Genesis 30

1 And Rachel having perceived that she bore Jacob no children, was jealous of her sister; and said to Jacob, Give me children; and if not, I shall die.

Now Rachel, because she had no children, was full of envy of her sister; and she said to Jacob, If you do not give me children I will not go on living.

2 And Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said to her, Am I in the place of God, who has deprived you of the fruit of the womb?

But Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said, Am I in the place of God, who has kept your body from having fruit?

3 And Rachel said to Jacob, Behold my handmaid Balla, go in to her, and she shall bear upon my knees, and I also shall have children by her.

Then she said, Here is my servant Bilhah, go in to her, so that she may have a child on my knees, and I may have a family by her.

4 And she gave him Balla her maid, for a wife to him; and Jacob went in to her.

So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.

5 And Balla, Rachel's maid, conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

And Bilhah became with child, and gave birth to a son.

6 And Rachel said, God has given judgment for me, and listened to my voice, and has given me a son; therefore she called his name, Dan.

Then Rachel said, God has been my judge, and has given ear to my voice, and has given me a son; so he was named Dan.

7 And Balla, Rachel's maid, conceived yet again, and bore a second son to Jacob.

And again Bilhah, Rachel's servant, was with child, and gave birth to a second son.

8 And Rachel said, God has helped me, and I contended with my sister and prevailed; and she called his name, Nephthalim.

And Rachel said, I have had a great fight with my sister, and I have overcome her: and she gave the child the name Naphtali.

9 And Lea saw that she ceased from bearing, and she took Zelpha her maid, and gave her to Jacob for a wife; and he went in to her.

When it was clear to Leah that she would have no more children for a time, she gave Zilpah, her servant, to Jacob as a wife.

10 And Zelpha the maid of Lea conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

And Zilpah, Leah's servant, gave birth to a son.

11 And Lea said, [It is] happily: and she called his name, Gad.

And Leah said, It has gone well for me: and she gave him the name Gad.

12 And Zelpha the maid of Lea conceived yet again, and bore Jacob a second son.

And Zilpah, Leah's servant, gave birth to a second son.

13 And Lea said, I am blessed, for the women will pronounce me blessed; and she called his name, Aser.

And Leah said, Happy am I! and all women will give witness to my joy: and she gave him the name Asher.

14 And Ruben went in the day of barley harvest, and found apples of mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Lea; and Rachel said to Lea her sister, Give me of your son's mandrakes.

Now at the time of the grain-cutting, Reuben saw some love-fruits in the field, and took them to his mother Leah. And Rachel said to her, Let me have some of your son's love-fruits.

15 And Lea said, [Is it] not enough for you that you have taken my husband, will you also take my son's mandrakes? And Rachel said, Not so: let him lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes.

But Leah said to her, Is it a small thing that you have taken my husband from me? and now would you take my son's love-fruits? Then Rachel said, You may have him tonight in exchange for your son's love-fruits.

16 And Jacob came in out of the field at even; and Lea went forth to meet him, and said, You shall come in to me this day, for I have hired you for my son's mandrakes; and he lay with her that night.

In the evening, when Jacob came in from the field, Leah went out to him and said, Tonight you are to come to me, for I have given my son's love-fruits as a price for you. And he went in to her that night.

17 And God listened to Lea, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.

And God gave ear to her and she became with child, and gave Jacob a fifth son.

18 And Lea said, God has given me my reward, because I gave my maid to my husband; and she called his name Issachar, which is, Reward.

Then Leah said, God has made payment to me for giving my servant-girl to my husband: so she gave her son the name Issachar.

19 And Lea conceived again, and bore Jacob a sixth son.

And again Leah became with child, and she gave Jacob a sixth son.

20 And Lea said, God has given me a good gift in this time; my husband will choose me, for I have born him six sons: and she called his name, Zabulon.

And she said, God has given me a good bride-price; now at last will I have my husband living with me, for I have given him six sons: and she gave him the name Zebulun.

21 And after this she bore a daughter; and she called her name, Dina.

After that she had a daughter, to whom she gave the name Dinah.

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

Then God gave thought to Rachel, and hearing her prayer he made her fertile.

23 And she conceived, and bore Jacob a son; and Rachel said, God has taken away my reproach.

And she was with child, and gave birth to a son: and she said, God has taken away my shame.

