International Standard Version

King James Bible

1Rachel noticed that she was not bearing children for Jacob, so because she envied her sister Leah, she told Jacob, "If you don't give me sons, I'm going to die!"

1And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

2That made Jacob angry with Rachel, so he asked her, "Can I take God's place, who has not allowed you to conceive?"

2And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

3Rachel responded, "Here's my handmaid Bilhah. Go have sex with her. She can bear children on my knees so I can have children through her."

3And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.

4So Rachel gave Jacob her woman servant Bilhah to be his wife, and Jacob had sex with her.

4And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.

5Bilhah conceived and bore a son for Jacob.

5And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.

6Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me! He has heard my voice and has given me a son." Therefore, she named him Dan.

6And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.

7Rachel's servant conceived again and bore a second son for Jacob,

7And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.

8so Rachel said, "I've been through a mighty struggle with my sister and won." She named him Naphtali.

8And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.

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

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

10Leah's servant Zilpah bore a son to Jacob,

10And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son.

11and Leah exclaimed, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad.

11And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

12Later, Leah's servant Zilpah bore a second son for Jacob.

12And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son.

13She said, "How happy I am, because women will call me happy!" So she named him Asher.

13And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

14Some time later, during the wheat harvest season, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field and brought them back for his mother Leah. Then Rachel told Leah, "Please give me your son's mandrakes."

14And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.

15In response, Leah asked her, "Wasn't it enough that you've taken away my husband? Now you also want to take my son's mandrakes!" But Rachel replied, "Okay, let's let Jacob sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes."

15And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes.

16When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went to meet him and told him, "You're having sex with me tonight. I traded my son's mandrakes for you!" So he slept with her that night.

16And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.

17God heard what Leah had said, so she conceived and bore a fifth son for Jacob.

17And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.

18Then Leah said, "God has paid me for giving my servant to my husband as his wife." So she named him Issachar.

18And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.

19Later, Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son for Jacob.

19And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.

20Then Leah said, "God has given me a good gift. This time my husband will exalt me, because I've borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun.

20And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.

21After that, Leah conceived, bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.

21And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

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

22And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

23so she conceived, bore a son, and remarked, "God has removed my shame."

23And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:

24Because she had been asking, "May God give me another son," she named him Joseph.

24And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.

25After Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob told Laban, "Send me off so that I can go back to my place and country.

25And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.

26Give me my wives and children for whom I've served you. Then I'll leave, since you're aware of my service to you."

26Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.

27Then Laban responded, "If I've found favor in your sight, please stay with me, because I've learned through divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.

27And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

28Name your wage, and I'll give it to you."

28And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.

29But Jacob replied to Laban, "You know how I've served you and how your cattle thrived under my care.

29And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.

30What you had previously was only a few head, but the herd has now multiplied, because the LORD has blessed you through my efforts. But now, when am I going to be able to provide for my own household?"

30For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?

31"What do I have to give you?" Laban asked. Jacob responded, "You don't have to give me anything. Just do this for me: Let me tend your flock again and watch over it.

31And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:

32Let me walk among your flocks today and remove every speckled or spotted sheep, along with every black lamb, and let me do the same with the speckled and spotted goats. These will be my wages.

32I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.

33In the future, you'll be able to verify my honesty because, when you come to check what I've earned, if you find a goat that's not speckled or spotted or a sheep that's not black, then it will have been stolen by me."

33So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.

34"Okay," Laban replied. "We'll do it the way you've asked."

34And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.

35That very day, Laban removed the male goats that were striped or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted—that is, every one that had white on them—and all the black lambs and placed them into the care of his sons.

35And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

36He sent them as far away from Jacob as a three days' journey could take them. Meanwhile, Jacob kept tending the rest of Laban's flock.

36And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

37Jacob took branches from white poplar trees, freshly cut almond trees, and some other trees, stripped off their bark to make white streaks, and uncovered the white part inside the branches.

37And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

38Then he placed the branches that he had stripped bare in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He placed the branches in front of the flock, and they went into heat as they came to drink.

38And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

39When the flocks mated in front of the branches, they would bear offspring that were striped, speckled, or spotted.

39And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.

40Jacob kept the lambs separate, facing the striped and entirely black ones that belonged to Laban's flock. He set his own herd by itself and would not let them be with Laban's flock.

40And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle.

41Whenever the more vigorous of the flock came into heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the flock to make them mate by the branches.

41And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

42But he didn't put the branches in front of any of the feeble members of the flock. As a result, the feeble ones belonged to Laban, but the stronger ones belonged to Jacob.

42But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

43Therefore the man Jacob prospered so much that he had large flocks, female and male servants, as well as camels and donkeys.

43And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.