< Genesis 30 >

1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I will die."
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.
2 Then Jacob became very angry with Rachel, and he said, "Am I in God's place, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"
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?
3 She said, "Look, my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her, so that she will bear children for me, that I too may have children through her."
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.
4 So she gave him Bilhah her servant as a wife, and Jacob slept with her.
Then shee gaue him Bilhah her mayde to wife, and Iaakob went in to her.
5 Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.
So Bilhah conceiued and bare Iaakob a sonne.
6 Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan.
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.
7 Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son.
And Bilhah Rahels maide coceiued againe, and bare Iaakob the second sonne.
8 Rachel said, "I have wrestled mightily with my sister, and have prevailed." So she named him Naphtali.
Then Rahel said, with excellent wrestlings haue I wrestled with my sister, and haue gotten the vpper hande: and shee called his name, Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah, her servant, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
And when Leah saw that she had left bearing, shee tooke Zilpah her mayde, and gaue her Iaakob to wife.
10 Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a son.
And Zilpah Leahs mayde bare Iaakob a sonne.
11 Leah said, "How fortunate." So she named him Gad.
Then sayd Leah, A companie commeth: and she called his name, Gad.
12 Zilpah, Leah's servant, bore Jacob a second son.
Againe Zilpah Leahs mayde bare Iaakob another sonne.
13 Leah said, "Happy am I, for the women will call me happy." So she named him Asher.
Then sayde Leah, Ah, blessed am I, for the daughters will blesse me. and she called his name, Asher.
14 Reuben went out during the 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."
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.
15 She 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 may sleep with you tonight for your son's mandrakes."
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.
16 Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, "You must sleep with me; for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night.
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.
17 God listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.
And God heard Leah and shee conceiued, and bare vnto Iaakob the fift sonne.
18 Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I gave my servant to my husband." So she named him Issachar.
Then said Leah, God hath giuen me my reward, because I gaue my mayde to my husband, and she called his name Issachar.
19 Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
After, Leah conceiued againe, and bare Iaakob the sixt sonne.
20 Leah said, "God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun.
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.
21 Afterwards, she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.
After that, shee bare a daughter, and shee called her name Dinah.
22 God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and made her fertile.
And God remembred Rahel, and God heard her, and opened her wombe.
23 She conceived, bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my shame."
So she conceiued and bare a sonne, and said, God hath taken away my rebuke.
24 So she named him Joseph, saying, "May God add another son to me."
And shee called his name Ioseph, saying, The Lord wil giue me yet another sonne.
25 It happened, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place, and to my country.
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.
26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know the service I have given you."
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.
27 Laban said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have learned by divination that God has blessed me for your sake."
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.
28 He said, "Name your wages, and I will pay it."
Also he said, Appoynt vnto me thy wages, and I will giue it thee.
29 He said to him, "You know how I have served you, and how well your livestock have done with me.
But he sayd vnto him, Thou knowest, what seruice I haue done thee, and in what taking thy cattell hath bene vnder me.
30 For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly. And God has blessed you wherever I worked. Now when will I also provide for my own household?"
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?
31 He said, "What should I give you?" Jacob said, "You do not need to give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture your flock and take care of it.
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.
32 I will pass through all your flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. This will be my wages.
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.
33 So my honesty will testify for me later on, when the subject of my wages comes before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep that I have in my possession, will be counted as stolen."
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.
34 Laban said, "Look, let it be as you have said."
Then Laban sayde, Goe to, woulde God it might be according to thy saying.
35 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 among the sheep, and put them in the care of his sons.
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.
36 He set three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban's flocks.
And hee set three dayes iourney betweene himselfe and Iaakob. And Iaakob kept the rest of Labans sheepe.
37 Jacob took fresh branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white streaks by peeling them, exposing white stripes on the branches.
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.
38 He set up the peeled branches which he had peeled opposite the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink,
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)
39 the flocks bred in front of the branches, and the flocks brought bore streaked, speckled, and spotted.
And the sheepe were in heate before the rods, and afterward brought forth yong of partie colour, and with small and great spots.
40 Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the black in the flock of Laban. So he kept his own flocks separate, and did not put them into Laban's flock.
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.
41 It happened, whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, that Jacob would set up the branches in front of the flock in the troughs, so that they would breed near the branches;
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.
42 but for the weaker of the flock, he did not put them there. So the weaker would be Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.
But when the sheepe were feeble, hee put them not in: and so the feebler were Labans, and the stronger Iaakobs.
43 Thus the man became very rich, and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.
So the man increased exceedingly, and had many flockes, and maide seruantes, and men seruants, and camels and asses.

< Genesis 30 >