Genesis 30

NEW JERUSALEM	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
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 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I shall die!"
2 This made Jacob angry with Rachel, and he retorted, 'Am I in the position of God, who has denied youmotherhood?'	2 Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the 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 Then she said, "Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, that she may bear upon my knees, and even I may have children through her."
4 So she gave him her slave-girl Bilhah as concubine. Jacob slept with her,	4 So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife; and Jacob went in to her.
5 and Bilhah conceived and gave birth to a son by Jacob.	5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob 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 Then Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son"; therefore she called his name Dan.
7 Again Rachel's slave-girl Bilhah conceived and gave birth to a second son by Jacob.	7 Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
8 Then Rachel said, 'I have fought a fateful battle with my sister, and I have won!' So she named himNaphtali.	8 Then Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed"; so she called his name Naphtali.
9 Now Leah, seeing that she had ceased to bear children, took her slave-girl Zilpah and gave her toJacob as concubine.	9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
10 So Leah's slave-girl Zilpah gave birth to a son by Jacob.	10 Then Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
11 Then Leah exclaimed, 'What good fortune!' So she named him Gad.	11 And Leah said, "Good fortune!" so she called his name Gad.
12 Leah's slave-girl Zilpah gave birth to a second son by Jacob.	12 Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.
13 Then Leah said, 'What blessedness! Women will cal me blessed!' So she named him Asher.	13 And Leah said, "Happy am I! For the women will call me happy"; so she called his name 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 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, "Give me, I pray, some 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 But she 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, "Then he may lie with you tonight for 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 When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and said, "You must come in to me; for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he lay with her that night.
17 God heard Leah, and she conceived and gave birth to a fifth son by Jacob.	17 And God hearkened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob 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 Leah said, "God has given me my hire because I gave my maid to my husband"; so she called his name Issachar.
19 Again Leah conceived and gave birth to a sixth son by Jacob,	19 And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob 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 Then Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good dowry; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons"; so she called his name Zebulun.
21 Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.	21 Afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he heard her and opened her womb.	22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her and opened her womb.
23 She conceived and gave birth to a son, and said, 'God has taken away my disgrace!'	23 She conceived and bore a son, and said, "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, "May the LORD add 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 When Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country.
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, and let me go; for you know the service which I have given you."
27 Laban replied, 'If I have done what pleases you . . . I have learnt by divination that Yahweh hasblessed me because of you.	27 But Laban said to him, "If you will allow me to say so, I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you;
28 So name your wages,' he added, 'and I wil pay.'	28 name your wages, and I will give it."
29 He replied, 'You know how hard I have worked for you, and how your stock has fared in my charge.	29 Jacob said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you, and how your cattle have fared with me.
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 For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly; and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?"
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 He said, "What shall I give you?" Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything; if you will do this for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it:
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 let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall 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 So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen."
34 Laban replied, 'Good, just as you say.'	34 Laban said, "Good! Let it be as you have said."
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 But that day Laban removed the he-goats that were striped and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in charge 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 set a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's 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 took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the rods.
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 He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the runnels, that is, the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink,
39 the goats thus mated in front of the shoots and so the goats produced striped, spotted and speckledyoung.	39 the flocks bred in front of the rods and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.
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 separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own droves apart, and did not put them with Laban's flock.
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 Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding Jacob laid the rods in the runnels before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the rods,
42 But when the animals were feeble, he did not put them there; so Laban got the feeble, and Jacob thesturdy.	42 but for the feebler of the flock he did not lay them there; so the feebler were Labans, and the stronger Jacobs.
43 Thus the man grew extremely rich, and came to own large flocks, men and women slaves, camelsand donkeys.	43 Thus the man grew exceedingly rich, and had large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and asses.