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 Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

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?"

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 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 maid Bilhah, go in to her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.

4 So she gave him Bilhah her servant as a wife, and Jacob slept with her.

And she gave him Bilhah, her handmaid, for a wife: and Jacob went in to her.

5 Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

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.

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

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

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

8 Rachel said, "I have wrestled mightily with my sister, and have prevailed." So she named him Naphtali.

And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she 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.

When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah, her maid, and gave her Jacob for a wife.

10 Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a son.

And Zilpah, Leah's maid, bore Jacob a son.

11 Leah said, "How fortunate." So she named him Gad.

And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

12 Zilpah, Leah's servant, bore Jacob a second son.

And Zilpah, Leah's maid, bore Jacob a second son.

13 Leah said, "Happy am I, for the women will call me happy." So she named him Asher.

And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: 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."

And 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, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's 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."

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

17 God listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.

And God hearkened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob the fifth son.

18 Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I gave my servant to my husband." So she named him Issachar.

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 Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

And Leah conceived again, and bore Jacob the sixth son.

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.

And Leah said, God hath endowed me [with] a good dower; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.

21 Afterwards, she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.

And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

22 God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and made her fertile.

And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and rendered her fruitful.

23 She conceived, bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my shame."

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

24 So she named him Joseph, saying, "May God add another son to me."

And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD will add to me another son.

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 it came to pass, 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.

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."

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 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."

And Laban said to him, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, [tarry: for] I have learned by experience, that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

28 He said, "Name your wages, and I will pay it."

And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give [it].

29 He said to him, "You know how I have served you, and how well your livestock have done with me.

And he said to him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle were with 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 [it was] little which thou hadst before I [came], and it is [now] increased to a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for my own 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.

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 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 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 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 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 accounted stolen with me.

34 Laban said, "Look, let it be as you have said."

And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.

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.

And he removed that day the he-goats that were ring-streaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted; every one that had [some] white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave [them] into the hands of his sons.

36 He set three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban's flocks.

And he set three days' journey between himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

37 Jacob took fresh branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white streaks by peeling them, exposing white stripes on the branches.

And Jacob took to him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut-tree; and peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which [was] 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,

And he set the rods, which he had peeled, 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 the flocks bred in front of the branches, and the flocks brought bore streaked, speckled, and spotted.

And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ring-streaked, speckled, and spotted.

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 Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks towards the ring-streaked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban: and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not with Laban's cattle.

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 it came to pass, whenever the stronger cattle conceived, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among 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 cattle were feeble, he put [them] not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

43 Thus the man became very rich, and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

And the man increased exceedingly, and had many cattle, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.