New King James Version

English Standard Version

1Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!”

1When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!”

2And Jacob’s anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

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?”

3So she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her.”

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.”

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

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

5And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

5And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

6Then Rachel said, “God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.

6Then Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.

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

7Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

8Then Rachel said, “With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.

8Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.

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

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

10And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

10Then Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

11Then Leah said, “A troop comes!” So she called his name Gad.

11And Leah said, “Good fortune has come!” so she called his name Gad.

12And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

12Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

13Then Leah said, “I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed.” So she called his name Asher.

13And Leah said, “Happy am I! For women have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher.

14Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest 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.”

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.”

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?” And Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for 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.”

16When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, 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.” And he lay with her that night.

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.

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

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

18Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.

18Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.

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

19And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son.

20And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.

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.

21Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

21Afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

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

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

23And 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 reproach.”

24So she called his name Joseph, and said, “The LORD shall add to me another son.”

24And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the LORD add to me another son!”

25And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country.

25As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country.

26Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you.”

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.”

27And Laban said to him, “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake.”

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.

28Then he said, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.”

28Name your wages, and I will give it.”

29So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me.

29Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me.

30For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the LORD has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?”

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?”

31So he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks:

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:

32Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages.

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.

33So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.”

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.”

34And Laban said, “Oh, that it were according to your word!”

34Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.”

35So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

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.

36Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

36And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban’s flock.

37Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods.

37Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks.

38And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink.

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,

39So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.

39the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.

40Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban’s flock.

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.

41And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

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,

42But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.

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.

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

43Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.