1 But Rachel had not borne Jacob any children, and so she became jealous of her sister and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I will die.”
2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “I can't take the place of God. He is the one who keeps you from having children.”
3 She said, “Here is my slave Bilhah; sleep with her, so that she can have a child for me. In this way I can become a mother through her.” 4 So she gave Bilhah to her husband, and he had intercourse with her. 5 Bilhah became pregnant and bore Jacob a son. 6 Rachel said, “God has judged in my favor. He has heard my prayer and has given me a son”; so she named him Dan. 7 Bilhah became pregnant again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel said, “I have fought a hard fight with my sister, but I have won”; so she named him Naphtali.
9 When Leah realized that she had stopped having children, she gave her slave Zilpah to Jacob as his wife. 10 Then Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Leah said, “I have been lucky”; so she named him Gad. 12 Zilpah bore Jacob another son, 13 and Leah said, “How happy I am! Now women will call me happy”; so she named him Asher.
14 During the wheat harvest Reuben went into the fields and found mandrakes, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.”
15 Leah answered, “Isn't it enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you are even trying to take away my son's mandrakes.”
Rachel said, “If you will give me your son's mandrakes, you can sleep with Jacob tonight.”
16 When Jacob came in from the fields in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You are going to sleep with me tonight, because I have paid for you with my son's mandrakes.” So he had intercourse with her that night.
17 God answered Leah's prayer, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my reward, because I gave my slave to my husband”; so she named her son Issachar. 19 Leah became pregnant again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 She said, “God has given me a fine gift. Now my husband will accept me, because I have borne him six sons”; so she named him Zebulun. 21 Later she bore a daughter, whom she named Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he answered her prayer and made it possible for her to have children. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She said, “God has taken away my disgrace by giving me a son. 24 May the Lord give me another son”; so she named him Joseph.
Jacob's Bargain with Laban
25 After the birth of Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Let me go, so that I can return home. 26 Give me my wives and children that I have earned by working for you, and I will leave. You know how well I have served you.”
27 Laban said to him, “Let me say this: I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you. 28 Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
29 Jacob answered, “You know how I have worked for you and how your flocks have prospered under my care. 30 The little you had before I came has grown enormously, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I went. Now it is time for me to look out for my own interests.”
31 “What shall I pay you?” Laban asked.
Jacob answered, “I don't want any wages. I will continue to take care of your flocks if you agree to this suggestion: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and take every black lamb and every spotted or speckled young goat. That is all the wages I want. 33 In the future you can easily find out if I have been honest. When you come to check up on my wages, if I have any goat that isn't speckled or spotted or any sheep that isn't black, you will know that it has been stolen.”
34 Laban answered, “Agreed. We will do as you suggest.” 35 But that day Laban removed the male goats that had stripes or spots and all the females that were speckled and spotted or which had white on them; he also removed all the black sheep. He put his sons in charge of them, 36 and then went away from Jacob with this flock as far as he could travel in three days. Jacob took care of the rest of Laban's flocks.
37 Jacob got green branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees and stripped off some of the bark so that the branches had white stripes on them. 38 He placed these branches in front of the flocks at their drinking troughs. He put them there, because the animals mated when they came to drink. 39 So when the goats bred in front of the branches, they produced young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.
40 Jacob kept the sheep separate from the goats and made them face in the direction of the streaked and black animals of Laban's flock. In this way he built up his own flock and kept it apart from Laban's.
41 When the healthy animals were mating, Jacob put the branches in front of them at the drinking troughs, so that they would breed among the branches. 42 But he did not put the branches in front of the weak animals. Soon Laban had all the weak animals, and Jacob all the healthy ones. 43 In this way Jacob became very wealthy. He had many flocks, slaves, camels, and donkeys.
