30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she 1 became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children 2 or I’ll die!” 30:2 Jacob became furious 3 with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” 4 30:3 She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with 5 her so that she can bear 6 children 7 for me 8 and I can have a family through her.” 9
30:4 So Rachel 10 gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with 11 her. 30:5 Bilhah became pregnant 12 and gave Jacob a son. 13 30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer 14 and given me a son.” That is why 15 she named him Dan. 16
30:7 Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. 17 30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.” 18 So she named him Naphtali. 19
30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave 20 her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 Soon Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. 21 30:11 Leah said, “How fortunate!” 22 So she named him Gad. 23
30:12 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. 24 30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am, 25 for women 26 will call me happy!” So she named him Asher. 27
30:14 At the time 28 of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants 29 in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 30:15 But Leah replied, 30 “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,” 31 Rachel said, “he may sleep 32 with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 30:16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep 33 with me because I have paid for your services 34 with my son’s mandrakes.” So he had marital relations 35 with her that night. 30:17 God paid attention 36 to Leah; she became pregnant 37 and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. 38 30:18 Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward 39 because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.” 40 So she named him Issachar. 41
30:19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. 42 30:20 Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 43
30:21 After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
30:22 Then God took note of 44 Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. 45 30:23 She became pregnant 46 and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” 47 30:24 She named him Joseph, 48 saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”
30:25 After Rachel had given birth 49 to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send 50 me on my way so that I can go 51 home to my own country. 52 30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. 53 Then I’ll depart, 54 because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” 55
30:27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, 56 for I have learned by divination 57 that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.” 30:28 He added, “Just name your wages – I’ll pay whatever you want.” 58
30:29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, 59 “and how well your livestock have fared under my care. 60 30:30 Indeed, 61 you had little before I arrived, 62 but now your possessions have increased many times over. 63 The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. 64 But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?” 65
30:31 So Laban asked, 66 “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” 67 Jacob replied, 68 “but if you agree to this one condition, 69 I will continue to care for 70 your flocks and protect them: 30:32 Let me walk among 71 all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, 72 and the spotted or speckled goats. 73 These animals will be my wages. 74 30:33 My integrity will testify for me 75 later on. 76 When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, 77 if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen.” 78 30:34 “Agreed!” said Laban, “It will be as you say.” 79
30:35 So that day Laban 80 removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted (all that had any white on them), and all the dark-colored lambs, and put them in the care 81 of his sons. 30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, 82 while 83 Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.
30:37 But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible. 30:38 Then he set up the peeled branches in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He set up the branches in front of the flocks when they were in heat and came to drink. 84 30:39 When the sheep mated 85 in front of the branches, they 86 gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 30:40 Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face 87 the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban’s flocks. 30:41 When the stronger females were in heat, 88 Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches. 30:42 But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. 89 So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban 90 and the stronger animals to Jacob. 30:43 In this way Jacob 91 became extremely prosperous. He owned 92 large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.
31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, 93 “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich 94 at our father’s expense!” 95 31:2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. 96
31:3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers 97 and to your relatives. I will be with you.” 98 31:4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah 99 to come to the field 100 where his flocks were. 101 31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, 102 but the God of my father has been with me. 31:6 You know that I’ve worked for your father as hard as I could, 103 31:7 but your father has humiliated 104 me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. 31:8 If he said, 105 ‘The speckled animals 106 will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said, ‘The streaked animals will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to streaked offspring. 31:9 In this way God has snatched away your father’s livestock and given them to me.
31:10 “Once 107 during breeding season I saw 108 in a dream that the male goats mating with 109 the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 31:11 In the dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ ‘Here I am!’ I replied. 31:12 Then he said, ‘Observe 110 that all the male goats mating with 111 the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you. 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, 112 where you anointed 113 the sacred stone and made a vow to me. 114 Now leave this land immediately 115 and return to your native land.’”
31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance 116 in our father’s house? 31:15 Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted 117 the money paid for us! 118 31:16 Surely all the wealth that God snatched away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So now do everything God has told you.”
31:17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels. 119 31:18 He took 120 away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac. 121
31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, 122 Rachel stole the household idols 123 that belonged to her father. 31:20 Jacob also deceived 124 Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. 125 31:21 He left 126 with all he owned. He quickly crossed 127 the Euphrates River 128 and headed for 129 the hill country of Gilead.
31:22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. 130 31:23 So he took his relatives 131 with him and pursued Jacob 132 for seven days. 133 He caught up with 134 him in the hill country of Gilead. 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, 135 “Be careful 136 that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.” 137
31:25 Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too. 138 31:26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me 139 and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war! 140 31:27 Why did you run away secretly 141 and deceive me? 142 Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps? 143 31:28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren 144 good-bye. You have acted foolishly! 31:29 I have 145 the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful 146 that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’ 147 31:30 Now I understand that 148 you have gone away 149 because you longed desperately 150 for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?” 151
31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” 152 Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought 153 you might take your daughters away from me by force. 154 31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! 155 In the presence of our relatives 156 identify whatever is yours and take it.” 157 (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) 158
31:33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols. 159 Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. 160 31:34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle 161 and sat on them.) 162 Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. 163 31:35 Rachel 164 said to her father, “Don’t be angry, 165 my lord. I cannot stand up 166 in your presence because I am having my period.” 167 So he searched thoroughly, 168 but did not find the idols.
31:36 Jacob became angry 169 and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. 170 “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? 171 31:37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? 172 Set it here before my relatives and yours, 173 and let them settle the dispute between the two of us! 174
31:38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 31:39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself. 175 You always made me pay for every missing animal, 176 whether it was taken by day or at night. 31:40 I was consumed by scorching heat 177 during the day and by piercing cold 178 at night, and I went without sleep. 179 31:41 This was my lot 180 for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave 181 for you – fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times! 31:42 If the God of my father – the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears 182 – had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, 183 and he rebuked you last night.”
31:43 Laban replied 184 to Jacob, “These women 185 are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, 186 and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today 187 or the children to whom they have given birth? 31:44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, 188 you and I, and it will be 189 proof that we have made peace.” 190
31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 31:46 Then he 191 said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. 192 They ate there by the pile of stones. 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, 193 but Jacob called it Galeed. 194
31:48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement 195 today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 31:49 It was also called Mizpah 196 because he said, “May the Lord watch 197 between us 198 when we are out of sight of one another. 199 31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize 200 that God is witness to your actions.” 201
31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. 202 31:52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me. 203 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, 204 the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. 205 31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice 206 on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. 207 They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.
31:55 (32:1) 208 Early in the morning Laban kissed 209 his grandchildren 210 and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home. 211