Problems between Rachel and Leah
1 Rachel was very jealous of Leah for having children, and she said to Jacob, “I'll die if you don't give me some children!”
2 But Jacob became upset with Rachel and answered, “Don't blame me! I'm not God.”
3 “Here, take my servant Bilhah,” Rachel told him. “Have children by her, and I'll let them be born on my knees to show that they are mine.”
4 Then Rachel let Jacob marry Bilhah, 5 and they had a son. 6 Rachel named him Dan, because she said, “God has answered my prayers. He judged in my favor and has given me a son.” 7 When Bilhah and Jacob had a second son, 8 Rachel said, “I've struggled hard with my sister, and I've won!” So she named the boy Naphtali.
9 When Leah realized she could not have any more children, she let Jacob marry her servant Zilpah, 10 and they had a son. 11 “I'm really lucky,” Leah said, and she named the boy Gad. 12 When they had another son, 13 Leah exclaimed, “I'm happy now, and all the women will say how happy I am.” So she named him Asher.
Love Flowers
14 During the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some love flowers and took them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah for some of them, 15 but Leah said, “It's bad enough that you stole my husband! Now you want my son's love flowers too.”
“All right,” Rachel answered. “Let me have the flowers, and you can sleep with Jacob tonight.”
16 That evening when Jacob came in from the fields, Leah told him, “You're sleeping with me tonight. I hired you with my son's love flowers.”
They slept together that night, 17 and God answered Leah's prayers by giving her a fifth son. 18 Leah shouted, “God has rewarded me for letting Jacob marry my servant,” and she named the boy Issachar.
19 When Leah had another son, 20 she exclaimed, “God has given me a wonderful gift, and my husband will praise me for giving him six sons.” So she named the boy Zebulun. 21 Later, Leah had a daughter and named her Dinah.
22-23 Finally, God remembered Rachel—he answered her prayer by giving her a son. “God has taken away my disgrace,” she said. 24 “I'll name the boy Joseph, and I'll pray that the Lord will give me another son.”
Jacob and Laban
25 After Joseph was born, Jacob said to Laban, “Release me from our agreement and let me return to my own country. 26 You know how hard I've worked for you, so let me take my wives and children and leave.”
27-28 But Laban told him, “If you really are my friend, stay on, and I'll pay whatever you ask. I'm sure the Lord has blessed me because of you.”
29 Jacob answered:
You've seen how hard I've worked for you, and you know how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. 30 You didn't have much before I came, but the Lord has blessed everything I have ever done for you. Now it's time for me to start looking out for my own family.
31 “How much do you want me to pay you?” Laban asked.
Then Jacob told him:
I don't want you to pay me anything. Just do one thing, and I'll take care of your sheep and goats. 32 Let me go through your flocks and herds and take the sheep and goats that are either spotted or speckled and the black lambs. That's all you need to give me. 33 In the future you can easily find out if I've been honest. Just look and see if my animals are either spotted or speckled, or if the lambs are black. If they aren't, they've been stolen from you.
34 “I agree to that,” was Laban's response. 35 Before the end of the day, Laban had separated his spotted and speckled animals and the black lambs from the others and had put his sons in charge of them. 36 Then Laban made Jacob keep the rest of the sheep and goats at a distance of three days' journey.
37 Jacob cut branches from some poplar trees and from some almond and evergreen trees. He peeled off part of the bark and made the branches look spotted and speckled. 38 Then he put the branches where the sheep and goats would see them while they were drinking from the water trough. The goats mated there 39 in front of the branches, and their young were spotted and speckled.
40 Some of the sheep that Jacob was keeping for Laban were already spotted. And when the others were ready to mate, he made sure that they faced in the direction of the spotted and black ones. In this way, Jacob built up a flock of sheep for himself and did not put them with the other sheep.
