The Genesis
Chapter
30
1 Well, when RachEl realized that she wasn't bearing children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister, and she said to Jacob: 'Give me children… for if you don't, I'll die!'
2 This made Jacob very angry with RachEl, so he asked: 'Am I in the position of God who has deprived you of the fruit of your womb?'
3 Then RachEl told Jacob: 'Look; Here's my handmaid BalLa. [Sleep] with her, and she will give birth [to children] on my knees… I will have children by her.'
4 So she gave him BalLa her handmaid to be his woman, and Jacob went in [and slept with] her. 5 As the result, BalLa (RachEl's handmaid) got pregnant and bore a son to Jacob. 6 Then RachEl said: 'God has given me justice and listened to my voice, for He has given me a son.' So she named him Dan (Justice).
7 Then BalLa (RachEl's handmaid) got pregnant again and bore a second son to Jacob. 8 And RachEl said: 'God has helped me… I fought with my sister and won.' So she named him NaphTali (Struggle).
9 Well, when LeAh saw that she was no longer bearing children, she took ZelPha her handmaid and gave her to Jacob as his woman, and he went in to [sleep with] her. 10 So ZelPha, LeAh's handmaid, got pregnant and bore Jacob a son. 11 And LeAh said, '[I'm] happy!' So she named him Gad (Happiness).
12 Then ZelPha, LeAh's handmaid, got pregnant again and bore Jacob a second son. 13 This time, LeAh said: 'I am blest, because the women will call me blest.' So she named him Asher (Blessings).
14 Well, when it came time to harvest the barley, ReuBen went out to the field and found some mandrake apples [growing] there, and he brought them to his mother LeAh. Then RachEl said to her sister, 'Give me some of your son's mandrakes!'
15 And LeAh replied: 'Isn't it enough that you've taken my man… would you also take my son's mandrakes?' And RachEl said: '[I'll] allow you to [sleep] with [Jacob] tonight for your son's mandrakes.'
16 So that evening, when Jacob came in from the field, LeAh went out to meet him and said: 'You will [sleep] with me tonight, because I've hired you for my son's mandrakes.' So he slept with her that night, 17 and God listened to LeAh, so she got pregnant and bore a fifth son to Jacob. 18 And LeAh said: 'God has rewarded me for giving my handmaid to my man.' So she named him IshSachar (Reward).
19 Then LeAh got pregnant again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 And LeAh said: 'God has given me a fine gift this time. For my man will choose me, since I've given him six sons.' So she named him ZebuLon (Gift).
21 And after that, she gave birth to a daughter whom she named DinAh (Justified).
22 Then God remembered RachEl… He heard her and opened her womb, 23 so she got pregnant and bore Jacob a son. And RachEl said: 'Jehovah has removed my disgrace.' 24 So she named him JoSeph (Jehovah Will Increase), saying, 'May God give me another son.'
25 Well, after RachEl had given birth to JoSeph, Jacob said to Laban: '[Allow] me to leave, so I can return to my country and my home. 26 Free my women and children that I served you for, so I can go, since you're aware of all the services that I've provided to you.'
27 And Laban replied: 'If I've found favor in your eyes, it's a good sign for me, because Jehovah has blest me by your coming here. 28 Now, tell me how much I owe you and I'll pay it.'
29 And Jacob said: 'You know how many ways I've served you and how many of your cattle I've [taken care of]. 30 You didn't have many before I came here, and now there are many! So, Jehovah God has blest you since I arrived. And now, let me establish my own house.'
31 Then Laban asked: 'What should I give you?' And Jacob replied, 'Don't give me anything… just do this one thing for me: I will continue to watch over your flocks and tend them, 32 and as your sheep pass by each day, let me set aside the dark sheep and the speckled and spotted goats as my reward. 33 So tomorrow, my righteousness will answer for me, because this will be my reward from you. You can steal back any goats that aren't spotted or speckled, or any sheep that aren't dark.'
34 And Laban agreed, saying: 'May it be as you've said.'
35 However, that same day, [Laban craftily] separated the spotted and speckled billy goats and nanny goats, and all the dark sheep from those that were white, and he gave them to his sons. 36 Then he sent [them away] on a three-day journey from Jacob, while he was tending the animals that were left behind.
37 Well thereafter, Jacob gathered some green rods from storax, walnut, and sycamore trees, and alternately peeled them [to create the look of] white and green stripes, which gave a [spotted] appearance to the rods. 38 Then he laid the rods he had peeled at the bottom of the watering troughs, so that when the cattle came to drink, they would see the rods and mate there in front of the rods. 39 And [that's what happened]… the cattle did get pregnant at the rods and gave birth to [young with] speckles, streaks, and ash-colored spots. 40 Then Jacob separated the lambs, setting aside the speckled goats and lambs for himself away from Laban's sheep.
41 Thereafter, Jacob [continued] to put the rods in the troughs before the cattle, so they would mate in front of the rods. 42 And when the cattle gave birth, [he would give] the unmarked ones to Laban, but he set aside the marked ones as his. 43 And [before long], he became very rich with many cattle, oxen, male and female servants, camels, and burros.
