Genesis

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.

1Rachel saw that she had no children with Jacob. She was jealous of her sister Leah. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I will die!"

2And 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?

2Jacob got angry with Rachel. He said, "I am not God. He is the one who has not given you children."

3And 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.

3Rachel said, "Here is Bilhah, my servant. Have a baby with her. Her child will count as my own child."

4And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.

4So Rachel gave her servant Bilhah to Jacob as a wife. Jacob slept with her.

5And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.

5Bilhah was going to have a baby. She gave birth to a son for Jacob.

6And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.

6Rachel said, "God has been fair to me. He heard me and gave me a son." So she named him Dan.

7And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.

7Bilhah, Rachel's servant, had another baby. It was a second son for Jacob.

8And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.

8Rachel said, "I fought hard against my sister, and I won." So she named him Naphtali.

9When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.

9Leah saw that she had stopped having babies. So she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.

10And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son.

10Zilpah, Leah's servant, gave birth to a son for Jacob.

11And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

11Leah said, "How lucky I am!" So she named him Gad.

12And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a second son.

12Zilpah, Leah's servant, gave birth to a second son for Jacob.

13And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

13Leah said, "How happy I am! The women will say I am blessed." So she named him Asher.

14And 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.

14It was time to bring in the wheat. Reuben was out in the field. He found some mandrake plants and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."

NoteMandrakes are a plant with a thick root and small fruit. Long ago people believed they helped a woman have a baby.

15And 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.

15Leah said, "You already took my husband. Now you want my son's mandrakes too?" Rachel said, "Fine. Jacob can sleep at your tent tonight, for the mandrakes."

16And 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.

16That evening Jacob came in from the field. Leah went out to meet him. She said, "You must come with me. I paid for you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night.

17And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.

17God listened to Leah. She had another baby. It was a fifth son for Jacob.

18And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.

18Leah said, "God has paid me back, because I gave my servant to my husband." So she named him Issachar.

19And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.

19Leah had another baby. It was a sixth son for Jacob.

20And 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.

20Leah said, "God has given me a fine gift. Now my husband will stay with me. I have given him six sons." So she named him Zebulun.

21And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

21After that Leah had a daughter. She named her Dinah.

22And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

22Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and let her have a baby.

23And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:

23She gave birth to a son. She said, "God has taken away my shame."

24And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.

24She named him Joseph. She said, "May the LORD give me one more son."

25And 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.

25After Rachel had Joseph, Jacob spoke to Laban. He said, "Let me go. I want to go home to my own land."

26Give 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.

26"Give me my wives and my children. I worked for you to get them. Then let me go. You know how hard I have worked for you."

27And 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.

27Laban said, "Please stay, if you are willing. I have learned that the LORD has blessed me because of you."

28And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.

28Laban said, "Tell me what pay you want. I will give it to you."

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

29Jacob said, "You know how I have worked for you. You know how well your animals have done with me."

30For 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?

30"You had very little before I came. Now you have a great deal. The LORD has blessed you wherever I went. But when do I get to take care of my own family?"

31And 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.

31Laban asked, "What should I give you?" Jacob said, "Don't give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I will keep taking care of your animals."

32I 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.

32"Today let me walk through all your animals. I will take out every speckled and spotted sheep, and every dark lamb. I will take out every spotted and speckled goat. Those will be my pay."

NoteThe KJV says "cattle." In 1611 that word meant farm animals of any kind, mostly sheep and goats here, not cows.

33So 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.

33"Later you can check on my animals, and you will see I am honest. Any goat of mine that is not speckled or spotted counts as stolen. Any sheep of mine that is not dark counts as stolen too."

34And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.

34Laban said, "Agreed. Let it be the way you said."

35And 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.

35That same day Laban took out the male goats with stripes and spots. He took out the female goats with speckles and spots, and every goat with any white on it. He took out every dark lamb too. He gave them to his sons to keep.

NoteThe KJV word "ringstraked" means streaked, with stripes of color in the animal's coat.

36And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

36Then Laban moved those animals three days' walk away from Jacob. Jacob took care of the rest of Laban's flocks.

37And 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.

37Jacob cut fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He peeled off strips of bark. That made white stripes show on the branches.

38And 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.

38He put the peeled branches in the water troughs where the animals drank. The animals saw the branches when they came to drink and mated there.

39And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.

39The animals mated in front of the branches. Their babies had stripes, speckles, and spots.

40And 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.

40Jacob kept these young animals apart. He made Laban's animals face the striped and dark ones. He kept his own animals in a separate group.

41And 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.

41The strong females were ready to mate. Then Jacob put the branches in the troughs where they could see them. So they mated in front of the branches.

42But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.

42But when the animals were weak, he left the branches out. So the weak animals went to Laban, and the strong ones to Jacob.

43And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

43So Jacob grew very rich. He had many animals, servants, camels, and donkeys.