Genèse 30
1 Lorsque Rachel vit qu’elle ne donnait point d’enfants à Jacob, elle porta envie à sa sœur, et elle dit à Jacob: Donne-moi des enfants, ou je meurs!
Then Rachel, discerning that she was infertile, envied her sister, and so she said to her husband, “Give me children, otherwise I will die.”
2 La colère de Jacob s’enflamma contre Rachel, et il dit: Suis-je à la place de Dieu, qui t’empêche d’être féconde?
Jacob, being angry, responded to her, “Am I in the place of God, who has deprived you of the fruit of your womb?”
3 Elle dit: Voici ma servante Bilha; va vers elle; qu’elle enfante sur mes genoux, et que par elle j’aie aussi des fils.
But she said: “I have a handmaid Bilhah. Go in to her, so that she may give birth upon my knees, and I may have sons by her.”
4 Et elle lui donna pour femme Bilha, sa servante; et Jacob alla vers elle.
And she gave him Bilhah in marriage.
5 Bilha devint enceinte, et enfanta un fils à Jacob.
And when her husband had gone in to her, she conceived and bore a son.
6 Rachel dit: Dieu m’a rendu justice, il a entendu ma voix, et il m’a donné un fils. C’est pourquoi elle l’appela du nom de Dan.
And Rachel said, “The Lord has judged for me, and he has heeded my voice, giving me a son.” And because of this, she called his name Dan.
7 Bilha, servante de Rachel, devint encore enceinte, et enfanta un second fils à Jacob.
And conceiving again, Bilhah bore another,
8 Rachel dit: J’ai lutté divinement contre ma sœur, et j’ai vaincu. Et elle l’appela du nom de Nephthali.
about whom Rachel said, “God has compared me with my sister, and I have prevailed.” And she called him Naphtali.
9 Léa voyant qu’elle avait cessé d’enfanter, prit Zilpa, sa servante, et la donna pour femme à Jacob.
Leah, perceiving that she had desisted from child-bearing, delivered Zilpah, her handmaid, to her husband.
10 Zilpa, servante de Léa, enfanta un fils à Jacob.
And she, after having borne a son with difficulty,
11 Léa dit: Quel bonheur! Et elle l’appela du nom de Gad.
said: “Happiness!” And for this reason, she called his name Gad.
12 Zilpa, servante de Léa, enfanta un second fils à Jacob.
Likewise, Zilpah bore another.
13 Léa dit: Que je suis heureuse! Car les filles me diront heureuse. Et elle l’appela du nom d’Aser.
And Leah said, “This one is for my happiness. Indeed, women will call me blessed.” Because of this, she called him Asher.
14 Ruben sortit au temps de la moisson des blés, et trouva des mandragores dans les champs. Il les apporta à Léa, sa mère. Alors Rachel dit à Léa: Donne-moi, je te prie, des mandragores de ton fils.
Then Reuben, going out into the field at the time of the wheat harvest, found mandrakes. These he brought to his mother Leah. And Rachel said, “Give me a portion of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 Elle lui répondit: Est-ce peu que tu aies pris mon mari, pour que tu prennes aussi les mandragores de mon fils? Et Rachel dit: Eh bien! Il couchera avec toi cette nuit pour les mandragores de ton fils.
She responded, “Does it seem like such a small matter to you, that you have usurped from me my husband, unless you will also take my son’s mandrakes?” Rachel said, “He will sleep with you this night because of your son’s mandrakes.”
16 Le soir, comme Jacob revenait des champs, Léa sortit à sa rencontre, et dit: C’est vers moi que tu viendras, car je t’ai acheté pour les mandragores de mon fils. Et il coucha avec elle cette nuit.
And when Jacob returned from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and she said, “You will enter to me, because I have hired you for the reward of my son’s mandrakes.” And he slept with her that night.
17 Dieu exauça Léa, qui devint enceinte, et enfanta un cinquième fils à Jacob.
And God heard her prayers. And she conceived and bore a fifth son.
18 Léa dit: Dieu m’a donné mon salaire parce que j’ai donné ma servante à mon mari. Et elle l’appela du nom d’Issacar.
And she said, “God has given a reward to me, because I gave my handmaid to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar.
19 Léa devint encore enceinte, et enfanta un sixième fils à Jacob.
Conceiving again, Leah bore a sixth son.
20 Léa dit: Dieu m’a fait un beau don; cette fois, mon mari habitera avec moi, car je lui ai enfanté six fils. Et elle l’appela du nom de Zabulon.
And she said: “God has endowed me with a good dowry. And now, at this turn, my husband will be with me, because I have conceived six sons for him.” And therefore she called his name Zebulun.
21 Ensuite, elle enfanta une fille, qu’elle appela du nom de Dina.
After him, she bore a daughter, named Dinah.
22 Dieu se souvint de Rachel, il l’exauça, et il la rendit féconde.
The Lord, likewise remembering Rachel, heeded her and opened her womb.
23 Elle devint enceinte, et enfanta un fils, et elle dit: Dieu a enlevé mon opprobre.
And she conceived and bore a son, saying, “God has taken away my reproach.”
24 Et elle lui donna le nom de Joseph, en disant: Que l’Éternel m’ajoute un autre fils!
And she called his name Joseph, saying, “The Lord has added to me another son.”
25 Lorsque Rachel eut enfanté Joseph, Jacob dit à Laban: Laisse-moi partir, pour que je m’en aille chez moi, dans mon pays.
