Genesis 30

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

And Rachel saw she had borne no children unto Jacob, so Rachel became envious of her sister, —and said unto Jacob, Come! give me children, or else, I die.

2 Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in God’s place, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

Then kindled the anger of Jacob with Rachel, —and he said, Am I, in the place of God, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

3 She said, “Behold, my maid Bilhah. Go in to her, that she may bear on my knees, and I also may obtain children by her.”

And she said, Lo! my handmaid, Bilhah. Go in unto her, —that she may bear upon my knees, so that, I also, may be builded up by her!

4 She gave him Bilhah her servant as wife, and Jacob went in to 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 bare unto 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 vindicated me. Moreover also he hath hearkened unto my voice, and hath given me a son. For this cause, 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 bare a second son to Jacob.

8 Rachel said, “I have wrestled with my sister with mighty wrestlings, and have prevailed.” She named him Naphtali.

Then said Rachel With wrestlings of God, have I wrestled with my sister Yea I have prevailed. So she called his name, Naphtali.

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

Then saw Leah, that she had left off bearing, —so 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, bare to Jacob a son:

11 Leah said, “How fortunate!” She named him Gad.

and Leah said, Victory hath come! So she called his name Gad.

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

And Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid bare a second son to Jacob;

13 Leah said, “Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy.” She named him Asher.

and Leah said, For my happiness, surely happy have daughters pronounced me. So she called his name, Asher.

14 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, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

Then went Reuben, in the days of the wheat harvest, and found mandrakes, in the field, and brought them in unto Leah his mother, and Rachel said unto Leah, Pray give me, some of the mandrakes of thy son

15 Leah 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 will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”

And she said to her, Is it, a small thing, that thou hast taken away my husband? And wouldst thou take away, even the mandrakes of my son? Then said Rachel, Therefore, shall he lie with thee to-night, for the mandrakes of thy son.

16 Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, “You must come in to me; for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” He lay with her that night.

And Jacob came in from the field, in the evening, so Leah went out to meet him and said: Unto me, shalt thou come in, for I have hired, thee, even with the mandrakes of my son. 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 bare to Jacob a fifth son.

18 Leah said, “God has given me my hire, because I gave my servant to my husband.” She named him Issachar.

Then said Leah. God hath given my hire, in that I gave my handmaid to my husband. So she called his name, Issachar.

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

And Leah conceived again and bare a sixth son to Jacob.

20 Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good dowry. Now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons.” She named him Zebulun.

Then said Leah, God hath dowered me even me with a hand-some dowry, Now! will my husband dwell with me, for I have borne him six sons. So she called his name, Zebulon.

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

And afterwards she bare a daughter, —so she called her name, Dinah.

22 God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb.

Then God remembered Rachel, —and God hearkened unto her, and granted her to bear.

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

So she conceived and bare a son, —and said, God hath taken away my reproach;

24 She named him Joseph, saying, “May Yahweh add another son to me.”

So she called his name Joseph, saying, Yahweh is adding unto me another son.

25 When Rachel had borne Joseph, 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 unto Laban, Let me go that I may take my journey, unto 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 my service with which I have served you.”

Come, give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee and let me take my journey, —for, thou, knowest my service wherewith I have served thee.

27 Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake.”

And Laban said unto him, If, I pray thee, I have found favour in thine eyes, …I have divined that Yahweh hath blessed me for thy sake.

28 He said, “Appoint me your wages, and I will give it.”

And he said, —Come, fix thy wages for me, that I may 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 it was little which you had before I came, and it has increased to a multitude. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I turned. Now when will I provide for my own house also?”

For it was, little, that thou hadst—before I came and then it brake forth into multitude, and Yahweh blessed thee at my every step. Now, therefore, when am, I, also to do something for my own house?

31 Laban said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall 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 shall give me, nothing at all, If thou wilt do for me this thing, I will return, I will shepherd thy flock I will keep it:

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 hire.

Let me pass through all thy flock to-day, removing from thence every young one that is speckled and spotted and every young one that is dark-coloured among the young sheep, and spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall be my wages.

33 So my righteousness will answer for me hereafter, when you come concerning my hire that is before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that might be with me, will be considered stolen.”

And my righteousness shall answer for me on a future day, when thou shall come in respecting my hire that is before thee, Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and dark-coloured among the young sheep, stolen, shall it be accounted, if found with me.

34 Laban said, “Behold, let it be according to your word.”

Then said Laban, Lo! 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 gave them into the hand of his sons.

So he removed, on that day, the he-goats that were striped and spotted and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and every dark-coloured one among the young sheep, —and delivered them into the hand of his sons;

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

then put he a journey of three days between himself and Jacob, —but, Jacob himself, continued tending the flocks of Laban that were left.

37 Jacob took to himself rods of fresh poplar, almond, and plane tree, peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

So then Jacob took him rods of young storax, and hazel and maple, —and peeled in them white stripes, laying bare the white which was on the rods.

38 He set the rods which he had peeled opposite the flocks in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink.

And he set the rods which he had peeled, in the channels in the troughs of water, —where the flocks came in to drink straight before the flocks, and the females of the flock used to be in heat when they came in to drink;

39 The flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks produced streaked, speckled, and spotted.

and the males of the flock were in heat before the rods, —so the flocks brought forth ring-straked, speckled, and spotted.

40 Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the black in Laban’s flock. He put his own droves apart, and didn’t put them into Laban’s flock.

The rams also, did Jacob separate, and then set the faces of the flocks towards the ring-straked and all the dark-coloured, among the flocks of Laban, —and he put his own droves by themselves, and put them not with the flocks of Laban.

41 Whenever the stronger of the flock conceived, Jacob laid the rods in front of the eyes of the flock in the watering troughs, that they might conceive among the rods;

So it came to pass whensoever the stronger of the flocks were in heat, that Jacob set the rods before the eyes of the flocks in the channels, —that the females might be in heat among the rods;

42 but when the flock were feeble, he didn’t put them in. So the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.

but, when the flocks were late in bearing, he did not set them, —and so the late-born were Laban’s, but the strong ones Jacob’s.

43 The man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Thus did the man break forth, exceedingly, —thus came he to have flocks in abundance, and maid-servants, and men-servants and camels and asses.