New King James Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

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!”

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."

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?”

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?"

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.”

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."

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

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

5And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

5Bilhah 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 vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son." Therefore she named him Dan.

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

7Rachel's maid 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.

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 bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife.

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

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

10Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

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

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

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

12Leah's maid 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.

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

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 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 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 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 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.

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

17God gave heed 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.

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

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

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

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 gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun.

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

21Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

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

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

23And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”

23So she 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.”

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

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.

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.”

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."

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 now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the LORD has blessed me on your account."

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

28He continued, "Name me 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.

29But he said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have 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?”

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 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:

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 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 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.

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.”

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."

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

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

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.

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 put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed 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.

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 rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods.

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 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.

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

39So the flocks mated by the rods, and 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.

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.

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.

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

42but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were 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.

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

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

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