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Genesis 30
New Catholic Bible

Chapter 30

1 Rachel, seeing that it had not been granted to her to bear sons to Jacob, became jealous of her sister and said to Jacob, “Give me sons, or I shall die!”

2 Jacob was irritated with Rachel and said, “Am I God? He is the one who did not grant you the fruit of the womb.”

3 She answered, “Here is my servant Bilhah; sleep with her so that she may give birth upon my knees[a] and I also may have offspring through her.”

4 She gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore a son to Jacob. 6 Rachel said, “God has been just to me and has also listened to my voice, giving me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.

7 Bilhah, the slave of Rachel, conceived a second time and bore another son to Jacob. 8 Rachel said, “I have undergone a great struggle with my sister and I have won.” Because of this she named him Naphtali.

9 Leah, seeing that she had ceased bearing children, took her slave Zilpah and gave her as a wife to Jacob. 10 Zilpah, the slave of Leah, bore Jacob a son. 11 Leah said, “What good luck!” And she named him Gad.

12 Zilpah, the slave of Leah, bore a second son to Jacob. 13 Leah said, “What joy! The women shall call me truly happy.” Therefore, she named him Asher.

14 Around the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes,[b] and he brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me a little of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But Leah answered, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Why do you want to take away my son’s mandrakes as well?” Rachel answered, “Then he can lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

16 That night, when Jacob arrived from the fields, Leah went out to him and said to him, “You must sleep with me because I paid for the right to have you with my son’s mandrakes.” Thus, he slept with her that night. 17 God heard Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob. 18 Leah said, “God has rewarded me for having given my slave to my husband.” This is why she named him Issachar.

19 Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 Leah said, “God gave me a beautiful gift. This time my husband will prefer me because I have borne him six sons.” She therefore named him Zebulun.

21 She then bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 God also remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has removed my dishonor.” 24 She named him Joseph saying, “May the Lord grant me another son.”

25 Jacob’s Means of Becoming Prosperous.[c] After Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Let me go and return to my homeland. 26 Give me my wives, for whom I have served you, and my children, so that I can leave. You know how I served you.”

27 Laban said to him, “If I have found favor with you, please stay, for through divination I have come to know that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” 28 He added, “Establish your salary and I will give it to you.”

29 He answered, “You know how I served you and how your possessions have multiplied through my work. 30 What little you had before I arrived has grown beyond measure, and the Lord has blessed you since my arrival. But now, when will I be able to work for myself as well?”

31 Laban then said, “What must I do for you?” Jacob answered, “You do not have to do anything if you will do the following for me. I will return to pasture your flock and watch over it. 32 Today I will pass through all the animals. I will separate every dark animal from among the sheep and every goat that is spotted or speckled. This will be my salary. 33 In the future, let my honesty answer for me. When you come to verify my salary, every animal that is not speckled or spotted from among the goats and those that are not dark from among the sheep, if you find them with me, will be considered to have been robbed.”

34 Laban said, “Good, let it be as you have said.” 35 That day he removed the speckled and spotted he-goats and the speckled and spotted she-goats, all of those that had some white on them, and every sheep that was a dark color. He placed the flock in the care of his sons, 36 and he determined that there should be a distance of a three days’ journey by camel from Jacob’s flock. Jacob cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.

37 But Jacob took fresh shoots of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and he made white[d] stripes in them by peeling the bark back down to the white core of the shoots. 38 He then took the shoots from which he had peeled the bark and he placed them in the channels, that is, in the watering troughs where the animals came to drink. They were placed where the animals could see them, and the animals mated when they came to drink. 39 Thus, the animals mated in the sight of the shoots, and the goats had kids that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.[e]

