New Living Translation

English Standard Version

1When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

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

2Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”

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 Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have a family, too.”

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 servant, 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 became pregnant and presented him with a son.

5And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

6Rachel named him Dan, for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me 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.

7Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.

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

8Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”

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

9Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, 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.

10Soon Zilpah presented him with a son.

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

11Leah named him Gad, for she said, “How fortunate I am!”

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

12Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son.

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

13And Leah named him Asher, for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”

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

14One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, “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 angrily replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?” Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the 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.”

16So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. “You must come and sleep with me tonight!” she said. “I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.” So that night he slept with Leah.

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.

17And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.

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

18She named him Issachar, for she said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.”

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

19Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob.

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

20She named him Zebulun, for she said, “God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.”

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 she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

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

22Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children.

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

23She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said.

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

24And she named him Joseph, for she said, “May the LORD add yet another son to my family.” Jacob’s Wealth Increases

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

25Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Please release me so I can go home to my own country.

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

26Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them by serving you, and let me be on my way. You certainly 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.”

27“Please listen to me,” Laban replied. “I have become wealthy, for 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.

28Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”

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

29Jacob replied, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care.

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

30You had little indeed before I came, but your wealth has increased enormously. The LORD has blessed you through everything I’ve done. But now, what about me? When can I start providing 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?”

31“What wages do you want?” Laban asked again. Jacob replied, “Don’t give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I’ll continue to tend and watch over your flocks.

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 inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as 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 check on the animals you have given me as my wages, you’ll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you.”

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“All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.”

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

35But that very day Laban went out and removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted or had white patches, and all the black sheep. He placed them in the care of his own sons,

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.

36who took them a three-days’ journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for 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.

37Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them.

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

38Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated.

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,

39And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.

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

40Jacob separated those lambs from Laban’s flock. And at mating time he turned the flock to face Laban’s animals that were streaked or black. This is how he built his own flock instead of increasing Laban’s.

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 females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of them. Then they would mate 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,

42But he didn’t do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob’s.

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.

43As a result, Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys.

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

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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.