1 Kad Rahēle 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 Rahēli, un viņš sacīja: "Vai tad es esmu Dieva vietā, kas liedzis bērnus tavam klēpim?" 3 Tad tā teica viņam: "Lūk, mana 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 Rahēle sacīja: "Dievs man piešķīris tiesu un ir paklausījis mani, un devis man dēlu." Tādēļ viņa nosauca tā vārdu: Dans . 7 Un Bilha, Rahēles kalpone, tapa atkal grūta un dzemdēja Jēkabam otru dēlu. 8 Un Rahēle sacīja: "Es esmu izcīnījusi Dieva cīņu ar savu māsu un esmu uzvarējusi." Un viņa nosauca tā vārdu: Naftalis . 9 Kad Lea redzēja, ka ir pārstājusi dzemdēt, tā ņēma savu kalponi Zilfu un deva to Jēkabam par sievu. 10 Un Zilfa, Leas kalpone, dzemdēja Jēkabam dēlu. 11 Un Lea teica: "Laime nāk," - un nosauca tā vārdu: Gads . 12 Un Zilfa, Leas kalpone, dzemdēja otru dēlu Jēkabam. 13 Un Lea teica: "Es - laimīgā, jo mani teiks laimīgu visas sievas." Un tā nosauca viņa vārdu: Ašers . 14 Un kādu dienu Rūbens nāca ap kviešu pļaujamo laiku un atrada tīrumā mīlestības ābolus, un viņš tos atnesa savai mātei Leai. Tad Rahēle sacīja Leai: "Dod man kādu no sava 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 Rahēle sacīja: "Lai tad arī viņš guļ pie tevis šonakt 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 esmu pirktin nopirkusi par sava dēla mīlestības āboliem." Un viņš ar to gulēja tanī naktī. 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 devusi savu kalponi savam vīram." Un viņa nosauca tā vārdu: Isašars . 19 Un Lea atkal tapa grūta un dzemdēja Jēkabam sesto dēlu. 20 Un Lea sacīja: "Dievs mani pieminējis ar labu piemiņu, dodams dāvanu; nu reiz mans vīrs cienīs mani, jo es tam esmu dzemdējusi sešus dēlus." Un viņa nosauca tā vārdu: Zebulons . 21 Un pēc tā viņa dzemdēja meitu un nosauca viņas vārdu: Dīna. 22 Tad Dievs pieminēja Rahēli 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 viņa vārdu: Jāzeps , sacīdama: "Lai Tas Kungs man pieliek vēl vienu dēlu." 25 Un notika, pēc tam kad Rahēle bija dzemdējusi Jāzepu, Jēkabs sacīja Lābanam: "Atlaid mani! Es gribu iet uz savu vietu savā zemē. 26 Dod man manas sievas un manus bērnus, jo es tev par viņām esmu kalpojis, un es gribu doties ceļā; tu jau zini manu kalpošanu, ko esmu tev kalpojis." 27 Bet Lābans sacīja viņam: "Kaut es būtu atradis labvēlību tavās acīs; no zīmēm esmu nopratis, ka Tas Kungs mani ir svētījis tevis dēļ." 28 Un viņš sacīja: "Prasi man savu algu, un es to došu." 29 Un tas sacīja viņam: "Tu zini, kā es tev esmu kalpojis un kā tavs ganāmpulks pieaudzis manā laikā. 30 Jo maz tev bija, pirms es atnācu, bet tas pieauga vairumā, un Tas Kungs tevi svētījis manu soļu dēļ. Bet tagad - kad lai es sāku gādāt arī par savu namu?" 31 Un viņš sacīja: "Ko lai es tev dodu?" Un Jēkabs sacīja: "Tev man nekā nav jādod. Ja tu man darīsi kādu lietu, es atkal ganīšu 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 nāksi pārbaudīt manu algu: 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 sacījis." 35 Un viņš atšķīra tanī dienā raibos un lāsainos āžus un visas raibās un lāsainās kazas, visus, 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, mandeļu kokiem un platānu kļavām un izdrāza baltas svītras, atsegdams baltumu, kāds bija rīkstēm. 38 Un šīs rīkstes, kuras viņš bija nomizojis, viņš lika sīklopu priekšā ūdens tvertnēs un dzirdināmās silēs, pie kurām sīklopi nāca dzert, ka tie, nākdami dzert, apietos. 39 Un sīklopi apgājās pār šīm rīkstēm, un tiem atnesās raibi, svītraini un lāsaini jēri un kazlēni. 40 Bet šos jērus Jēkabs atšķīra un vērsa visus sīklopu purnus uz svītrainajiem un melnajiem starp Lābana sīklopiem. Un viņš lika savus ganāmpulkus atsevišķi un nepievienoja tos Lābana sīklopiem. 41 Un vienmēr, kad spēcīgākie sīklopi apgājās, Jēkabs lika rīkstes sīklopu priekšā ūdens tvertnēs, lai tie pār šīm rīkstēm apietos. 42 Bet, vājākiem sīklopiem apejoties, viņš nelika tās; un tā vājākie sīklopi palika Lābanam, bet stiprākie Jēkabam. 43 Tā šis vīrs kļuva ļoti bagāts, jo tam bija daudz sīklopu, kalpoņu, kalpu, kamieļu un ēzeļu.
