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 bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or 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?'

Jacob's anger burned against Rachel. He said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from 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;'

She said, “See, there is my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her, so she might give birth to children on my knees, and I will have children by her.”

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

So she gave him her servant Bilhah 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.

Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and he has heard my voice and given me a son.” For this reason she called his name Dan.

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

Bilhah, Rachel's servant, 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, “With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” 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 stopped having children, 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 servant, bore Jacob a son.

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

Leah said, “This is fortunate!” so she called his name Gad.

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

Then 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, “I am happy! For the daughters will call me happy.” So 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.'

Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field. He brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “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.'

Leah said to her, “Is it a small matter to you, that you have taken away my husband? Do you now want to take away my son's mandrakes, too?” Rachel said, “Then he will 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.

Jacob came from the field in the evening. Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep with me tonight, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with Leah 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 woman to my husband.” She called his name 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 honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” She called his name Zebulun.

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

Afterwards she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

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

God called Rachel to mind and listened to her. He caused her to become pregnant.

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

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

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

She called his name Joseph, saying, “Yahweh has added 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;

After Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, so that I may go to my own home 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, wait, because I have learned by using divination that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake.”

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

Then he said, “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;

Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared 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. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I worked. Now when will I provide for my own household 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;

So Laban said, “What will I pay you?” Jacob said, “You will not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep 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;

Let me walk through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. 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.'

My integrity will testify for me later on, when you come to check on my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, if any are found with me, will be considered to be stolen.”

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

Laban said, “Agreed. Let it 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,

That day Laban removed the male goats that were striped 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.

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

Laban also put three days' journey between himself and Jacob. So Jacob kept tending 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 cut branches of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane tree, and peeled white streaks in them, and made the white inner wood appear that was in the sticks.

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 sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks, in front of the watering troughs where they came to drink. They conceived 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 sticks; and the flocks produced striped, speckled, and spotted young.

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 out these lambs, but made the rest of them face toward the striped animals and all the black sheep in the flock of Laban. Then he separated out his flocks for himself alone and did not put them together with Laban's flocks.

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 sheep in the flock were breeding, then Jacob would lay the sticks in the watering troughs before the eyes of the flock, so that they might conceive among the sticks.

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 feebler animals in the flock came, he did not put the sticks in front of them. So the feebler animals were Laban's, and the stronger were Jacob's.

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

The man became very prosperous. He had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.