Chapter 30

And Rachel seeing herself without children, envied her sister, and said to her husband: Giveme children, otherwise I shall die.2 And Jacob being angry with her, answered:Am I as God, who hath deprived thee of the fruitof thy womb?3 But 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.4 And she gave him Bala in marriage: who,5 When her husband had gone in unto her,conceived and bore a son.6 And Rachel said: The Lord hath judged forme, and hath heard my voice, giving me a son;and therefore she called his name Dan.7 And again Bala conceived, and bore another,8 For whom Rachel said: God hath comparedme with my sister, and I have prevailed: and shecalled him Nephthali.9 Lia perceiving that she had left of bearing,gave Zelpha, her handmaid, to her husband.10 And when she had conceived, and broughtforth a son,11 She said: Happily. And therefore called hisname Gad.12 Zelpha also bore another.38 Book of Genesis13 And Lia said: This is for my happiness: forwomen will call me blessed. Therefore she calledhim Aser.14 And Ruben going out in the time of thewheat harvest into the field, found mandrakes:which he brought to his mother Lia. And Rachelsaid: Give me part of thy son's mandrakes.15 She answered: Dost thou think it a smallmatter, that thou hast taken my husband fromme, unless thou take also my son's mandrakes?Rachel said: He shall sleep with thee this night,for thy son's mandrakes.16 And when Jacob returned at even from thefield, Lia went out to meet him, and said: Thoushalt come in unto me, because I have hired theefor my son's mandrakes. And he slept with herthat night.17 And God heard her prayers; and she conceived: and bore a fifth son:18 And said: God hath given me a reward,because I gave my handmaid to my husband.And she called his name Issachar.19 And Lia conceived again, and bore thesixth son,20 And said: God hath endowed me with agood dowry; this turn also my husband will bewith me, because I have borne him six sons: andtherefore she called his name Zabulon.21 After whom she bore a daughter, namedDina.22 The Lord also remembering Rachel, heardher, and opened her womb.23 And she conceived, and bore a son, saying:God hath taken away my reproach.24 And she called his name Joseph: saying:The Lord give me also another son.25 And when Joseph was born, Jacob said tohis father in law: Send me away, that I mayreturn into my country, and to my land.26 Give me my wives, and my children, forwhom I have served thee, that I may depart:thou knowest the service that I have renderedthee.27 Laban said to him: Let me find favour inthy sight: I have learned, by experience, thatGod hath blessed me for thy sake.28 Appoint thy wages which I shall give thee.29 But he answered: Thou knowest how I haveserved thee, and how great thy possession hathbeen in my hands.30 Thou hadst but little before I came to thee,and now thou art become rich: and the Lordhath blessed thee at my coming. It is reasonable,therefore, that I should now provide also for myown house.31 And Laban said: What shall I give thee?But he said: I require nothing; but if thou wiltdo what I demand, I will feed and keep thy sheepagain.32 Go round through all thy flocks, and separate all the sheep of divers colours, and speckled;and all that is brown and spotted, and of diverscolours, as well among the sheep as among thegoats, shall be my wages.33 And my justice shall answer for me tomorrow before thee, when the time of the bargainshall come; and all that is not of divers colours,and spotted, and brown, as well among the sheepas among the goats, shall accurse me of theft.34 And Laban said: I like well what thou demandest.35 And he separated the same day the shegoats, and the sheep, and the he goats, and therams of divers colours, and spotted; and all theflock of one colour, that is, of white and blackfleece, he deliverdd into the hands of his sons.36 And he set the space of three days journeybetwixt himself and his son in law, who fed therest of his flock.Book of Genesis 3937 And Jacob took green rods of poplar, andof almond, and of plane trees, and pilled themin part: so when the bark was taken off, in theparts that were pilled, there appeared whiteness:but the parts that were whole, remained green:and by this means the colour was divers.38 And he put them in the troughs, wherethe water was poured out; that when the flocksshould come to drink, they might have the rodsbefore their eyes, and in the sight of them mightconceive.39 And it came to pass, that in the veryheat of coition, the sheep beheld the rods, andbrought forth spotted, and of divers colours, andspeckled.40 And Jacob separated the flock, and put therods 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 wereseparated one from the other.41 So when the ewes went first to ram, Jacob put the rods in the troughs of water beforethe eyes of the rams, and of the ewes, that theymight conceive while they were looking uponthem.42 But when the later coming was, and thelast conceiving, he did not put them. And thosethat were lateward, became Laban's; and theyof the first time, Jacob's.43 And the man was enriched exceedingly, andhe had many flocks, maidservants and menservants, camels and asses.