Genesis 30
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1Rachel noticed that she was not bearing children for Jacob, so because she envied her sister Leah, she told Jacob, "If you don't give me sons, I'm going to die!"1When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.
2That made Jacob angry with Rachel, so he asked her, "Can I take God's place, who has not allowed you to conceive?" 2Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?”
3Rachel responded, "Here's my handmaid Bilhah. Go have sex with her. She can bear children on my knees so I can have children through her."3Then she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her, that she may bear children for me, so that through her I too can build a family.”
4So Rachel gave Jacob her woman servant Bilhah to be his wife, and Jacob had sex with her. 4So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her,
5Bilhah conceived and bore a son for Jacob. 5and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.
6Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me! He has heard my voice and has given me a son." Therefore, she named him Dan. 6Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.
7Rachel's servant conceived again and bore a second son for Jacob, 7And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
8so Rachel said, "I've been through a mighty struggle with my sister and won." She named him Naphtali. 8Then Rachel said, “In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won.” So she named him Naphtali.
9When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing children, she took her woman servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 9When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
10Leah's servant Zilpah bore a son to Jacob, 10And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
11and Leah exclaimed, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad. 11Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.
12Later, Leah's servant Zilpah bore a second son for Jacob. 12When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,
13She said, "How happy I am, because women will call me happy!" So she named him Asher. 13Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
14Some time later, during the wheat harvest season, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field and brought them back for his mother Leah. Then Rachel told Leah, "Please give me your son's mandrakes."14Now during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother, Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15In response, Leah asked her, "Wasn't it enough that you've taken away my husband? Now you also want to take my son's mandrakes!" But Rachel replied, "Okay, let's let Jacob sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes."15But Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
16When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went to meet him and told him, "You're having sex with me tonight. I traded my son's mandrakes for you!" So he slept with her that night.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 he slept with her that night.
17God heard what Leah had said, so she conceived and bore a fifth son for Jacob. 17And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob.
18Then Leah said, "God has paid me for giving my servant to my husband as his wife." So she named him Issachar. 18Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
19Later, Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son for Jacob. 19Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
20Then Leah said, "God has given me a good gift. This time my husband will exalt me, because I've borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun. 20“God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun.
21After that, Leah conceived, bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.21After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb, 22Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb,
23so she conceived, bore a son, and remarked, "God has removed my shame." 23and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said.
24Because she had been asking, "May God give me another son," she named him Joseph. 24She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”
25After Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob told Laban, "Send me off so that I can go back to my place and country. 25Now after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can return to my homeland.
26Give me my wives and children for whom I've served you. Then I'll leave, since you're aware of my service to you."26Give me my wives and children for whom I have served you, that I may go on my way. You know how hard I have worked for you.”
27Then Laban responded, "If I've found favor in your sight, please stay with me, because I've learned through divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you. 27But Laban replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”
28Name your wage, and I'll give it to you."28And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
29But Jacob replied to Laban, "You know how I've served you and how your cattle thrived under my care. 29Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock have thrived under my care.
30What you had previously was only a few head, but the herd has now multiplied, because the LORD has blessed you through my efforts. But now, when am I going to be able to provide for my own household?"30Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?”
31"What do I have to give you?" Laban asked. Jacob responded, "You don't have to give me anything. Just do this for me: Let me tend your flock again and watch over it. 31“What can I give you?” Laban asked. “You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you do this one thing for me, I will keep on shepherding and keeping your flocks.
32Let me walk among your flocks today and remove every speckled or spotted sheep, along with every black lamb, and let me do the same with the speckled and spotted goats. These will be my wages. 32Let 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. These will be my wages.
33In the future, you'll be able to verify my honesty because, when you come to check what I've earned, if you find a goat that's not speckled or spotted or a sheep that's not black, then it will have been stolen by me."33So my honesty will testify for me when you come to check on my wages in the future. If I have any goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not dark-colored, they will be considered stolen.”
34"Okay," Laban replied. "We'll do it the way you've asked." 34“Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”
35That very day, Laban removed the male goats that were striped or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted—that is, every one that had white on them—and all the black lambs and placed them into the care of his sons. 35That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons.
36He sent them as far away from Jacob as a three days' journey could take them. Meanwhile, Jacob kept tending the rest of Laban's flock. 36Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37Jacob took branches from white poplar trees, freshly cut almond trees, and some other trees, stripped off their bark to make white streaks, and uncovered the white part inside the branches. 37Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches.
38Then he placed the branches that he had stripped bare in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He placed the branches in front of the flock, and they went into heat as they came to drink. 38Then he set the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So when the flocks were in heat and came to drink,
39When the flocks mated in front of the branches, they would bear offspring that were striped, speckled, or spotted.39they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.
40Jacob kept the lambs separate, facing the striped and entirely black ones that belonged to Laban's flock. He set his own herd by itself and would not let them be with Laban's flock. 40Jacob set apart the young, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals.
41Whenever the more vigorous of the flock came into heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the flock to make them mate by the branches.41Whenever the stronger females of the flock were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs, in full view of the animals, so that they would breed in front of the branches.
42But he didn't put the branches in front of any of the feeble members of the flock. As a result, the feeble ones belonged to Laban, but the stronger ones belonged to Jacob. 42But if the animals were weak, he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob.
43Therefore the man Jacob prospered so much that he had large flocks, female and male servants, as well as camels and donkeys.43Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.
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Genesis 29
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