New American Standard Bible 1995

Holman Christian Standard Bible

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."

1When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. "Give me sons, or I will die!" she said to Jacob.

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?"

2Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, "Am I in God's place, who has withheld children from you?"

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."

3Then she said, "Here is my slave Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she'll bear children for me so that through her I too can build a family."

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

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

5Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

5Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

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

6Rachel said, "God has vindicated me; yes, He has heard me and given me a son," and she named him Dan.

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

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

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

8Rachel said, "In my wrestlings with God, I have wrestled with my sister and won," and she named him Naphtali.

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

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

10Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

10Leah's slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

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

11Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" and she named him Gad.

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

12When Leah's slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,

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

13Leah said, "I am happy that the women call me happy," so she named him Asher.

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."

14Reuben went out during the wheat harvest and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother Leah, Rachel asked, "Please give me some of 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."

15But Leah replied to her, "Isn't it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my son's mandrakes?"" Well," Rachel said, "you can sleep with him tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes."

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.

16When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So Jacob slept with her that night.

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

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

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

18Leah said, "God has rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband," and she named him Issachar.

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

19Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. "

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.

20God has given me a good gift," Leah said. "This time my husband will honor me because I have borne six sons for him," and she named him Zebulun.

21Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

21Later, Leah bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

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

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

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

23She conceived and bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my shame."

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

24She named him Joseph: "May the LORD add another son to me."

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.

25After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so that I can return to my homeland.

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."

26Give me my wives and my children that I have worked for, and let me go. You know how hard I have worked for 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."

27But Laban said to him, "If I have found favor in your sight, stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you."

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

28Then Laban said, "Name your wages, and I will pay them."

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

29So Jacob said to him, "You know what I have done for you and your herds.

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?"

30For you had very little before I came, but now your wealth has increased. The LORD has blessed you because of me. And now, when will I also do something for my own family?"

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:

31Laban asked, "What should I give you?" And Jacob said, "You don't need to give me anything. If you do this one thing for me, I will continue to shepherd and keep your flock.

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.

32Let me go through all your sheep today and remove every sheep that is speckled or spotted, every dark-colored sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the female goats. Such will be my wages.

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."

33In the future when you come to check on my wages, my honesty will testify for me. If I have any female goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not black, they will be considered stolen.""

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

34Good," said Laban. "Let it be as you have said."

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.

35That day Laban removed the streaked and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats--every one that had any white on it--and every dark-colored one among the lambs, and he placed his sons in charge of them.

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

36He put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Jacob, meanwhile, was shepherding the rest of Laban's flock.

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.

37Jacob then took branches of fresh poplar, almond, and plane wood, and peeled the bark, exposing white stripes on the branches.

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.

38He set the peeled branches in the troughs in front of the sheep--in the water channels where the sheep came to drink. And the sheep bred when they came to drink.

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

39The flocks bred in front of the branches and bore streaked, speckled, and spotted young.

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.

40Jacob separated the lambs and made the flocks face the streaked and the completely dark sheep in Laban's flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and didn't put them with Laban's sheep.

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;

41Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs, in full view of the flocks, and they would breed in front of the branches.

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

42As for the weaklings of the flocks, he did not put out the branches. So it turned out that the weak sheep belonged to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob.

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

43And the man became very rich. He had many flocks, male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.