Genesis 30

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Rachel, seeing that she herself gave Jacob no children, became jealous of her sister. And she said toJacob, 'Give me children, or I shal die!'	1 Then Rachel, discerning that she was infertile, envied her sister, and so she said to her husband, “Give me children, otherwise I will die.”
2 This made Jacob angry with Rachel, and he retorted, 'Am I in the position of God, who has denied youmotherhood?'	2 Jacob, being angry, responded to her, “Am I in the place of God, who has deprived you of the fruit of your womb?”
3 So she said, 'Here is my slave-girl, Bilhah. Sleep with her and let her give birth on my knees; throughher, then, I too shal have children!'	3 But she said: “I have a handmaid Bilhah. Go in to her, so that she may give birth upon my knees, and I may have sons by her.”
4 So she gave him her slave-girl Bilhah as concubine. Jacob slept with her,	4 And she gave him Bilhah in marriage.
5 and Bilhah conceived and gave birth to a son by Jacob.	5 And when her husband had gone in to her, she conceived and bore a son.
6 Then Rachel said, 'God has done me justice; yes, he has heard my prayer and given me a son.'Accordingly she named him Dan.	6 And Rachel said, “The Lord has judged for me, and he has heeded my voice, giving me a son.” And because of this, she called his name Dan.
7 Again Rachel's slave-girl Bilhah conceived and gave birth to a second son by Jacob.	7 And conceiving again, Bilhah bore another,
8 Then Rachel said, 'I have fought a fateful battle with my sister, and I have won!' So she named himNaphtali.	8 about whom Rachel said, “God has compared me with my sister, and I have prevailed.” And she called him Naphtali.
9 Now Leah, seeing that she had ceased to bear children, took her slave-girl Zilpah and gave her toJacob as concubine.	9 Leah, perceiving that she had desisted from child-bearing, delivered Zilpah, her handmaid, to her husband.
10 So Leah's slave-girl Zilpah gave birth to a son by Jacob.	10 And she, after having borne a son with difficulty,
11 Then Leah exclaimed, 'What good fortune!' So she named him Gad.	11 said: “Happiness!” And for this reason, she called his name Gad.
12 Leah's slave-girl Zilpah gave birth to a second son by Jacob.	12 Likewise, Zilpah bore another.
13 Then Leah said, 'What blessedness! Women will cal me blessed!' So she named him Asher.	13 And Leah said, “This one is for my happiness. Indeed, women will call me blessed.” Because of this, she called him Asher.
14 One day, at the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes in the field and broughtthem to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, 'Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.'	14 Then Reuben, going out into the field at the time of the wheat harvest, found mandrakes. These he brought to his mother Leah. And Rachel said, “Give me a portion of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 Leah replied, 'Is it not enough to have taken my husband, without your taking my son's mandrakesas well?' So Rachel said, 'Very wel , he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes.'	15 She responded, “Does it seem like such a small matter to you, that you have usurped from me my husband, unless you will also take my son’s mandrakes?” Rachel said, “He will sleep with you this night because of your son’s mandrakes.”
16 When Jacob came back from the fields that night, Leah went out to meet him and said, 'You mustcome to me, for I have hired you at the price of my son's mandrakes.' So he slept with her that night.	16 And when Jacob returned from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and she said, “You will enter to me, because I have hired you for the reward of my son’s mandrakes.” And he slept with her that night.
17 God heard Leah, and she conceived and gave birth to a fifth son by Jacob.	17 And God heard her prayers. And she conceived and bore a fifth son.
18 Then Leah said, 'God has given me my reward for giving my slave-girl to my husband.' So shenamed him Issachar.	18 And she said, “God has given a reward to me, because I gave my handmaid to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar.
19 Again Leah conceived and gave birth to a sixth son by Jacob,	19 Conceiving again, Leah bore a sixth son.
20 and said, 'God has given me a fine gift; now my husband wil bring me presents, for I have borne himsix sons.' So she named him Zebulun.	20 And she said: “God has endowed me with a good dowry. And now, at this turn, my husband will be with me, because I have conceived six sons for him.” And therefore she called his name Zebulun.
21 Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.	21 After him, she bore a daughter, named Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he heard her and opened her womb.	22 The Lord, likewise remembering Rachel, heeded her and opened her womb.
23 She conceived and gave birth to a son, and said, 'God has taken away my disgrace!'	23 And she conceived and bore a son, saying, “God has taken away my reproach.”
24 She named him Joseph, saying, 'May Yahweh add another son for me!'	24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, “The Lord has added to me another son.”
25 When Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, 'Release me and let me go home tomy own country.	25 But when Joseph was born, Jacob said to his father-in-law: “Release me, so that I may return to my native country and to my land.
