30:1 When Rachel saw¹ that she could not bear² children for Jacob, she³ became jealous of her sister. And she said to Jacob, “Give me children or else I will die.” 30:2 And Jacob got angry⁴ with her and said, “Am I in the place of God who has kept from you the fruit of the womb?”⁵ 30:3 So she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah; go in to her that she may bear⁶ children⁷ on my knees,⁸ so that⁹ I also may be built up through her.”

30:4 So she gave him Bilhah her servant as a wife. And Jacob went in to her. 30:5 And Bilhah conceived¹⁰ and bore a son for Jacob. 30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me;¹¹ he has also heard my voice¹² and given me a son.” Therefore¹³ she called his name Dan.

30:7 And Bilhah, the servant of Rachel, conceived¹⁴ again and bore a second son to Jacob. 30:8 Then Rachel said, “A mighty struggle have I waged with my sister, and I have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.¹⁵

30:9 When Leah saw¹⁶ that she had stopped having children, she took Zilpah her servant and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 And Zilpah , the servant of Leah, bore a son for Jacob. 30:11 And Leah said, “How fortunate!” And she called his name Gad.¹⁷

30:12 And Zilpah the servant of Leah bore a second son for Jacob. 30:13 And Leah said, “How happy I am, for women¹⁸ will call me happy!¹⁹ And she called his name Asher.

30:14 At the time²⁰ of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants²¹ in the field, and he brought them to Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some your son’s mandrakes.” 30:15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away²² my husband? Would you also take away²³ my son’s mandrakes?” And Rachel said to her, “Okay,²⁴ he may lie²⁵ with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.” 30:16 When²⁶ Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him; and she said, “You must come in²⁷ to me, for I have hired you²⁸ with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night. 30:17 And God responded²⁹ to Leah; and she conceived³⁰ and bore a fifth son for Jacob. 30:18 And Leah said, “God has given me my reward³¹ because I gave my servant to my husband.”³² And she called his name Issachar.

30:19 And Leah conceived³³ again and bore a sixth son for Jacob. 30:20 And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband honor me because I have born him six sons.” And she called his name Zebulun.³⁴

30:21 And after that she gave birth to a daughter; and she called her name Dinah.

30:22 Then God remembered³⁵ Rachel; God listened to her and opened her womb. 30:23 And she conceived³⁶ and bore a son. And she said, “God has taken away³⁷ my reproach.”³⁸ 30:24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the LORD add³⁹ for me another son.”

30:25 When⁴⁰ Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send⁴¹ me on my way that I may go⁴² to my own place, to my country.⁴³ 30:26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served with you, that I may depart,⁴⁴ for you yourself know the kind of service⁴⁵ with which I have served you.

30:27 But Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, stay;⁴⁶ for I have learned by divination⁴⁷ that the LORD has blessed me on account of you.” 30:28 And he said, “Name your wages to me and I will give them.”

30:29 And he said to him, “You know how I have served you, and how your cattle have fared⁴⁸ with me. 30:30 For it was little that you had before I came⁴⁹ and it has broken forth abundantly.⁵⁰ The LORD⁵¹ has blessed you wherever I was.⁵² But now, how long before I also do something for my own household?”

30:31 And he said, “What should I give you?”

And Jacob said, “You do not have to give me anything.⁵³ If you do this thing for me, I will continue to tend⁵⁴ your flocks and watch over them: 30:32 I will pass through all your flocks today removing from them every speckled and spotted sheep, and every dark one among the sheep, and every spotted or speckled among the goats; and they will be my wages.⁵⁵ 30:33 And my integrity⁵⁶ will witness for me⁵⁷ at the end,⁵⁸ when you come concerning my wages that are before you:⁵⁹ any of the goats that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark colored that is in my possession will be considered stolen.”

30:34 And Laban said, “Fine. Let it be according to your word.”

30:35 And so he removed that day all the male goats that were streaked or spotted and all the female goats that were speckled or spotted, all that had white on them, and all the dark colored sheep, and he gave them into the care⁶⁰ of his sons. 30:36 And he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob, while⁶¹ Jacob was tending the remaining flocks of Laban.

30:37 But Jacob took fresh cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees, and he made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible.⁶² 30:38 Then he placed the branches that he had peeled in all the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink, in front of the flocks, when they were in heat⁶³ when they came⁶⁴ to drink. 30:39 When⁶⁵ the flocks conceived⁶⁶ in front of the branches, they⁶⁷ bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 30:40 And the lambs Jacob separated; but he made the rest of the flock face⁶⁸ the streaked and all the dark colored in the flock of Laban. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with the flocks of Laban. 30:41 And when the stronger females were in heat⁶⁹ Jacob placed the branches in front of the flock in the trough, so they would mate near the branches. 30:42 And when the animals were weak,⁷⁰ he did not put them there.⁷¹ So the weaker animals became⁷² Laban’s and the stronger animals Jacob’s. 30:43 And the man prospered exceedingly; and he had⁷³ great flocks and maidservants and menservants and camels and donkeys.