Genèse 30

1 Alors Rachel voyant qu elle ne faisait point d'enfants à Jacob, fut jalouse de Léa sa sœur; et dit à Jacob: Donne-moi des enfants, autrement je suis morte.

Rachel realized that she was not becoming pregnant and giving birth to any children for Jacob. So she became jealous of her older sister, Leah, because Leah had given birth to four sons. She said to Jacob, “Enable me to become pregnant and give birth to children. If you do not do that, I [think I will]!”

2 Et Jacob se mit fort en colère contre Rachel, et lui dit: Suis-je au lieu de Dieu, qui t'a empêchée d'avoir des enfants?

Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “(I am not God!/Am I God?) [RHQ] He is the one who has prevented you from becoming pregnant!”

3 Et elle dit: Voilà ma servante Bilha; va vers elle et elle enfantera sur mes genoux, et j'aurai des enfants par elle.

Then she said, “Look, here is my female slave, Bilhah. (Sleep with/Have sex with) [EUP] her, so that she may become pregnant and give birth to children for me. In that way it will be as though (I have children/her children are mine).”

4 Elle lui donna donc Bilha sa servante pour femme, et Jacob vint vers elle.

So she gave him her slave, Bilhah, to be another wife for him, and Jacob had sex [EUP] with her.

5 Et Bilha conçut, et enfanta un fils à Jacob.

She became pregnant and bore Jacob a son.

6 Et Rachel dit: Dieu a jugé en ma faveur, et il a aussi exaucé ma voix, et m'a donné un fils; c'est pourquoi elle le nomma Dan.

Rachel said, “God has (vindicated me/judged my case and has decided that what I have done is right). He has also heard my requests and has given me a son.” So she named him Dan, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘he judged’].

7 Et Bilha, servante de Rachel, conçut encore, et enfanta un second fils à Jacob.

Later, Rachel’s slave Bilhah became pregnant again and gave birth to another son for Jacob.

8 Et Rachel dit: J'ai fortement lutté contre ma sœur, aussi j'ai eu la victoire; c'est pourquoi elle le nomma Nephthali.

Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle to have children like my older sister, but truly I have a son.” So she named him Naphtali, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘struggle’].

9 Alors Léa voyant qu'elle avait cessé de faire des enfants, prit Zilpa sa servante, et la donna à Jacob pour femme.

When Leah realized that she was not becoming pregnant and giving birth to any more children, she took her female slave, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob to be another wife for him.

10 Et Zilpa, servante de Léa, enfanta un fils à Jacob.

Zilpah soon became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Jacob.

11 Et Léa dit: Une troupe est arrivée, c'est pourquoi elle le nomma Gad.

Leah said, “I am truly fortunate!” So she named him Gad, [which means ‘fortunate’].

12 Et Zilpa, servante de Léa, enfanta un second fils à Jacob.

Later Leah’s slave, Zilpah, gave birth to another son for Jacob.

13 Et Léa dit: C'est pour me rendre heureuse; car les filles me diront bienheureuse; c'est pourquoi elle le nomma Aser.

Leah said, “Now I am very happy, and people will call me happy.” So she named him Asher, [which means ‘happy].’

14 Or Ruben étant sorti au temps de la moisson des blés, trouva des mandragores aux champs, et les apporta à Léa sa mère; et Rachel dit à Léa: Donne-moi, je te prie, des mandragores de ton fils.

When it was time to harvest wheat, Reuben went out into the fields and saw some (mandrakes/plants that women eat to help them to become pregnant). He brought some of them to his mother Leah. But Rachel saw them and said to Leah, “Please give me some of those plants that your son brought to you!”

15 Et elle lui répondit: Est-ce peu de chose de m'avoir oté mon mari, que tu m'otes aussi les mandragores de mon fils? Et Rachel dit: Qu'il couche donc cette nuit avec toi, pour les mandragores de ton fils.

But Leah said to her, “No! (It was bad that you stole my husband!/Is it not bad enough that you stole my husband?) [RHQ] Now (are you going to take my son’s mandrake plants?/You want to take my son’s mandrake plants also, [so that you can become pregnant]!)” [RHQ] So Rachel said, “All right, Jacob can sleep with you tonight, if you give me some of your son’s mandrake plants.” [So Leah (agreed/gave her some)].

