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The Sons of Jacob
Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.”
Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.”
When 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!”
Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”
Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”
She said, “Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may have children.”
So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.
So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.
Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him Dan.
Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.
So Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.
When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.
Then Leah said, “Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
Now in 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.”
One 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.”
But she said to her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”
But 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.”
Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”
When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, then Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night.
So 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.
God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.
And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.
Then Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob.
Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.
Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.
Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb.
Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children.
So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”
She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said.
She named him Joseph, saying, “May the LORD give me another son.”
Jacob Prospers
Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country.
Jacob’s Wealth Increases
Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Please release me so I can go home to my own country.
“Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you.”
Let 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.”
But Laban said to him, “If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the LORD has blessed me on your account.”
He continued, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.”
Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”
But he said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me.
Jacob replied, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care.
“For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?”
You 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?”
So he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock:
“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.
Jacob replied, “Don’t give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I’ll continue to tend and watch over your flocks.
let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.
Let 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.
“So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen.”
In 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.”
Laban said, “Good, let it be according to your word.”
“All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.”
So he removed on that day the striped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, every one with white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons.
But 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,
And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
who took them a three-days’ journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.
Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods.
Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them.
He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters, even in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink.
Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated.
So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.
And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.
Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock.
Jacob 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.
Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters, so that they might mate by the rods;
Whenever 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.
but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.
But he didn’t do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob’s.