Study Desk

Now when Rachel saw that she had not borne Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I am going to 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.

Then Jacob's anger burned against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"

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?

Then she said, "Here is my female slave Bilhah: have relations with her that she may give birth on my knees, so that by her I too may obtain a child."

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.

So she gave him her slave Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had relations with her.

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

Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.

Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son." Therefore 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.

And Rachel's slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

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

So Rachel said, "With mighty wrestling I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed." And 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.

When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave 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.

And Leah's slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son.

Then Leah said, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad.

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

And Leah's slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

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

Then Leah said, "Happy am I! For women will call me happy." So she named him Asher.

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

Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrake fruits in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then 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.

But she said to her, "Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son's mandrakes also?" So Rachel said, "Therefore he may sleep with you tonight in return 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.

When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must have relations with me, for I have indeed 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.

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.

Then Leah said, "God has given me my reward, because I gave my slave 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.

And Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

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

Then Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good gift; finally my husband will acknowledge me as his wife, 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.

Afterward she gave birth to a daughter, and named her Dinah.

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

Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.

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

So 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:

And she named him Joseph, saying, "May the LORD give me another son."

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

Now it came about, when Rachel had given birth to Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, so that I may go to my own place and to my own country.

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.

"Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered 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.

But Laban said to him, "If it pleases you at all, stay with me; I have determined by divination that the LORD has blessed me on your account."

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.

He continued, "Name me your wages, and I will give them."

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

But Jacob said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you and how your livestock have fared with me.

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

"For you had little before I came, and it has increased to a multitude, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?"

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?

So he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep 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.

let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled or spotted sheep and every black sheep among the lambs, and the spotted or speckled among the goats; and those shall be 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.

"So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled or spotted among the goats, or black among the lambs, if found with me, will 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.

Laban said, "Good, let it be according to your word."

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

So he removed on that day the striped or spotted male goats, and all the speckled or spotted female goats, every one with white on it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and put 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.

And he put a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed 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.

Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white that was in the rods.

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.

He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the drinking troughs, that is, in the watering channels where the flocks came to drink; and they mated 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.

So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks delivered striped, speckled, and spotted offspring.

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

Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, 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.

Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the drinking troughs, so that they would mate by the rods;

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.

but when the flock was sickly, he did not put them in; so the sickly were Laban's, and the stronger were Jacob's.

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

So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, and 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.