Genesis 30:1-32 ▼

1 Rachel when she sawe that she bare Iacob no children, she enuied her sister, and sayde vnto Iacob: Geue me children, or els I am but dead.

2 And Iacobs anger was kyndled agaynst Rachel, and sayde: Am I in Gods steade, whiche kepeth from thee the fruite of thy wombe?

3 Then she sayde: Here is my mayde Bilha, go in vnto her, & she shall beare vpon my knees, that I also may haue chyldren by her.

4 And she gaue him Bilha her handmayde to wyfe: and Iacob went in vnto her.

5 And Bilha conceaued, and bare Iacob a sonne.

6 Then saide Rachel: God hath geuen sentence on my side, and hath also heard my voyce, and hath geuen me a sonne: therfore called she hym Dan.

7 And Bilha Rachels seruant conceaued againe, & bare Iacob another sonne.

8 And Rachel said: With godly wrastlynges haue I wrastled with my sister, & haue gotten the vpper hande: and she called his name Nephthali.

9 When Lea sawe that she had left bearyng chyldren she toke Zilpha her mayde, and gaue her Iacob to wyfe.

10 And Zilpha Leas mayde bare Iacob a sonne.

11 Then sayde Lea, Good lucke: and called his name Gad.

12 And Zilpha Leas seruaunt bare Iacob an other sonne.

13 Then saide Lea: happy am I, for the daughters wyll call me blessed: and called his name Aser.

14 And Ruben went out in the dayes of the wheate haruest, & founde Mandragoras in the fielde, and brought them vnto his mother Lea. Then said Rachel to Lea: Geue me I praye thee of thy sonnes Mandragoras.

15 To whom Lea aunswered: Is it not enough that thou hast taken away my husband, but wouldest take away my sonnes Mandragoras also? Then saide Rachel: well, let hym sleepe with thee this night for thy sonnes Mandragoras.

16 And Iacob came from the fielde at euen, and Lea went out to meete hym, and sayde: thou shalt come in to me, for I haue bought thee in deede with my sonne Mandragoras. And he slept with her that same nyght.

17 And God hearde Lea, that she conceaued, and bare Iacob the fift sonne.

18 Then sayde Lea: God hath geuen me a rewarde, because I gaue my mayden to my husbande: and she called him Isachar.

19 And Lea conceaued yet agayne, and bare Iacob the sixt sonne.

20 And Lea sayde: God hath endued me with a good dowrie, nowe wyll my husbande dwell with me, because I haue borne hym sixe sonnes: and called his name Zabulon.

21 After that, she bare a daughter, and called her name Dina.

22 And God remembred Rachel, & God hearde her, and made her fruitefull,

23 So that she conceaued & bare a sonne: and sayde, God hath taken awaye my rebuke.

24 And she called his name Ioseph, saying: the Lorde geue me yet another sonne.

25 Assoone as Rachel had borne Ioseph, Iacob sayde to Laban: Send me away, that I maye go vnto my owne place, and to my countrey.

26 Geue me my wyues and my chyldren for whom I haue serued thee, and let me go: for thou knowest what seruice I haue done thee.

27 To whom Laban aunswered: I pray thee, yf I haue founde fauour in thy syght tary : for I haue proued that the Lorde blessed me for thy sake.

28 Also he sayde: Appoynt what thy rewarde shalbe, and I wyll geue it thee.

29 But he saide vnto him: Thou knowest what seruice I haue done thee, and in what takyng thy cattell haue ben vnder me:

30 For that litle which thou haddest before I came, is nowe increased into a multitude, and the Lord hath blessed thee through my trauell: but nowe when shall I make prouision for myne owne house also?

31 And he sayde: What shall I then geue thee? And Iacob aunswered, Thou shalt geue me nothyng at all: yf thou wylt do this thyng for me, then wyll I turne agayne, feede thy sheepe, and kepe them.

32 I wyll go about all thy flockes this day, and seperate from them all the cattell that are spotted & of diuers colours: and all the blacke among the sheepe, & the partie & spotted amongst the kiddes the same shalbe my rewarde.