Genesis 30 : 1 (NCV)
When Rachel saw that she was not having children for Jacob, she envied her sister Leah. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!"
Genesis 30 : 2 (NCV)
Jacob became angry with her and said, "Can I do what only God can do? He is the one who has kept you from having children."
Genesis 30 : 3 (NCV)
Then Rachel said, "Here is my slave girl Bilhah. Have sexual relations with her so she can give birth to a child for me. Then I can have my own family through her."
Genesis 30 : 4 (NCV)
So Rachel gave Bilhah, her slave girl, to Jacob as a wife, and he had sexual relations with her.
Genesis 30 : 5 (NCV)
She became pregnant and gave Jacob a son.
Genesis 30 : 6 (NCV)
Rachel said, "God has judged me innocent. He has listened to my prayer and has given me a son," so she named him Dan.
Genesis 30 : 7 (NCV)
Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.
Genesis 30 : 8 (NCV)
Rachel said, "I have struggled hard with my sister, and I have won." So she named that son Naphtali.
Genesis 30 : 9 (NCV)
Leah saw that she had stopped having children, so she gave her slave girl Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
Genesis 30 : 10 (NCV)
When Zilpah had a son,
Genesis 30 : 11 (NCV)
Leah said, "I am lucky," so she named him Gad.
Genesis 30 : 12 (NCV)
Zilpah gave birth to another son,
Genesis 30 : 13 (NCV)
and Leah said, "I am very happy! Now women will call me happy," so she named him Asher.
Genesis 30 : 14 (NCV)
During the wheat harvest Reuben went into the field and found some mandraken plants and brought them to his mother Leah. But Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."
Genesis 30 : 15 (NCV)
Leah answered, "You have already taken away my husband, and now you are trying to take away my son's mandrakes." But Rachel answered, "If you will give me your son's mandrakes, you may sleep with Jacob tonight."
Genesis 30 : 16 (NCV)
When Jacob came in from the field that night, Leah went out to meet him. She said, "You will have sexual relations with me tonight because I have paid for you with my son's mandrakes." So Jacob slept with her that night.
Genesis 30 : 17 (NCV)
Then God answered Leah's prayer, and she became pregnant again. She gave birth to a fifth son
Genesis 30 : 18 (NCV)
and said, "God has given me what I paid for, because I gave my slave girl to my husband." So Leah named her son Issachar.
Genesis 30 : 19 (NCV)
Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son.
Genesis 30 : 20 (NCV)
She said, "God has given me a fine gift. Now surely Jacob will honor me, because I have given him six sons," so she named him Zebulun.
Genesis 30 : 21 (NCV)
Later Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
Genesis 30 : 22 (NCV)
Then God remembered Rachel and answered her prayer, making it possible for her to have children.
Genesis 30 : 23 (NCV)
When she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, she said, "God has taken away my shame,"
Genesis 30 : 24 (NCV)
and she named him Joseph. Rachel said, "I wish the Lord would give me another son."
Genesis 30 : 25 (NCV)
After the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Now let me go to my own home and country.
Genesis 30 : 26 (NCV)
Give me my wives and my children and let me go. I have earned them by working for you, and you know that I have served you well."
Genesis 30 : 27 (NCV)
Laban said to him, "If I have pleased you, please stay. I know the Lord has blessed me because of you.
Genesis 30 : 28 (NCV)
Tell me what I should pay you, and I will give it to you."
Genesis 30 : 29 (NCV)
Jacob answered, "You know that I have worked hard for you, and your flocks have grown while I cared for them.
Genesis 30 : 30 (NCV)
When I came, you had little, but now you have much. Every time I did something for you, the Lord blessed you. But when will I be able to do something for my own family?"
Genesis 30 : 31 (NCV)
Laban asked, "Then what should I give you?" Jacob answered, "I don't want you to give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I will come back and take care of your flocks.
Genesis 30 : 32 (NCV)
Today let me go through all your flocks. I will take every speckled or spotted sheep, every black lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. That will be my pay.
Genesis 30 : 33 (NCV)
In the future you can easily see if I am honest. When you come to look at my flocks, if I have any goat that isn't speckled or spotted or any lamb that isn't black, you will know I stole it."
Genesis 30 : 34 (NCV)
Laban answered, "Agreed! We will do what you ask."
Genesis 30 : 35 (NCV)
But that day Laban took away all the male goats that had streaks or spots, all the speckled and spotted female goats (all those that had white on them), and all the black sheep. He told his sons to watch over them.
Genesis 30 : 36 (NCV)
Then he took these animals to a place that was three days' journey away from Jacob. Jacob took care of all the flocks that were left.
Genesis 30 : 37 (NCV)
So Jacob cut green branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off some of the bark so that the branches had white stripes on them.
Genesis 30 : 38 (NCV)
He put the branches in front of the flocks at the watering places. When the animals came to drink, they also mated there,
Genesis 30 : 39 (NCV)
so the flocks mated in front of the branches. Then the young that were born were streaked, speckled, or spotted.
Genesis 30 : 40 (NCV)
Jacob separated the young animals from the others, and he made them face the streaked and dark animals in Laban's flock. Jacob kept his animals separate from Laban's.
Genesis 30 : 41 (NCV)
When the stronger animals in the flock were mating, Jacob put the branches before their eyes so they would mate near the branches.
Genesis 30 : 42 (NCV)
But when the weaker animals mated, Jacob did not put the branches there. So the animals born from the weaker animals were Laban's, and those born from the stronger animals were Jacob's.
Genesis 30 : 43 (NCV)
In this way Jacob became very rich. He had large flocks, many male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.
❮
❯