Genesis 30

1 And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob: 'Give me children, or else I die.'

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 And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said: 'Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?'

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

3 And she said: 'Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; that she may bear upon my knees, and I also may be builded up through her.'

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 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife; and Jacob went in unto her.

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

5 And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

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

6 And Rachel said: 'God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son.' Therefore called she his name Dan.

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

7 And Bilhah Rachel's handmaid conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son.

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

8 And Rachel said: 'With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed.' And she called his name Naphtali.

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

9 When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to 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 And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bore Jacob a son.

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

11 And Leah said: 'Fortune is come!' And she called his name Gad.

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

12 And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bore Jacob a second son.

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

13 And Leah said: 'Happy am I! for the daughters will call me happy.' And she called his name Asher.

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

14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah: 'Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.'

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 thy son's mandrakes.

15 And she said unto her: 'Is it a small matter that thou hast taken away my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also?' And Rachel said: 'Therefore he shall lie with thee to-night for thy son's mandrakes.'

And Lea said, [Is it] not enough for thee that thou hast taken my husband, wilt thou also take my son's mandrakes? And Rachel said, Not so: let him lie with thee to-night for thy son's mandrakes.

16 And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said: 'Thou must come in unto me; for I have surely hired thee with my son's mandrakes.' And he lay with her that night.

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

17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.

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

18 And Leah said: 'God hath given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband. And she called his name 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 And Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

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

20 And Leah said: 'God hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.' And she called his name 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 And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

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

22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

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

23 And she conceived, and bore a son, and said: 'God hath taken away my reproach.'

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

24 And she called his name Joseph, saying: 'The LORD add to me another son.'

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

25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban: 'Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my 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 my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go; for thou knowest my service wherewith I have served thee.'

Restore my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, that I may depart, for thou knowest the service wherewith I have served thee.

27 And Laban said unto him: 'If now I have found favour in thine eyes — I have observed the signs, and the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.'

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

28 And he said: 'Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.'

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

29 And he said unto him: 'Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle have fared with me.

And Jacob said, Thou knowest in what things I have served thee, and how many cattle of thine are with me.

30 For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it hath increased abundantly; and the LORD hath blessed thee whithersoever I turned. And now when shall I provide for mine own house also?'

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

31 And he said: 'What shall I give thee?' And Jacob said: 'Thou shalt not give me aught; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed thy flock and keep it.

And Laban said to him, What shall I give thee? and Jacob said to him, Thou shalt not give me anything; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again tend thy flocks and keep them.

32 I will pass through all thy flock to-day, removing from thence every speckled and spotted one, and every dark one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and of such shall be my hire.

Let all thy sheep pass by to-day, and separate thence every grey sheep among the rams, and every one that is speckled and spotted among the goats—[this] shall be my reward.

33 So shall my righteousness witness against me hereafter, when thou shalt come to look over my hire that is before thee: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and dark among the sheep, that if found with me shall be counted stolen.'

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

34 And Laban said: 'Behold, would it might be according to thy word.'

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

35 And he removed that day the he-goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the dark ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

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 among the rams, and every one that was white among them, and he gave them into the hand of his sons.

36 And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed 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 And Jacob took him rods of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane-tree; and peeled white streaks in them, making the white appear which was in the rods.

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 And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink; and they conceived when they came to drink.

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

39 And the flocks conceived at the sight of the rods, and the flocks brought forth 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 And Jacob separated the lambs — he also set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the dark in the flock of Laban — and put his own droves apart, and put them not unto Laban's flock.

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

41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger of the flock did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods;

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 but when the flock were feeble, he put them not in; so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

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 And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and asses.

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