41 When the stronger sheep were mating near the drinking place, Jacob made sure that the spotted branches were there. 42 But he would not put out the branches when the weaker animals were mating. So Jacob got all of the healthy animals, and Laban got what was left. 43 Jacob soon became rich and successful. He owned many sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of slaves.
1 Kad Rāhele redzēja, ka viņa Jēkabam nedeva bērnus, tā sāka apskaust savu māsu un teica Jēkabam: „Gādā man bērnus, ja ne, es miršu.“
2 Bet Jēkaba dusmas iekvēlojās pret Rāheli, un viņš sacīja: „Vai tad es esmu Dieva vietā, kas liedzis bērnus tavam klēpim?“
3 Tad tā teica viņam: „Lūk, man ir kalpone Bilha, ej pie tās, lai tā dzemdē uz maniem ceļiem, lai man rastos caur viņu dzimums.“
4 Un viņa tam deva Bilhu, savu kalponi, par sievu, un Jēkabs gāja pie tās.
5 Un Bilha tapa grūta un dzemdēja Jēkabam dēlu.
6 Un Rāhele sacīja: „Dievs man piešķīris tiesu un ir paklausījis mani un devis man dēlu,“ Un viņa nosauca tādēļ tā vārdu Dans.
7 Un Bilha tapa atkal grūta un dzemdēja kā Rāheles kalpone otru dēlu Jēkabam.
8 Un Rāhele sacija: „Es esmu izcīnījusi Dieva cīņu ar savu māsu un esmu uzvarējusi“; un viņa nosauca tā vārdu Naftalis.
9 Kad Lea vēroja, ka viņa bija beigusi dzemdēt, tā paņēma savu kalponi Zilfu, un deva to Jēkabam par sievu.
10 Un Zilfa, Leas kalpone, dzemdēja tam dēlu.
11 Un Lea teica: „Laime nāk,“ un nosauca tā vārdu Gads.
12 Un Leas kalpone Zilfa dzemdēja otru dēlu Jēkabam.
13 Un Lea teica: „Es laimīgā, jo mani teiks laimīgu visas sievietes“. Un tā nosauca viņa vārdu Ašers.
14 Un Rūbens reiz nāca ap kviešu pļaujamo laiku kādu dienu un atrada tīrumā mīlestības ābolus, un viņš tos atnesa savai mātei Leai. Tad Rāhele sacīja Leai: „Dod man kādu no tava dēla mīlestības āboliem.“
15 Tā teica: „Vai tad nav vēl diezgan, ka tu man esi atņēmusi manu vīru, tagad tu gribi paņemt arī mana dēla mīlestības ābolus?“ Tad Rāhele sacīja: „Lai tad arī viņš guļ pie tevis šo nakti tava dēla mīlestības ābolu dēļ.“
16 Un Jēkabs nāca vakarā no tīruma; tad Lea gāja tam pretī un sacīja viņam: „Tev jānāk pie manis, jo es tevi par sava dēla mīlestības āboliem pirktin esmu nopirkusi, un tev jāguļ šonakt ar mani.“
17 Un Dievs paklausīja Leu, un tā tapa grūta un dzemdēja Jēkabam piekto dēlu.
18 Un Lea sacīja: „Dievs man ir atmaksājis to, ka es esmu savam virām savu kalponi devusi.“ Un viņa nosauca tā vārdu Isašars.
19 Un Lea tapa atkal grūta un dzemdēja Jēkabam sesto dēlu.
20 Un Lea sacija: „Dievs mani pieminējis ar labu piemiņu, dodams dāvanu; nu reiz mans vīrs mājos pie manis, jo es tam esmu dzemdējusi sešus dēlus.“ Un viņa nosauca tā vārdu Zebulons.
