Genesis 29:31–35:18

³¹And the Lord seeing that he despised Lia, opened her womb, but her sister remained barren.

³²And she conceived and bore a son, and called his name Ruben, saying: The Lord saw my affliction: now my husband will love me.

³³And again she conceived and bore a son, and said: Because the Lord heard that I was despised, he hath given this also to me: and she called his name Simeon.

³⁴And she conceived the third time, and bore another son, and said: Now also my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons: and therefore she called his name Levi.

³⁵The fourth time she conceived and bore a son, and said: Now will I praise the Lord: and for this she called him Juda. And she left bearing.

Chapter 30

And Rachel seeing herself without children, envied her sister, and said to her husband: Give me children, otherwise I shall die.

²And Jacob being angry with her, answered: Am I as God, who hath deprived thee of the fruit of thy womb?

³But she said: I have here my servant Bala: go in unto her, that she may bear upon my knees, and I may have children by her.

⁴And she gave him Bala in marriage: who,

⁵When her husband had gone in unto her, conceived and bore a son.

⁶And Rachel said: The Lord hath judged for me, and hath heard my voice, giving me a son; and therefore she called his name Dan.

⁷And again Bala conceived, and bore another,

⁸For whom Rachel said: God hath compared me with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called him Nephthali.

⁹Lia perceiving that she had left of bearing, gave Zelpha, her handmaid, to her husband.

¹⁰And when she had conceived, and brought forth a son,

¹¹She said: Happily. And therefore called his name Gad.

¹²Zelpha also bore another.

¹³And Lia said: This is for my happiness: for women will call me blessed. Therefore she called him Aser.

¹⁴And Ruben going out in the time of the wheat harvest into the field, found mandrakes: which he brought to his mother Lia. And Rachel said: Give me part of thy son’s mandrakes.

¹⁵She answered: Dost thou think it a small matter, that thou hast taken my husband from me, unless thou take also my son’s mandrakes? Rachel said: He shall sleep with thee this night, for thy son’s mandrakes.

¹⁶And when Jacob returned at even from the field, Lia went out to meet him, and said: Thou shalt come in unto me, because I have hired thee for my son’s mandrakes. And he slept with her that night.

¹⁷And God heard her prayers; and she conceived: and bore a fifth son:

¹⁸And said: God hath given me a reward, because I gave my handmaid to my husband. And she called his name Issachar.

¹⁹And Lia conceived again, and bore the sixth son,

²⁰And said: God hath endowed me with a good dowry; this turn also my husband will be with me, because I have borne him six sons: and therefore she called his name Zabulon.

²¹After whom she bore a daughter, named Dina.

²²The Lord also remembering Rachel, heard her, and opened her womb.

²³And she conceived, and bore a son, saying: God hath taken away my reproach.

²⁴And she called his name Joseph: saying: The Lord give me also another son.

²⁵And when Joseph was born, Jacob said to his father in law: Send me away, that I may return into my country, and to my land.

²⁶Give me my wives, and my children, for whom I have served thee, that I may depart: thou knowest the service that I have rendered thee.

²⁷Laban said to him: Let me find favour in thy sight: I have learned, by experience, that God hath blessed me for thy sake.

²⁸Appoint thy wages which I shall give thee.

²⁹But he answered: Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how great thy possession hath been in my hands.

³⁰Thou hadst but little before I came to thee, and now thou art become rich: and the Lord hath blessed thee at my coming. It is reasonable, therefore, that I should now provide also for my own house.

³¹And Laban said: What shall I give thee? But he said: I require nothing; but if thou wilt do what I demand, I will feed and keep thy sheep again.

³²Go round through all thy flocks, and separate all the sheep of divers colours, and speckled; and all that is brown and spotted, and of divers colours, as well among the sheep as among the goats, shall be my wages.

³³And my justice shall answer for me tomorrow before thee, when the time of the bargain shall come; and all that is not of divers colours, and spotted, and brown, as well among the sheep as among the goats, shall accurse me of theft.

³⁴And Laban said: I like well what thou demandest.

³⁵And he separated the same day the she goats, and the sheep, and the he goats, and the rams of divers colours, and spotted; and all the flock of one colour, that is, of white and black fleece, he delivered into the hands of his sons.

