Genesis

The first book of Moses, called Genesis, chapter 30, New English Translation and King James Version

Chapter 30 New English Translation

   1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children or I'll die!" 2 Jacob became furious with Rachel and exclaimed, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" 3 She replied, "Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with her so that she can bear children for me and I can have a family through her."
   4 So Rachel gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with her. 5 Bilhah became pregnant and gave Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer and given me a son." That is why she named him Dan.
   7 Bilhah, Rachel's servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. 8 Then Rachel said, "I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won." So she named him Naphtali.
   9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 10 Soon Leah's servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. 11 Leah said, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad.
   12 Then Leah's servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. 13 Leah said, "How happy I am, for women will call me happy!" So she named him Asher.
   14 At the time of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, "Give me some of your son's mandrakes." 15 But Leah replied, "Wasn't it enough that you've taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes too?" "All right," Rachel said, "he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes." 16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must sleep with me because I have paid for your services with my son's mandrakes." So he had marital relations with her that night. 17 God paid attention to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. 18 Then Leah said, "God has granted me a reward because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife." So she named him Issachar.
   19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. 20 Then Leah said, "God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons." So she named him Zebulun.
   21 After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
   22 Then God took note of Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then she said, "God has taken away my shame." 24 She named him Joseph, saying, "May the LORD give me yet another son."

The Flocks of Jacob

   25 After Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so that I can go home to my own country. 26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. Then I'll depart, because you know how hard I've worked for you."
   27 But Laban said to him, "If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, for I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me on account of you." 28 He added, "Just name your wages - I'll pay whatever you want."
   29 "You know how I have worked for you," Jacob replied, "and how well your livestock have fared under my care. 30 Indeed, you had little before I arrived, but now your possessions have increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I worked. But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?"
   31 So Laban asked, "What should I give you?" "You don't need to give me a thing," Jacob replied, "but if you agree to this one condition, I will continue to care for your flocks and protect them: 32 Let me walk among all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and the spotted or speckled goats. These animals will be my wages. 33 My integrity will testify for me later on. When you come to verify that I've taken only the wages we agreed on, if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen." 34 "Agreed!" said Laban, "It will be as you say."
   35 So that day Laban removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted (all that had any white on them), and all the dark-colored lambs, and put them in the care of his sons. 36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, while Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban's flocks.
   37 But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible. 38 Then he set up the peeled branches in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He set up the branches in front of the flocks when they were in heat and came to drink. 39 When the sheep mated in front of the branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40 Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban's flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban's flocks. 41 When the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches. 42 But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban and the stronger animals to Jacob. 43 In this way Jacob became extremely prosperous. He owned large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.

King James Version

   1 And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
   2 And 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?
   3 And 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.
   4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
   5 And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.
   6 And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.
   7 And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.
   8 And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.
   9 When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.
   10 And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son.
   11 And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.
   12 And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son.
   13 And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.
   14 ¶ And 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.
   15 And 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.
   16 And 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.
   17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.
   18 And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.
   19 And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.
   20 And 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.
   21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
   22 ¶ And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
   23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:
   24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.
   25 ¶ And 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.
   26 Give 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.
   27 And 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.
   28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
   29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
   30 For 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?
   31 And 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:
   32 I 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.
   33 So 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.
   34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
   35 And 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.
   36 And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.
   37 ¶ And 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.
   38 And 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.
   39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
   40 And 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.
   41 And 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.
   42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.
   43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.