Christian Standard Bible

English Standard Version

1When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. "Give me sons, or I will die!" she said to Jacob.

1When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!”

2Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, "Am I in God's place, who has withheld offspring from you?"

2Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

3Then she said, "Here is my maid Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she'll bear children for me so that through her I too can build a family."

3Then she said, “Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have children through her.”

4So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.

4So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.

5Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

5And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

6Rachel said, "God has vindicated me; yes, he has heard me and given me a son," so she named him Dan.

6Then Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.

7Rachel's slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

7Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

8Rachel said, "In my wrestlings with God, I have wrestled with my sister and won," and she named him Naphtali.

8Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.

9When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

9When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

10Leah's slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

10Then Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

11Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" and she named him Gad.

11And Leah said, “Good fortune has come!” so she called his name Gad.

12When Leah's slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,

12Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

13Leah said, "I am happy that the women call me happy," so she named him Asher.

13And Leah said, “Happy am I! For women have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher.

14Reuben went out during the wheat harvest and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother Leah, Rachel asked, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."

14In 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.”

15But Leah replied to her, "Isn't it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my son's mandrakes?" "Well then," Rachel said, "he can sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes."

15But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” Rachel said, “Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

16When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So Jacob slept with her that night.

16When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night.

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

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

18Leah said, "God has rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband," and she named him Issachar.

18Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.

19Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.

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

20"God has given me a good gift," Leah said. "This time my husband will honor me because I have borne six sons for him," and she named him Zebulun.

20Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.

21Later, Leah bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

21Afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

22Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb.

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

23She conceived and bore a son, and she said, "God has taken away my disgrace."

23She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”

24She named him Joseph and said, "May the LORD add another son to me."

24And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the LORD add to me another son!”

25After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so that I can return to my homeland.

25As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country.

26Give me my wives and my children that I have worked for, and let me go. You know how hard I have worked for you."

26Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have given you.”

27But Laban said to him, "If I have found favor with you, stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you."

27But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.

28Then Laban said, "Name your wages, and I will pay them."

28Name your wages, and I will give it.”

29So Jacob said to him, "You know how I have served you and how your herds have fared with me.

29Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me.

30For you had very little before I came, but now your wealth has increased. The LORD has blessed you because of me. And now, when will I also do something for my own family?"

30For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?”

31Laban asked, "What should I give you?" And Jacob said, "You don't need to give me anything. If you do this one thing for me, I will continue to shepherd and keep your flock.

31He said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock and keep it:

32Let me go through all your sheep today and remove every sheep that is speckled or spotted, every dark-colored sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the female goats. Such will be my wages.

32let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall be my wages.

33In the future when you come to check on my wages, my honesty will testify for me. If I have any female goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not black, they will be considered stolen."

33So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.”

34"Good," said Laban. "Let it be as you have said."

34Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.”

35That day Laban removed the streaked and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats--every one that had any white on it--and every dark-colored one among the lambs, and he placed his sons in charge of them.

35But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons.

36He put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Jacob, meanwhile, was shepherding the rest of Laban's flock.

36And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban’s flock.

37Jacob then took branches of fresh poplar, almond, and plane wood, and peeled the bark, exposing white stripes on the branches.

37Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks.

38He set the peeled branches in the troughs in front of the sheep--in the water channels where the sheep came to drink. And the sheep bred when they came to drink.

38He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink,

39The flocks bred in front of the branches and bore streaked, speckled, and spotted young.

39the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.

40Jacob separated the lambs and made the flocks face the streaked sheep and the completely dark sheep in Laban's flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and didn't put them with Laban's sheep.

40And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban’s flock.

41Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs, in full view of the flocks, and they would breed in front of the branches.

41Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks,

42As for the weaklings of the flocks, he did not put out the branches. So it turned out that the weak sheep belonged to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob.

42but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.

43And the man became very rich. He had many flocks, female and male slaves, and camels and donkeys.

43Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.