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 Jacob any children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I will 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?'

Then Jacob became very angry with Rachel, and he said, "Am I in God's place, 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;'

She said, "Look, my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her, so that she will bear children for me, that I too may have children through her."

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

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

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

Bilhah conceived, and bore 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.

Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan.

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

Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, 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.

Rachel said, "I have wrestled mightily with my sister, and have prevailed." 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 bearing, she took Zilpah, her servant, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

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

Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a son.

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

Leah said, "How fortunate." So she named him Gad.

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

Zilpah, Leah's servant, 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, "Happy am I, for the women will 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.'

Reuben went out during the 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."

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.'

She 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 may sleep with you tonight 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.

Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, "You must sleep with me; for I have surely 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,

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

Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I gave my servant to my husband." So she named him Issachar.

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

Leah conceived again, 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;

Leah said, "God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun.

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

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

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

God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and made her fertile.

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

She conceived, bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my shame."

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

So she named him Joseph, saying, "May God add another son to me."

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;

It happened, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my 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 the service I have given 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.'

Laban said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have learned by divination that God has blessed me for your sake."

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

He said, "Name your wages, and I will pay 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;

He said to him, "You know how I have served you, and how well your livestock have done 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 you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly. And God has blessed you wherever I worked. Now when will 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;

He said, "What should I give you?" Jacob said, "You do not need to give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture your flock and take care of it.

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 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 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 later on, when the subject of my wages comes before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep that I have in my possession, will be counted as stolen."

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

Laban said, "Look, 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 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 put them in 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.

He set three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured 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 took fresh branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white streaks by peeling them, exposing white stripes on 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;

He set up the peeled branches which he had peeled opposite the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink,

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

the flocks bred in front of the branches, and the flocks brought bore 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 the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the black in the flock of Laban. So he kept his own flocks separate, and did not put them into 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,

It happened, whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, that Jacob would set up the branches in front of the flock in the troughs, so that they would breed near 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 for the weaker of the flock, he did not put them there. So the weaker would be 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.

Thus the man became very rich, and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.