24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, Let God add to me another son.

And she gave him the name Joseph, saying, May the Lord give me another son.

25 And it came to pass when Rachel had born Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my place and to my land.

Now after the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Let me go away to my place and my country.

26 Restore my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, that I may depart, for you know the service wherewith I have served you.

Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have been your servant, and let me go: for you have knowledge of all the work I have done for you.

27 And Laban said to him, If I have found grace in your sight, I would augur [well], for the Lord has blessed me at your coming in.

And Laban said, If you will let me say so, do not go away; for I have seen by the signs that the Lord has been good to me because of you.

28 Appoint me your wages, and I will give [them].

Say then what your payment is to be and I will give it.

29 And Jacob said, You know in what things I have served you, and how many cattle of your are with me.

Then Jacob said, You have seen what I have done for you, and how your cattle have done well under my care.

30 For it was little you had before my time, and it is increased to a multitude, and the Lord God has blessed you since my coming; now then, when shall I set up also my own house?

For before I came you had little, and it has been greatly increased; and the Lord has given you a blessing in everything I have done; but when am I to do something for my family?

31 And Laban said to him, What shall I give you? and Jacob said to him, You shall not give me anything; if you will do this thing for me, I will again tend your flocks and keep them.

And Laban said, What am I to give you? And Jacob said, Do not give me anything; but I will again take up the care of your flock if you will only do this for me:

32 Let all your sheep pass by today, and separate thence every grey sheep among the rams, and every one that is speckled and spotted among the goats—[this] shall be my reward.

Let me go through all your flock today, taking out from among them all the sheep which are marked or coloured or black, and all the marked or coloured goats: these will be my payment.

33 And my righteousness shall answer for me on the morrow, for it is my reward before you: whatever shall not be spotted and speckled among the goats, and grey among the rams, shall be stolen with me.

And so you will be able to put my honour to the test in time to come; if you see among my flocks any goats which are not marked or coloured, or any sheep which is not black, you may take me for a thief.

34 And Laban said to him, Let it be according to your word.

And Laban said, Let it be as you say.

35 And he separated in that day the spotted and speckled he-goats, and all the spotted and speckled she-goats, and all that was grey among the rams, and every one that was white among them, and he gave them into the hand of his sons.

So that day he took all the he-goats which were banded or coloured, and all the she-goats which were marked or coloured or had white marks, and all the black sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons;

36 And he set a distance of a three days' journey between them and Jacob. And Jacob tended the cattle of Laban that were left behind.

And sent them three days' journey away: and Jacob took care of the rest of Laban's flock.

37 And Jacob took to himself green rods of storax tree and walnut and plane tree; and Jacob peeled in them white stripes; and as he drew off the green, the white stripe which he had made appeared alternate on the rods.

Then Jacob took young branches of trees, cutting off the skin so that the white wood was seen in bands.

38 And he laid the rods which he had peeled, in the hollows of the watering-troughs, that whenever the cattle should come to drink, as they should have come to drink before the rods, the cattle might conceive at the rods.

And he put the banded sticks in the drinking-places where the flock came to get water; and they became with young when they came to the water.

39 So the cattle conceived at the rods, and the cattle brought forth [young] speckled, and streaked and spotted with ash-colored [spots].

And because of this, the flock gave birth to young which were marked with bands of colour.

40 And Jacob separated the lambs, and set before the sheep a speckled ram, and every variegated one among the lambs, and he separated flocks for himself alone, and did not mingle them with the sheep of Laban.

These lambs Jacob kept separate; and he put his flock in a place by themselves and not with Laban's flock.

41 And it came to pass in the time wherein the cattle became pregnant, conceiving in the belly, Jacob put the rods before the cattle in the troughs, that they might conceive by the rods.

And whenever the stronger ones of the flock became with young, Jacob put the sticks in front of them in the drinking-places, so that they might become with young when they saw the sticks.

42 But he did not put them in [indiscriminately] whenever the cattle happened to bring forth, but the unmarked ones were Laban's, and the marked ones were Jacob's.

But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put the sticks before them; so that the feebler flocks were Laban's and the stronger were Jacob's.

43 And the man became very rich, and he had many cattle, and oxen, and servants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.

So Jacob's wealth was greatly increased; he had great flocks and women-servants and men-servants and camels and asses.