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 Rāhēle redzēja, ka viņa nevar Jēkabam dzemdēt, Rāhēle apskauda savu māsu un teica Jēkabam: “Gādā man dēlus, un, ja ne, tad es miršu!” 2 Bet Jēkabs iesvilās dusmās pret Rāhēli un teica: “Vai es Dieva vietā, kas tavam klēpim liedzis augli?” 3 Un viņa teica: “Re, mana kalpone Bilha, ej pie viņas, lai viņa dzemdē man uz ceļgaliem, un man būs dēls, kaut caur viņu!” 4 Viņa deva tam savu kalponi Bilhu par sievu, un Jēkabs gāja pie tās. 5 Un Bilha kļuva grūta un dzemdēja Jēkabam dēlu. 6 Rāhēle teica: “Dievs mani gan ir notiesājis, bet ir arī mani sadzirdējis un devis man dēlu!” – tādēļ viņa to nosauca vārdā Dāns . 7 Un Bilha, Rāhēles kalpone, atkal kļuva grūta un dzemdēja Jēkabam otru dēlu. 8 Rāhēle teica: “Dieva cīkstiņu izcīkstēju un taču uzvarēju!” Un viņa to nosauca vārdā Naftālī . 9 Kad Lea redzēja, ka pati nedzemdēs, viņa ņēma savu kalponi Zilpu un deva to Jēkabam par sievu. 10 Un Leas kalpone Zilpa dzemdēja Jēkabam dēlu. 11 Lea teica: “Paveicās!” – un nosauca viņu vārdā Gāds . 12 Un Leas kalpone Zilpa dzemdēja Jēkabam otru dēlu. 13 Un Lea teica: “Mana laime, nu sievas teiks, ka es laimīga!” – un viņa nosauca viņu vārdā Ašērs . 14 Kādā kviešu pļaujas dienā Rūbens atrada laukā mīlas ābolus un atnesa tos savai mātei Leai. Un Rāhēle teica Leai: “Dod jel man kādu no tava dēla mīlas āboliem!” 15 Bet viņa tai teica: “Vai tev vēl maz, ka tu paņēmi manu vīru, ka tu vēl ņemsi mana dēla mīlas ābolus?” Un Rāhēle teica: “Lai tad viņš šonakt guļ ar tevi par tava dēla mīlas āboliem!” 16 Vakarā Jēkabs pārnāca no lauka, un Lea iznāca viņam pretī un teica: “Nāc pie manis, jo es tevi nolīgu par mana dēla mīlas āboliem!” Un tonakt viņš gulēja ar viņu. 17 Un Dievs uzklausīja Leu, un viņa kļuva grūta un dzemdēja Jēkabam piekto dēlu. 18 Un Lea teica: “Dievs deva man algu, jo es savam vīram devu savu kalponi!” Un viņa nosauca to vārdā Jisašhars . 19 Un Lea atkal kļuva grūta un dzemdēja Jēkabam sesto dēlu. 20 Un Lea teica: “Dievs man devis labu dāvanu – tagad mans vīrs godās mani, jo es viņam esmu dzemdējusi sešus dēlus!” Un viņa nosauca to vārdā Zebulūns . 21 Pēc tam viņa dzemdēja meitu un nosauca to vārdā Dīna. 22 Un Dievs atcerējās Rāhēli, un Dievs viņu uzklausīja un atvēra viņas klēpi. 23 Viņa kļuva grūta, dzemdēja dēlu un teica: “Dievs noņēmis manu apsmieklu!” 24 Un viņa nosauca to vārdā Jāzeps , sacīdama: “Lai Kungs pieliek man vēl vienu dēlu!”
Jēkabs vairo savu bagātību
25 Kad Rāhēle bija dzemdējusi Jāzepu, Jēkabs teica Lābanam: “Atlaid mani, un es došos uz savām vietām, uz savu zemi! 26 Dod manas sievas un manus bērnus, par kuriem es tev esmu kalpojis, un es iešu, jo tu zini, cik daudz es tev esmu kalpojis!” 27 Un Lābans viņam teica: “Esi taču man vēlīgs! Es esmu pareģojis, ka Kungs mani ir svētījis tevis dēļ!” 28 Un tas teica: “Nosauc man savu algu, un es tev to došu!” 29 Jēkabs tam teica: “Tu zini, cik es tev esmu kalpojis un kādi manā laikā ir tapuši tavi lopi! 30 Jo pirms manis tev bija maz, bet tagad tev ir jo daudz, un, kam vien es ķēros klāt, tur Kungs tevi svētīja! Un nu – pa kuru laiku lai es uzceļu savu namu?” 31 Bet tas teica: “Ko lai es tev dodu?” Jēkabs teica: “Nedod man neko, tikai izdari man šādu lietu – un es atkal ganīšu un sargāšu tavas avis: 32 šodien es iziešu cauri visiem taviem lopiem un nošķiršu no tiem visus lāsainos un plankumainos, ikvienu melno no jēriem un ikvienu plankumaino un lāsaino no kazām – tā būs mana alga. 33 Un mana taisnība taps redzama nākamajās dienās, kad tu nāksi manas algas dēļ, kas man no tevis pienākas, – ikviena kaza, kas nebūs lāsaina vai plankumaina, un ikviens jērs, kas nebūs melns, – tie būs zagti!” 34 Un Lābans teica: “Nu labi! Lai būtu, kā tu teici!” 35 Un todien viņš nošķīra strīpainos un plankumainos āžus un visas lāsainās un plankumainās kazas, visas, kurām bija kāds baltums, un visus melnos jērus un atdeva saviem dēliem. 36 Un starp sevi un Jēkabu viņš nolika trīs dienu gājumu, un Jēkabs ganīja pārējās Lābana avis.
37 Jēkabs ņēma baltapses, mandeļu un platānas zarus un nomizoja tiem mizas, atplēsdams līdz baltumam. 38 Zarus, kurus bija nomizojis, viņš lika priekšā avīm kublos un ūdens silēs, kurp avis nāca dzert, un tās pārojās tur, kur nāca dzert. 39 Un avis pārojās pie zariem, un avīm dzima strīpaini, lāsaini un plankumaini jēri. 40 Jērus Jēkabs nošķīra un avju purnus grieza pret strīpainajiem un pret melnajiem Lābana ganāmpulkā, – tā viņš uztaisīja ganāmpulku sev pašam un nošķīra to no Lābana avīm. 41 Un ik reizi, kad pārojās brangākās avis, Jēkabs lika kublos zarus avju priekšā, lai tās pārotos pie zariem, 42 bet, kad vājākās avis, tad nelika neko, un Lābanam palika vājākās, bet Jēkabam brangākās. 43 Un tam vīram viss ienācās brangi, un viņam bija daudz avju un kalpoņu, un kalpu, un kamieļu, un ēzeļu!
