| Berean Study Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 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 was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. "Give me sons, or I will die!" she said to Jacob. |
| 2Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?” | 2Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, "Am I in God's place, who has withheld children from you?" |
| 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 slave Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she'll bear children for me so that through her I too can build a family." |
| 4So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her, | 4So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. |
| 5and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son. | 5Bilhah 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. | 6Rachel said, "God has vindicated me; yes, He has heard me and given me a son," and she named him Dan. |
| 7And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. | 7Rachel's slave 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. | 8Rachel said, "In my wrestlings with God, I have wrestled with my sister and won," 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 having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. |
| 10And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. | 10Leah's slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son. |
| 11Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad. | 11Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" and she named him Gad. |
| 12When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, | 12When Leah's slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, |
| 13Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher. | 13Leah said, "I am happy that the women call me happy," so she named him 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.” | 14Reuben went out during the wheat harvest and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother Leah, Rachel asked, "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 Leah replied to her, "Isn't it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my son's mandrakes?"" Well," Rachel said, "you can sleep with him 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 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 Jacob slept with her that night. |
| 17And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob. | 17God 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 rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband," and she named him Issachar. |
| 19Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob. | 19Then Leah conceived again and 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. | 20God has given me a good gift," Leah said. "This time my husband will honor me because I have borne six sons for him," and she named him Zebulun. |
| 21After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. | 21Later, Leah bore a daughter and named her Dinah. |
| 22Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb, | 22Then God remembered Rachel. He 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 shame." |
| 24She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.” | 24She named him Joseph: "May the LORD add another son to me." |
| 25Now after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can return to my homeland. | 25After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so that I can return to my homeland. |
| 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 that I have worked for, and let me go. You know how hard I have worked for 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, stay. 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.” | 28Then Laban said, "Name your wages, and I will pay them." |
| 29Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock have thrived under my care. | 29So Jacob said to him, "You know what I have done for you and your herds. |
| 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 very little before I came, but now your wealth has increased. The LORD has blessed you because of me. And now, when will I also do something for my own family?" |
| 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. | 31Laban asked, "What should I give you?" And Jacob said, "You don't need to give me anything. If you do this one thing for me, I will continue to shepherd and keep your flock. |
| 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 go through all your sheep today and remove every sheep that is speckled or spotted, every dark-colored sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the female goats. Such will 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.” | 33In the future when you come to check on my wages, my honesty will testify for me. If I have any female goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not black, they will be considered stolen."" |
| 34“Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” | 34Good," said Laban. "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. | 35That day Laban removed the streaked and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats--every one that had any white on it--and every dark-colored one among the lambs, and he placed his sons in charge of them. |
| 36Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flocks. | 36He put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Jacob, meanwhile, was shepherding 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. | 37Jacob then took branches of fresh poplar, almond, and plane wood, and peeled the bark, exposing white stripes on the branches. |
| 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 peeled branches in the troughs in front of the sheep--in the water channels where the sheep came to drink. And the sheep 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 branches and bore streaked, speckled, and spotted young. |
| 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. | 40Jacob separated the lambs and made the flocks face the streaked and the completely dark sheep in Laban's flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and didn't put them with Laban's sheep. |
| 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 placed the branches in the troughs, in full view of the flocks, and they would breed in front of the branches. |
| 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. | 42As for the weaklings of the flocks, he did not put out the branches. So it turned out that the weak sheep belonged to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob. |
| 43Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys. | 43And the man became very rich. He had many flocks, male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys. |
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