Genesis 30

The Sons of Jacob

1Now when Rachel saw that she had not borne Jacob any children, #30:1 Lit Rachelshe became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I am going to die.” 2Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3Then she said, “Here is my female slave Bilhah: have relations with her that she may give birth #30:3 I.e., prob. referring to a ritual of adoptionon my knees, so that #30:3 Lit from her I too may be builtby her I too may obtain a child.” 4So she gave him her slave Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had relations with her. 5Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6Then Rachel said, “God has #30:6 Lit judgedvindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him #30:6 I.e., He judgedDan. 7And Rachel’s slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8So Rachel said, “With #30:8 Lit wrestlings of Godmighty wrestling I have #30:8 Heb niphtal, related to Naphtaliwrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.

9When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10And Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11Then Leah said, “#30:11 Lit With fortune! Some ancient versions Fortune has comeHow fortunate!” So she named him #30:11 I.e., FortuneGad. 12And Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13Then Leah said, “#30:13 Lit With my happiness!Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” So she named him #30:13 I.e., happyAsher.

14Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrake fruits in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15But she said to her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Therefore he may sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.” 16When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must have relations with me, for I have indeed hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night. 17God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18Then Leah said, “God has given me my #30:18 Heb sachar, related to Issacharreward, because I gave my slave to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. 19And Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; finally my husband #30:20 Heb zabal, related to Zebulunwill acknowledge me as his wife, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 21Afterward she gave birth to a daughter, and named her Dinah.

22Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 23So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24And she named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord #30:24 Lit add to me; Heb Josephgive me another son.”

Jacob Prospers

25Now it came about, when Rachel had given birth to Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, so that I may go to my own place and to my own country. 26Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you yourself know my service which I have #30:26 Lit servedrendered you.” 27But Laban said to him, “If #30:27 Lit I have found favor in your eyesit pleases you at all, stay with me; I have determined by divination that the Lord has blessed me on your account.” 28He #30:28 Lit saidcontinued, “Name me your wages, and I will give them.” 29But Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you and how your livestock have #30:29 Lit beenfared with me. 30For you had little before #30:30 Lit meI came, and it has #30:30 Lit broken forthincreased to a multitude, and the Lord has blessed you #30:30 Lit at my footwherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?” 31So he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock: 32let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled or spotted sheep and every black sheep among the lambs, and the spotted or speckled among the goats; and those shall be my wages. 33So my #30:33 Lit righteousnesshonesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my #30:33 Lit wages which are before youwages. Every one that is not speckled or spotted among the goats, or black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen.” 34Laban said, “#30:34 Lit Behold, would that it might beGood, let it be according to your word.” 35So he removed on that day the striped or spotted male goats, and all the speckled or spotted female goats, every one with white on it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and put them in the #30:35 Lit handcare of his sons. 36And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37Then Jacob #30:37 Lit took to himselftook fresh rods of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white that was #30:37 Lit onin the rods. 38He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the drinking troughs, that is, in the watering channels where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink. 39So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks delivered striped, speckled, and spotted offspring. 40Then Jacob separated the lambs, and #30:40 Lit set the facesmade the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock. 41Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the drinking troughs, so that they would mate by the rods; 42but when the flock was sickly, he did not put them in; so the sickly were Laban’s, and the stronger were Jacob’s. 43So the man #30:43 Lit broke forthbecame exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

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Bereshis 30

1And when Rachel saw that she did not bear [banim] to Ya'akov, Rachel had kina toward her achot; and said unto Ya'akov, Give me banim, or else I die.

2And af Ya'akov was kindled against Rachel; and he said, Am I in place of Elohim, Who hath withheld from thee p'ri beten?

3And she said, Hinei my amah (maidservant) Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my birkayim, that I may also build up through her.

4And she gave him Bilhah her shifchah (slave woman, maidservant) as isha; and Ya'akov went in unto her.

5And Bilhah conceived, and bore Ya'akov ben.

6And Rachel said, Elohim danani (G-d hath judged me), and hath also heard my voice, and hath given to me ben: therefore called she shmo Dan.

7And Bilhah shifchat Rachel conceived again, and bore Ya'akov ben sheni.

