Genesis 30
1 cernens autem Rahel quod infecunda esset invidit sorori et ait marito suo da mihi liberos alioquin moriar
And Rachel, seeing herself without children, envied her sister, and said to her husband: Give me children, otherwise I shall die.
2 cui iratus respondit Iacob num pro Deo ego sum qui privavit te fructu ventris tui
And Jacob being angry with her, answered: Am I as God, who hath deprived thee of the fruit of thy womb?
3 at illa habeo inquit famulam Balam ingredere ad eam ut pariat super genua mea et habeam ex ea filios
But she said: I have here my servant Bala: go in unto her, that she may bear upon my knees, and I may have children by her.
4 deditque illi Balam in coniugium quae
And she gave him Bala in marriage: who,
5 ingresso ad se viro concepit et peperit filium
When her husband had gone in unto her, conceived and bore a son.
6 dixitque Rahel iudicavit mihi Dominus et exaudivit vocem meam dans mihi filium et idcirco appellavit nomen illius Dan
And Rachel said: The Lord hath judged for me, and hath heard my voice, giving me a son, and therefore she called his name Dan.
7 rursumque Bala concipiens peperit alterum
And again Bala conceived and bore another,
8 pro quo ait Rahel conparavit me Deus cum sorore mea et invalui vocavitque eum Nepthalim
For whom Rachel said: God hath compared me with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called him Nephtali.
9 sentiens Lia quod parere desisset Zelpham ancillam suam marito tradidit
Lia, perceiving that she had left off bearing, gave Zelpha her handmaid to her husband.
10 qua post conceptum edente filium
And when she had conceived and brought forth a son,
11 dixit feliciter et idcirco vocavit nomen eius Gad
She said: Happily. And therefore called his name Gad.
12 peperit quoque Zelpha alterum
Zelpha also bore another.
13 dixitque Lia hoc pro beatitudine mea beatam quippe me dicent mulieres propterea appellavit eum Aser
And Lia said: This is for my happiness: for women will call me blessed. Therefore she called him Aser.
14 egressus autem Ruben tempore messis triticeae in agro repperit mandragoras quos matri Liae detulit dixitque Rahel da mihi partem de mandragoris filii tui
And Ruben, going out in the time of the wheat harvest into the field, found mandrakes: which he brought to his mother Lia. And Rachel said: Give me part of thy son’s mandrakes.
15 illa respondit parumne tibi videtur quod praeripueris maritum mihi nisi etiam mandragoras filii mei tuleris ait Rahel dormiat tecum hac nocte pro mandragoris filii tui
She answered: Dost thou think it a small matter, that thou hast taken my husband from me, unless thou take also my son’s mandrakes? Rachel said: He shall sleep with thee this night, for thy son’s mandrakes.
16 redeuntique ad vesperam de agro Iacob egressa est in occursum Lia et ad me inquit intrabis quia mercede conduxi te pro mandragoris filii mei dormivit cum ea nocte illa
And when Jacob returned at even from the field, Lia went out to meet him, and said: Thou shalt come in unto me, because I have hired thee for my son’s mandrakes. And he slept with her that night.
17 et exaudivit Deus preces eius concepitque et peperit filium quintum
And God heard her prayers: and she conceived and bore the fifth son,
18 et ait dedit Deus mercedem mihi quia dedi ancillam meam viro meo appellavitque nomen illius Isachar
And said: God hath given me a reward, because I gave my handmaid to my husband. And she called his name Issachar.
19 rursum Lia concipiens peperit sextum filium
And Lia conceived again, and bore the sixth son,
20 et ait ditavit me Deus dote bona etiam hac vice mecum erit maritus meus eo quod genuerim ei sex filios et idcirco appellavit nomen eius Zabulon
And said: God hath endowed me with a good dowry: this turn also my husband will be with me, because I have borne him six sons: and therefore she called his name Zabulon.
21 post quem peperit filiam nomine Dinam
After whom she bore a daughter, named Dina.
22 recordatus quoque Dominus Rahelis exaudivit eam et aperuit vulvam illius
The Lord also remembering Rachel, heard her, and opened her womb.
23 quae concepit et peperit filium dicens abstulit Deus obprobrium meum
And she conceived, and bore a son, saying: God hath taken away my reproach.
24 et vocavit nomen illius Ioseph dicens addat mihi Dominus filium alterum
And she called his name Joseph, saying: The Lord give me also another son.
25 nato autem Ioseph dixit Iacob socero suo dimitte me ut revertar in patriam et ad terram meam
And when Joseph was born, Jacob said to his father in law: Send me away that I may return into my country, and to my land.
