Genèse 30

1 Or Rachel voyant qu’elle était stérile, conçut de la jalousie pour sa sœur, et dit à son mari: Donne-moi des enfants, autrement je mourrai.

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 Jacob irrité lui répondit: Est-ce que moi je suis comme Dieu, qui t’a privée du fruit de ton sein?

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 Mais Rachel: J’ai, reprit-elle, ma servante Bala: prends-la, afin qu’elle enfante sur mes genoux, et que j’aie par elle des enfants.

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 en mariage Bala, qui,

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

5 Son mari l’ayant prise, conçut et enfanta un fils.

She became pregnant and bore Jacob a son.

6 Alors Rachel dit: Dieu a jugé en ma faveur, et a exaucé ma voix, me donnant un fils: et c’est pourquoi elle l’appela du nom de 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 Bala, concevant de nouveau, enfanta un autre fils,

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

8 Au sujet duquel Rachel dit: Le Seigneur m’a mise aux prises avec ma sœur, et je l’ai emporté: et elle le nomma Nephtali.

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 Lia, voyant qu’elle avait cessé d’enfanter, donna à son mari Zelpha sa servante,

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 Qui, ayant mis au monde un fils qu’elle avait conçu,

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

11 Dit: Heureuse fortune! et c’est pourquoi elle l’appela du nom de Gad.

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

12 Zelpha aussi enfanta un autre fils,

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

13 Et Lia dit: C’est pour mon bonheur; car les femmes me diront bienheureuse: à cause de cela elle l’appela 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 dans la campagne au temps de la moisson des blés, trouva des mandragores qu’il porta à sa mère Lia. Et Rachel dit: Fais-moi part 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 Elle répondit: Crois-tu que c’est peu de m’avoir enlevé mon mari, si tu ne prends pas encore les mandragores de mon fils? Rachel reprit: Qu’il dorme avec toi cette nuit 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 Ainsi Jacob revenant le soir de la campagne, Lia sortit à sa rencontre, et; C’est avec moi, dit-elle, que tu viendras, parce que je t’ai obtenu au prix des mandragores de mon fils. Et il dormit 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 Or Dieu exauça ses prières; car elle conçut et enfanta 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 donné une recompense, parce que j ai donné ma servante à mon mari: et elle l’appela du nom d’Issachar.

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 Lia concevant de nouveau, enfanta un sixième fils;

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

20 Alors elle dit: Dieu m’a douée d’un don excellent; encore cette fois mon mari sera avec moi, parce que je lui ai donné six fils; et c’est pourquoi elle l’appela du nom de 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 Après Zabulon elle enfanta une fille du nom de Dina,

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

22 Le Seigneur se souvint aussi de Rachel; il l’exauça et la rendit féconde.

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

23 Elle conçut et enfanta un fils, disant: Dieu m’a retiré 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 l’appela du nom de Joseph, disant: Que le Seigneur me donne encore 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 Or Joseph né, Jacob dit à son beau-père: Laisse-moi retourner dans ma patrie, et dans 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, afin que je m’en aille; tu sais quel a été mon service près de toi.

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 Laban lui dit: Que je trouve grâce devant toi; j’ai connu par mon expérience que le Seigneur 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 Fixe la récompense que je dois te donner.

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

29 Mais Jacob répondit: Tu sais comment je t’ai servi, et comment entre mes mains se sont accrues tes possessions.

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 Tu avais peu avant que je vinsse chez toi, et maintenant tu es devenu riche; car le Seigneur t’a béni à mon arrivée. Il est donc juste qu’enfin je songe aussi à ma propre 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 Alors Laban lui demanda: Que te donnerai-je? Et lui répondit: Je ne veux rien; mais si tu fais ce que je demande, je paîtrai de nouveau et je garderai tes troupeaux.

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 Parcours tous tes bestiaux, et sépare toutes les brebis mouchetées et à toison tachetée; et tout ce qui sera noirâtre, ou tacheté ou moucheté, tant parmi les brebis que parmi les chèvres, sera ma récompense.

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 ma justice répondra demain pour moi, quand le temps de l’accord sera arrivé, devant toi: et ce qui ne sera pas moucheté, ou tacheté ou noirâtre, tant parmi les brebis que parmi les chèvres, me convaincra de larcin.

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 Laban dit: J’agrée ce que tu demandes.

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

35 Et il sépara ce jour-là même les chèvres, les brebis, les boucs et les béliers mouchetés ou tachetés; mais tout le bétail qui était d’une seule couleur, à la toison blanche ou noire, il le remit aux 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 son gendre qui paissait le reste de ses troupeaux.

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 Jacob donc prenant des branches vertes de peuplier, d’amandier et de platane, les écorça en partie: or les écorces enlevées, il parut une blancheur dans les endroits qui en avaient été dépouillés; mais les autres endroits qui étaient entiers, restèrent verts; de cette manière la couleur devint variée.

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 les plaça dans les canaux où on versait l’eau, afin que, lorsque les troupeaux viendraient boire, ils eussent les branches devant les yeux et qu’à leur aspect ils conçussent.

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 Il arriva, en effet, que dans la chaleur même du coït les brebis regardaient les branches et faisaient des petits tachetés, mouchetés et parsemés de marques de diverses couleurs.

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 Jacob divisa le troupeau et plaça les branches dans les canaux devant les yeux des béliers: or tous les animaux blancs et tous les noirs étaient pour Laban, et tous les autres pour Jacob, leurs troupeaux étant séparés entre eux.

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 Lors donc qu’à la première saison les brebis étaient saillies, Jacob plaçait les branches dans les canaux devant les yeux des béliers et des brebis, pour qu’en les regardant elles conçussent.

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 c’était l’accouplement d’arrière-saison, et la dernière conception, il ne les y plaçait pas. Ainsi, ce qui était de l’arrière-saison appartint à Laban, et ce qui était de la première 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 Celui-ci donc devint riche outre mesure, et il eut beaucoup de troupeaux, de servantes et de serviteurs, de chameaux et d’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.