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 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 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 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?

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

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

5 Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

And Balla, Rachel's maid, 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 has given judgement for me, and listened to my voice, and has given me a son; therefore she called his name, Dan.

7 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 Rachel said, "I have wrestled mightily with my sister, and have prevailed." So she named him 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 stopped bearing, she took Zilpah, her servant, and gave her to Jacob as a 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 Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a son.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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

And God listened to Lea, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a 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 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 Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

And Lea conceived again, and bore Jacob a 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 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 Afterwards, she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.

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

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

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

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

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

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

And she called his name Joseph, saying, Let God 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 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 you, and let me go; for you know the service I have given you."

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.

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, If I have found grace in your sight, I would augur [well], for the Lord has blessed me at your coming in.

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

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

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

And Jacob said, You know in what things I have served you, and how many cattle of your are 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 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?

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 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.

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.

Let all your sheep pass by today, and separate thence every grey sheep amongst the rams, and every one that is speckled and spotted amongst the goats—[this] shall be my reward.

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."

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

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

And Laban said to him, Let it be according to your 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 separated in that day the spotted and speckled he-goats, and all the spotted and speckled she-goats, and all that was grey amongst the rams, and every one that was white amongst them, and he gave them into the hand 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 a distance of a three days' journey between them and Jacob. And Jacob tended the cattle of Laban that were left behind.

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 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 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 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.

39 the flocks bred in front of the branches, and the flocks brought bore 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 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 before the sheep a speckled ram, and every variegated one amongst the lambs, and he separated flocks for himself alone, and did not mingle them with the sheep of Laban.

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

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