| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” | 1When 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!" |
| 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?” | 2Jacob became furious with Rachel and exclaimed, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" |
| 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 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." |
| 4So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. | 4So Rachel gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with her. |
| 5And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. | 5Bilhah became pregnant and gave 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. He has responded to my prayer and given me a son." That is why she named him Dan. |
| 7Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. | 7Bilhah, Rachel's servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. |
| 8Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali. | 8Then Rachel said, "I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won." So 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 having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. |
| 10Then Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. | 10Soon Leah's servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. |
| 11And Leah said, “Good fortune has come!” so she called his name Gad. | 11Leah said, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad. |
| 12Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. | 12Then Leah's servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. |
| 13And Leah said, “Happy am I! For women have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher. | 13Leah said, "How happy I am, 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.” | 14At 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." |
| 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 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." |
| 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 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. |
| 17And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. | 17God paid attention to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. |
| 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 granted me a reward because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife." So she named him Issachar. |
| 19And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. | 19Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. |
| 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 given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons." So she named him Zebulun. |
| 21Afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah. | 21After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. |
| 22Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. | 22Then God took note of Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. |
| 23She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” | 23She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then she said, "God has taken away my shame." |
| 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 yet 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. | 25After 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. |
| 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.” | 26Let 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." |
| 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 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." |
| 28Name your wages, and I will give it.” | 28He added, "Just name your wages--I'll pay whatever you want." |
| 29Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me. | 29"You know how I have worked for you," Jacob replied, "and how well your livestock have fared under my care. |
| 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?” | 30Indeed, 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?" |
| 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 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: |
| 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 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. |
| 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.” | 33My 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." |
| 34Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.” | 34"Agreed!" said Laban, "It will be as you say." |
| 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 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. |
| 36And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban’s flock. | 36Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, while Jacob was taking care of 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. | 37But 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. |
| 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, | 38Then 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. |
| 39the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. | 39When the sheep mated in front of the branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or 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 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. |
| 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, | 41When 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 43Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys. | 43In this way Jacob became extremely prosperous. He owned large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys. |
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