Genesis 30

1 And Rachel seeth that she hath not borne to Jacob, and Rachel is envious of her sister, and saith unto Jacob, 'Give me sons, and if there is none — I die.'

When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.

2 And Jacob's anger burneth against Rachel, and he saith, 'Am I in stead of God who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?'

Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?”

3 And she saith, 'Lo, my handmaid Bilhah, go in unto her, and she doth bear on my knees, and I am built up, even I, from her;'

Then she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her, that she may bear children for me, so that through her I too can build a family.”

4 and she giveth to him Bilhah her maid-servant for a wife, and Jacob goeth in unto her;

So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her,

5 and Bilhah conceiveth, and beareth to Jacob a son,

and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.

6 and Rachel saith, 'God hath decided for me, and also hath hearkened to my voice, and giveth to me a son;' therefore hath she called his name Dan.

Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.

7 And Bilhah, Rachel's maid-servant, conceiveth again, and beareth a second son to Jacob,

And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

8 and Rachel saith, 'With wrestlings of God I have wrestled with my sister, yea, I have prevailed;' and she calleth his name Napthali.

Then Rachel said, “In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won.” So she named him Naphtali.

9 And Leah seeth that she hath ceased from bearing, and she taketh Zilpah her maid-servant, and giveth her to Jacob for a wife;

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

10 and Zilpah, Leah's maid-servant, beareth to Jacob a son,

And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

11 and Leah saith, 'A troop is coming;' and she calleth his name Gad.

Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.

12 And Zilpah, Leah's maid-servant, beareth a second son to Jacob,

When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,

13 and Leah saith, 'Because of my happiness, for daughters have pronounced me happy;' and she calleth his name Asher.

Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

14 And Reuben goeth in the days of wheat-harvest, and findeth love-apples in the field, and bringeth them in unto Leah, his mother, and Rachel saith unto Leah, 'Give to me, I pray thee, of the love-apples of thy son.'

Now during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother, Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 And she saith to her, 'Is thy taking my husband a little thing, that thou hast taken also the love-apples of my son?' and Rachel saith, 'Therefore doth he lie with thee to-night, for thy son's love-apples.'

But Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

16 And Jacob cometh in from the field at evening; and Leah goeth to meet him, and saith, 'Unto me dost thou come in, for hiring I have hired thee with my son's love-apples;' and he lieth with her during that night.

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

17 And God hearkeneth unto Leah, and she conceiveth, and beareth to Jacob a son, a fifth,

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

18 and Leah saith, 'God hath given my hire, because I have given my maid-servant to my husband;' and she calleth his name Issachar.

Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

19 And conceive again doth Leah, and she beareth a sixth son to Jacob,

Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

20 and Leah saith, 'God hath endowed me — a good dowry; this time doth my husband dwell with me, for I have borne to him six sons;' and she calleth his name Zebulun;

“God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun.

21 and afterwards hath she born a daughter, and calleth her name Dinah.

After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 And God remembereth Rachel, and God hearkeneth unto her, and openeth her womb,

Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb,

23 and she conceiveth and beareth a son, and saith, 'God hath gathered up my reproach;'

and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said.

24 and she calleth his name Joseph, saying, 'Jehovah is adding to me another son.'

She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”

25 And it cometh to pass, when Rachel hath borne Joseph, that Jacob saith unto Laban, 'Send me away, and I go unto my place, and to my land;

Now after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can return to my homeland.

26 give up my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and I go; for thou — thou hast known my service which I have served thee.'

Give me my wives and children for whom I have served you, that I may go on my way. You know how hard I have worked for you.”

27 And Laban saith unto him, 'If, I pray thee, I have found grace in thine eyes — I have observed diligently that Jehovah doth bless me for thy sake.'

But Laban replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”

28 He saith also, 'Define thy hire to me, and I give.'

And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

29 And he saith unto him, 'Thou — thou hast known that which I have served thee [in], and that which thy substance was with me;

Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock have thrived under my care.

30 for [it is] little which thou hast had at my appearance, and it breaketh forth into a multitude, and Jehovah blesseth thee at my coming; and now, when do I make, I also, for mine own house?'

Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?”

31 And he saith, 'What do I give to thee?' And Jacob saith, 'Thou dost not give me anything; if thou do for me this thing, I turn back; I have delight; thy flock I watch;

“What can I give you?” Laban asked. “You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you do this one thing for me, I will keep on shepherding and keeping your flocks.

32 I pass through all thy flock to-day to turn aside from thence every sheep speckled and spotted, and every brown sheep among the lambs, and speckled and spotted among the goats — and it hath been my hire;

Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. These will be my wages.

33 and my righteousness hath answered for me in the day to come, when it cometh in for my hire before thy face; — every one which is not speckled and spotted among [my] goats, and brown among [my] lambs — it is stolen with me.'

So my honesty will testify for me when you come to check on my wages in the future. If I have any goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not dark-colored, they will be considered stolen.”

34 And Laban saith, 'Lo, O that it were according to thy word;'

“Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”

35 and he turneth aside during that day the ring-streaked and the spotted he-goats, and all the speckled and the spotted she-goats, every one that [hath] white in it, and every brown one among the lambs, and he giveth into the hand of his sons,

That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons.

36 and setteth a journey of three days between himself and Jacob; and Jacob is feeding the rest of the flock of Laban.

Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 And Jacob taketh to himself a rod of fresh poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut, and doth peel in them white peelings, making bare the white that [is] on the rods,

Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches.

38 and setteth up the rods which he hath peeled in the gutters in the watering troughs (when the flock cometh in to drink), over-against the flock, that they may conceive in their coming in to drink;

Then he set the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So when the flocks were in heat and came to drink,

39 and the flocks conceive at the rods, and the flock beareth ring-streaked, speckled, and spotted ones.

they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.

40 And the lambs hath Jacob parted, and he putteth the face of the flock towards the ring-streaked, also all the brown in the flock of Laban, and he setteth his own droves by themselves, and hath not set them near Laban's flock.

Jacob set apart the young, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals.

41 And it hath come to pass whenever the strong ones of the flock conceive, that Jacob set the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, to cause them to conceive by the rods,

Whenever the stronger females of the flock were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs, in full view of the animals, so that they would breed in front of the branches.

42 and when the flock is feeble, he doth not set [them]; and the feeble ones have been Laban's, and the strong ones Jacob's.

But if the animals were weak, he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob.

43 And the man increaseth very exceedingly, and hath many flocks, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.

Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.