16 Et quand Jacob revint des champs au soir, Léa sortit au-devant de lui, et lui dit: Tu viendras vers moi; car je t'ai loué pour les mandragores de mon fils; et il coucha avec elle cette nuit-là.

When Jacob returned from the wheat fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. She said, “You must sleep with me tonight, because I gave Rachel some of my son’s mandrakes [that enable women to become pregnant], to pay her for allowing us to do that.” So Jacob slept with her that night.

17 Et Dieu exauça Léa, et elle conçut, et enfanta à Jacob un cinquième fils.

God answered Leah’s prayers, and she became pregnant and bore a fifth son to Jacob.

18 Et elle dit: Dieu m'a récompensée, parce que j'ai donné ma servante à mon mari; c'est pourquoi elle le nomma Issacar.

Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband to be another wife for him.” So she named him Issachar, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘reward’].

19 Et Léa conçut encore, et enfanta un sixième fils à Jacob.

Leah became pregnant again and bore a sixth son for Jacob.

20 Et Léa dit: Dieu m'a donné un bon douaire; maintenant mon mari demeurera avec moi: car je lui ai enfanté six enfants; c'est pourquoi elle le nomma Zabulon.

Leah said, “God has given me a precious gift. (This time/Now) my husband will honor/respect me, because I have given birth to six sons for him.” So she named him Zebulon, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘accepted gift’].

21 Puis elle enfanta une fille, et la nomma Dina.

Later she gave birth to a daughter, and named her Dinah.

22 Et Dieu se souvint de Rachel, et Dieu l'ayant exaucée, ouvrit sa matrice.

Then God thought about what Rachel wanted. He heard her prayers and enabled her to become pregnant.

23 Alors elle conçut, et enfanta un fils, et dit: Dieu a oté mon opprobre.

She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She said, “God has caused that no longer will I be ashamed [for not having children].”

24 Et elle le nomma Joseph, en disant: Que l'Eternel m'ajoute un autre fils!

She named him Joseph, [which sounds like the Hebrew words that mean ‘may he give another’] and she said, ‘want Yahweh to give me another son.’

25 Et il arriva qu'après que Rachel eut enfanté Joseph, Jacob dit à Laban: Donne-moi mon congé, et je m'en retournerai en mon lieu, et en mon pays.

After Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Now allow me to quit working for you and let me return to my own land.

26 Donne-moi mes femmes et mes enfants, pour lesquels je t'ai servi, et je m'en irai; car tu sais de quelle manière je t'ai servi.

You know the work that I have done for you [for a long time to get my wives]. So let me take my wives and my children, and leave.”

27 Et Laban lui répondit: [Ecoute], je te prie, si j'ai trouvé grâce devant toi; j'ai reconnu que l'Eternel m'a béni à cause de toi.

But Laban said to him, “If you are pleased with me, stay here, because I have found out by performing a magic ritual that Yahweh has blessed me because of what you have done for me.

28 Il lui dit aussi: Marque-moi quel salaire [tu veux], et je te le donnerai.

Tell me what you want me to pay you for continuing to work for me, and that is what I will pay you.”

29 Et il lui répondit: Tu sais comment je t'ai servi, et ce qu'est devenu ton bétail avec moi.

Jacob replied, “You know how I have worked for you, and you know that your livestock have increased greatly as I have taken care of them.

30 Car ce que tu avais avant que je vinsse, était peu de chose, mais il est beaucoup accru, et l'Eternel t'a béni à mon arrivée; et maintenant, quand ferai-je aussi [quelque chose] pour ma maison?

You had only a few animals before I came here. But now you have very many, and Yahweh has caused them to increase greatly in number wherever I have taken them. But now I need to start taking care of the needs of my own family.”

31 Et [Laban] lui dit: Que te donnerai-je? Et Jacob répondit: Tu ne me donneras rien; mais je paîtrai encore tes troupeaux, et je les garderai, si tu fais ceci pour moi:

Laban replied, “What do you want me to give you?” Jacob replied, “I do not want you to pay me anything. But if you will do this one thing for me, I will continue to take care of your flocks and protect them.

