Genesis 30
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
30 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister, and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I will die!
2 And Jacob became very angry with Rachel and he said, Am I in God’s stead, Who has denied you children?
3 And she said, See here, take my maid Bilhah and have intercourse with her; and [when the baby comes] she shall deliver it upon my knees, that I by her may also have children.
4 And she gave him Bilhah her maid as a [secondary] wife, and Jacob had intercourse with her.
5 And Bilhah became pregnant and bore Jacob a son.
6 And Rachel said, God has judged and vindicated me, and has heard my plea and has given me a son; so she named him Dan [judged].
7 And Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
8 And Rachel said, With mighty wrestlings [in prayer to God] I have struggled with my sister and have prevailed; so she named him [this second son Bilhah bore] Naphtali [struggled].
9 When Leah saw that she had ceased to bear, she gave Zilpah her maid to Jacob as a [secondary] wife.
10 And Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob a son.
11 Then Leah said, Victory and good fortune have come; and she named him Gad [fortune].
12 Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob [her] second son.
13 And Leah said, I am happy, for women will call me blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied); and she named him Asher [happy].
14 Now Reuben went at the time of wheat harvest and found some mandrakes (love apples) in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray you, some of your son’s mandrakes.
15 But [Leah] answered, Is it not enough that you have taken my husband without your taking away my son’s [a]mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Jacob shall sleep with you tonight [in exchange] for your son’s mandrakes.
16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, You must sleep with me [tonight], for I have certainly paid your hire with my son’s mandrakes. So he slept with her that night.
17 And God heeded Leah’s [prayer], and she conceived and bore Jacob [her] fifth son.
18 Leah said, God has given me my hire, because I have given my maid to my husband; and she called his name Issachar [hired].
19 And Leah became pregnant again and bore Jacob [her] sixth son.
20 Then Leah said, God has endowed me with a good marriage gift [for my husband]; now will he dwell with me [and regard me as his wife in reality], because I have borne him six sons; and she named him Zebulun [dwelling].
21 Afterwards she bore a daughter and called her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel and answered her pleading and made it possible for her to have children.
23 And [now for the first time] she became pregnant and bore a son; and she said, God has taken away my reproach, disgrace, and humiliation.
24 And she called his name Joseph [may he add] and said, May the Lord add to me another son.
25 When Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my own place and country.
26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know the work which I have done for you.
27 And Laban said to him, If I have found favor in your sight, I pray you [do not go]; for I have learned by experience and from the omens in divination that the Lord has favored me with blessings on your account.
28 He said, State your salary and I will give it.
29 Jacob answered him, You know how I have served you, and how your possessions, your cattle and sheep and goats, have fared with me.
30 For you had little before I came, and it has increased and multiplied abundantly; and the Lord has favored you with blessings wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own house also?
31 [Laban] said, What shall I give you? And Jacob said, You shall not give me anything, if you will do this one thing for me [of which I am about to tell you], and I will again feed and take care of your flock.
32 Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted animal and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.
33 So later when the matter of my wages is brought before you, my fair dealing will be evident and answer for me. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the sheep, if found with me, shall be counted as stolen.
34 And Laban said, Good; let it be done as you say.
35 But that same day [Laban] removed the he-goats that were streaked and spotted and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every black lamb, and put them in charge of his sons.
36 And he set [a distance of] three days’ journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob was then left in care of the rest of Laban’s flock.
37 But Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white in the rods.
38 Then he set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred and conceived when they came to drink,
39 The flocks bred and conceived in sight of the rods and brought forth lambs and kids streaked, speckled, and spotted.
40 Jacob separated the lambs, and [as he had done with the peeled rods] he also set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the dark in the [new] flock of Laban; and he put his own droves by themselves and did not let them breed with Laban’s flock.
41 And whenever the stronger animals were breeding, Jacob laid the rods in the watering troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed and conceive among the rods.