21 Un pēc tā viņa dzemdēja meitu un nosauca viņu vārdā Dina.
22 Tad Dievs atcerējās Rāheli un paklausīja viņu, atverot tās klēpi.
23 Un viņa tapa grūta, un dzemdēja dēlu, un sacīja: „Dievs man ir atņēmis manu kaunu.“
24 Un viņa nosauca viņu vārdā Jāzeps, sacīdama: „Lai tas Kungs dod man vēl vienu dēlu.“
25 Un notika pēc tam, kad Rāhele bija dzemdējusi Jāzepu, ka Jēkabs sacija Lābanam: „Atlaid mani! Es gribu iet uz dzimteni, uz savu zemi.
26 Dod man manas sievas un manus bērnus, jo es tev par viņām esmu kalpojis, un es gribu doties ceļā; tu jau pats zini manu algu, par kādu es tev esmu bijis par kalpu.“
27 Un Lābans atbildēja: „Kaut es būtu atradis žēlastību tavās acīs; no zīmēm esmu nopratis, ka tas Kungs mani ir svētījis tevis dēļ.“
28 Un viņš sacīja: „Prasi tikai savu algu, es tev to došu.“
29 Un tas sacīja: „Tu zini to algu, par kādu es tev esmu kalpojis, kā es tev esmu kalpojis un kā tavs īpašums pieaudzis manā laikā.
30 Jo maz tev bija, pirms es atnācu, bet tas pieauga vairumā, un tas Kungs svētīja manus soļus. Bet tagad, kad lai es sāku gādāt arī par savu namu?“
31 Un tas sacīja: „Ko lai es tev dodu?“ Un Jēkabs sacīja: „Tev nekas nav jādod. Ja tu darīsi vienu lietu, ko es tev sacīšu, es būšu atkal par ganu un sargāšu tavus sīklopus.
32 Es šodien apstaigāšu visus tavus sīklopus. Atšķir no tiem visas avis, kas ir raibas vai lāsainas, un visus melnos starp jēriem un lāsainās un raibās kazu starpā. Tā lai ir mana alga.
33 Un mana taisnība lai dod liecību par mani nākamā laikā. Kad tu nāksi apskatīt manu algu, tad, kas nav raiba vai lāsaina starp kazām vai melns starp jēriem, to uzskati par manis zagtu.“
34 Un Lābans sacīja: „Labi, lai notiek, kā tu esi teicis.“
35 Un viņš atšķīra tanī dienā visus raibos un lāsainos āžus un visas raibās un lāsainas kazas, visus dzīvniekus, kam bija kāds baltums, un ikvienu melno starp jēriem un deva tos savu dēlu rokās.
36 Un viņš lika atstarpi triju dienu gājumā starp Jēkabu un sevi, un Jēkabs ganīja pārējos Lābana sīklopus.
37 Un Jēkabs ņēma svaigus dzinumus no apsēm un mandeļu kokiem un platānu kļavām un izdrāza baltas svītras, atsegdams baltumu, kāds bija rīkstēm.
38 Un šīs rīkstes, kuras viņš bija nomizojis, viņš lika lopu priekšā ūdens kubulos un dzirdāmās silēs, pie kurām avis nāca dzert, lai apietos dzerdamas.
39 Un sīklopi apgājās pār šiem kokiem, un tiem atnesās raibi, svītraini un lāsaini jēri un kazlēni.
40 Bet šos jērus Jēkabs atdalīja nost un vērsa visus sīklopu purnus uz strīpainajiem un melnajiem starp Lābana sīklopiem. Un tā viņš sagādāja ganāmpulkus pats sev un nepievienoja tos Lābana sīklopu pulkiem.
41 Un tiklīdz spēcīgākie sīklopi apgājās, Jēkabs lika minētos kociņus sīklopu acu priekšā ūdens tvertnēs, lai tie pār šīm klūdziņām apietos.
42 Bet vājākiem sīklopiem apejoties, viņš nelika neko; un tā vājākie sīklopi palika Lābanam, bet stiprākie Jēkabam.
43 Tā šis vīrs pieauga varā, jo tam bija daudz sīklopu, kalpoņu, kalpu, kamieļu un ēzeļu.