40 As for the sheep, Jacob separated them and had them face the animals that were streaked or fully dark of the flock of Laban. He put his own flock in a separate place; he did not put them together with Laban’s flock. 41 Every once in a while, the healthier animals mated, and Jacob would put the shoots in the trough where the animals could see them, so that they would mate in the sight of the shoots. 42 When the animals were weak, he did not put them there. Thus, the weak animals belonged to Laban, and those that were healthy belonged to Jacob. 43 He grew rich beyond measure and possessed great numbers of flocks, male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 30:3 Upon my knees: after birth a father customarily took a child on his lap to indicate it was his. Rachel appeals to this custom to show that Bilhah’s child is hers.
  2. Genesis 30:14 Mandrakes: the ancients regarded the mandrake or mandragora as an aphrodisiac and capable of promoting pregnancy.
  3. Genesis 30:25 For a long time, Laban has exploited the services of his nephew; now, despite their agreement, he deprives him of the speckled sheep and dark-colored goats to prevent him from obtaining a flock for himself. But Jacob has a trick or two up his sleeve.
  4. Genesis 30:37 Poplar . . . white: the Hebrew terms for these words are puns on the name Laban. As Jacob had gotten the best of Esau (whose other name, Edom, means “red”) by means of red stew (Gen 25:30), so he now tries to get the best of Laban (whose name means “white”) by means of white branches. In effect, Jacob is using Laban’s own tactic (deception) against him.
  5. Genesis 30:39 Jacob’s scheme works—but only because of God’s intervention (see Jacob’s own admission in Gen 31:9), not because of Jacob’s superstition.
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Genesis 30
New American Standard Bible

The Sons of Jacob

30 Now when Rachel saw that (A)she had not borne Jacob any children, [a]she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “(B)Give me children, or else I am going to die.” 2 Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has (C)withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3 Then she said, “(D)Here is my female slave Bilhah: have relations with her that she may (E)give birth [b]on my knees, so that [c](F)by her I too may obtain a child.” 4 So (G)she gave him her slave Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had relations with her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has [d](H)vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him [e]Dan. 7 And Rachel’s slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 So Rachel said, “With [f]mighty wrestling I have [g]wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 And Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “[h]How fortunate!” So she named him [i]Gad. 12 And Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “[j]Happy am I! For women (I)will call me happy.” So she named him [k]Asher.

14 Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found (J)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.” 15 But 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.” 16 When 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. 17 God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has given me my [l]reward, because I gave my slave to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. 19 And Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; finally my husband [m]will acknowledge me as his wife, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 21 Afterward she gave birth to a daughter, and named her Dinah.

22 Then (K)God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and (L)opened her womb. 23 So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and said, “God has (M)taken away my disgrace.” 24 And she named him Joseph, saying, “(N)May the Lord [n]give me another son.”

Jacob Prospers

25 Now it came about, when Rachel had given birth to Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “(O)Send me away, so that I may go to my own place and to my own country. 26 Give me my wives and my children (P)for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you yourself know my service which I have [o]rendered you.” 27 But Laban said to him, “If [p]it pleases you at all, stay with me; I have determined by divination (Q)that the Lord has blessed me on your account.” 28 He [q]continued, “(R)Name me your wages, and I will give them.” 29 But Jacob said to him, “(S)You yourself know how I have served you and how your livestock have [r]fared with me. 30 For you had little before [s]I came, and it has [t]increased to a multitude, and the Lord has blessed you [u]wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?” 31 So 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: 32 let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every (T)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. 33 So my [v]honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my [w]wages. Every one that is not speckled or spotted among the goats, or black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen.” 34 Laban said, “[x]Good, let it be according to your word.” 35 So 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 [y]care of his sons. 36 And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Then Jacob [z]took fresh rods of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white that was [aa]in the rods. 38 He 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. 39 So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks delivered striped, speckled, and spotted offspring. 40 Then Jacob separated the lambs, and [ab]made 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. 41 Moreover, 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; 42 but when the flock was sickly, he did not put them in; so the sickly were Laban’s, and the stronger were Jacob’s. 43 So (U)the man [ac]became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 30:1 Lit Rachel
  2. Genesis 30:3 I.e., prob. referring to a ritual of adoption
  3. Genesis 30:3 Lit from her I too may be built
  4. Genesis 30:6 Lit judged
  5. Genesis 30:6 I.e., He judged
  6. Genesis 30:8 Lit wrestlings of God
  7. Genesis 30:8 Heb niphtal, related to Naphtali
  8. Genesis 30:11 Lit With fortune! Some ancient versions Fortune has come
  9. Genesis 30:11 I.e., Fortune
  10. Genesis 30:13 Lit With my happiness!
  11. Genesis 30:13 I.e., happy
  12. Genesis 30:18 Heb sachar, related to Issachar
  13. Genesis 30:20 Heb zabal, related to Zebulun
  14. Genesis 30:24 Lit add to me; Heb Joseph
  15. Genesis 30:26 Lit served
  16. Genesis 30:27 Lit I have found favor in your eyes
  17. Genesis 30:28 Lit said
  18. Genesis 30:29 Lit been
  19. Genesis 30:30 Lit me
  20. Genesis 30:30 Lit broken forth
  21. Genesis 30:30 Lit at my foot
  22. Genesis 30:33 Lit righteousness
  23. Genesis 30:33 Lit wages which are before you
  24. Genesis 30:34 Lit Behold, would that it might be
  25. Genesis 30:35 Lit hand
  26. Genesis 30:37 Lit took to himself
  27. Genesis 30:37 Lit on
  28. Genesis 30:40 Lit set the faces
  29. Genesis 30:43 Lit broke forth
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Genesis 30
New International Version

