NET Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

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!"

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 became furious with Rachel and exclaimed, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?"

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?"

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."

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 Rachel gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with her.

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

5Bilhah became pregnant and gave Jacob a son.

5Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

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.

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

7Bilhah, Rachel's servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son.

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

8Then Rachel said, "I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won." So she named him 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 stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah 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.

10Soon Leah's servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son.

10Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

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

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

12Then Leah's servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son.

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

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

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

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."

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 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."

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 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.

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.

17God paid attention to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time.

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

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.

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

19Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time.

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

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.

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.

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

21Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

22Then God took note of Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant.

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

23She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then she said, "God has taken away my shame."

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

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

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

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.

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.

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."

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, please stay here, for I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me on account 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."

28He added, "Just name your wages--I'll pay whatever you want."

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

29"You know how I have worked for you," Jacob replied, "and how well your livestock have fared under my care.

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

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?"

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?"

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:

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 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.

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.

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."

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."

34"Agreed!" said Laban, "It will be as you say."

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

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.

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.

36Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, while Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban's flocks.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

39When the sheep mated in front of the branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

43In this way Jacob became extremely prosperous. He owned large flocks, male and female servants, 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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