New King James Version

New International Version

Jacob’s Children

Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!”

1

When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

2

And Jacob’s anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

2

Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

3

So she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may [a]have children by her.”

3

Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”

4

Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.

4

So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her,

5

And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

5

and she became pregnant and bore him a son.

6

Then Rachel said, “God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name [b]Dan.

6

Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.a

7

And Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

7

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

8

Then Rachel said, “With [c]great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.” So she called his name [d]Naphtali.

8

Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.b

9

When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife.

9

When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

10

And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

10

Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

11

Then Leah said, [e]“A troop comes!” So she called his name [f]Gad.

11

Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”c So she named him Gad.d

12

And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

12

Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

13

Then Leah said, “I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed.” So she called his name [g]Asher.

13

Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.e

14

Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest 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.”

14

During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15

But 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?”
And Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”

15

But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”
“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

16

When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, 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.” And he lay with her that night.

16

So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.

17

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

17

God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son.

18

Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name [h]Issachar.

18

Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.f

19

Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.

19

Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.

20

And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name [i]Zebulun.

20

Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.g

21

Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name [j]Dinah.

21

Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

22

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

22

Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive.

23

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

23

She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”

24

So she called his name [k]Joseph, and said, “The Lord shall add to me another son.”

24

She named him Joseph,h and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”

25

Jacob’s Agreement with Laban

And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country.

25

Jacob’s Flocks Increase

After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland.

26

Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you.”

26

Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”

27

And Laban said to him, “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake.”

27

But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”

28

Then he said, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.”

28

He added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

29

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

29

Jacob said to him, “You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care.

30

For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the Lord has blessed you [l]since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?”

30

The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?”

31

So he said, “What shall I give you?”
And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks:

31

“What shall I give you?” he asked.
“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them:

32

Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages.

32

Let 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. They will be my wages.

33

So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.”

33

And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen.”

34

And Laban said, “Oh, that it were according to your word!”

34

“Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”

35

So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

35

That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons.

36

Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

36

Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37

Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods.

37

Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches.

38

And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink.

38

Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink,

39

So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.

39

they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.

40

Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban’s flock.

40

Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban’s animals.

41

And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

41

Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches,

42

But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.

42

but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob.

43

Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

43

In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Parallel

New King James Version

New International Version

Genesis 30

Genesis 30