The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Chapter 30 -

When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I will die.”

Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel. He said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

She said, “See, there is my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her, so she might give birth to children on my knees, and I will have children by her.”

So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob slept with her.

Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

Then Rachel said, “God has judged in my favor. He has listened to my prayer and given me a son.” For this reason she called his name Dan.

Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” She called his name Naphtali.

Gad and Asher

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

Zilpah, Leah’s servant, bore Jacob a son.

Leah said, “This is fortunate!” so she called his name Gad.

Then Zilpah, Leah’s servant, bore Jacob a second son.

Leah said, “I am happy! For the daughters will call me happy.” So she called his name Asher.

Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field. He brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

Leah said to her, “Is it a small matter to you, that you have taken away my husband? Do you now want to take away my son’s mandrakes, too?” Rachel said, “Then he will sleep with you tonight, in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

Jacob came from the field in the evening. Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep with me tonight, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with Leah that night.

Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah

God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.

Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I gave my servant woman to my husband.” She called his name Issachar.

Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” She called his name Zebulun.

Afterwards she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

Joseph

God called Rachel to mind and listened to her. He caused her to become pregnant.

She conceived and bore a son. She said, “God has taken away my shame.”

She called his name Joseph, saying, “Yahweh has added to me another son.”

Jacob Prospers

After Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, so that I may go to my own home and to my country.

Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go, for you know the service I have given you.”

Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, wait, because I have learned by using divination that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake.”

Then he said, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared with me.

For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I worked. Now when will I provide for my own household also?”

So Laban said, “What will I pay you?” Jacob said, “You will not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it.

Let me walk through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. These will be my wages.

My integrity will testify for me later on, when you come to check on my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, if any are found with me, will be considered to be stolen.”

Laban said, “Agreed. Let it be according to your word.”

That day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

Laban also put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob. So Jacob kept tending the rest of Laban’s flocks.

Jacob took fresh cut branches of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane tree, and peeled white streaks in them, and made the white inner wood appear that was in the sticks.

Then he set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks, in front of the watering troughs where they came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink.

The flocks bred in front of the sticks; and the flocks produced striped, speckled, and spotted young.

Jacob separated out these lambs, but made the rest of them face toward the striped animals and all the black sheep in the flock of Laban. Then he separated out his flocks for himself alone and did not put them together with Laban’s flocks.

Whenever the stronger sheep in the flock were breeding, then Jacob would lay the sticks in the watering troughs before the eyes of the flock, so that they might conceive among the sticks.

But when the feebler animals in the flock came, he did not put the sticks in front of them. So the feebler animals were Laban’s, and the stronger were Jacob’s.

The man became very prosperous. He had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I will die.”

Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in God’s place, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

She said, “Behold, my maid Bilhah. Go in to her, that she may bear on my knees, and I also may obtain children by her.”

She gave him Bilhah her servant as wife, and Jacob went in to her.

Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.

Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.

Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son.

Rachel said, “I have wrestled with my sister with mighty wrestlings, and have prevailed.” She named him Naphtali.

Gad and Asher

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

Zilpah, Leah’s servant, bore Jacob a son.

Leah said, “How fortunate!” She named him Gad.

Zilpah, Leah’s servant, bore Jacob a second son.

Leah said, “Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy.” She named him Asher.

Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, 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.”

Leah said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes, also?” Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”

Jacob came from the field in the evening, and 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.” He lay with her that night.

Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah

God listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.

Leah said, “God has given me my hire, because I gave my servant to my husband.” She named him Issachar.

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

Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good dowry. Now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons.” She named him Zebulun.

Afterwards, she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.

Joseph

God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb.

She conceived, bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”

She named him Joseph,(a) saying, “May the LORD add another son to me.”

Jacob Prospers

When Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place, and to my country.

Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service with which I have served you.”

Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that the LORD has blessed me for your sake.”

He said, “Appoint me your wages, and I will give it.”

Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared with me.

For it was little which you had before I came, and it has increased to a multitude. The LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. Now when will I provide for my own house also?”

Laban said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it.

I will pass through all your flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. This will be my hire.

So my righteousness will answer for me hereafter, when you come concerning my hire that is before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that might be with me, will be considered stolen.”

Laban said, “Behold, let it be according to your word.”

That day, he removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

He set three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

Jacob took to himself rods of fresh poplar, almond, and plane tree, peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

He set the rods which he had peeled opposite the flocks in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink.

The flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks produced streaked, speckled, and spotted.

Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the black in Laban’s flock. He put his own droves apart, and didn’t put them into Laban’s flock.

Whenever the stronger of the flock conceived, Jacob laid the rods in front of the eyes of the flock in the watering troughs, that they might conceive among the rods;

but when the flock were feeble, he didn’t put them in. So the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.

The man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Footnotes

(a)30:24 Joseph means “may he add”.