| NET Bible | New International Version |
| 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!" | 1When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!" |
| 2Jacob became furious with Rachel and exclaimed, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" | 2Jacob became angry with her and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" |
| 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." | 3Then she said, "Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her." |
| 4So Rachel gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with her. | 4So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, |
| 5Bilhah became pregnant and gave Jacob a son. | 5and she became pregnant and bore him 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; he has listened to my plea and given me a son." Because of this she named him Dan. |
| 7Bilhah, Rachel's servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. | 7Rachel's servant 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. | 8Then Rachel said, "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won." So 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 having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. |
| 10Soon Leah's servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. | 10Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. |
| 11Leah said, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad. | 11Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" So she named him Gad. |
| 12Then Leah's servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. | 12Leah's servant 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, "How happy I am! The 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." | 14During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. 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, "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" "Very well," Rachel said, "he can sleep 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. | 16So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me," she said. "I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night. |
| 17God paid attention to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. | 17God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant 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 rewarded me for giving my servant 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 Jacob a sixth son. |
| 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 presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun. |
| 21After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. | 21Some time later she gave birth to 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; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. |
| 23She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then she said, "God has taken away my shame." | 23She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." |
| 24She named him Joseph, saying, "May the LORD give me yet another son." | 24She named him Joseph, and said, "May the LORD add to 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. | 25After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland. |
| 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." | 26Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I've done for 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 I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you." |
| 28He added, "Just name your wages--I'll pay whatever you want." | 28He added, "Name your wages, and I will pay them." |
| 29"You know how I have worked for you," Jacob replied, "and how well your livestock have fared under my care. | 29Jacob said to him, "You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. |
| 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?" | 30The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?" |
| 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: | 31"What shall I give you?" he asked. "Don't give me anything," Jacob replied. "But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: |
| 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 go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will 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." | 33And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen." |
| 34"Agreed!" said Laban, "It will be as you say." | 34"Agreed," said Laban. "Let it be as you have said." |
| 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. | 35That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and he placed them in 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. | 36Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend 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. | 37Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. |
| 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. | 38Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, |
| 39When the sheep mated in front of the branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. | 39they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or 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 set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban's animals. |
| 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. | 41Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches, |
| 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 if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. |
| 43In this way Jacob became extremely prosperous. He owned large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys. | 43In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys. |
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