King James New American Standard Bible
  • 1 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 chestnut 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 Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.”
  • 2 Then 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?”
  • 3 She said, “Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may have children.”
  • 4 So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.
  • 5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.
  • 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him Dan.
  • 7 Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
  • 8 So Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.
  • 9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
  • 10 Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
  • 11 Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.
  • 12 Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.
  • 13 Then Leah said, “Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
  • 14 Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went 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.”
  • 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 lie with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes.”
  • 16 When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, then 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.” So he lay with her that night.
  • 17 God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.
  • 18 Then Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
  • 19 Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
  • 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.
  • 21 Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.
  • 22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb.
  • 23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”
  • 24 She named him Joseph, saying, “May the LORD give me another son.”
  • 25 Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country.
  • 26 “Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you.”
  • 27 But Laban said to him, “If now it pleases you, {stay with me; I have divined that the LORD has blessed me on your account.”
  • 28 He continued, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.”
  • 29 But he said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me.
  • 30 “For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the LORD has blessed you 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 speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.
  • 33 “So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen.”
  • 34 Laban said, “Good, let it be according to your word.”
  • 35 So he removed on that day the striped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, every one with white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the 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 took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods.
  • 38 He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters, even in the watering troughs, 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 brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.
  • 40 Jacob separated the lambs, and 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 gutters, so that they might mate by the rods;
  • 42 but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's.
  • 43 So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission.