Genesis 30
1NOW when Rachel saw that she bore no children to Jacob, she envied her sister and said to Jacob, Give me children, else I shall die.
2And Jacob was angry with Rachel and said to her, Am I in God’s stead, who hath deprived thee of the fruit of the womb?
3Then Rachel said to Jacob, There is my maid Balla; go in unto her, and she shall bring forth on my knees, so I also shall be supplied with children by her means.
4So she gave him her maid Balla for a wife; and Jacob went in unto her,
5And Balla Rachel’s maid conceived and bore Jacob a son.
6And Rachel said, God hath judged for me and hath heard my voice and given me a son: for this cause she called his name Dan.
7And Balla, Rachel’s maid conceived again and bore to Jacob another son.
8Whereupon Rachel said, God helped me when I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed. So she called his name Nephthaleim.
9Now when Leia saw that she had ceased from bearing, she also took her maid Zelpha and gave her to Jacob for a wife, and he went in unto her.
10And Zelpha, Leia’s maid conceived and bore Jacob a son.
11Whereupon Leia said, Good luck. So she called his name Gad.
12And Zelpha, Leia’s maid conceived again and bore Jacob another son.
13Upon which Leia said, Happy am I; for the women will call me happy. So she called his name Aser.
14And at the time of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found in the field mandragore apples and brought them to his mother Leia. And Rachel said to her sister Leia, Give me some of thy son’s mandragores.
15And Leia said, Is it not enough for thee that thou hast taken my husband? Wouldst thou take also my son’s mandragores? And Rachel said, Shall I not have them on this condition? Let him be with thee to night for thy son’s mandragores.
16So when Jacob was coming from the field in the evening, Leia went out to meet him and said, Thou must come in to me today; for I have hired thee for my son’s mandragores. And he lay with her that night,
17and God hearkened to Leia and she having conceived bore to Jacob a fifth son.
18And Leia said, God hath given me my reward for having given my maid to my husband. So she called his name Issachar, that is, Reward.
19And Leia conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
20Whereupon Leia said, God hath now endowed me with a good dowry. My husband will make choice of me, for I have born him six sons. So she called his name Zabulon.
21And after this she bore a daughter and called her name Deina.
22Now God had remembered Rachel and God hearkened to her and opened her womb.
23And she having conceived bore Jacob a son. Whereupon she said, God hath taken away my reproach.
24So she called his name Joseph, saying, May God add to me another son.
25And when Rachel had born Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my place and to my own country.
26Give me up my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, that I may go away: for thou knowest the service which I have done thee.
27Upon which Laban said to him, If I have found favour in thy sight, I would avert this evil: for God hath blessed me by thy coming.
28State to me thy wages and I will give it.
29And Jacob said, Thou knowest what service I have done thee, and how many cattle belonging to thee are now with me.
30Thy stock was small before I came; but it is increased to a multitude, and the Lord hath blessed thee by my attendance. Now then, when shall I provide a house for myself?
31And Laban said, What shall I give thee? To which Jacob replied, Thou shalt not give me any thing. If thou wilt do this for me, I will again feed thy flock and keep watch.
32Let all thy flocks this day pass in review and separate thou from them every grey sheep among the lambs, and every one speckled and spotted among the goats.
33Such shall be my hire and my righteousness shall answer for me in time to come; for my wages are apparent to thee. Whatever is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and grey among the sheep, if found with me, let it be deemed stolen.
34And Laban said to him, Let it be according to thy proposal.
35And that very day he separated the goats which were speckled and spotted, both male and female, and every one among the lambs which was greyish and every one in which there was a mixture of white, and delivered them into the hands of his sons,
36and set three days journey between them and Jacob. And Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37And Jacob took him rods of the storax and almond and plane-tree and peeled off the white bark, and twisting it round the green, the white which he peeled off appeared speckled.
38And he placed the rods which he had peeled in the watering troughs, in order that, when the flocks came to drink, they might engender at the rods, while they were drinking with the rods in view.
39So the flocks conceived at the rods and brought forth cattle streaked and spotted and ash-coloured.
40And when Jacob had separated the lambs and placed before the ewes a spotted ram and all that had spots among the lambs, then he kept the flocks which were for himself apart by themselves and did not mix them with the flocks of Laban.
41And at the season when the sheep were engendering and conceiving, Jacob put the rods in the troughs before some, that they might engender before the rods; but before others that had lambed he did not place them.
42Thus the indifferent became Laban’s but the choicest were Jacob’s.
43And the man became very rich and had much cattle and herds and men servants and maid servants and camels and asses.