Genesis 30

1 And Rachel saw she had borne no children unto Jacob, so Rachel became envious of her sister, —and said unto Jacob, Come! give me children, or else, I die.

Then Rachel, discerning that she was infertile, envied her sister, and so she said to her husband, “Give me children, otherwise I will die.”

2 Then kindled the anger of Jacob with Rachel, —and he said, Am I, in the place of God, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

Jacob, being angry, responded to her, “Am I in the place of God, who has deprived you of the fruit of your womb?”

3 And she said, Lo! my handmaid, Bilhah. Go in unto her, —that she may bear upon my knees, so that, I also, may be builded up by her!

But she said: “I have a handmaid Bilhah. Go in to her, so that she may give birth upon my knees, and I may have sons by her.”

4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid, to wife, —and Jacob went in unto her;

And she gave him Bilhah in marriage.

5 and Bilhah conceived, and bare unto Jacob a son;

And when her husband had gone in to her, she conceived and bore a son.

6 and Rachel said God hath vindicated me. Moreover also he hath hearkened unto my voice, and hath given me a son. For this cause, called she his name Dan.

And Rachel said, “The Lord has judged for me, and he has heeded my voice, giving me a son.” And because of this, she called his name Dan.

7 And Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid conceived again, and bare a second son to Jacob.

And conceiving again, Bilhah bore another,

8 Then said Rachel With wrestlings of God, have I wrestled with my sister Yea I have prevailed. So she called his name, Naphtali.

about whom Rachel said, “God has compared me with my sister, and I have prevailed.” And she called him Naphtali.

9 Then saw Leah, that she had left off bearing, —so she took Zilpah, her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife.

Leah, perceiving that she had desisted from child-bearing, delivered Zilpah, her handmaid, to her husband.

10 And Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, bare to Jacob a son:

And she, after having borne a son with difficulty,

11 and Leah said, Victory hath come! So she called his name Gad.

said: “Happiness!” And for this reason, she called his name Gad.

12 And Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid bare a second son to Jacob;

Likewise, Zilpah bore another.

13 and Leah said, For my happiness, surely happy have daughters pronounced me. So she called his name, Asher.

And Leah said, “This one is for my happiness. Indeed, women will call me blessed.” Because of this, she called him Asher.

14 Then went Reuben, in the days of the wheat harvest, and found mandrakes, in the field, and brought them in unto Leah his mother, and Rachel said unto Leah, Pray give me, some of the mandrakes of thy son

Then Reuben, going out into the field at the time of the wheat harvest, found mandrakes. These he brought to his mother Leah. And Rachel said, “Give me a portion of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 And she said to her, Is it, a small thing, that thou hast taken away my husband? And wouldst thou take away, even the mandrakes of my son? Then said Rachel, Therefore, shall he lie with thee to-night, for the mandrakes of thy son.

She responded, “Does it seem like such a small matter to you, that you have usurped from me my husband, unless you will also take my son’s mandrakes?” Rachel said, “He will sleep with you this night because of your son’s mandrakes.”

16 And Jacob came in from the field, in the evening, so Leah went out to meet him and said: Unto me, shalt thou come in, for I have hired, thee, even with the mandrakes of my son. And he lay with her that night,

And when Jacob returned from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and she said, “You will enter to me, because I have hired you for the reward of my son’s mandrakes.” And he slept with her that night.

17 And God hearkened unto Leah, —and she conceived and bare to Jacob a fifth son.

And God heard her prayers. And she conceived and bore a fifth son.

18 Then said Leah. God hath given my hire, in that I gave my handmaid to my husband. So she called his name, Issachar.

And she said, “God has given a reward to me, because I gave my handmaid to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar.

19 And Leah conceived again and bare a sixth son to Jacob.

Conceiving again, Leah bore a sixth son.

20 Then said Leah, God hath dowered me even me with a hand-some dowry, Now! will my husband dwell with me, for I have borne him six sons. So she called his name, Zebulon.

And she said: “God has endowed me with a good dowry. And now, at this turn, my husband will be with me, because I have conceived six sons for him.” And therefore she called his name Zebulun.

21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, —so she called her name, Dinah.

After him, she bore a daughter, named Dinah.

22 Then God remembered Rachel, —and God hearkened unto her, and granted her to bear.

The Lord, likewise remembering Rachel, heeded her and opened her womb.

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

And she conceived and bore a son, saying, “God has taken away my reproach.”

24 So she called his name Joseph, saying, Yahweh is adding unto me another son.

And she called his name Joseph, saying, “The Lord has added to me another son.”

25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Let me go that I may take my journey, unto my place, and to my land.

But when Joseph was born, Jacob said to his father-in-law: “Release me, so that I may return to my native country and to my land.

