< Genesis 30 >

1 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.
And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
2 And Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said to her, Am I in the place of God, who has deprived you of the fruit of the womb?
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?
3 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.
And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.
4 And she gave him Balla her maid, for a wife to him; and Jacob went in to her.
And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
5 And Balla, Rachel's maid, conceived, and bore Jacob a son.
And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.
6 And Rachel said, God has given judgment for me, and listened to my voice, and has given me a son; therefore she called his name, Dan.
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.
7 And Balla, Rachel's maid, conceived yet again, and bore a second son to Jacob.
And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.
8 And Rachel said, God has helped me, and I contended with my sister and prevailed; and she called his name, Nephthalim.
And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.
9 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.
When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.
10 And Zelpha the maid of Lea conceived, and bore Jacob a son.
And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son.
11 And Lea said, [It is] happily: and she called his name, Gad.
And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.
12 And Zelpha the maid of Lea conceived yet again, and bore Jacob a second son.
And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a second son.
13 And Lea said, I am blessed, for the women will pronounce me blessed; and she called his name, Aser.
And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.
14 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 your son's mandrakes.
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.
15 And Lea said, [Is it] not enough for you that you have taken my husband, will you also take my son's mandrakes? And Rachel said, Not so: let him lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes.
And she said unto her, [Is it] a small matter that thou hast taken 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.
16 And Jacob came in out of the field at even; and Lea went forth to meet him, and said, You shall come in to me this day, for I have hired you for my son's mandrakes; and he lay with her that night.
And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.
17 And God listened to Lea, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.
And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.
18 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.
And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.
19 And Lea conceived again, and bore Jacob a sixth son.
And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.
20 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.
And Leah said, God hath endued me [with] a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.
21 And after this she bore a daughter; and she called her name, Dina.
And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
22 And God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and he opened her womb.
And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
23 And she conceived, and bore Jacob a son; and Rachel said, God has taken away my reproach.
And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:
24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, Let God add to me another son.
And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.
25 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.
And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.
26 Restore my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, that I may depart, for you know the service wherewith I have served you.
Give [me] my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.
27 And Laban said to him, If I have found grace in your sight, I would augur [well], for the Lord has blessed me at your coming in.
And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, [tarry: for] I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.
28 Appoint me your wages, and I will give [them].
And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give [it].
29 And Jacob said, You know in what things I have served you, and how many cattle of your are with me.
And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
30 For it was little you had before my time, and it is increased to a multitude, and the Lord God has blessed you since my coming; now then, when shall I set up also my own house?
For [it was] little which thou hadst before I [came], and it is [now] increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?
31 And Laban said to him, What shall I give you? and Jacob said to him, You shall not give me anything; if you will do this thing for me, I will again tend your flocks and keep them.
And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed [and] keep thy flock:
32 Let all your sheep pass by today, 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.
I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and [of such] shall be my hire.
33 And my righteousness shall answer for me on the morrow, for it is my reward before you: whatever shall not be spotted and speckled among the goats, and grey among the rams, shall be stolen with me.
So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that [is] not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.
34 And Laban said to him, Let it be according to your word.
And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
35 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.
And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, [and] every one that had [some] white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave [them] into the hand of his sons.
36 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.
And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 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.
And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which [was] in the rods.
38 And he laid the rods which he had peeled, in the hollows of the watering-troughs, that whenever the cattle should come to drink, as they should have come to drink before the rods, the cattle might conceive at the rods.
And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.
39 So the cattle conceived at the rods, and the cattle brought forth [young] speckled, and streaked and spotted with ash-colored [spots].
And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
40 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.
And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle.
41 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.
And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
42 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.
But when the cattle were feeble, he put [them] not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.
43 And the man became very rich, and he had many cattle, and oxen, and servants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

< Genesis 30 >