2 This made Jacob very angry with RachEl, so he asked: 'Am I in the position of God who has deprived you of the fruit of your womb?'
3 Then RachEl told Jacob: 'Look; Here's my handmaid BalLa. [Sleep] with her, and she will give birth [to children] on my knees… I will have children by her.'
4 So she gave him BalLa her handmaid to be his woman, and Jacob went in [and slept with] her. 5 As the result, BalLa (RachEl's handmaid) got pregnant and bore a son to Jacob. 6 Then RachEl said: 'God has given me justice and listened to my voice, for He has given me a son.' So she named him Dan (Justice).
7 Then BalLa (RachEl's handmaid) got pregnant again and bore a second son to Jacob. 8 And RachEl said: 'God has helped me… I fought with my sister and won.' So she named him NaphTali (Struggle).
9 Well, when LeAh saw that she was no longer bearing children, she took ZelPha her handmaid and gave her to Jacob as his woman, and he went in to [sleep with] her. 10 So ZelPha, LeAh's handmaid, got pregnant and bore Jacob a son. 11 And LeAh said, '[I'm] happy!' So she named him Gad (Happiness).
12 Then ZelPha, LeAh's handmaid, got pregnant again and bore Jacob a second son. 13 This time, LeAh said: 'I am blest, because the women will call me blest.' So she named him Asher (Blessings).
14 Well, when it came time to harvest the barley, ReuBen went out to the field and found some mandrake apples [growing] there, and he brought them to his mother LeAh. Then RachEl said to her sister, 'Give me some of your son's mandrakes!'
15 And LeAh replied: 'Isn't it enough that you've taken my man… would you also take my son's mandrakes?' And RachEl said: '[I'll] allow you to [sleep] with [Jacob] tonight for your son's mandrakes.'
16 So that evening, when Jacob came in from the field, LeAh went out to meet him and said: 'You will [sleep] with me tonight, because I've hired you for my son's mandrakes.' So he slept with her that night, 17 and God listened to LeAh, so she got pregnant and bore a fifth son to Jacob. 18 And LeAh said: 'God has rewarded me for giving my handmaid to my man.' So she named him IshSachar (Reward).
19 Then LeAh got pregnant again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 And LeAh said: 'God has given me a fine gift this time. For my man will choose me, since I've given him six sons.' So she named him ZebuLon (Gift).
21 And after that, she gave birth to a daughter whom she named DinAh (Justified).
22 Then God remembered RachEl… He heard her and opened her womb, 23 so she got pregnant and bore Jacob a son. And RachEl said: 'Jehovah has removed my disgrace.' 24 So she named him JoSeph (Jehovah Will Increase), saying, 'May God give me another son.'
25 Well, after RachEl had given birth to JoSeph, Jacob said to Laban: '[Allow] me to leave, so I can return to my country and my home. 26 Free my women and children that I served you for, so I can go, since you're aware of all the services that I've provided to you.'
27 And Laban replied: 'If I've found favor in your eyes, it's a good sign for me, because Jehovah has blest me by your coming here. 28 Now, tell me how much I owe you and I'll pay it.'
29 And Jacob said: 'You know how many ways I've served you and how many of your cattle I've [taken care of]. 30 You didn't have many before I came here, and now there are many! So, Jehovah God has blest you since I arrived. And now, let me establish my own house.'
31 Then Laban asked: 'What should I give you?' And Jacob replied, 'Don't give me anything… just do this one thing for me: I will continue to watch over your flocks and tend them, 32 and as your sheep pass by each day, let me set aside the dark sheep and the speckled and spotted goats as my reward. 33 So tomorrow, my righteousness will answer for me, because this will be my reward from you. You can steal back any goats that aren't spotted or speckled, or any sheep that aren't dark.'
34 And Laban agreed, saying: 'May it be as you've said.'
35 However, that same day, [Laban craftily] separated the spotted and speckled billy goats and nanny goats, and all the dark sheep from those that were white, and he gave them to his sons. 36 Then he sent [them away] on a three-day journey from Jacob, while he was tending the animals that were left behind.
37 Well thereafter, Jacob gathered some green rods from storax, walnut, and sycamore trees, and alternately peeled them [to create the look of] white and green stripes, which gave a [spotted] appearance to the rods. 38 Then he laid the rods he had peeled at the bottom of the watering troughs, so that when the cattle came to drink, they would see the rods and mate there in front of the rods. 39 And [that's what happened]… the cattle did get pregnant at the rods and gave birth to [young with] speckles, streaks, and ash-colored spots. 40 Then Jacob separated the lambs, setting aside the speckled goats and lambs for himself away from Laban's sheep.
41 Thereafter, Jacob [continued] to put the rods in the troughs before the cattle, so they would mate in front of the rods. 42 And when the cattle gave birth, [he would give] the unmarked ones to Laban, but he set aside the marked ones as his. 43 And [before long], he became very rich with many cattle, oxen, male and female servants, camels, and burros.
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