English Standard Version

King James Bible

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

1And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

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?”

2And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

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.”

3And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.

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

4And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.

5And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

5And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.

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

6And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.

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

7And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.

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

8And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.

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

9When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.

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

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

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

11And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

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

12And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son.

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

13And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

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.”

14And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy 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.”

15And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes.

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.

16And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.

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

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

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

18And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.

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

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

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.

20And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.

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

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

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

22And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

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

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

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

24And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.

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

25And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.

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.”

26Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.

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.

27And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

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

28And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.

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

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

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?”

30For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?

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:

31And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:

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.

32I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.

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.”

33So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.

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

34And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.

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.

35And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

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

36And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

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

37And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

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,

38And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

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

39And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.

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.

40And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle.

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,

41And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

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.

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

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

43And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

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.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.