26 da mihi uxores et liberos meos pro quibus servivi tibi ut abeam tu nosti servitutem qua servivi tibi
Give me my wives, and my children, for whom I have served thee, that I may depart: thou knowest the service that I have rendered thee.
27 ait ei Laban inveniam gratiam in conspectu tuo experimento didici quod benedixerit mihi Deus propter te
Laban said to him: Let me find favour in thy sight: I have learned by experience, that God hath blessed me for thy sake.
28 constitue mercedem tuam quam dem tibi
Appoint thy wages which I shall give thee.
29 at ille respondit tu nosti quomodo servierim tibi et quanta in manibus meis fuerit possessio tua
But he answered: Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how great thy possession hath been in my hands.
30 modicum habuisti antequam venirem et nunc dives effectus es benedixitque tibi Dominus ad introitum meum iustum est igitur ut aliquando provideam etiam domui meae
Thou hadst but little before I came to thee, and now thou art become rich: and the Lord hath blessed thee at my coming. It is reasonable therefore that I should now provide also for my own house.
31 dixitque Laban quid dabo tibi at ille ait nihil volo sed si feceris quod postulo iterum pascam et custodiam pecora tua
And Laban said: What shall I give thee? But he said: I require nothing: but if thou wilt do what I demand, I will feed, and keep thy sheep again.
32 gyra omnes greges tuos et separa cunctas oves varias et sparso vellere et quodcumque furvum et maculosum variumque fuerit tam in ovibus quam in capris erit merces mea
Go round through all thy flocks, and separate all the sheep of divers colours, and speckled: and all that is brown and spotted, and of divers colours, as well among the sheep, as among the goats, shall be my wages.
33 respondebitque mihi cras iustitia mea quando placiti tempus advenerit coram te et omnia quae non fuerint varia et maculosa et furva tam in ovibus quam in capris furti me arguent
And my justice shall answer for me tomorrow before thee when the time of the bargain shall come: and all that is not of divers colours, and spotted, and brown, as well among the sheep as among the goats, shall accuse me of theft.
34 dixit Laban gratum habeo quod petis
And Laban said: I like well what thou demandest.
35 et separavit in die illo capras et oves hircos et arietes varios atque maculosos cunctum autem gregem unicolorem id est albi et nigri velleris tradidit in manu filiorum suorum
And he separated the same day the she goats, and the sheep, and the he goats, and the rams of divers colours, and spotted: and all the flock of one colour, that is, of white and black fleece, he delivered into the hands of his sons.
36 et posuit spatium itineris inter se et generum dierum trium qui pascebat reliquos greges eius
And he set the space of three days’ journey betwixt himself and his son in law, who fed the rest of his flock.
37 tollens ergo Iacob virgas populeas virides et amigdalinas et ex platanis ex parte decorticavit eas detractisque corticibus in his quae spoliata fuerant candor apparuit illa vero quae integra erant viridia permanserunt atque in hunc modum color effectus est varius
And Jacob took green rods of poplar, and of almond, and of plane trees, and pilled them in part: so when the bark was taken off, in the parts that were pilled, there appeared whiteness: but the parts that were whole remained green: and by this means the colour was divers.
38 posuitque eas in canalibus ubi effundebatur aqua ut cum venissent greges ad bibendum ante oculos haberent virgas et in aspectu earum conciperent
And he put them in the troughs, where the water was poured out: that when the flocks should come to drink, they might have the rods before their eyes, and in the sight of them might conceive.
39 factumque est ut in ipso calore coitus oves intuerentur virgas et parerent maculosa et varia et diverso colore respersa
And it came to pass that in the very heat of coition, the sheep beheld the rods, and brought forth spotted, and of divers colours, and speckled.
40 divisitque gregem Iacob et posuit virgas ante oculos arietum erant autem alba quaeque et nigra Laban cetera vero Iacob separatis inter se gregibus
And Jacob separated the flock, and put the rods in the troughs before the eyes of the rams: and all the white and the black were Laban’s: and the rest were Jacob’s, when the flocks were separated one from the other.
41 igitur quando primo tempore ascendebantur oves ponebat Iacob virgas in canalibus aquarum ante oculos arietum et ovium ut in earum contemplatione conciperent
So when the ewes went first to ram, Jacob put the rods in the troughs of water before the eyes of the rams, and of the ewes, that they might conceive while they were looking upon them:
42 quando vero serotina admissura erat et conceptus extremus non ponebat eas factaque sunt ea quae erant serotina Laban et quae primi temporis Iacob
But when the latter coming was, and the last conceiving, he did not put them. And those that were lateward, became Laban’s: and they of the first time, Jacob’s.
43 ditatusque est homo ultra modum et habuit greges multos ancillas et servos camelos et asinos
And the man was enriched exceedingly, and he had many flocks, maid servants and men servants, camels and asses.
