Berean Study Bible

English Standard Version

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

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

2Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?”

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?”

3Then she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her, that she may bear children for me, so that through her I too can build a family.”

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.”

4So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her,

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

5and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.

5And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

6Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him 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 servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

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

8Then Rachel said, “In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won.” So she named him 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 having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a 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 servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

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

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

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

12When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,

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

13Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

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

14Now during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother, Rachel begged 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 Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange 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 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 he slept 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 a fifth son to Jacob.

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

18Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

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

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

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

20“God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him 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.

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

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

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

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

23and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said.

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

24She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”

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

25Now after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can return to my homeland.

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 children for whom I have served you, that I may go on my way. You know how hard I have worked 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.”

27But Laban replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”

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.

28And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

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

29Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock have thrived under my care.

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

30Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?”

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?”

31“What can I give you?” Laban asked. “You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you do this one thing for me, I will keep on shepherding and keeping 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 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. These will 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 honesty will testify for me when you come to check on my wages in the future. If I have any goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not dark-colored, they will be considered stolen.”

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.”

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

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

35That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care 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 a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding 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.

37Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches.

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

38Then he set the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So when the flocks were in heat and 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,

39they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.

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

40Jacob set apart the young, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals.

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.

41Whenever the stronger females of the flock were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs, in full view of the animals, so that they would breed in front of the branches.

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 if the animals were weak, he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob.

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 Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.

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

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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.