32 Que je passe aujourd'hui parmi tes troupeaux, [et] qu'on mette à part toutes les brebis picotées et tachetées, et tous les agneaux roux, et les chèvres tachetées et picotées; et ce sera là mon salaire.

Allow me to go and look at all of your flocks today and remove from them all the speckled sheep, all the spotted sheep, and every dark-colored lamb, all the goats that are speckled, and all the goats that are spotted, [and keep them for myself]. They will be my wages.

33 Et désormais ma justice rendra témoignage pour moi; car elle viendra sur mon salaire, en ta présence; et tout ce qui ne sera point picoté ou tacheté entre les chèvres, et roux entre les agneaux, sera tenu pour un larcin, s'il est trouvé chez moi.

In that way, in the future, you will be able to know whether I have been honest regarding what you have paid me. If any of my goats are neither speckled or spotted, or if any of my lambs are not dark-colored, you will know that I have stolen them from you.”

34 Et Laban dit: Voici, qu'il te soit fait comme tu l'as dit.

Laban agreed and said, “Okay, we will do as you have said.”

35 Et en ce jour-là il sépara les boucs marquetés et picotés, et toutes les chèvres picotées et tachetées, toutes celles où il y avait du blanc, et tous les agneaux roux, et il les mit entre les mains de ses fils.

But that same day Laban removed all the male goats that had black and white stripes on them or were spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled or spotted, all the goats that were partly white, and all the dark-colored lambs. He separated them and told his sons to take care of them.

36 Et il mit l'espace de trois journées de chemin entre lui et Jacob; et Jacob paissait le reste des troupeaux de Laban.

Then he took these flocks and walked a distance of three days, in order that he could be that far from Jacob. Jacob continued to take care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Mais Jacob prit des verges fraîches, de peuplier, de coudrier, et de châtaignier, et en ôta les écorces en découvrant le blanc qui était aux verges.

Then Jacob cut some branches of (poplar, almond, and plane trees/three kinds of trees that had white wood). He peeled strips of bark from the branches, so that where the bark had been peeled off, the branches were light in color.

38 Et il mit les verges qu'il avait pelées, au devant des troupeaux, dans les auges, et dans les abreuvoirs où les brebis venaient boire; et elles entraient en chaleur quand elles venaient boire.

Then he placed the peeled branches in the troughs where they put the water for the animals to drink, so that the branches would be in front of the flocks when they came to drink.

39 Les brebis donc entraient en chaleur à la vue des verges, et elles faisaient des brebis marquetées, picotées, et tachetées.

The animals also mated in front of the branches, and eventually they gave birth to animals that were speckled, or to animals that were spotted, or to animals that had black and white stripes on them.

40 Et Jacob partagea les agneaux, et fit que les brebis du troupeau de Laban avaient en vue les brebis marquetées, et tout ce qui était roux; et il mit ses troupeaux à part, et ne les mit point auprès des troupeaux de Laban.

Furthermore, Jacob separated the female sheep in his flock from the other sheep and goats in Laban’s flock. And when his female sheep mated, he made them look toward the animals that belonged to Laban that had black and white stripes on them, and the dark-colored animals. He did that so that the female sheep would give birth to animals that were striped or dark-colored. By doing that, he made bigger flocks for himself, and he kept them separate from Laban’s flocks.

41 Et il arrivait que toutes les fois que les brebis hâtives entraient en chaleur, Jacob mettait les verges dans les abreuvoirs devant les yeux du troupeau, afin qu'elles entrassent en chaleur en regardant les verges.

In addition, whenever the stronger female sheep were ready to mate, Jacob put some of those peeled branches in the troughs in front of them, so that they would mate in front of the branches.

42 Mais quand les brebis étaient tardives, il ne les mettait point; et les tardives appartenaient à Laban, et les hâtives à Jacob.

But when weak animals were ready to mate, he did not put the branches in their troughs. So the weak ones became part of Laban’s flock, and the strong ones became part of Jacob’s flock.

43 Ainsi cet homme s'accrut fort [en biens], et eut de grands troupeaux, des servantes, et des serviteurs, des chameaux, et des ânes.

As a result, Jacob became very rich. He owned many large flocks of sheep and goats, and many male and female slaves, and many camels and donkeys.