³⁶And he set the space of three days journey betwixt himself and his son in law, who fed the rest of his flock.

³⁷And Jacob took green rods of poplar, and of almond, and of plane trees, and pilled them in part: so when the bark was taken off, in the parts that were pilled, there appeared whiteness: but the parts that were whole, remained green: and by this means the colour was divers.

³⁸And he put them in the troughs, where the water was poured out; that when the flocks should come to drink, they might have the rods before their eyes, and in the sight of them might conceive.

³⁹And it came to pass, that in the very heat of coition, the sheep beheld the rods, and brought forth spotted, and of divers colours, and speckled.

⁴⁰And Jacob separated the flock, and put the rods in the troughs before the eyes of the rams; and all the white and the black were Laban’s, and the rest were Jacob’s, when the flocks were separated one from the other.

⁴¹So when the ewes went first to ram, Jacob put the rods in the troughs of water before the eyes of the rams, and of the ewes, that they might conceive while they were looking upon them.

⁴²But when the later coming was, and the last conceiving, he did not put them. And those that were lateward, became Laban’s; and they of the first time, Jacob’s.

⁴³And the man was enriched exceedingly, and he had many flocks, maidservants and menservants, camels and asses.

Chapter 31

But after that he had heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying: Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s, and being enriched by his substance is become great.

²And perceiving also, that Laban’s countenance was not towards him as yesterday and the other day.

³Especially the Lord saying to him: Return into the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.

⁴He sent, and called Rachel and Lia into the field, where he fed the flocks,

⁵And said to them: I see your father’s countenance is not towards me as yesterday and the other day: but the God of my father hath been with me.

⁶And you know that I have served your father to the uttermost of my power.

⁷Yea your father hath also overreached me, and hath changed my wages ten times: and yet God hath not suffered him to hurt me.

⁸If at any time, he said: The speckled shall be thy wages: all the sheep brought forth speckled: but when he said on the contrary: Thou shalt take all the white one for thy wages: all the flocks brought forth white ones.

⁹And God hath taken your father’s substance, and given it to me.

¹⁰For after the time came of the ewes conceiving, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in my sleep, that the males which leaped upon the females were of divers colours, and spotted, and speckled.

¹¹And the angel of God said to me in my sleep: Jacob. And I answered: Here I am.

¹²And he said: Lift up thy eyes, and see that all the males leaping upon the females, are of divers colours, spotted and speckled. For I have seen all that Laban hath done to thee.

¹³I am the God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the stone, and make a vow to me. Now therefore arise, and go out of this land, and return into thy native country.

¹⁴And Rachel and Lia answered: Have we any thing left among the goods and inheritance of our father’s house?

¹⁵Hath he not counted us as strangers, and sold us, and eaten up the price of us?

¹⁶But God hath taken our father’s riches, and delivered them to us, and to our children: wherefore, do all that God hath commanded thee.

¹⁷Then Jacob rose up, and having set his children and wives upon camels, went his way.

¹⁸And he took all his substance, and flocks, and whatsoever he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and went forward to Isaac, his father, to the land of Chanaan.

¹⁹At that time Laban was gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole away her father’s idols.

²⁰And Jacob would not confess to his father in law that he was flying away.

²¹And when he was gone, together with all that belonged to him, and having passed the river, was going on towards mount Galaad,

²²It was told Laban on the third day, that Jacob fled.

²³And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days; and overtook him in the mount of Galaad.

²⁴And he saw in a dream God, saying to him: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.

²⁵Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain: and when he, with his brethren, had overtaken him, he pitched his tent in the same mount of Galaad.

²⁶And he said to Jacob: Why hast thou done thus, to carry away, without my knowledge, my daughters as captives taken with the sword?

²⁷Why wouldst thou run away privately, and not acquaint me, that I might have brought thee on the way with joy, and with songs, and with timbrels, and with harps?

²⁸Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and daughters; thou hast done foolishly; and now indeed,

²⁹It is in my power to return thee evil; but the God of your father said to me yesterday: Take heed thou speak not any thing harshly against Jacob.

³⁰Suppose thou didst desire to go to thy friends, and hadst a longing after thy father’s house: why hast thou stolen away my gods?

³¹Jacob answered: That I departed unknown to thee, it was for fear lest thou wouldst take away thy daughters by force.

³²But, whereas, thou…