30 4,9 Rachel and Leah being both barren, give their maids unto their husband, and they bare him children. 15 Leah giveth mandrakes to Rachel that Jacob might lie with her. 27 Laban is enriched for Jacob’s sake. 34 Jacob is made very rich.

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.

Then Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, Am I in [a]God’s stead, which hath withholden from thee the fruit of the womb?

And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in to her, and she shall bear upon my [b]knees, and [c]I shall have children also by her.

Then she gave him Bilhah her maid to wife, and Jacob went in to her.

So Bilhah conceived and bare Jacob a son.

Then said Rachel, God hath given sentence on my side, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name, Dan.

And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again, and bare Jacob the second son.

Then Rachel said, With [d]excellent wrestlings have I [e]wrestled with my sister, and have gotten the upper hand: and she called his name, Naphtali.

And when Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.

10 And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son.

11 Then said Leah, [f]A company cometh: and she called his name, Gad.

12 Again Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob another son.

13 Then said Leah, Ah, blessed am I, for the daughters will bless me, and she called his name Asher.

14 ¶ Now Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest, and found [g]mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then said Rachel to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes.

15 But she answered her, Is it a small matter for thee to take mine husband, except thou take my son’s mandrakes also? Then said Rachel, Therefore he shall sleep with thee this night for thy son’s mandrakes.

16 And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Come in to me, for I have [h]bought and paid for thee with my son’s mandrakes: and he slept with her that night.

17 And God heard Leah and she conceived, and bare unto Jacob the fifth son.

18 Then said Leah, God hath given me my reward, because I gave my [i]maid to my husband, and she called his name Issachar.

19 After, Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.

20 Then Leah said, God hath endowed me with a good dowry: now will mine husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.

21 After that, she bare a daughter, and she called her name Dinah.

22 ¶ And God remembered Rachel, and God heard her, [j]and opened her womb.

23 So she conceived and bare a son, and said, God hath taken away my [k]rebuke.

24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, The Lord will give me yet another son.

25 ¶ And as soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away that I may go unto my place 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 what service I have done thee.

27 To whom Laban answered, If I have now found favor in thy sight, tarry: I have [l]perceived that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake.

28 Also he said, Appoint unto me thy wages, and I will give it thee.

29 But he said unto him, Thou knowest, what service I have done thee, and in what taking thy cattle hath been [m]under me.

30 For the little, that thou haddest before I came, is increased into a multitude: and the Lord hath blessed thee [n]by my coming: but now when shall [o]I travail for mine own house also?

31 Then he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob answered, Thou shalt give me nothing at all: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will return, feed, and keep thy sheep.

32 I will pass through all thy flocks this day, and [p]separate from them all the sheep with little spots and great spots, and all [q]black lambs among the sheep, and the great spotted, and little spotted among the goats: [r]and it shall be my wages.

33 So shall my [s]righteousness answer for me hereafter, when it shall come for my reward before thy face, and everyone that hath not little or great spots among the goats, and black among the sheep, the same shall be [t]theft with me.

34 Then Laban said, Go to, would God it might be according to thy saying.

35 Therefore [u]he took out the same day the he goats that were parti-colored and with great spots, and all the she goats with little and great spots, and all that had white in them, and all the [v]black among the sheep, and put them in the keeping of his sons.

36 And he set three days journey between himself and Jacob. And Jacob kept the rest of Laban’s sheep.

37 ¶ Then Jacob [w]took rods of green poplar, and of hazel, and of the chestnut tree, and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear in the rods.

38 Then he put the rods, which he had pilled, in the gutters and watering troughs, when the sheep came to drink, before the sheep: (for they were in heat, when they came to drink.)

39 And the sheep [x]were in heat before the rods, and afterward brought forth young of parti-color, and with small and great spots.

40 And Jacob parted these lambs, and turned the faces of the flock towards those lambs parti-colored, and all manner of black, among the sheep of Laban: so he put his own flock by themselves, and put them not with Laban’s flock.

41 And in every ramming time of the [y]stronger sheep, Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the sheep in the gutters, that they might conceive before the rods.

