Genesis 30

1 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I will die.”

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.'

2 Jacob's anger burned against Rachel. He said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

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, “See, there is my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her, so she might give birth to children on my knees, and I will have children by her.”

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.'

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

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

5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and he has heard my voice and given me a son.” For this reason 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 Bilhah, Rachel's servant, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

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

8 Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” She called his name Naphtali.

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

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took Zilpah, her servant, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife.

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

And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bore Jacob a son.

11 Leah said, “This is fortunate!” so she called his name Gad.

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

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

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

13 Leah said, “I am happy! For the daughters will call me happy.” So she called his name Asher.

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

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

15 Leah said to her, “Is it a small matter to you, that you have taken away my husband? Do you now want to take away my son's mandrakes, too?” Rachel said, “Then he will sleep with you tonight, in exchange for your son's mandrakes.”

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.'

16 Jacob came from the field in the evening. Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep with me tonight, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with Leah that night.

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.

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

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

18 Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I gave my servant woman to my husband.” She called his name Issachar.

And Leah said: 'God hath given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid 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 a sixth son to Jacob.

20 Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” She called his name Zebulun.

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.

21 Afterwards she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

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

22 God called Rachel to mind and listened to her. He caused her to become pregnant.

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

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

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

24 She called his name Joseph, saying, “Yahweh has added to me another son.”

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

25 After Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, so that I may go to my own home and to my country.

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.

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 wherewith I have served thee.'

27 Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, wait, because I have learned by using divination that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake.”

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.'

28 Then he said, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

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

29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared with me.

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

30 For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I worked. Now when will I provide for my own household also?”

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?'

31 So Laban said, “What will I pay you?” Jacob said, “You will not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it.

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.

32 Let me walk through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. These will be my wages.

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.

33 My integrity will testify for me later on, when you come to check on my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, if any are found with me, will be considered to be stolen.”

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.'

34 Laban said, “Agreed. Let it be according to your word.”

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

35 That day Laban removed the male goats that were striped 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 gave them into the hand of his sons.

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.

36 Laban also put three days' journey between himself and Jacob. So Jacob kept tending the rest of Laban's flocks.

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

37 Jacob took fresh cut branches of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane tree, and peeled white streaks in them, and made the white inner wood appear that was in the sticks.

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.

38 Then he set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks, in front of the watering troughs where they came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink.

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.

39 The flocks bred in front of the sticks; and the flocks produced striped, speckled, and spotted young.

And the flocks conceived at the sight of the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.

40 Jacob separated out these lambs, but made the rest of them face toward the striped animals and all the black sheep in the flock of Laban. Then he separated out his flocks for himself alone and did not put them together with Laban's flocks.

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.

41 Whenever the stronger sheep in the flock were breeding, then Jacob would lay the sticks in the watering troughs before the eyes of the flock, so that they might conceive among the sticks.

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;

42 But when the feebler animals in the flock came, he did not put the sticks in front of them. So the feebler animals were Laban's, and the stronger were Jacob's.

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

43 The man became very prosperous. He had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

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