Genesis 30 ISV NLT Parallel

◄ Genesis 30 ►

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1Rachel noticed that she was not bearing children for Jacob, so because she envied her sister Leah, she told Jacob, "If you don't give me sons, I'm going to die!"

1When 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!”

2That made Jacob angry with Rachel, so he asked her, "Can I take God's place, who has not allowed you to conceive?"

2Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”

3Rachel responded, "Here's my handmaid Bilhah. Go have sex with her. She can bear children on my knees so I can have children through her."

3Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have a family, too.”

4So Rachel gave Jacob her woman servant Bilhah to be his wife, and Jacob had sex with her.

4So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.

5Bilhah conceived and bore a son for Jacob.

5Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son.

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

6Rachel named him Dan, for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.”

7Rachel's servant conceived again and bore a second son for Jacob,

7Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.

8so Rachel said, "I've been through a mighty struggle with my sister and won." She named him Naphtali.

8Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”

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

9Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

10Leah's servant Zilpah bore a son to Jacob,

10Soon Zilpah presented him with a son.

11and Leah exclaimed, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad.

11Leah named him Gad, for she said, “How fortunate I am!”

12Later, Leah's servant Zilpah bore a second son for Jacob.

12Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son.

13She said, "How happy I am, because women will call me happy!" So she named him Asher.

13And Leah named him Asher, for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”

14Some time later, during the wheat harvest season, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field and brought them back for his mother Leah. Then Rachel told Leah, "Please give me your son's mandrakes."

14One 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.”

15In response, Leah asked her, "Wasn't it enough that you've taken away my husband? Now you also want to take my son's mandrakes!" But Rachel replied, "Okay, let's let Jacob sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes."

15But 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.”

16When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went to meet him and told him, "You're having sex with me tonight. I traded my son's mandrakes for you!" So he slept with her that night.

16So 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.

17God heard what Leah had said, so she conceived and bore a fifth son for Jacob.

17And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.

18Then Leah said, "God has paid me for giving my servant to my husband as his wife." So she named him Issachar.

18She named him Issachar, for she said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.”

19Later, Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son for Jacob.

19Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob.

20Then Leah said, "God has given me a good gift. This time my husband will exalt me, because I've borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun.

20She named him Zebulun, for she said, “God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.”

21After that, Leah conceived, bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.

21Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

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

22Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children.

23so she conceived, bore a son, and remarked, "God has removed my shame."

23She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said.

24Because she had been asking, "May God give me another son," she named him Joseph.

24And she named him Joseph, for she said, “May the LORD add yet another son to my family.” Jacob’s Wealth Increases

25After Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob told Laban, "Send me off so that I can go back to my place and country.

25Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Please release me so I can go home to my own country.

26Give me my wives and children for whom I've served you. Then I'll leave, since you're aware of my service to you."

26Let 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.”

27Then Laban responded, "If I've found favor in your sight, please stay with me, because I've learned through divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.

27“Please listen to me,” Laban replied. “I have become wealthy, for the LORD has blessed me because of you.

28Name your wage, and I'll give it to you."

28Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”

29But Jacob replied to Laban, "You know how I've served you and how your cattle thrived under my care.

29Jacob replied, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care.

30What you had previously was only a few head, but the herd has now multiplied, because the LORD has blessed you through my efforts. But now, when am I going to be able to provide for my own household?"

30You 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?”

31"What do I have to give you?" Laban asked. Jacob responded, "You don't have to give me anything. Just do this for me: Let me tend your flock again and watch over it.

31“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.

32Let me walk among your flocks today and remove every speckled or spotted sheep, along with every black lamb, and let me do the same with the speckled and spotted goats. These will be my wages.

32Let 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.

33In the future, you'll be able to verify my honesty because, when you come to check what I've earned, if you find a goat that's not speckled or spotted or a sheep that's not black, then it will have been stolen by me."

33In 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.”

34"Okay," Laban replied. "We'll do it the way you've asked."

34“All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.”

35That very day, Laban removed the male goats that were striped or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted—that is, every one that had white on them—and all the black lambs and placed them into the care of his sons.

35But 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,

36He sent them as far away from Jacob as a three days' journey could take them. Meanwhile, Jacob kept tending the rest of Laban's flock.

36who took them a three-days’ journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.

37Jacob took branches from white poplar trees, freshly cut almond trees, and some other trees, stripped off their bark to make white streaks, and uncovered the white part inside the branches.

37Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them.

38Then he placed the branches that he had stripped bare in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He placed the branches in front of the flock, and they went into heat as they came to drink.

38Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated.

39When the flocks mated in front of the branches, they would bear offspring that were striped, speckled, or spotted.

39And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.

40Jacob kept the lambs separate, facing the striped and entirely black ones that belonged to Laban's flock. He set his own herd by itself and would not let them be with Laban's flock.

40Jacob 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.

41Whenever the more vigorous of the flock came into heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the flock to make them mate by the branches.

41Whenever 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.

42But he didn't put the branches in front of any of the feeble members of the flock. As a result, the feeble ones belonged to Laban, but the stronger ones belonged to Jacob.

42But he didn’t do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob’s.

43Therefore the man Jacob prospered so much that he had large flocks, female and male servants, as well as camels and donkeys.

43As a result, Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys.

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