Genesis 30

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BBE WEB

A further account of Jacob's family

Now Rachel, because she had no children, was full of envy of her sister; and she said to Jacob, If you do not give me children I will not go on living. When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I will die.”
But Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said, Am I in the place of God, who has kept your body from having fruit? Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in God’s place, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”
Then she said, Here is my servant Bilhah, go in to her, so that she may have a child on my knees, and I may have a family by her. She said, “Behold, my maid Bilhah. Go in to her, that she may bear on my knees, and I also may obtain children by her.”
So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. She gave him Bilhah her handmaid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.
And Bilhah became with child, and gave birth to a son. Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son.
Then Rachel said, God has been my judge, and has given ear to my voice, and has given me a son; so he was named Dan. Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son.” Therefore called she his name Dan.
And again Bilhah, Rachel's servant, was with child, and gave birth to a second son. Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid, conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son.
And Rachel said, I have had a great fight with my sister, and I have overcome her: and she gave the child the name Naphtali. Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed.” She named him Naphtali.
When it was clear to Leah that she would have no more children for a time, she gave Zilpah, her servant, to Jacob as a wife. When Leah saw that she had finished bearing, she took Zilpah, her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
And Zilpah, Leah's servant, gave birth to a son. Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, bore Jacob a son.
And Leah said, It has gone well for me: and she gave him the name Gad. Leah said, “How fortunate!” She named him Gad.
And Zilpah, Leah's servant, gave birth to a second son. Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, bore Jacob a second son.
And Leah said, Happy am I! and all women will give witness to my joy: and she gave him the name Asher. Leah said, “Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy.” She named him Asher.

Rachel beareth Joseph

Now at the time of the grain-cutting, Reuben saw some love-fruits in the field, and took them to his mother Leah. And Rachel said to her, Let me have some of your son's love-fruits. Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother, Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
But Leah said to her, Is it a small thing that you have taken my husband from me? and now would you take my son's love-fruits? Then Rachel said, You may have him tonight in exchange for your son's love-fruits. 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, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”
In the evening, when Jacob came in from the field, Leah went out to him and said, Tonight you are to come to me, for I have given my son's love-fruits as a price for you. And he went in to her that night. Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, “You must come in to me; for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” He lay with her that night.
And God gave ear to her and she became with child, and gave Jacob a fifth son. God listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.
Then Leah said, God has made payment to me for giving my servant-girl to my husband: so she gave her son the name Issachar. Leah said, “God has given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband.” She named him Issachar.
And again Leah became with child, and she gave Jacob a sixth son. Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
And she said, God has given me a good bride-price; now at last will I have my husband living with me, for I have given him six sons: and she gave him the name Zebulun. Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good dowry. Now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons.” She named him Zebulun.
After that she had a daughter, to whom she gave the name Dinah. Afterwards, she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.
Then God gave thought to Rachel, and hearing her prayer he made her fertile. God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb.
And she was with child, and gave birth to a son: and she said, God has taken away my shame. She conceived, bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”
And she gave him the name Joseph, saying, May the Lord give me another son. She named him Joseph, saying, “May Yahweh add another son to me.”

Jacob's new agreement with Laban to serve him for cattle

Now after the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Let me go away to my place and my country. It happened, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place, and to my country.
Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have been your servant, and let me go: for you have knowledge of all the work I have done for you. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service with which I have served you.”
And Laban said, If you will let me say so, do not go away; for I have seen by the signs that the Lord has been good to me because of you. Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake.”
Say then what your payment is to be and I will give it. He said, “Appoint me your wages, and I will give it.”
Then Jacob said, You have seen what I have done for you, and how your cattle have done well under my care. He said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared with me.
For before I came you had little, and it has been greatly increased; and the Lord has given you a blessing in everything I have done; but when am I to do something for my family? For it was little which you had before I came, and it has increased to a multitude. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I turned. Now when will I provide for my own house also?”
And Laban said, What am I to give you? And Jacob said, Do not give me anything; but I will again take up the care of your flock if you will only do this for me: He said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it.
Let me go through all your flock today, taking out from among them all the sheep which are marked or coloured or black, and all the marked or coloured goats: these will be my payment. I will pass through all your flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. This will be my hire.
And so you will be able to put my honour to the test in time to come; if you see among my flocks any goats which are not marked or coloured, or any sheep which is not black, you may take me for a thief. So my righteousness will answer for me hereafter, when you come concerning my hire that is before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that might be with me, will be counted stolen.”
And Laban said, Let it be as you say. Laban said, “Behold, let it be according to your word.”
So that day he took all the he-goats which were banded or coloured, and all the she-goats which were marked or coloured or had white marks, and all the black sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons; That day, he removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.
And sent them three days' journey away: and Jacob took care of the rest of Laban's flock. He set three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
Then Jacob took young branches of trees, cutting off the skin so that the white wood was seen in bands. Jacob took to himself rods of fresh poplar, almond, plane tree, peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
And he put the banded sticks in the drinking-places where the flock came to get water; and they became with young when they came to the water. He set the rods which he had peeled opposite the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink.
And because of this, the flock gave birth to young which were marked with bands of colour. The flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks produced streaked, speckled, and spotted.
These lambs Jacob kept separate; and he put his flock in a place by themselves and not with Laban's flock. Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the black in the flock of Laban: and he put his own droves apart, and didn’t put them into Laban’s flock.
And whenever the stronger ones of the flock became with young, Jacob put the sticks in front of them in the drinking-places, so that they might become with young when they saw the sticks. It happened, whenever the stronger of the flock conceived, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods;
But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put the sticks before them; so that the feebler flocks were Laban's and the stronger were Jacob's. but when the flock were feeble, he didn’t put them in. So the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.
So Jacob's wealth was greatly increased; he had great flocks and women-servants and men-servants and camels and asses. The man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.
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