Genesis 30

1 When Rachel [the ewe] saw that she was not bearing [to beget, to give birth] any children [sons, descendants] for Jacob [her husband, a key figure in Israel’s history], she envied [was jealous of, felt envious] her sister [her biological sibling, a close relative]. “Give me children [sons, descendants, to become pregnant], or I will die [cease to exist, experience spiritual death]!” she said to Jacob [her husband, the father of her future children]. word study 2 Jacob [became enraged, was kindled] became angry [incensed, furious] with Rachel and said, “Am [taking the role of] I in the place of God [Elohim, the supreme One], who has withheld [kept back, prevented] children [the fruit of the womb, offspring] from you [from your body, preventing you from conceiving]?” word study 3 Then she said, “Here is my [female servant, personal maid] maidservant Bilhah [troubled, a concubine of Jacob]. Sleep with [go in unto, have sex with] her, that she may bear [give birth to, beget] children for me, so that through her I too can [establish, build up] build a family [a household, a lineage].” word study 4 So Rachel gave [handed over, entrusted] Jacob her servant [maidservant, female slave] Bilhah as a wife [woman, companion], and he slept [went in, had intimate relations] with her [in a marital relationship, as his wife], word study 5 and Bilhah [a concubine, troubled one] conceived [became pregnant, to conceive] and bore [gave birth, to beget] him a son [a male child, descendant]. word study 6 Then Rachel [the mother of Joseph and Benjamin] said, “God [Elohim, the supreme Judge] has vindicated [judged in my favor, decided for] me; He has heard [listened to, given attention to] my plea [voice, cry for help] and given me a son [a child, a descendant].” So she named him Dan [meaning’he judged’]. word study 7 And Rachel’s servant [maidservant, female slave] Bilhah conceived [to become pregnant] again [still, once more] and bore [to give birth, to beget] Jacob a second [again, another] son [male child, descendant]. word study 8 Then Rachel [the wife of Jacob, a mother in Israel] said, “In my great struggles [with mighty wrestlings, having a hard struggle], I have wrestled [to twist, to struggle morally] with my sister [a biological sibling, a close relative] and won [prevailed, overcome].” So she named him Naphtali [meaning struggle, wrestling]. word study 9 When Leah [the first wife of Jacob, daughter of Laban] saw [perceived, became aware] that she had stopped [ceased, left off] having children [bearing, giving birth], she gave [provided, presented] her servant [maidservant, female slave] Zilpah [her handmaid, personal maid] to Jacob [the son of Isaac and Rebekah] as a wife [a woman, a female partner]. word study 10 And Leah’s servant [maid, female servant] Zilpah [Leah’s handmaid, a concubine of Jacob] bore [gave birth to, beget] Jacob a [male descendant, child] son. word study 11 Then Leah [the first wife of Jacob, daughter of Laban] said, “How fortunate [a troop is coming, I’m truly lucky]!” So she named him Gad [meaning fortune, good luck]. word study 12 When Leah’s servant [maid, female servant] Zilpah [Leah’s handmaid, personal maid] bore [gave birth to, beget] Jacob a second [another] son [child, descendant], word study 13 Leah [the first wife of Jacob] said, “How happy [blessed, joyful] I am! For the women [daughters, female children] call me happy [blessed, fortunate].” So she named him Asher [the eighth son of Jacob]. word study 14 Now during the wheat [grain] harvest, Reuben [the firstborn son of Jacob and Leah] went out and found some mandrakes [love-fruits, plants believed to stimulate sexual desire and aid in procreation] in the field [a flat area of land used for cultivation]. When he brought them to his mother [female parent], Rachel begged Leah, “Please [I pray thee] give me some of your son’s [descendant, offspring] mandrakes [a plant associated with love and fertility].” word study 15 But Leah replied, “Is it not enough [a small matter, insignificant] that you have taken away [stolen, removed] my husband [my man, my spouse]? Now you want to take [get, acquire] my son’s mandrakes [love-fruits, plants believed to stimulate desire] as well [also, too]?” “Very well [right, so],” said Rachel, “he may sleep with [lie down, have relations with] you tonight [this night, in the evening] in exchange for [in return for, as payment for] your son’s mandrakes [love-apples].” word study 16 When Jacob [the son of Isaac, a key figure in Israel’s history] came in from the field [a place of work and cultivation] that evening [at sunset, as the day comes to a close], Leah [the first wife