26 Come, give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee and let me take my journey, —for, thou, knowest my service wherewith I have served thee.

Give me my wives, and my children, for whom I have served you, so that I may depart. You know the servitude with which I have served you.”

27 And Laban said unto him, If, I pray thee, I have found favour in thine eyes, …I have divined that Yahweh hath blessed me for thy sake.

Laban said to him: “May I find grace in your sight. I have learned by experience that God has blessed me because of you.

28 And he said, —Come, fix thy wages for me, that I may give it!

Choose your wages, which I will give you.”

29 And he said unto him, Thou, knowest how I have served thee, —and how thy cattle have fared, with me.

But he responded: “You know how I have served you, and how great your possession became in my hands.

30 For it was, little, that thou hadst—before I came and then it brake forth into multitude, and Yahweh blessed thee at my every step. Now, therefore, when am, I, also to do something for my own house?

You had little before I came to you, and now you have achieved riches. And the Lord has blessed you since my arrival. It is just, therefore, that at some time I also should provide for my own house.”

31 And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said: Thou shall give me, nothing at all, If thou wilt do for me this thing, I will return, I will shepherd thy flock I will keep it:

And Laban said, “What shall I give to you?” But he said, “I want nothing. But if you will do what I ask, I will feed and guard your sheep again.

32 Let me pass through all thy flock to-day, removing from thence every young one that is speckled and spotted and every young one that is dark-coloured among the young sheep, and spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall be my wages.

Go around through all your flocks and separate all the sheep of variegated or spotted fleece; and whatever will be darkened or blemished or variegated, as much among the sheep as among the goats, will be my wages.

33 And my righteousness shall answer for me on a future day, when thou shall come in respecting my hire that is before thee, Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and dark-coloured among the young sheep, stolen, shall it be accounted, if found with me.

And my justice will answer on my behalf tomorrow, when the time of settlement arrives before you. And all that is not variegated or blemished or darkened, as much among the sheep as among the goats, these will prove me to be a thief.”

34 Then said Laban, Lo! would it might be according to thy word!

And Laban said, “I hold favor for this request.”

35 So he removed, on that day, the he-goats that were striped and spotted and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and every dark-coloured one among the young sheep, —and delivered them into the hand of his sons;

And on that day he separated the she-goats, and the sheep, and the he-goats, and the rams with variegations or with blemishes. But every one of the flock which was of one color, that is, of white or of black fleece, he delivered into the hands of his sons.

36 then put he a journey of three days between himself and Jacob, —but, Jacob himself, continued tending the flocks of Laban that were left.

And he established a distance of three days journey between himself and his son-in-law, who pastured the remainder of his flock.

37 So then Jacob took him rods of young storax, and hazel and maple, —and peeled in them white stripes, laying bare the white which was on the rods.

Then Jacob, taking green branches of poplar, and almond, and sycamore trees, debarked them in part. And when the bark was pulled off, in the parts that were stripped, there appeared whiteness, yet the parts that were left whole, remained green. And so, in this way the color was made variegated.

38 And he set the rods which he had peeled, in the channels in the troughs of water, —where the flocks came in to drink straight before the flocks, and the females of the flock used to be in heat when they came in to drink;

And he placed them in the troughs, where the water was poured out, so that when the flocks had arrived to drink, they would have the branches before their eyes, and in their sight they might conceive.

39 and the males of the flock were in heat before the rods, —so the flocks brought forth ring-straked, speckled, and spotted.

And it happened that, in the very heat of joining together, the sheep looked upon the branches, and they bore the blemished and the variegated, those speckled with diverse color.

40 The rams also, did Jacob separate, and then set the faces of the flocks towards the ring-straked and all the dark-coloured, among the flocks of Laban, —and he put his own droves by themselves, and put them not with the flocks of Laban.

And Jacob divided the flock, and he set the branches in the troughs before the eyes of the rams. Now whatever was white or black belonged to Laban, but, in truth, the others belonged to Jacob, for the flocks were dispersed among one another.

41 So it came to pass whensoever the stronger of the flocks were in heat, that Jacob set the rods before the eyes of the flocks in the channels, —that the females might be in heat among the rods;

Therefore, when the first to arrive were climbing on the ewes, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs of water before the eyes of the rams and the sheep, so that they might conceive while they were gazing upon them.

42 but, when the flocks were late in bearing, he did not set them, —and so the late-born were Laban’s, but the strong ones Jacob’s.

Yet when the late arrivals and the last to conceive were let in, he did not place these. And so those that arrived late became Laban’s, and those that arrived first became Jacob’s.

43 Thus did the man break forth, exceedingly, —thus came he to have flocks in abundance, and maid-servants, and men-servants and camels and asses.

And the man was enriched beyond limit, and he had many flocks, women servants and men servants, camels and donkeys.