26 Give me my wives for whom I have worked for you, and my children, and let me go. You are welaware how long I have worked for you.'	26 Give me my wives, and my children, for whom I have served you, so that I may depart. You know the servitude with which I have served you.”
27 Laban replied, 'If I have done what pleases you . . . I have learnt by divination that Yahweh hasblessed me because of you.	27 Laban said to him: “May I find grace in your sight. I have learned by experience that God has blessed me because of you.
28 So name your wages,' he added, 'and I wil pay.'	28 Choose your wages, which I will give you.”
29 He replied, 'You know how hard I have worked for you, and how your stock has fared in my charge.	29 But he responded: “You know how I have served you, and how great your possession became in my hands.
30 The little you had before I came has increased enormously, and Yahweh has blessed you wherever Ihave been. When am I to provide for my own household too?'	30 You had little before I came to you, and now you have achieved riches. And the Lord has blessed you since my arrival. It is just, therefore, that at sometime I also should provide for my own house.”
31 Laban said, 'How much am I to pay you?' Jacob replied, 'You need not pay me anything. I shallchange my mind and go on tending your flock, if you do this one thing for me.	31 And Laban said, “What shall I give to you?” But he said, “I want nothing. But if you will do what I ask, I will feed and guard your sheep again.
32 'Go through your entire flock today and remove every black animal among the sheep, and everyspeckled or spotted one among the goats. These wil be my wages,	32 Go around through all your flocks and separate all the sheep of variegated or spotted fleece; and whatever will be darkened or blemished or variegated, as much among the sheep as among the goats, will be my wages.
33 and my uprightness wil answer for me later: when you come to check my wages, every goat I havethat is not speckled or spotted, and every sheep that is not black will count as stolen by me.'	33 And my justice will answer on my behalf tomorrow, when the time of settlement arrives before you. And all that is not variegated or blemished or darkened, as much among the sheep as among the goats, these will prove me to be a thief.”
34 Laban replied, 'Good, just as you say.'	34 And Laban said, “I hold favor for this request.”
35 That same day he removed the striped and speckled he-goats and all the spotted and speckled she-goats, every one that had white on it, and al the black sheep, and entrusted these to his sons.	35 And on that day he separated the she-goats, and the sheep, and the he-goats, and the rams with variegations or with blemishes. But every one of the flock which was of one color, that is, of white or of black fleece, he delivered into the hands of his sons.
36 Then he put a three days' journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob grazed the rest ofLaban's flock.	36 And he established a distance of three days journey between himself and his son-in-law, who pastured the remainder of his flock.
37 Jacob then got fresh shoots from poplar, almond and plane trees, and peeled them in white strips,laying bare the white part of the shoots.	37 Then Jacob, taking green branches of poplar, and almond, and sycamore trees, debarked them in part. And when the bark was pulled off, in the parts that were stripped, there appeared whiteness, yet the parts that were left whole, remained green. And so, in this way the color was made variegated.
38 He set up the shoots he had peeled in front of the animals, in the troughs, in the water-holes wherethe animals came to drink. Since they mated when they came to drink,	38 And he placed them in the troughs, where the water was poured out, so that when the flocks had arrived to drink, they would have the branches before their eyes, and in their sight they might conceive.
39 the goats thus mated in front of the shoots and so the goats produced striped, spotted and speckledyoung.	39 And it happened that, in the very heat of joining together, the sheep looked upon the branches, and they bore the blemished and the variegated, those speckled with diverse color.
40 The ewes, on the other hand, Jacob kept apart and made these face whatever was striped or blackin Laban's flock. Thus he built up droves of his own which he did not put with Laban's flocks.	40 And Jacob divided the flock, and he set the branches in the troughs before the eyes of the rams. Now whatever was white or black belonged to Laban, but, in truth, the others belonged to Jacob, for the flocks were dispersed among one another.
41 Furthermore, whenever the sturdier animals were mating, Jacob put the shoots where the animalscould see them, in the troughs, so that they would mate in front of the shoots.	41 Therefore, when the first to arrive were climbing on the ewes, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs of water before the eyes of the rams and the sheep, so that they might conceive while they were gazing upon them.
42 But when the animals were feeble, he did not put them there; so Laban got the feeble, and Jacob thesturdy.	42 Yet when the late arrivals and the last to conceive were let in, he did not place these. And so those that arrived late became Laban’s, and those that arrived first became Jacob’s.
43 Thus the man grew extremely rich, and came to own large flocks, men and women slaves, camelsand donkeys.	43 And the man was enriched beyond limit, and he had many flocks, women servants and men servants, camels and donkeys.