, Iaakob layde the rods before the eyes of the sheepe in the gutters, that they might conceiue before the rods.
When the strong females were ready to breed, Jacob put the sticks in the troughs where the flocks could see them when they mated.
42 But when the sheepe were feeble, hee put them not in: and so the feebler were Labans, and the stronger Iaakobs.
He didn't do this for the weaker females. The weaker ones went to Laban, and the strong ones went to Jacob.
43 So the man increased exceedingly, and had many flockes, and maide seruantes, and men seruants, and camels and asses.
In this way Jacob became an extremely rich man with large flocks, and many male and female slaves, camels, and donkeys.
