1 W hen Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister, and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I will die!

Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “ Give me children, or else I die.”

2 A nd Jacob became very angry with Rachel and he said, Am I in God’s stead, Who has denied you children?

Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

3 A nd she said, See here, take my maid Bilhah and have intercourse with her; and she shall deliver it upon my knees, that I by her may also have children.

She said, “ Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may have children.”

4 A nd she gave him Bilhah her maid as a wife, and Jacob had intercourse with her.

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

5 A nd Bilhah became pregnant and bore Jacob a son.

Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

6 A nd Rachel said, God has judged and vindicated me, and has heard my plea and has given me a son; so she named him Dan.

Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him Dan.

7 A nd Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

8 A nd Rachel said, With mighty wrestlings I have struggled with my sister and have prevailed; so she named him Naphtali.

So Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.

9 W hen Leah saw that she had ceased to bear, she gave Zilpah her maid to Jacob as a wife.

When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

10 A nd Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob a son.

Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

11 T hen Leah said, Victory and good fortune have come; and she named him Gad.

Then Leah said, “ How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.

12 Z ilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob second son.

Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

13 A nd Leah said, I am happy, for women will call me blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied); and she named him Asher.

Then Leah said, “ Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

14 N ow Reuben went at the time of wheat harvest and found some mandrakes (love apples) in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray you, some of your son’s mandrakes.

Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 B ut answered, Is it not enough that you have taken my husband without your taking away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Jacob shall sleep with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.

But she said to her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

16 A nd Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, You must sleep with me, for I have certainly paid your hire with my son’s mandrakes. So he slept with her that night.

When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, then Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night.

17 A nd God heeded Leah’s, and she conceived and bore Jacob fifth son.

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

18 L eah said, God has given me my hire, because I have given my maid to my husband; and she called his name Issachar.

Then Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

19 A nd Leah became pregnant again and bore Jacob sixth son.

Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

20 T hen Leah said, God has endowed me with a good marriage gift; now will he dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons; and she named him Zebulun.

Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

21 A fterwards she bore a daughter and called her Dinah.

Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 T hen God remembered Rachel and answered her pleading and made it possible for her to have children.

Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb.

23 A nd she became pregnant and bore a son; and she said, God has taken away my reproach, disgrace, and humiliation.

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

24 A nd she called his name Joseph and said, May the Lord add to me another son.

She named him Joseph, saying, “ May the Lord give me another son.” Jacob Prospers

25 W hen Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my own place and country.

Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “ Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country.

26 G ive me my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know the work which I have done for you.

Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you.”

27 A nd Laban said to him, If I have found favor in your sight, I pray you; for I have learned by experience and from the omens in divination that the Lord has favored me with blessings on your account.

But Laban said to him, “If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the Lord has blessed me on your account.”

28 H e said, State your salary and I will give it.

He continued, “ Name me your wages, and I will give it.”

29 J acob answered him, You know how I have served you, and how your possessions, your cattle and sheep and goats, have fared with me.

But he said to him, “ You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me.

30 F or you had little before I came, and it has increased and multiplied abundantly; and the Lord has favored you with blessings wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own house also?

For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?”

31 s aid, What shall I give you? And Jacob said, You shall not give me anything, if you will do this one thing for me, and I will again feed and take care of your flock.

So he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock:

32 L et me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted animal and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.

let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.

33 S o later when the matter of my wages is brought before you, my fair dealing will be evident and answer for me. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the sheep, if found with me, shall be counted as stolen.

So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen.”

34 A nd Laban said, Good; let it be done as you say.

Laban said, “ Good, let it be according to your word.”

35 B ut that same day removed the he-goats that were streaked and spotted and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every black lamb, and put them in charge of his sons.

So he removed on that day the striped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, every one with white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons.

36 A nd he set three days’ journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob was then left in care of the rest of Laban’s flock.

And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 B ut Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white in the rods.

Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods.

38 T hen he set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred and conceived when they came to drink,

He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters, even in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink.

39 T he flocks bred and conceived in sight of the rods and brought forth lambs and kids streaked, speckled, and spotted.

So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.

40 J acob separated the lambs, and he also set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the dark in the flock of Laban; and he put his own droves by themselves and did not let them breed with Laban’s flock.

Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock.

41 A nd whenever the stronger animals were breeding, Jacob laid the rods in the watering troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed and conceive among the rods.

Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters, so that they might mate by the rods;

42 B ut when the sheep and goats were feeble, he omitted putting the rods there; so the feebler animals were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.

but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.

43 T hus the man increased and became exceedingly rich, and had many sheep and goats, and maidservants, menservants, camels, and donkeys.

So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.