But when Joseph was born, Jacob said to his father-in-law: “Release me, so that I may return to my native country and to my land.
26 Donne-moi mes femmes et mes enfants, pour lesquels je t’ai servi, et je m’en irai; car tu sais quel service j’ai fait pour toi.
Give me my wives, and my children, for whom I have served you, so that I may depart. You know the servitude with which I have served you.”
27 Laban lui dit: Puissé-je trouver grâce à tes yeux! Je vois bien que l’Éternel m’a béni à cause de toi;
Laban said to him: “May I find grace in your sight. I have learned by experience that God has blessed me because of you.
28 fixe-moi ton salaire, et je te le donnerai.
Choose your wages, which I will give you.”
29 Jacob lui dit: Tu sais comment je t’ai servi, et ce qu’est devenu ton troupeau avec moi;
But he responded: “You know how I have served you, and how great your possession became in my hands.
30 car le peu que tu avais avant moi s’est beaucoup accru, et l’Éternel t’a béni sur mes pas. Maintenant, quand travaillerai-je aussi pour ma maison?
You had little before I came to you, and now you have achieved riches. And the Lord has blessed you since my arrival. It is just, therefore, that at some time I also should provide for my own house.”
31 Laban dit: Que te donnerai-je? Et Jacob répondit: Tu ne me donneras rien. Si tu consens à ce que je vais te dire, je ferai paître encore ton troupeau, et je le garderai.
And Laban said, “What shall I give to you?” But he said, “I want nothing. But if you will do what I ask, I will feed and guard your sheep again.
32 Je parcourrai aujourd’hui tout ton troupeau; mets à part parmi les brebis tout agneau tacheté et marqueté et tout agneau noir, et parmi les chèvres tout ce qui est marqueté et tacheté. Ce sera mon salaire.
Go around through all your flocks and separate all the sheep of variegated or spotted fleece; and whatever will be darkened or blemished or variegated, as much among the sheep as among the goats, will be my wages.
33 Ma droiture répondra pour moi demain, quand tu viendras voir mon salaire; tout ce qui ne sera pas tacheté et marqueté parmi les chèvres, et noir parmi les agneaux, ce sera de ma part un vol.
And my justice will answer on my behalf tomorrow, when the time of settlement arrives before you. And all that is not variegated or blemished or darkened, as much among the sheep as among the goats, these will prove me to be a thief.”
34 Laban dit: Eh bien! Qu’il en soit selon ta parole.
And Laban said, “I hold favor for this request.”
35 Ce même jour, il mit à part les boucs rayés et marquetés, toutes les chèvres tachetées et marquetées, toutes celles où il y avait du blanc, et tout ce qui était noir parmi les brebis. Il les remit entre les mains de ses fils.
And on that day he separated the she-goats, and the sheep, and the he-goats, and the rams with variegations or with blemishes. But every one of the flock which was of one color, that is, of white or of black fleece, he delivered into the hands of his sons.
36 Puis il mit l’espace de trois journées de chemin entre lui et Jacob; et Jacob fit paître le reste du troupeau de Laban.
And he established a distance of three days journey between himself and his son-in-law, who pastured the remainder of his flock.
37 Jacob prit des branches vertes de peuplier, d’amandier et de platane; il y pela des bandes blanches, mettant à nu le blanc qui était sur les branches.
Then Jacob, taking green branches of poplar, and almond, and sycamore trees, debarked them in part. And when the bark was pulled off, in the parts that were stripped, there appeared whiteness, yet the parts that were left whole, remained green. And so, in this way the color was made variegated.
38 Puis il plaça les branches, qu’il avait pelées, dans les auges, dans les abreuvoirs, sous les yeux des brebis qui venaient boire, pour qu’elles entrassent en chaleur en venant boire.
And he placed them in the troughs, where the water was poured out, so that when the flocks had arrived to drink, they would have the branches before their eyes, and in their sight they might conceive.
39 Les brebis entraient en chaleur près des branches, et elles faisaient des petits rayés, tachetés et marquetés.
And it happened that, in the very heat of joining together, the sheep looked upon the branches, and they bore the blemished and the variegated, those speckled with diverse color.
40 Jacob séparait les agneaux, et il mettait ensemble ce qui était rayé et tout ce qui était noir dans le troupeau de Laban. Il se fit ainsi des troupeaux à part, qu’il ne réunit point au troupeau de Laban.
And Jacob divided the flock, and he set the branches in the troughs before the eyes of the rams. Now whatever was white or black belonged to Laban, but, in truth, the others belonged to Jacob, for the flocks were dispersed among one another.
41 Toutes les fois que les brebis vigoureuses entraient en chaleur, Jacob plaçait les branches dans les auges, sous les yeux des brebis, pour qu’elles entrassent en chaleur près des branches.
Therefore, when the first to arrive were climbing on the ewes, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs of water before the eyes of the rams and the sheep, so that they might conceive while they were gazing upon them.
42 Quand les brebis étaient chétives, il ne les plaçait point; de sorte que les chétives étaient pour Laban, et les vigoureuses pour Jacob.
Yet when the late arrivals and the last to conceive were let in, he did not place these. And so those that arrived late became Laban’s, and those that arrived first became Jacob’s.
43 Cet homme devint de plus en plus riche; il eut du menu bétail en abondance, des servantes et des serviteurs, des chameaux et des ânes.
And the man was enriched beyond limit, and he had many flocks, women servants and men servants, camels and donkeys.