42 But when the sheep and goats were feeble, he omitted putting the rods there; so the feebler animals were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.
43 Thus the man increased and became exceedingly rich, and had many sheep and goats, and maidservants, menservants, camels, and donkeys.
Footnotes
- Genesis 30:15 Mandrakes were superstitiously supposed to excite and win love.
Genesis 30
New King James Version
Jacob’s Children
30 Now when Rachel saw that (A)she bore Jacob no children, Rachel (B)envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, (C)or else I die!”
2 And Jacob’s anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, (D)“Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”
3 So she said, “Here is (E)my maid Bilhah; go in to her, (F)and she will bear a child on my knees, (G)that I also may [a]have children by her.” 4 Then she gave him Bilhah her maid (H)as wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has (I)judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name [b]Dan. 7 And Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “With [c]great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.” So she called his name [d]Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and (J)gave her to Jacob as wife. 10 And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, [e]“A troop comes!” So she called his name [f]Gad. 12 And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “I am happy, for the daughters (K)will call me blessed.” So she called his name [g]Asher.
14 Now 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, (L)“Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 But she said to her, (M)“Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?”
And Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”
16 When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, 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.” And he lay with her that night.
17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name [h]Issachar. 19 Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name [i]Zebulun. 21 Afterward she bore a (N)daughter, and called her name [j]Dinah.
22 Then God (O)remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and (P)opened her womb. 23 And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away (Q)my reproach.” 24 So she called his name [k]Joseph, and said, (R)“The Lord shall add to me another son.”
Jacob’s Agreement with Laban
25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, (S)“Send me away, that I may go to (T)my own place and to my country. 26 Give me my wives and my children (U)for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you.”
27 And Laban said to him, “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for (V)I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake.” 28 Then he said, (W)“Name me your wages, and I will give it.”
29 So Jacob said to him, (X)“You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me. 30 For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the Lord has blessed you [l]since my coming. And now, when shall I also (Y)provide for my own house?”
31 So he said, “What shall I give you?”
And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks: 32 Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and (Z)these shall be my wages. 33 So my (AA)righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.”
34 And Laban said, “Oh, that it were according to your word!” 35 So he removed that day the male goats that were (AB)speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36 Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 Now (AC)Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. 38 And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink. 39 So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted. 40 Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban’s flock.
41 And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 42 But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 Thus the man (AD)became exceedingly prosperous, and (AE)had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.
Footnotes
- Genesis 30:3 Lit. be built up by her
- Genesis 30:6 Lit. Judge
- Genesis 30:8 Lit. wrestlings of God
- Genesis 30:8 Lit. My Wrestling
- Genesis 30:11 So with Qr., Syr., Tg.; Kt., LXX, Vg. in fortune
- Genesis 30:11 Lit. Troop or Fortune
- Genesis 30:13 Lit. Happy
- Genesis 30:18 Lit. Wages
- Genesis 30:20 Lit. Dwelling
- Genesis 30:21 Lit. Judgment
- Genesis 30:24 Lit. He Will Add
- Genesis 30:30 Lit. at my foot
Genesis 30
King James Version
30 And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
2 And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?
3 And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.
4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
5 And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.
6 And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.
7 And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.
8 And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.
10 And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son.
11 And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.
12 And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son.
13 And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.
14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.
15 And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes.
16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.
17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.
18 And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.
19 And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.
20 And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.
21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:
24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, The Lord shall add to me another son.
25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.
26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.
27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake.
28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
30 For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?
31 And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock.
32 I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.
33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.
34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
35 And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.
36 And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.
37 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
38 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.
39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle.
41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.
43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
1 Moseboken 30
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015
30 När Rakel såg att hon inte födde några barn åt Jakob, blev hon avundsjuk på sin syster och sade till Jakob: ”Skaffa mig barn, annars dör jag.” 2 (A) Då blev Jakob arg på Rakel och svarade: ”Kan jag ersätta Gud? Det är han som har hindrat dig att få barn.” 3 (B) Hon sade: ”Här är min slavinna Bilha. Gå in till henne, så att hon får föda barn åt mig och jag får avkomma genom henne.”
