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 realized she was unable to give Jacob any children she was jealous of her sister. She complained to Jacob, “I'll die if you don't give me children!”

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 told her, “Am I God? Do you think I'm the one stopping you having children?”

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;'

“Here's my personal maid Bilhah,” Rachel replied. “Sleep with her and she can have children for me so I'll have a family too.”

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

She gave her personal maid Bilhah to him as a wife and Jacob slept with her.

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

Bilhah became pregnant and had a son for Jacob.

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.

Rachel said, “God has judged in my favor! He listened to me and gave me a son.” So she named him Dan.

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

Rachel's personal maid Bilhah became pregnant again and had second son for Jacob.

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

Rachel said, “I've had a hard struggle with my sister, but I've 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;

Leah realized she wasn't having any more children, so she gave her personal maid Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.

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

Zilpah had a son for Jacob.

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

Leah said, “I'm really fortunate!” So she named him Gad.

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

Leah's personal maid Zilpah became pregnant again and had a second son for Jacob.

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

Leah said, “I'm so happy, and the other women will say I'm happy too!” 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.'

At the time of the wheat harvest Reuben found some mandrake plants when he was out in the fields. He took them back to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah, “Please give me some of the mandrakes your son found.”

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.'

“Aren't you satisfied with stealing my husband?” Leah replied. “Are you going to take my son's mandrakes too?” “Fine, he can sleep with you tonight if you give me some mandrakes in return,” Rachel responded.

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 fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You have to sleep with me because I've paid for you with my son's mandrakes,” she told him. So he slept with her that night.

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

God heard Leah's request, and she became pregnant and had a fifth son for 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.

Leah said, “The Lord has rewarded me for giving my personal maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

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

Then Leah became pregnant again and had a sixth son for 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;

Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I've given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

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

Later she had a daughter she named Dinah.

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

Then God paid attention to Rachel and listened to her appeals, and helped her to have children.

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

She became pregnant and had a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said.

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

She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me an additional 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;

Once Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Let me leave so I can return to my home and my own country.

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 because I worked for you to have them. Let me go now because you know very well how much work I've done 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.'

“Please be so kind as to stay,” Laban replied, “because I have discovered that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”

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

Then Laban continued, “Tell me how much to pay you and I'll give it to you.”

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;

“You certainly know how much work I've done for you, and how well your flocks have done 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?'

You hardly had anything before I arrived, but now you have so much! The Lord has blessed you through what I've done. When am I going to be able to provide for my own family?”

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;

“Well, what do you propose I give you?” Laban asked again. “You don't have to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you want to do something for me, then how about this: I'll go on looking after your flocks, making sure they're fed.

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 your flocks today and take all the sheep that are speckled or spotted, and all the dark ones, as well as all the speckled and spotted goats. They'll 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.'

In the future you'll be able to prove that I've been honest. When you check my flock, any goats that don't have speckles or spots, or any sheep that aren't dark will be considered stolen from you.”

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

“Very good,” Laban agreed. “We'll do as you say.”

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,

However, the same day Laban went and removed all the striped and spotted male goats, all the speckled and spotted female goats, and all the dark sheep. He had his sons look after them and sent them away—

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

a three day journey between them and Jacob, while Jacob was looking after 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,

Then Jacob cut some sticks from poplar, almond, and plane trees that had white wood under the bark. He peeled off some of the bark, making the sticks look streaked with white.

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;

He put the sticks he'd peeled in the water troughs where the flocks came to drink because that's where they mated.

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

The flocks mated in front of the sticks and gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and 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 separated all these ones out. Then he made his flock face towards those in Laban's flock that were streaked and dark. This is the way he kept his flocks apart from Laban's flock.

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,

When the strong females were ready to breed, Jacob put the sticks in the troughs where the flocks could see them when they mated.

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.

He didn't do this for the weaker females. The weaker ones went to Laban, and the strong ones went to Jacob.

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

In this way Jacob became an extremely rich man with large flocks, and many male and female slaves, camels, and donkeys.