42 But when the sheep were feeble, he put them not in: and so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.

43 So the man increased exceedingly, and had many flocks, and maid servants, and men servants, and camels, and asses.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 30:2 It is only God that maketh barren and fruitful, and therefore I am not in fault.
  2. Genesis 30:3 I will receive her children on my lap, as though they were mine own.
  3. Genesis 30:3 Hebrew, I shall be built.
  4. Genesis 30:8 Hebrew, wrestlings of God.
  5. Genesis 30:8 The arrogancy of man’s nature appeareth in that she contemneth her sister, after she hath received this benefit of God to bear children.
  6. Genesis 30:11 That is, God doth increase me with a multitude of children: for so Jacob doth expound this name Gad, Gen. 49:19.
  7. Genesis 30:14 Which is a kind of herb whose root hath a certain likeness of the figure of a man.
  8. Genesis 30:16 Hebrew, buying I have bought.
  9. Genesis 30:18 Instead of acknowledging her fault, she boasteth as if God had rewarded her therefore.
  10. Genesis 30:22 Or, made her fruitful.
  11. Genesis 30:23 Because fruitfulness came of God’s blessing, who said Increase and multiply: barrenness was counted as a curse.
  12. Genesis 30:27 Or, tried by experience.
  13. Genesis 30:29 Or, with me.
  14. Genesis 30:30 Hebrew, at my feet.
  15. Genesis 30:30 The order of nature requireth that everyone provide for his own family.
  16. Genesis 30:32 Or, separate thou.
  17. Genesis 30:32 Or, rid.
  18. Genesis 30:32 That which shall hereafter be thus spotted.
  19. Genesis 30:33 God shall testify for my righteous dealing by rewarding my labors.
  20. Genesis 30:33 Or, counted theft.
  21. Genesis 30:35 Or, Laban.
  22. Genesis 30:35 Or, red or brown.
  23. Genesis 30:37 Jacob herein used no deceit: for it was God’s commandment as he declareth in Gen. 31:9, 11.
  24. Genesis 30:39 Or, received.
  25. Genesis 30:41 As they which took the ram about September and brought forth about March: so the feebler in March, and lamb in September.

30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children,(A) she became jealous of her sister.(B) So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God,(C) who has kept you from having children?”(D)

Then she said, “Here is Bilhah,(E) my servant.(F) Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”(G)

So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife.(H) Jacob slept with her,(I) and she became pregnant and bore him a son. Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me;(J) he has listened to my plea and given me a son.”(K) Because of this she named him Dan.[a](L)

Rachel’s servant Bilhah(M) conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.”(N) So she named him Naphtali.[b](O)

When Leah(P) saw that she had stopped having children,(Q) she took her servant Zilpah(R) and gave her to Jacob as a wife.(S) 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah(T) bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”[c] So she named him Gad.[d](U)

12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me(V) happy.”(W) So she named him Asher.[e](X)

14 During wheat harvest,(Y) Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants,(Z) which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough(AA) that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”

“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”(AB)

16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.”(AC) So he slept with her that night.

17 God listened to Leah,(AD) and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.”(AE) So she named him Issachar.[f](AF)

19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor,(AG) because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.[g](AH)

21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.(AI)

22 Then God remembered Rachel;(AJ) he listened to her(AK) and enabled her to conceive.(AL) 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son(AM) and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”(AN) 24 She named him Joseph,[h](AO) and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”(AP)

Jacob’s Flocks Increase

25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way(AQ) so I can go back to my own homeland.(AR) 26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you,(AS) and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”

27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(AT) please stay. I have learned by divination(AU) that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”(AV) 28 He added, “Name your wages,(AW) and I will pay them.”

29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have worked for you(AX) and how your livestock has fared under my care.(AY) 30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been.(AZ) But now, when may I do something for my own household?(BA)

31 “What shall I give you?” he asked.

“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat.(BB) They will be my wages.(BC) 33 And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored,(BD) will be considered stolen.(BE)

34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35 That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs,(BF) and he placed them in the care of his sons.(BG) 36 Then he put a three-day journey(BH) between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond(BI) and plane trees(BJ) and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches.(BK) 38 Then he placed the peeled branches(BL) in all the watering troughs,(BM) so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat(BN) and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches.(BO) And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.(BP) 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals(BQ) that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females were in heat,(BR) Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches,(BS) 42 but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob.(BT) 43 In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.(BU)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 30:6 Dan here means he has vindicated.
  2. Genesis 30:8 Naphtali means my struggle.
  3. Genesis 30:11 Or “A troop is coming!”
  4. Genesis 30:11 Gad can mean good fortune or a troop.
  5. Genesis 30:13 Asher means happy.
  6. Genesis 30:18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward.
  7. Genesis 30:20 Zebulun probably means honor.
  8. Genesis 30:24 Joseph means may he add.