< Genesis 30 >

1 And when Rahel saw that she bare Iaakob no children, Rahel enuied her sister, and said vnto Iaakob, Giue me children, or els I dye.
And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
2 Then Iaakobs anger was kindled against Rahel, and he sayde, Am I in Gods steade, which hath withholden from thee the fruite of the wombe?
And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?
3 And she said, Behold my maide Bilhah, goe in to her, and she shall beare vpon my knees, and I shall haue children also by her.
And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.
4 Then shee gaue him Bilhah her mayde to wife, and Iaakob went in to her.
And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
5 So Bilhah conceiued and bare Iaakob a sonne.
And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.
6 Then said Rahel, God hath giuen sentence on my side, and hath also heard my voyce, and hath giuen mee a sonne: therefore called shee his name, Dan.
And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.
7 And Bilhah Rahels maide coceiued againe, and bare Iaakob the second sonne.
And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.
8 Then Rahel said, with excellent wrestlings haue I wrestled with my sister, and haue gotten the vpper hande: and shee called his name, Naphtali.
And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.
9 And when Leah saw that she had left bearing, shee tooke Zilpah her mayde, and gaue her Iaakob to wife.
When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.
10 And Zilpah Leahs mayde bare Iaakob a sonne.
And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son.
11 Then sayd Leah, A companie commeth: and she called his name, Gad.
And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.
12 Againe Zilpah Leahs mayde bare Iaakob another sonne.
And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a second son.
13 Then sayde Leah, Ah, blessed am I, for the daughters will blesse me. and she called his name, Asher.
And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.
14 Nowe Reuben went in the dayes of the wheateharuest, and founde mandrakes in the fielde and brought them vnto his mother Leah. Then sayde Rahel to Leah, Giue me, I pray thee, of thy sonnes mandrakes.
And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes.
15 But shee answered her, Is it a small matter for thee to take mine husband, except thou take my sonnes mandrakes also? Then sayde Rahel, Therefore he shall sleepe with thee this night for thy sonnes mandrakes.
And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son’s mandrakes.
16 And Iaakob came from the fielde in the euening, and Leah went out to meete him, and sayde, Come in to mee, for I haue bought and payed for thee with my sonnes mandrakes: and he slept with her that night.
And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.
17 And God heard Leah and shee conceiued, and bare vnto Iaakob the fift sonne.
And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.
18 Then said Leah, God hath giuen me my reward, because I gaue my mayde to my husband, and she called his name Issachar.
And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.
19 After, Leah conceiued againe, and bare Iaakob the sixt sonne.
And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.
20 Then Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowrie: nowe will mine husband dwell with me, because I haue borne him sixe sonnes: and she called his name Zebulun.
And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.
21 After that, shee bare a daughter, and shee called her name Dinah.
And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
22 And God remembred Rahel, and God heard her, and opened her wombe.
And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
23 So she conceiued and bare a sonne, and said, God hath taken away my rebuke.
And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:
24 And shee called his name Ioseph, saying, The Lord wil giue me yet another sonne.
And she called his name Joseph; and said, Yhwh shall add to me another son.
25 And assoone as Rahel had borne Ioseph, Iaakob said to Laban, Sende me away that I may go vnto my place and to my countrey.
And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.
26 Giue me my wiues and my children, for whom I haue serued thee, and let me go: for thou knowest what seruice I haue done thee.
Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.
27 To whom Laban answered, If I haue nowe found fauour in thy sight tarie: I haue perceiued that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake.
And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that Yhwh hath blessed me for thy sake.
28 Also he said, Appoynt vnto me thy wages, and I will giue it thee.
And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
29 But he sayd vnto him, Thou knowest, what seruice I haue done thee, and in what taking thy cattell hath bene vnder me.
And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
30 For the litle, that thou haddest before I came, is increased into a multitude: and the Lord hath blessed thee by my comming: but nowe when shall I trauell for mine owne house also?
For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; And Yhwh hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?
31 Then he saide, What shall I giue thee? And Iaakob answered, Thou shalt giue mee nothing at all: if thou wilt doe this thing for mee, I will returne, feede, and keepe thy sheepe.
And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:
32 I wil passe through all thy flockes this day, and separate from them all the sheepe with litle spots and great spots, and al blacke lambes among the sheepe, and the great spotted, and litle spotted among the goates: and it shalbe my wages.
I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.
33 So shall my righteousnesse answere for me hereafter, when it shall come for my rewarde before thy face, and euery one that hath not litle or great spots among the goates, and blacke among the sheepe, the same shalbe theft with me.
So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.
34 Then Laban sayde, Goe to, woulde God it might be according to thy saying.
And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
35 Therefore he tooke out the same day the hee goates that were partie coloured and with great spots, and all the shee goates with litle and great spots, and all that had white in them, and all the blacke among the sheepe, and put them in the keeping of his sonnes.
And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.
36 And hee set three dayes iourney betweene himselfe and Iaakob. And Iaakob kept the rest of Labans sheepe.
And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 Then Iaakob tooke rods of greene popular, and of hasell, and of the chesnut tree, and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appeare in the rods.
And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
38 Then he put the rods, which he had pilled, in the gutters and watering troughes, when the sheepe came to drink, before the sheepe. (for they were in heate, when they came to drinke)
And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.
39 And the sheepe were in heate before the rods, and afterward brought forth yong of partie colour, and with small and great spots.
And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
40 And Iaakob parted these lambes, and turned the faces of the flocke towardes these lambes partie coloured and all maner of blacke, among the sheepe of Laban: so hee put his owne flockes by themselues, and put them not with Labans flocke.
And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle.
41 And in euery ramming time of the stronger sheepe, Iaakob layde the rods before the eyes of the sheepe in the gutters, that they might conceiue before the rods.
And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
42 But when the sheepe were feeble, hee put them not in: and so the feebler were Labans, and the stronger Iaakobs.
But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.
43 So the man increased exceedingly, and had many flockes, and maide seruantes, and men seruants, and camels and asses.
And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and donkeys.

< Genesis 30 >