4 Så gav hon honom sin slavinna Bilha till hustru, och Jakob gick in till henne. 5 Bilha blev havande och födde en son åt Jakob. 6 Då sade Rakel: ”Gud har skaffat mig rätt. Han har hört min röst och gett mig en son.” Därför gav hon honom namnet Dan[a].
7 Och Bilha, Rakels slavinna, blev havande igen och födde en andra son åt Jakob. 8 Då sade Rakel: ”Guds kamper har jag kämpat med min syster, och jag har vunnit.” Och hon gav honom namnet Naftali[b].
9 När Lea såg att hon hade slutat föda barn, tog hon sin slavinna Silpa och gav henne till hustru åt Jakob. 10 Och Silpa, Leas slavinna, födde en son åt Jakob. 11 Då sade Lea: ”Vilken lycka[c]!” Och hon gav honom namnet Gad.
12 Leas slavinna Silpa födde en andra son åt Jakob. 13 Då sade Lea: ”Jag är lycklig. Ja, unga kvinnor ska prisa mig lycklig.” Och hon gav honom namnet Asher[d].
14 En gång under veteskörden[e] gick Ruben ut på marken och fann kärleksäpplen[f] som han tog med till sin mor Lea. Då sade Rakel till Lea: ”Ge mig av din sons kärleksäpplen.” 15 Men hon svarade henne: ”Är det inte nog att du har tagit min man? Ska du ta min sons kärleksäpplen också?” Rakel sade: ”Han får ligga med dig i natt om jag får din sons kärleksäpplen.”
16 När Jakob kom hem från marken på kvällen, gick Lea och mötte honom och sade: ”Du ska komma in till mig, för jag har gett min sons kärleksäpplen som lön för dig.” Så låg han med henne den natten. 17 Gud hörde Lea, och hon blev havande och födde en femte son åt Jakob. 18 Då sade Lea: ”Gud har gett mig lön för att jag gav min slavinna åt min man.” Och hon gav honom namnet Isaskar[g].
19 Lea blev havande igen och födde en sjätte son åt Jakob. 20 Då sade hon: ”Gud har gett mig en god gåva. Nu ska min man bo hos mig[h], eftersom jag har fött sex söner åt honom.” Och hon gav honom namnet Sebulon[i].
21 Därefter födde hon en dotter och gav henne namnet Dina[j].
22 Men Gud tänkte på Rakel. Gud hörde henne och gjorde henne fruktsam. 23 Och hon blev havande och födde en son. Då sade hon: ”Gud har tagit bort min skam.” 24 Och hon gav honom namnet Josef[k] och sade: ”Herren ska ge mig en son till.”
Jakobs avtal med Laban
25 När Rakel hade fött Josef[l], sade Jakob till Laban: ”Låt mig resa. Jag vill bege mig hem till min bygd och till mitt land. 26 (C) Ge mig mina hustrur och mina barn som jag har arbetat hos dig för, så ger jag mig av. Du vet ju själv hur jag har arbetat för dig.” 27 Laban svarade honom: ”Låt mig finna nåd för dina ögon. Genom spåtecken[m] förstår jag att Herren har välsignat mig för din skull.” 28 Han tillade: ”Bestäm vad du vill ha i lön av mig, så ska jag ge dig det.”
29 Jakob sade till honom: ”Du vet själv hur jag har arbetat för dig och vad det har blivit av din boskap hos mig. 30 Det lilla du hade innan jag kom har förökat sig och blivit mycket, för Herren har välsignat dig var jag än gått fram. Men när ska jag få göra något för mitt eget hus?” 31 Han svarade: ”Vad ska jag ge dig?”
