< 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.'
And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
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?'
And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's position, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?
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;'
And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.
4 and she giveth to him Bilhah her maid-servant for a wife, and Jacob goeth in unto her;
And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
5 and Bilhah conceiveth, and beareth to Jacob a son,
And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob 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.
And Rachel said, God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.
7 And Bilhah, Rachel's maid-servant, conceiveth again, and beareth a second son to Jacob,
And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare 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.
And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name 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 left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.
10 and Zilpah, Leah's maid-servant, beareth to Jacob a son,
And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son.
11 and Leah saith, 'A troop is coming;' and she calleth his name Gad.
And Leah said, A troop comes: and she called his name Gad.
12 And Zilpah, Leah's maid-servant, beareth a second son to Jacob,
And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son.
13 and Leah saith, 'Because of my happiness, for daughters have pronounced me happy;' and she calleth his name Asher.
And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name 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.'
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 you, 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.'
And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that you have taken my husband? and would you take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with you to night 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.
And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, You must come in unto me; for surely I have hired you with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.
17 And God hearkeneth unto Leah, and she conceiveth, and beareth to Jacob a son, a fifth,
And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.
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.
And Leah said, God has given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.
19 And conceive again doth Leah, and she beareth a sixth son to Jacob,
And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.
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;
And Leah said, God has imbued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.
21 and afterwards hath she born a daughter, and calleth her name Dinah.
And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
22 And God remembereth Rachel, and God hearkeneth unto her, and openeth her womb,
And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened 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 bare a son; and said, God has taken away my reproach:
24 and she calleth his name Joseph, saying, 'Jehovah is adding to me another son.'
And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall 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;
And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my 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 my children, for whom I have served you, and let me go: for you know my service which I have done 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.'
And Laban said unto him, I pray you, if I have found favour in your eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake.
28 He saith also, 'Define thy hire to me, and I give.'
And he said, Appoint me your wages, and I will give it.
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;
And he said unto him, You know how I have served you, and how your cattle was with me.
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?'
For it was little which you had before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD has blessed you since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?
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;
And he said, What shall I give you? And Jacob said, You shall not give me any thing: if you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flock.
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;
I will pass through all your flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.
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 shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before your face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.
34 And Laban saith, 'Lo, O that it were according to thy word;'
And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to your word.
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,
And he removed that day the he goats that were striped with bands and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand 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.
And he set three days' journey between himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed 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,
And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and stripped white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
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;
And he set the rods which he had stripped before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.
39 and the flocks conceive at the rods, and the flock beareth ring-streaked, speckled, and spotted ones.
And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle striped with bands, 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.
And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped with bands, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle.
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,
And it came to pass, whenever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
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 when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.
43 And the man increaseth very exceedingly, and hath many flocks, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses.
And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and male servants, and camels, and asses.

< Genesis 30 >