1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing children for Jacob, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, 'Give me children, or I will die!'

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 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, 'Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?'

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 Then she said, 'Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me, and through her, I too can build a family.'

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 So she gave him her maidservant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob slept with her.

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

5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.

6 Then Rachel said, 'God has judged in my favor; He has listened to my plea and given me a son.' So she named him Dan.

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 Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

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

8 Then Rachel said, 'I have struggled greatly with my sister and I have prevailed.' So she named him Naphtali.

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 stopped bearing children, she took her maidservant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

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

10 And Leah’s maidservant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son.

11 Then Leah said, 'What good fortune!' So she named him Gad.

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

12 Leah’s maidservant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son.

13 Then Leah said, 'How happy I am! The women will call me blessed.' So she named him Asher.

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

14 During the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, 'Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.'

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 But Leah said to her, 'Isn’t it enough that you took my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?' Rachel said, 'Very well, he can sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.'

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 When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, 'You must come to me tonight, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.' So he slept with her that night.

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 God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.

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

18 Then Leah said, 'God has rewarded me because I gave my servant to my husband.' So she named him Issachar.

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 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.

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

20 Then Leah said, 'God has endowed me with a wonderful gift. This time my husband will honor me because I have borne him six sons.' So she named him Zebulun.

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 After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

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

22 Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb.

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

23 She conceived and gave birth to a son and said, 'God has taken away my disgrace.'

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

24 She named him Joseph and said, 'May the LORD add another son to me.'

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

25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, 'Send me on my way so I can go back to my homeland.'

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 children, for whom I have served you, so that I may go. You know how hard I have worked for you.’

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 But Laban said to him, 'If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me because of you.'

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 He continued, 'Name your wages, and I will pay them.'

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

29 Jacob said to him, 'You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care.'

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

30 For you had little before I came, but now it has increased greatly. The LORD has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when can I provide for my own household?

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 Laban asked, 'What shall I give you?' Jacob replied, 'You shall give me nothing. If you do this one thing for me, I will continue to tend and watch over your flock.'

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 Let me pass through all your flocks today and remove every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. These will become my wages.

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 My honesty will testify for me in the future. When you check what I’ve taken as payment, if you find any in my possession that is not speckled or spotted among the goats, or dark-colored among the lambs, let it be considered stolen.

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 Laban said, 'Very well, let it be as you have said.'

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

35 That same day, Laban went and removed all the streaked or spotted male goats, all the speckled or spotted female goats, and every dark-colored lamb. He placed them in the care of his sons.

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 Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to take care of the rest of Laban's flocks.

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

37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled white stripes into them, exposing the inner wood.

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 He placed the peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so they would mate when they came to drink.

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 mated in front of the branches, and they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, or spotted.

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

40 Jacob separated the lambs and made the rest of the flock face the streaked and the dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Then he kept his own flocks separate and did not put them with Laban's flock.

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 Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks so they would mate near the branches.

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 if the animals were weak, he would not place the branches there. So the weaker animals went to Laban, and the stronger ones to Jacob.

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

43 In this way, the man became exceedingly prosperous, and he had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

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