Genesis 30

1 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.

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 was kindled against Rachel: and he said, [Am] I in God’s stead, 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 said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by 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 gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.

So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob slept with her.

5 And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.

Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

6 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.

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 conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.

Bilhah, Rachel's servant, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

8 And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.

Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” She called his name Naphtali.

9 When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to 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 bare Jacob a son.

Zilpah, Leah's servant, bore Jacob a son.

11 And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

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

12 And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a second son.

Then Zilpah, Leah's servant, bore Jacob a second son.

13 And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

Leah said, “I am happy! For the daughters will call me happy.” So she called his name Asher.

14 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.

God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.

18 And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called 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 Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.

Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

20 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.

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 she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

Afterwards she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

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

23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:

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

24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.

She called his name Joseph, saying, “Yahweh has added to me another son.”

25 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.

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 [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.

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 said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, [tarry: for] I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed 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 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give [it].

Then he said, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle 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 was] little which thou hadst before I [came], and it is [now] increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?

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 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:

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 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.

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 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.

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 said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.

Laban said, “Agreed. Let it be according to your word.”

35 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.

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 he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

Laban also put three days' journey between himself and Jacob. So Jacob kept tending the rest of Laban's flocks.

37 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.

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 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.

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 conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.

The flocks bred in front of the sticks; and the flocks produced striped, speckled, and spotted young.

40 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.

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 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.

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 But when the cattle were feeble, he put [them] not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger 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 increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

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