English Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

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

1Now 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."

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?”

2Then 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?"

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.”

3She 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."

4So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.

4So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.

5And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

5Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob 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.

6Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son." Therefore she named him Dan.

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

7Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

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

8So Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed." And she named him Naphtali.

9When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

9When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

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

10Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

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

11Then Leah said, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad.

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

12Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

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

13Then Leah said, "Happy am I! For women will call me happy." So she named him Asher.

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.”

14Now 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."

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.”

15But 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."

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.

16When 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.

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

17God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.

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

18Then Leah said, "God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband." So she named him Issachar.

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

19Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

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.

20Then 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.

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

21Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

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

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

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

23So she conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach."

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

24She named him Joseph, saying, "May the LORD give me another son."

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

25Now 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.

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.”

26"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."

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.

27But Laban said to him, "If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the LORD has blessed me on your account."

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

28He continued, "Name me your wages, and I will give it."

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

29But he said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me.

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?”

30"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?"

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:

31So 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:

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.

32let 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.

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.”

33"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."

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

34Laban said, "Good, let it be according to your word."

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.

35So 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.

36And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban’s flock.

36And he put a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

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

37Then 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.

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,

38He 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.

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

39So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.

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.

40Jacob 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.

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,

41Moreover, 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;

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.

42but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's.

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

43So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.

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