8And Rachel said, With naftulei Elohim niftalti (with wrestlings of G-d have I wrestled) with my achot, and I have prevailed: and she called shmo Naphtali.

9When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her shifchah, and gave her to Ya'akov as isha.

10And Zilpah shifchat Leah bore Ya'akov ben.

11And Leah said, BaGad (What Good Fortune!) And she called shmo Gad.

12And Zilpah shifchat Leah bore Ya'akov ben sheni.

13And Leah said, B'Ashri (Happy am I), for the banot will call me asher (blessed): so she called shmo Asher.

14And Reuven went in the yemei ketzir chittim, and found duda'im (mandrakes) in the sadeh, and brought them unto Leah immo. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, now, of the duda'im of thy ben.

15And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my ish? And wouldest thou take away the duda'im of beni also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee halailah (tonight) for the duda'im of thy ben.

16And Ya'akov came in from the sadeh ba'erev, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with duda'im of beni. And he lay with her that night.

17And Elohim paid heed unto Leah, and she conceived, and bore Ya'akov ben chamishi.

18And Leah said, Elohim hath given me my hire, because I have given my shifchah to my ish; and she called shmo Yissakhar.

19And Leah conceived again, and bore Ya'akov ben shishi.

20And Leah said, Elohim hath endued me with a zeved tov (good endowment); now will my ish zabal (honor) me, because I have born him shisha banim; and she called shmo Zevulun.

21And afterwards she bore a bat, and called her shem Dinah.

22And Elohim remembered Rachel, and Elohim paid heed to her, and opened her rekhem (womb).

23And she conceived, and bore ben; and said, Elohim hath taken away my cherpah (shame, disgrace, reproach);

24And she called shmo Yosef; and said, yosef (may He add), may Hashem add me ben acher (another son).

25And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Yosef, that Ya'akov said unto Lavan, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own makom (place, home) and to my eretz.

26Give me my nashim and my yeladim, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my avodah which I have done thee.

27And Lavan said unto him, Now, if I have found chen (favor, grace) in thine eyes, tarry; for I have learned by nachash (divination) that Hashem hath made a brocha upon me for thy sake.

28And he said, Specify thy sachar (wages, reward), and I will pay it.

29And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy mikneh fared with me.

30For it was me'at (little) which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and Hashem hath made a brocha upon thee since my coming; and now when shall I do for mine own bais also?

31And he said, What shall I give thee? And Ya'akov said, Thou shalt not give me any thing; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again tend and be shomer over thy tzon.

32I will pass through all thy tzon today, removing from there speckled and spotted seh, and every dark seh among the kesavim, and the spotted and speckled among the izzim; and of such shall be my sachar.

33So shall my tzedakah answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my sachar before thy face; every one that is not speckled and spotted among the izzim, and dark among the kesavim, that shall be counted a ganavʼs with me.

34And Lavan said, Agreed, I would it might be according to thy davar.

35And he removed that day the male goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the izzim that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some lavan in it, and all the dark among the kesavim, and gave them into the yad of his banim.

36And he set a derech shloshet yamim between himself and Ya'akov; and Ya'akov tended the rest of the tzon Lavan.

37And Ya'akov took him fresh cut makal (rod, branch) of poplar and of almond and plane tree; and peeled strips of bark in them, and made the lavan (white) appear which was in the maklot (rods, branches).

38And he set the maklot which he had peeled before the flocks in the small channels of the shikatot mayim (watering troughs) when the tzon came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink,

39And the flocks bred before the maklot, and brought forth tzon streaked, speckled, and spotted.

40And Ya'akov did separate the kesavim, and set the faces of the tzon toward the streaked, and all the dark in the tzon Lavan; and he put his own adarim (flocks) by themselves, and put them not unto the tzon Lavan.

41And it came to pass, whensoever tzon hamekusharot (the stronger flock) did breed, that Ya'akov set the maklot before the eyes of the tzon in the trough channels, that they might breed among the maklot.

42But when the tzon were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler would belong to Lavan, and the stronger to Ya'akov.

43And the ish increased exceedingly, and had much tzon, and shefachot, and avadim, and gemalim, and chamorim.

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