| Berean Study Bible | New International 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 was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!" |
| 2Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?” | 2Jacob became angry with her and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" |
| 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 Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family 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. Jacob slept with her, |
| 5and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son. | 5and she became pregnant and bore him 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; he has listened to my plea and given me a son." Because of this she named him 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, "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won." So 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 servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. |
| 10And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. | 10Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. |
| 11Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad. | 11Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" So she named him 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. | 13Then Leah said, "How happy I am! The 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.” | 14During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. 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, "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" "Very well," Rachel said, "he can sleep 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. | 16So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me," she said. "I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he 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 became pregnant 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 rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband." So she named him Issachar. |
| 19Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob. | 19Leah 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. | 20Then Leah said, "God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun. |
| 21After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. | 21Some time later she gave birth to 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 enabled her to conceive. |
| 23and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said. | 23She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." |
| 24She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.” | 24She named him Joseph, and said, "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. | 25After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so I can go back to my own 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 children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I've done 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 eyes, please 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.” | 28He added, "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. | 29Jacob said to him, "You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. |
| 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?” | 30The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?" |
| 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. | 31"What shall I give you?" he asked. "Don't give me anything," Jacob replied. "But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: |
| 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 flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They 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.” | 33And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen." |
| 34“Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” | 34"Agreed," 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 same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and he placed them in 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. | 36Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend 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. | 37Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of 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, | 38Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, |
| 39they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. | 39they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or 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 set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban's animals. |
| 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 females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near 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. | 42but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. |
| 43Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys. | 43In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys. |
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