Jakob sade: ”Du ska inte ge mig något alls. Om du gör som jag säger ska jag fortsätta som herde för din hjord och vakta den. 32 Jag vill gå igenom hela din hjord i dag och skilja ut alla spräckliga och brokiga djur – alla mörka djur bland lammen[n] och de brokiga och spräckliga bland getterna. Det ska vara min lön. 33 När du sedan kommer för att se med egna ögon vad som blivit min lön, då ska min rättfärdighet vara mitt vittne. Alla getter hos mig som inte är spräckliga eller brokiga och alla lamm som inte är mörka ska räknas som stulna.” 34 ”Det är bra”, sade Laban. ”Det får bli som du har sagt.”
35 Samma dag skilde Laban ut de strimmiga och brokiga bockarna och alla spräckliga och brokiga hongetter, alla som det fanns något vitt på, och alla lamm som var mörka. Dessa lämnade han i sina söners vård. 36 Han satte ett avstånd på tre dagsresor mellan sig och Jakob. Och Jakob fick sedan vakta Labans övriga hjord.
37 Men Jakob tog färska käppar av poppel, mandelträd och lönn och gjorde vita ränder på dem genom att skala av barken så att det vita på käpparna syntes. 38 Sedan lade han käpparna som han skalat i rännorna eller vattenhoarna, så att djuren hade dem framför sig när hjordarna kom för att dricka. De brukade para sig när de kom för att dricka. 39 När djuren parade sig vid käpparna blev djurens avkomma strimmig, spräcklig och brokig. 40 Sedan förde Jakob lammen åt sidan och ordnade de andra djuren så att de vände huvudena mot det strimmiga och allt det mörka i Labans hjord. Så skaffade han sig egna hjordar som han inte blandade med Labans hjord. 41 Så ofta de kraftiga djuren skulle para sig, lade Jakob käpparna framför djurens ögon i rännorna så att de parade sig vid käpparna. 42 Men när det var svaga djur, lade han inte dit dem. På det sättet fick Laban de svaga djuren och Jakob de kraftiga. 43 (D) Och Jakob blev mycket rik. Han fick mycket småboskap och dessutom slavinnor och slavar, kameler och åsnor.
Footnotes
- 30:6 Dan Betyder ”skaffa rätt”.
- 30:8 Naftali Betyder ”min kamp”.
- 30:11 Vilken lycka Judisk lästradition och Peshitta: ”Lyckan kommer”. Namnet Gad betyder ”lycka”.
- 30:13 Asher Betyder ”lycklig”.
- 30:14 under veteskörden Vid tiden kring maj-juni.
- 30:14 kärleksäpplen Alrunan användes som afrodisiaka (jfr Höga V 7:13) och för fruktsamhet.
- 30:18 Isaskar Anknyter till det hebreiska ordet för ”lön”.
- 30:20 bo hos mig Annan översättning (så Septuaginta): ”upphöja mig”.
- 30:20 Sebulon Anknyter till de hebreiska orden för ”gåva”, ”bo” och ”upphöja”.
- 30:21 Dina Kan tolkas som kvinnlig form av Dan, ”skaffa rätt” (jfr 34:31).
- 30:24 Josef Anknyter till de hebreiska orden för ”ta bort” och ”ge ytterligare”. Barnlöshet ansågs vara ett olyckligt öde (jfr 1 Sam 1:5f, Luk 1:25).
- 30:25 När Rakel hade fött Josef Ca 1915 f Kr (jfr 41:46).
- 30:27 spåtecken Längre fram förbjudet i Mose lag (3 Mos 19:31, 5 Mos 18:10f).
- 30:32 spräckliga … brokiga … mörka djur bland lammen Normalt en mycket liten andel av dåtidens får och getter. En herde fick annars ofta 10-20% av de nyfödda djuren som sin lön.
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015, Copyright © 2015 by Svenska Folkbibeln Foundation