30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children,(A) she became jealous of her sister.(B) So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God,(C) who has kept you from having children?”(D)

3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah,(E) my servant.(F) Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”(G)

4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife.(H) Jacob slept with her,(I) 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me;(J) he has listened to my plea and given me a son.”(K) Because of this she named him Dan.[a](L)

7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah(M) conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.”(N) So she named him Naphtali.[b](O)

9 When Leah(P) saw that she had stopped having children,(Q) she took her servant Zilpah(R) and gave her to Jacob as a wife.(S) 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah(T) bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”[c] So she named him Gad.[d](U)

12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me(V) happy.”(W) So she named him Asher.[e](X)

14 During wheat harvest,(Y) Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants,(Z) which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough(AA) that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”

“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”(AB)

16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.”(AC) So he slept with her that night.

17 God listened to Leah,(AD) and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.”(AE) So she named him Issachar.[f](AF)

19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor,(AG) because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.[g](AH)

21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.(AI)

22 Then God remembered Rachel;(AJ) he listened to her(AK) and enabled her to conceive.(AL) 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son(AM) and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”(AN) 24 She named him Joseph,[h](AO) and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”(AP)

Jacob’s Flocks Increase

25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way(AQ) so I can go back to my own homeland.(AR) 26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you,(AS) and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”

27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(AT) please stay. I have learned by divination(AU) that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”(AV) 28 He added, “Name your wages,(AW) and I will pay them.”

29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have worked for you(AX) and how your livestock has fared under my care.(AY) 30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been.(AZ) But now, when may I do something for my own household?(BA)”

31 “What shall I give you?” he asked.

“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat.(BB) They will be my wages.(BC) 33 And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored,(BD) will be considered stolen.(BE)”

34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35 That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs,(BF) and he placed them in the care of his sons.(BG) 36 Then he put a three-day journey(BH) between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond(BI) and plane trees(BJ) and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches.(BK) 38 Then he placed the peeled branches(BL) in all the watering troughs,(BM) so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat(BN) and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches.(BO) And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.(BP) 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals(BQ) that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females were in heat,(BR) Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches,(BS) 42 but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob.(BT) 43 In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.(BU)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 30:6 Dan here means he has vindicated.
  2. Genesis 30:8 Naphtali means my struggle.
  3. Genesis 30:11 Or “A troop is coming!”
  4. Genesis 30:11 Gad can mean good fortune or a troop.
  5. Genesis 30:13 Asher means happy.
  6. Genesis 30:18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward.
  7. Genesis 30:20 Zebulun probably means honor.
  8. Genesis 30:24 Joseph means may he add.
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