Berean Study Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

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.

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."

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

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?"

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.”

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."

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

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

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 servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

7Rachel's maid 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.

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 having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a 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 servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

10Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

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

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

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

12Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

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

13Then Leah said, "Happy am I! For women will 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.”

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 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 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 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 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 a fifth son to Jacob.

17God gave heed 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.

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

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

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

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

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

21Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

22Then God remembered Rachel. He 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 gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said.

23So she 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.”

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

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

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

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

28He continued, "Name me 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.

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

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?"

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.

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 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 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 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.”

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."

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

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

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.

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 a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding 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.

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

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 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.

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

39So the flocks mated by the rods, and 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.

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.

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.

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

43Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.

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

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