International Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

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!"

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."

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

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?"

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."

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 woman servant Bilhah to be his wife, and Jacob had sex with her.

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

5Bilhah conceived and bore a son for Jacob.

5Bilhah conceived and bore 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.

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

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

7Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

8so Rachel said, "I've been through a mighty struggle with my sister and won." 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 bearing children, she took her woman servant Zilpah and gave her 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.

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

10Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

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

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

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

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

13She said, "How happy I am, because women will 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.

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."

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."

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."

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 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.

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.

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

17God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.

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

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

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

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.

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 conceived, bore 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.

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

23So she conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach."

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

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

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've served you. Then I'll leave, since you're aware of my service to 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."

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.

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."

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

28He continued, "Name me your 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.

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

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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."

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

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

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.

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 put a distance of three days' journey between 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.

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 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.

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.

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

39So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, 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.

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 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.

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 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 flock was feeble, he did not put them 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.

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

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