Genesis 30

Meanwhile {when} Rachel realized that she was not able to bear {any} {children} for Jacob, she was jealous of her sister, and she demanded of Jacob, “Help me have children, or else I want to die!”

Jacob became very angry with Rachel and responded, “I am not God! He is the one who has prevented you from having children!” \*

Then Rachel told {him}, “You can have my servant woman Bilhah {as a wife}. Have {marital} relations with her so that she will have children for me, so that I too can have a family.”

So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah to be {another} wife {for him}, and Jacob had {marital} relations with her. \*

Then Bilhah became pregnant and had a son for Jacob,

and Rachel exclaimed, “God has judged in my favor! Yes indeed, he has answered my prayer and given me a son!” That is why she named the baby Dan, {which means “he judged in my favor.”} \*

Then Rachel’s servant Bilhah became pregnant again and had a second son for Jacob.

Then Rachel exclaimed, “I have had a difficult contest with my sister, and {now} I have defeated her!” Then she named that son Naphtali, {which means “my contest.”} \*

Now when Leah realized that she had stopped having children, she brought her servant Zilpah {to Jacob} and gave her to him to be {another} wife {for him}.

Then Zilpah had a son for Jacob,

and Leah exclaimed, “I am so fortunate!” So she named him Gad, {which means “fortunate.”} \*

Then Leah’s servant Zilpah had a second son for Jacob,

and Leah exclaimed, “{God} has truly blessed me! Now {other} women will know that {God} has blessed me.” So she named that son Asher, {which means “blessed.”} \*

Then {one day} during the season when people were harvesting wheat, Leah’s son Reuben went out in a field and found {some} fertility plants, and he gave them to his mother. {When Rachel found out about the plants,} she begged Leah, “Please give me some of the fertility plants that your son found.”

But Leah replied to her, “{No!} It was {bad} enough that you stole my husband {from me}! And {now} you even want to take my son’s fertility plants!” Rachel replied, “Alright then, Jacob can sleep with you tonight if you will give me your son’s fertility plants.” \*

That evening when Jacob came {home} from {working in} the field, Leah went out to greet him and told {him}, “You must sleep with me {tonight}, because I have traded my son’s fertility plants for time with you.” So Jacob spent that night with Leah.

God answered {the prayers of} Leah, so that she became pregnant and had a fifth son for Jacob.

Then she said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband {as a wife}.” So she named that son Issachar, {which means “reward.”} \*

Then Leah became pregnant again and had a sixth son for Jacob.

Then she said, “God has given me a valuable gift, {so that} now my husband will honor me because I have had six sons for him.” So she named their son Zebulun, {which means “honor.”}

{Sometime} after that, Leah had a daughter and named her Dinah. \*

God had not forgotten Rachel, so he answered her {prayers} and made it possible for her to have children.

Then she became pregnant and had a son, and she exclaimed, “God has made it so that I am no longer ashamed!”

She named her son Joseph, {which means “may he give another,”} {because} she said, “I pray that God will give me another son.” \*

After Rachel had Joseph, Jacob requested of Laban, “{Please} allow me to leave {here}, so that I can return to my {own} home in my {own} country.

Let me take my wives and my children, whom I have earned by working for you, so that I can leave {with them}. You yourself know how {well} I have worked for you.” \*

But Laban responded to him, “Please be kind to me {and stay}, {because} I have found out from observing signs that God has blessed me because you {are here with me}.”

Then he added, “Tell me what you want your pay to be, and that is what I will pay you.” \*

Jacob replied to him, “You yourself know how {hard} I have worked for you and how {well} your animals have prospered under my care.

The few that you owned before I came have multiplied dramatically. Yes, God has blessed you because of me. But now, I need to also provide for my {own} family!” \*

So Laban asked {him}, “What can I pay you {to persuade you} {to stay here}?” Jacob answered, “Do not pay me anything. Just do this {one} thing for me, and I will continue taking care of your flock{s}:

Let me look through all your flock{s} today and separate out from them all the lambs that are speckled, spotted or dark-colored, and {all} the young goats that are spotted or speckled. They will be my pay. \*

That way {too}, in the future it will be easy {for you} to know whether {or not} I am being honest whenever you check the animals you have paid me. {If you see that I have} any {sheep or} goats that are not speckled or spotted or any lambs {that are not} dark-colored, {you will know that} I stole them {from you}.”

Laban replied, “I agree, let’s do exactly as you have suggested.” \*

But that {same} day, Laban separated {from his flocks} {all} the he-goats that had stripes or spots, and all the she-goats that had speckles or spots, all that {had any} white {marks} on them, together with all the dark-colored lambs. Then he told his sons to take care of {them},

and he {and his sons} took {those animals} a three-day walking-distance away from Jacob. Meanwhile Jacob continued taking care of the rest of Laban’s flock{s}. \*

Then Jacob cut {some} branches from poplar {trees}, almond {trees}, and chestnut {trees}, and made white streaks on them {by peeling off long strips of bark}, which exposed the white {wood} that was inside the branches.

Then he put those {streaked} branches in all the drinking troughs that the flock{s} would come to drink from, so that the flock{s} would see the branches. {That way, whenever} the animals that were ready to mate came {to the troughs} to drink, \*

they would see the branches as they were mating. As a result, they would have {young that were} striped or speckled or spotted.

Then Jacob separated those young animals {from Laban’s flocks} {to form new flocks for himself}, and he put {the rest of} the flock{s} with the striped and dark-colored {animals} in Laban’s flock{s} {so that they would mate and have young that were striped or dark-colored}. In that way, {over time} he created separate flocks {of sheep and goats} for himself that he kept separate from Laban’s flock{s}. \*

Whenever the stronger female animals were ready to mate, Jacob put the {streaked} branches in the {drinking} troughs in front of those animals so that they would see the branches as they were mating.

But whenever the weaker female animals {were ready to mate}, Jacob did not put {the branches} {in the troughs}. In that way, {the young from} the weaker {animals} were Laban’s and {the young from} the stronger {animals} were Jacob’s. \*

So Jacob became extremely wealthy. He owned large flock{s} {of sheep and goats}, and {many} male and female servants and {many} camels and donkeys. \*