of Jacob, daughter of Laban] went out to meet him [to encounter, to come face to face] and said, “You must come with me [to be together, to unite], for I have hired [paid, acquired] you with my son’s [Reuben’s, her firstborn] mandrakes [a plant believed to stimulate desire and aid procreation].” So he slept [lay down, had intimate relations] with her that night [in the darkness, a time of rest and intimacy]. word study 17 And God [the supreme Creator, Elohim] listened [hearkened unto, gave ear to] to Leah [Jacob’s first wife, daughter of Laban], and she conceived [became pregnant, to conceive or become with child] and bore [gave birth to, beget] a fifth [fifth in order, the fifth son] son to Jacob [the son of Isaac and Rebekah, a key figure in Israel’s history]. word study 18 Then Leah [the first wife of Jacob] said, “God [Elohim, the supreme God] has rewarded [given me my hire, paid me wages] me for giving [entrusting, providing] my maidservant [female slave, servant-girl] to my husband [man, spouse].” So she named him Issachar [meaning ’there is recompense’ or ‘reward’]. word study 19 Again Leah [the first wife of Jacob, daughter of Laban] conceived [to become pregnant] and bore [to give birth] a sixth son [a male child or descendant] to Jacob [the son of Isaac and Rebekah]. word study 20 “God [Elohim, the supreme Giver] has given me a good [pleasant, beneficial] gift,” she said. “This time [now, at last] my husband will honor [exalt, dwell with] me, because I have borne [given birth to] him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun. word study 21 After that [following this event, afterwards], Leah gave birth [to beget, brought forth] to a daughter [female child, woman] and named [to call, designated] her Dinah [meaning judgment, justice]. word study 22 Then God [Elohim, the supreme Lord] remembered [to recall, to mark with favor] Rachel [the wife of Jacob, mother of Joseph and Benjamin]. He listened [to hear, to give attention] to her and opened [to engrave, to make fruitful] her womb [the place of conception, the matrix of life], word study 23 and she conceived [to become pregnant, with child] and gave birth [beget, brought forth] to a son [a male child, descendant]. “God [Elohim, the supreme One] has taken away [gathered up, removed] my shame [reproach, disgrace],” she said [spoken, uttered words]. word study 24 She named him Joseph [meaning Jehovah has added], and said, “May the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] add [increase, give more] to me another [different, next] son [descendant, child].” word study 25 Now after Rachel [the mother of Joseph and Benjamin] had given birth [to beget, brought forth] to Joseph, Jacob [the son of Isaac and Rebekah] said to Laban [his father-in-law], “Send me on my way [let me leave, depart] so I can return [go back, come back to] to my homeland [my own place, my country, the land of my fathers]. word study 26 Give me my wives [and my children, for whom I have been your servant] and children [youth, my offspring] for whom I have served [worked, labored] you, that I may go [walk, journey] on my way [to my destination, freely]. You know [are aware, have knowledge] how hard [with great effort, diligently] I have worked [served, toiled] for you [as your servant, in your service].” word study 27 But Laban replied, “If [I pray thee] I have found [discovered, attained] favor [graciousness, kindness] in your eyes [sight, gaze], please [I beseech thee] stay. I have learned [perceived, discovered] by [through the means of] divination [magic ritual, omens] that the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] has blessed [bestowed goodness, prosperity] me because of [on account of, for the sake of] you.” word study 28 And he added [then said, continued], “Name [appoint, define] your wages [payment, compensation, recompense for labor], and I will pay [give, provide, bestow upon you] them [the agreed upon amount, your due].” word study 29 Then Jacob answered, “You [thou, addressing Laban directly] know [are aware, have learned] how I have served [worked, labored] you and how your livestock [cattle, flocks] have thrived [done well, fared] under my care [supervision, management]. word study 30 Indeed, you had very little [a small amount] before my arrival, but now your wealth [riches, abundance] has increased [multiplied, grown] many times over. The LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] has blessed [given divine favor, prospered] you wherever I set [placed, walked] foot. But now, when may I also [too, in addition] provide [care for, make provision] for my own household [family, home]?” word study 31 “What [in the world, anything at all] can I give you?” Laban asked. “You do not need to give me anything [nothing, no reward],” Jacob replied. “If you do this one thing [specific act, favor] for me, I will keep on shepherding [caring for, tending] and keeping [watching over, protecting] your flocks [sheep, livestock]. word study 32 Let me go through [pass, transition] all your flocks [sheep and goats, livestock] today and remove from them every speckled [spotted, diverse colors] or spotted [patched, multicolored] sheep, every dark-colored [sunburnt, black] lamb, and every spotted [patched, multicolored] or speckled [diverse colors, mottled] goat. These will be my wages [payment, compensation, reward]. word study 33 So my honesty [righteousness, moral integrity] will testify for me when you come to check on my wages [payment for work, compensation] in the future. If I have any goats that are not speckled [with spots, multicolored] or spotted [with patches, varied], or any lambs that are not dark-colored [black, sunburnt], they will be considered stolen [taken secretly, deceitfully].” word study 34 “Agreed [very good, I would it might be],” said Laban [the father of Rachel and Leah]. “Let it be [go to, would that it might be] as you have said [according to thy word, as you have spoken].” word study 35 That very day [at the same time, immediately] Laban removed [took away, separated] all the streaked [ring-streaked, striped] or spotted [speckled, having white patches] male goats [he-goats, bucks] and every speckled [spotted, having patches] or spotted [having white in it, patched] female goat [she-goat, kid]—every one that had [possessing, containing] any white [purity, cleanliness] on it—and every dark-colored [black, dark brown] lamb [young sheep], and he placed [gave, entrusted] them under the care [hand, direction] of his sons [children, descendants]. word study 36 Then he put [established, set apart] a three-day [a distance of, spanning] journey [path, way of travel] between [in the midst of, separating] himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding [caring for, tending to] the rest [remainder, what was left] of Laban’s [belonging to Laban] flocks [sheep, goats]. word study 37 Jacob, however, took fresh [green, moist] branches of poplar [a tree with white sap or bark], almond [possibly the nut itself], and plane trees [with smooth, shedding bark], and peeled [removed the outer layer] the bark, exposing [laying bare] the white [pure, clean] inner wood of the branches [rods, staffs]. word study 38 Then he set [placed, established] the peeled [stripped, bare] branches [rods, staffs] in the watering troughs [gutters, channels] in front of [before, opposite] the flocks [sheep, goats] coming in to drink [to satisfy their thirst]. So when the flocks [herds, animals] were in heat [in season, fertile] and came to drink [to quench their thirst], word study 39 they mated [in the presence of, before] in front of the branches [rods, staffs]. And they bore young [gave birth, brought forth] that were streaked [ring-streaked, striped] or speckled [with spots, spotted] or spotted [with diverse colors, patched]. word study 40 Jacob set apart the young [lambs, sheep in their early stages], but made the rest face the streaked [striped, having marks or bands] dark-colored [darkened, sunburnt] sheep in Laban’s flocks [herds of sheep or goats]. Then he set his own stock [flocks, groups of animals] apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals [cattle, livestock]. word study 41 Whenever the stronger females [the more vigorous, healthy ones] of the flock [sheep or goats, the general term for livestock] were in heat [ready to breed, in estrus], Jacob would place the branches [rods, staffs] in the troughs [watering channels, gutters], in full view [before the eyes] of the animals, so that they would breed [conceive, become pregnant] in front of the branches [near the rods, among the staffs]. word study 42 But if the animals [weak, feeble, or faint] were weak [feeling overwhelmed, unable to cope], he did not set out [place, put, or appoint] the branches [sticks, rods]. So the weaker [feebler, more frail] animals went to Laban [as his possession, under his care] and the stronger [more robust, resilient] ones to Jacob [as his inheritance, under his guidance]. word study 43 Thus Jacob became [very] exceedingly prosperous [rich, wealthy]. He owned [had, possessed] large flocks [many sheep and goats, a multitude of livestock], maidservants [female slaves, servants] and menservants [male slaves, servants], and camels [riding and pack animals] and donkeys [asses, beasts of burden]. word study